Some food, some drink.

As it is with even the best of planners, sometimes things just don't click, and you need to come bearing food for an event you forgot to (or really hadn't) plan(ned) for. No one likes be that jerk that brings a token bottle of soda and bag of chips to a potluck and/or picnic. With just a few pantry staples you can save your rep and quickly bring together a quality deli-style pasta salad that will keep you off the a-hole list.

Cranberry sauce is for so much more than holiday dinners. It's a condiment that's not prejudice to sweet or savory. Cranberry sauce is as much at home spooned over a scoop of vanilla ice cream as it is piled beside a big ol' slab of roast turkey. Even as a kid, I always preferred the whole-berry type as opposed to that all-gel fruit equivalent of Spam. Whole-berry cranberry sauce is versatile, flexible and easy to prepare. Save a bag of berries, there's no excuse not to bypass the can. This particular recipe is balanced in so many ways: Sweet, tangy, and tart are all in equilibrium, and the spreadable consistency is spot-on courtesy of the abundance of natural pectins in the cranberry.

Evolution has blessed the human race (in general) with the dentition and a stomach that can handle meats as well as veggies. As much as I love a thick steak or a juicy pork chop, there are times when I crave vegetables, and vegetables alone. I'm keen on the versatility of zucchini, and when I'm looking to get my fill, the grill is a great way to do it. By using a garam masala grill rub and then dressing with the subtle bite of a tangy yogurt-curry sauce, a simple side can be elevated to main-course status if the summer heat leaves your appetite insisting on satiation without the lethargy.