I’m going to let you in on one of the best-kept secrets of gourmet cooking: it’s mostly about presentation (along with having a well-stocked pantry). If a dish is presented nicely, your guests are likely to be extra-impressed, even if all you’re serving is simple fare like this salad.

The key is to use very fresh, high-quality ingredients. Get your prosciutto at a deli so you can buy only what you need (a great way to save money), pick the most perfect peach you can find and use good vrigin olive oil. With a little careful shopping and some artful plating, you can turn a few ingredients into a summery, bistro-worthy starter.

• Ingredients
• 6 thin slices prosciutto $3
• 1ripe peach, sliced $1
• 4 oz. mozzarella di bufala (fresh mozzarella), sliced into medallions *$4 for 8 oz.*S
• extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $8

Directions

Arrange prosciutto on 2 salad plates. Top with peach slices and mozzarella medallions. Drizzle with olive oil to taste and top with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 2.

My name is Eli and when I think of hummus, I never think of the “red kind” because I have never had a really good roasted pepper hummus. Today, Gabi and I were out to change that. This hummus will give you a whole new way to think about “red” hummus, with spice and tons of flavor, my hummus is a great appetizer or a tasty snack.

• ingredients
• 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed $1.50
• 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves $1 for a bunch
• 1 4-oz jar roasted red bell peppers (pimentos), drained $1.50
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed Pantry
• 2 tbsp tahini $3 for a 16 oz. jar
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish Pantry
• salt and pepper to taste Pantry
• Sriracha to taste $2.50 for a 17-oz bottle

Total Cost of Ingredients $9.50

Directions

Combine all ingredients except salt, pepper and Sriracha in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.

Season with salt, pepper and Sriracha to taste.

Makes about 2 cups of hummus.

Henry, my favorite 9-year-old and I had a dinner date tonight. We made these biscuits to eat with our chicken soup dinner. He would like you to know that the cheese was his idea and also that, if you wanted to, you could add cut-up green onions to these (Henry loves green onions).

• ingredients
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and rolling Pantry
• 4 tsp baking powder Pantry
• 3/4 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling Pantry
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper Pantry
• 4 tbsp very cold butter, cut into cubes $1 for a stick
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus a few extra pinches for sprinkling 3.50 for 12 oz.
• 1 cup buttermilk $2 for a quart

Total Cost of Ingredients $6.50

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly flour a baking sheet and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper.

Use your hands to rub the butter into the flour, until the mixture resembles small peas. Stir in the cheese.

Form a little well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Stir together to form a very sticky dough.

Lightly flour a flat, clean surface and knead the dough about 5 times, just until it holds together. Press it until it is about 1 1/2” thick. Use a biscuit cutter, wine glass or drinking glass to cut 3” circles out of the dough, reworking the scraps until all the dough has been cut.

Arrange the biscuits on the floured baking sheet so they touch one another lightly. Top each with a sprinkle of salt and a pinch of cheese.

Bake for 13-16 minutes, until puffy and golden-brown.

Serve hot.

Makes about 12 biscuits.

If you like grits, you’ll love this creamy soup. Smoky chipotle peppers and creamy hominy, all pulled together by a bit of sharp cheddar cheese. This incredibly filling soup actually expands in the fridge and thickens quite a bit, so if you have leftovers, just heat it up over low heat and whisk in a bit of water or broth to thin it out before serving.

• ingredients
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• 1 onion, chopped $0.50
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
• 1 (or 2, if you like spicy) canned chipotle peppers packed in adobo, chopped, plus a few spoonfuls of their sauce $2 for a 6-oz. can
• 1 15-oz. can hominy, drained $1.50
• 4 cups (1 quart) chicken or vegetable stock $2.50
• 1 cup half-and-half 1.50 for a pint
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese $3.50 for 12 oz.
• salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $11.50

Directions

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Add the chipotles and sauce, hominy and stock. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes, until very fragrant. Puree, using a food processor, blender or immersion blender and return to pot.

Stir in the half-and-half, cheese and salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 2-3 minutes. If soup is too thick, add a bit more stock or some water.

Serve immediately (soup will thicken as it cools—this is fine, just note that it will be more like grits than soup if ), topped with more cheese if desired.

Serves 4-6.

I don’t spend nearly enough time extolling the virtues of pizza dough as a way to turn leftovers into a brand new meal. So, when I had an unexpected guest stop by around lunchtime recently, I was relieved to find a ball of pizza dough (a mainstay of my refrigerator), some leftover Butter Beans with Roasted Tomatoes and a bit of mozzarella cheese. Within minutes, I had a pizza in the oven. I threw together a salad, opened a bottle of wine and treated my friend to a fresh impromptu lunch.

• ingredients
• flour for pan and for rolling Pantry
• 1/2 recipe Butter Beans with Roasted Tomatoes 8.50 for a whole recipe
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese $3 for 8 oz.
• 1/2 recipe pizza dough $1.50
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan price included in cost of butter beans
• handful fresh parsley, chopped price included in cost of butter beans

Total Cost of Ingredients $13

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Lightly flour a baking sheet or pizza pan and set aside.

Drain the butter beans of extra juice and stir bean mixture together with the shredded mozzarella. Set aside.

Roll the dough out into a 10” circle and transfer to the prepared pan.

Spread bean-cheese mixture over the dough, leaving a 1” border for the crust.

Top with the shredded Parmesan and the parsley.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until crust is golden-brown and cheese is bubbly.

Cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 2.