Even though time and money are tight, home cooks don’t have to skimp

It can feel as though the door has barely closed on the last trick-or-treater when the first holiday guest rings the bell. In the rush to get everything done, it’s easy to neglect the daily dinner drill. Time is tight, everyone’s hungry and take-out is just so easy. But don’t give up on the budgetary and health benefits of cooking at home just yet.

New cookbooks and current food magazines can help home cooks build a repertoire of dishes so they can breeze through the daily grind and onto the holiday baking and entertaining.

Call on the new Bon Appetit “Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook” for more than 1,100 everyday recipes. Many of the dishes will require advance planning, but it’s also packed with quick ideas, including ways to doctor up supermarket staples.

Barbecued Chicken Thighs with Brown Sugar Hickory Sauce starts with any hickory barbecue sauce and Chicken Breasts with Goat Cheese and Rosemary Stuffing (recipe follows) relies on the full-flavored goat cheese to do most of the work. Even if you’re not a planner, a cook with a well-stocked pantry will find fast dinner ideas inside.

If throwing something into the slow cooker or into the oven seems easier, consider picking up the latest Cook’s Illustrated cookbook “The Best Slow and Easy Recipes.” Editors from America’s Test Kitchen hit oven roasting, chilis and stews, braises and slow-cooker favorites in the book.

These long-cooking dishes, such as Chili Turkey and Classic Bolognese Sauce or even Smothered Pork Chops and Curried Chicken with Potatoes (recipes follows) take longer to make, but the hands-on time is short.

Pick up any current food magazine for recipes that will have you serving dinner in a flash. The November issue of “Cooking Light” magazine offers up six recipes that can be on the table in 20 minutes including Chipotle Shrimp Tacos or Hamburger Stroganoff (recipe follows).

“Everyday Food,” a Martha Stewart publication, features five dinners that can be made with five ingredients during the hectic holidays in its November issue. It also includes recipes for flat-iron steak, including Seared Flat Iron Steaks with Wine Sauce (recipe follows) that can be on the table in 20 minutes flat.

Chicken Breasts with Goat Cheese and Rosemary Stuffing

2 teaspoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped shallots

3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried

3 ounces soft goat cheese

1/2 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns

2 large chicken breast halves, with skin and bones

Melt 1 teaspoon butter in heavy small skillet over medium-low heat.

Add shallots and rosemary and sauté until shallots are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Mix in goat cheese and pepper. Season to taste with salt. Using fingertips, loosen skin of chicken breasts, leaving skin attached on one long side and forming a pocket.

Spread half of cheese filling over meat under skin of each breast. Pull skin over filling and secure with toothpick. Rub remaining 1 teaspoon butter over skin, dividing equally.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange chicken on small rimmed baking sheet. Roast uncovered until brown and cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Yield: 2 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 349 calories, 20 grams fat (11 grams saturated, 54 percent fat calories), 37 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, 112 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 266 milligrams sodium.

Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken with Potatoes

From “The Best Slow and Easy Recipes” by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated. For more heat, include the jalapeño seeds and ribs when mincing. Light coconut milk can be substituted.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons sweet or mild curry powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 medium onions, minced

1 jalapeño chili, minced, seeds and ribs removed

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger

Salt

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes (about 5 medium), scrubbed and cut into 1 inch pieces

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons Minute tapioca

4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs (about 12 medium), skin removed and trimmed

Ground black pepper

1 cup frozen peas

2 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded, chopped fine

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the curry powder and garam masala and cook until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Stir in the onions, jalapeño, tomato paste, garlic, ginger and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are lightly browned and softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits.

Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker and stir in the remaining broth, potatoes, carrots, soy sauce and tapioca until evenly combined. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and nestle in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until chicken is tender, 4 to 5 hours.

Let the cooking liquid settle for 5 minutes, then gently tilt the slow cooker and remove as much fat as possible from the surface using a large spoon. Stir in the peas, tomatoes, coconut milk and cilantro and let stand until the peas are heated through, about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.

Slow-Cooker Smothered Pork Chops

From “The Best Slow and Easy Recipes” by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated

4 ounces (about 4 slices) bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

3 medium onions, halved and sliced thin

4 teaspoons light brown sugar, divided

3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried

Salt

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons Minute tapioca

2 bay leaves

6 bone-in blade-cut pork chops about 3/4-inch thick

Ground black pepper

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Cook the bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes.

Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate, leaving the fat in the skillet, and refrigerate until serving time.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat left in the skillet and place over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar, garlic, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the skillet and cook, stirring often until the onions are soft and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits.

Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the remaining 2 cups broth, remaining brown sugar, soy sauce, tapioca and bay leaves until evenly combined. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and nestle them in the slow cooker. Cover and cook, either on low or high until meat is tender, 7 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.

Transfer the pork chops to a serving platter with a large spoon, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Let the cooking liquid settle for 5 minutes, then gently tilt the slow cooker and remove as much fat as possible from the surface using a large spoon. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reheat the bacon in the microwave on high power until heated through and crisp, about 30 seconds. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the chops, sprinkle with the bacon and parsley and serve, passing the remaining sauce separately.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.

Hamburger Stroganoff

From Cooking Light magazine, November 2008

Add a tossed green salad and sautéed red and green bell pepper strips for a satisfying fall meal.

8 ounces uncooked medium egg noodles

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound ground beef, extra lean

1 cup prechopped onion

1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

1 (8-ounce) package presliced cremini mushrooms

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 tablespoon dry sherry

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms to pan; cook 4 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until slightly thick. Stir in salt and pepper.

Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and sherry. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup stroganoff, 2/3 cup pasta, and 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley)

Nutrition per serving: 322 calories, 9.8 grams fat (4.4 grams saturated, 27 percent fat calories), 23.9 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrate, 82 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 541 milligrams sodium.

Seared Flat Iron Steaks with Wine Sauce

From “Everyday Food,” November 2008

4 small flat iron steaks (each about 6 ounces and 1 inch thick)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup dry red wine, such as merlot or cabernet sauvignon

2 tablespoons cold butter

Heat a large cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high until very hot. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Add to skillet; sear 4 to 8 minutes per side for medium-rare (if browning too quickly, reduce heat after turning steaks). Transfer steaks to a plate and cover loosely with