Get into back-to-school groove with 4 easy dinners for a new school year

PITTSBURGH — No one likes to say goodbye to summer, but there’s no denying a new school year can be pretty exciting.

After chilling by the pool, sleeping in late and traveling with family on vacation, it’s fun for kids to be back with their friends. And what parent or caregiver doesn’t like the predictability of returning to weekday routines?

That said, getting back to a dependable daily schedule can take some time for mom or dad, who often are rushing home from work to prepare dinner, help with homework or get kids to and from practices.

One easy out is takeout. Nobody is going to judge you for grabbing a supermarket rotisserie chicken or bag of drive-thru burgers and fries. All five of my kids ate Sir Pizza — every single Friday — from kindergarten through high school, and it’s a must-have dish whenever they’re in town for a visit.

Yet, a homemade dinner is almost always cheaper than feeding the family with fast food — even with today’s high grocery prices. And it’s often just as quick, if not faster.

Plus, it just makes your house smell great. And if you get the kids to pitch in, kudos to you for helping them learn important life skills and encouraging family bonding.

The four simple, economical recipes that follow take 30 minutes or less to prepare. That leaves you free to finish up the week with Pizza Night on Friday.

Easy Sweet and Sour Pork

Serves 4. “Easy Meals Every Day: Healthy Dinners for the Whole Family” by Pip Payne (Hamlyn, $26.99)

Who doesn’t like a tasty stir-fry? This one hangs its hat on boneless pork tenderloin, a tender cut that is easy to find in any grocery store. If you’re feeling adventurous and it’s on sale, substitute fresh chopped pineapple for canned. Serve over white or brown rice or noodles.

2 cloves garlic, halved

11/2-inch piece root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons tomato puree

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

15-ounce can pineapple chunks in juice, drained, juice reserved

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 red onion, chopped

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound 2 ounces) thinly sliced

2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, deseeded and chopped

Make sauce: Put the garlic and ginger in a mini chopper or blender with the tomato puree, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey and pineapple chunks with their juice, and blend until smooth.

Put sesame oil in a saute pan over high heat and stir-fry the onion until tender, about 2 minutes.

Add pork slices and peppers. Reduce heat to medium. Stir-fry for 10 minutes.

Add sauce from the mini chopper or blender to pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with noodles, rice or side dish of your choice.

Cheeseburger Quesadillas

Serves 4. Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Quesadillas can be customized to any taste or flavor combination. Here, the hand-held comfort food is made with all your favorite cheeseburger fixings folded inside a flour tortilla — ground beef, cheddar, onion and dill pickles. They’re served with a mayonnaise-based “special sauce.”

For the special sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons minced dill pickles

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1 tablespoon minced white onion or shallot

2 teaspoons white vinegar

For burger

1 pound ground beef (80/20 blend)

8 8-inch flour tortillas

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 small white onion, chopped

Dill pickle chips and/or pickled jalapeño peppers

Shredded lettuce, for garnish

Prepare sauce: In small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, ketchup, minced pickles, mustard, onion, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Cook beef until browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain well.

Wipe out skillet with a paper towel, then lightly coat with nonstick spray. Bring pan back to medium heat. Working with one tortilla at a time, add to skillet.

Fill 1 tortilla with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 of the cooked beef, chopped onion, dill pickle slices and pickled jalapeño, if using.

Top with a second tortilla and cook until cheese is melted and tortilla is golden brown on one side, about 2 minutes.

Using a spatula, flip quesadilla and continue cooking on other side until all the cheese is melted and the second side is golden brown.

Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheddar, beef, onions and pickles. Cut each quesadilla into four pieces and stack on each of the four plates.

Garnish with shredded lettuce, and serve with special sauce for dipping.

Honey Lemon Chicken

“Quick & Easy: Delicious 30-Minute Dinners” by Nicky Corbishley (Kyle Books, $26.99)

This fresh and zesty chicken saute takes less than 20 minutes to prepare. It can be served with pasta, rice or any other favorite grain. For added heat, add a tablespoon of sweet chili sauce or a dash of Sriracha.

2 large chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chicken stock

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons honey

1 lemon, sliced into half moons

1 tablespoon chopped parsley, for garnish

Cooked rice, spaghetti or orzo, for serving

Place chicken fillets on a plate or a metal tray. Mix together flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Coat both sides of the chicken with the flour mixture.

Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat until butter melts.

Add chicken to the pan and cook for 7-8 minutes, turning once, until both sides are golden brown.

Add garlic, stir for 30 seconds (don’t let it burn), then add the chicken stock, lemon juice, honey and lemon slices.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced. (Simmer for a few minutes longer if you want it thicker.)

Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with rice or pasta.

Skillet Eggplant Parmesan

Serves 4. Adapted from “The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook” (America’s Test Kitchen, $34.99)

This vegetarian dish is so good and so easy! Made in a skillet instead of a casserole dish using canned tomatoes and sandwich bread, it’s both quick and economical.

Look for eggplants that are lightly firm and have shiny skin; they won’t continue ripening after they’ve been picked.

For sauce:

2 14.5-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained, with juice reserved

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

For eggplant:

6 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, torn into quarters

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided

3 large eggs

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 globe eggplants (about 12 ounces each), sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

1 cup vegetable oil

8 ounces shredded mozzarella

1/3 chopped fresh basil, optional

Make sauce: Process tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and salt together in food processor until pureed, about 15 seconds.

Transfer mixture to liquid measuring cup and add reserved tomato juice as needed until sauce measures 2 cups.

Prepare eggplant: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.

Pulse bread in food processor to fine, even crumbs, about 15 pulses. Transfer crumbs to pie plate and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl or plate.

Combine flour and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large zipper-lock bag.

Place eggplant slices in bag of flour, shake bag to coat, then remove eggplant from bag and shake off excess flour. Using tongs, coat floured eggplant with egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off.

Coat all sides of eggplant with bread crumbs, using your fingers to help them adhere. Lay breaded eggplant slices on wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet.

Heat half of the oil in 12-inch, oven-safe, nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering.

Add half of breaded eggplant slices and cook until well browned on both sides, about 4 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.

Transfer eggplant to wire rack and repeat with remaining breaded eggplant, adding oil as needed. (You might not need the entire 1/2 cup oil.)

Pour off oil left in skillet and wipe out skillet with paper towels. Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce over bottom of skillet and layer eggplant slices evenly, overlapping them slightly.

Dollop remaining 1 cup sauce on top of eggplant and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and mozzarella.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake until bubbling and cheese is browned, 13-15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with basil, if using, and serve.