Here's a dash of advice

Having an active toddler running around the house makes life exciting. And it makes cooking dinner something like a cross between "The Amazing Race" and the Food Network.

I used to think I knew a thing or two about getting dinner on the table quickly. An hour? Sure, that was quick back in the days before sippy cups took up residence in my cupboards next to soufflé pans. Before graham crackers became a staple in the pantry next to the garam masala.

In the past couple of years, especially in the months since the 2-year-old really started eating what we eat, I have become a champ at getting dinner prepped and cooked and on the table in about 30 minutes. If dinner were an Olympic sport, I would have been in London to claim my gold.

There is a trick — actually there are several — to keeping things interesting and varied and fun week after week.

The first, most basic thing is meal planning. Figure out a menu for the week, shop for that menu and stick with it. Add a little cushion in there for the nights you don't want to cook or know you will be too busy or tired or whatever to cook (this could be leftovers, healthy takeout or even a soup and grilled cheese night).

But there are some other tips and tricks and gadgets (yes, I said the "G" word!) to help out and to help get your kids safely working alongside you in the kitchen.

1. Channel your inner boy scout

Be prepared! The French call it mise en place. Basically, it means having your ingredients ready to go before you even turn the flame on under a pan.

The first step of this is to know what to expect, which means read the recipe. You do not want to be surprised when you get halfway through what seems simple to find out you need to let something rest for an hour or brine overnight.

The next step is prep. Wash, chop, trim, dice, julienne, sift. Whatever it is, get the ingredients ready and laid out in the order they go into the dish.

When you are trying to get dinner together in that magic 30 minutes, there is no time to stop mid-sauté to dice an onion.

2. Be ahead of your time

I find little pockets of time to do some dinner prep. Even on weekday mornings, there can be a window of opportunity to get a step ahead on dinner. But usually this idea comes in handy on weekends when I can get a few things ready to go before we leave the house for the activity of the day.

If I have 15 minutes, I might do some veggie prep, putting together a big salad to have with dinner. Even up to 12 hours early, a dinner salad can be made if you turn the salad upside down.

Start with the dressing, like a light vinaigrette, in the bottom of a big bowl. Then layer in ingredients, with the sturdiest ones first. Diced cucumbers, sliced radishes, bits of red pepper or carrots. They will be a buffer between the dressing and the items that are more delicate, like your tomatoes and lettuce.

This also makes a nice lunch idea for work, just use a smaller bowl.

Put a lid on it and pop it in the fridge for the day. Just before serving, give things a good shake to distribute the dressing.

3. A cool idea

Ice cube trays are not just for ice. So many things can be frozen in small quantities to be used later or to save them from going past their prime.

I have a few favorite recipes that call for buttermilk. But the amount needed is much less than the quart I can find at the market. Not wanting to waste, I freeze the leftover buttermilk in tablespoon portions in ice cube trays.

When I need some buttermilk for a recipe, I just take out the amount I need in cubes. This also works well for broths, juices like lemon and lime (especially if you are lucky enough to have a fruit tree) and even wine that you want to use later for cooking.

But a favorite thing that I freeze in massive batches is a homemade sofrito. This is a simple sauce of puréed tomatoes, sweet red peppers, onions and cilantro that you cook down with a little olive oil. It has the lovely flavors of a salsa without the heat, or of a robust gazpacho.

It keeps well in the freezer and thaws beautifully.

It's a nice addition to sautéed veggies (toss in a few cubes) or roasted or grilled meats (spoon it over as a sauce).

4. Go-go gadgets

When I remodeled my kitchen a few years ago, I realized I had a lot of stuff. Stuff that was just not being used. So I purged. And it felt good.

But there are a few tools — yes, gadgets — that I kept because as gadgety as they are, I use them.

I will always keep a good garlic press and my basic electric citrus juicer. I don't use them daily, but they are like old friends.

Another tool I use frequently is a ceramic-blade slicer from Kyocera. It makes perfect, paper-thin slices that I love for a cucumber salad. Mostly I use it to slice onions that I can practically see through.

A newer tool that I use several times a week is a chopper. Yes, like that infomercial chopper. It looks a little silly, but it really does work.

And if you have kids who are a little older and ready to help with the real work of prepping dinner, a chopper can get them involved without putting fingers in harm's way.

5. Looking sharp

I am a knife snob. I am.

When prepping food at someone else's house (you know who you are), I have been known to bring my own knives.

That said, I do not feel the need to have a massive butcher block full of knives. I have three that are in heavy rotation.

I keep a good chef's knife for big jobs and chopping, a small paring knife for the small jobs and a versatile serrated knife that works well on citrus and bread.

My main criteria for a knife are that it fits nicely in my hand and it must be balanced. Before buying my knives, I hold them as I would if I was using them. I feel the heft, evaluate the shape of the handle, the length of the blade.

And I make sure to take care of them. A sharp knife is less likely to slip off the surface of whatever you are cutting and cut you instead.

6. When the gloves come off

I used to use gloves only when chopping hot peppers like jalapeños. Gloves keep the oils from the peppers from my fingers, which means easier cleanup and no worries about touching my eye and getting burned.

Now I use gloves when I prep all sorts of messy things. The big one is chicken. And making meatballs.

Even if you need a quick rinse, you won't need a super scrub like you would without the protection.

And when you have small children running around at the same time you are trying to make dinner (or any meal), you never know when someone will bump their head or scrape their knee and need immediate TLC.

With gloves, I can go from the kitchen to kissing a boo-boo in no time since my hands are clean under the gloves.

7. Foiled again

Another quick cleanup tip is to line your baking sheets or pans with foil or, when appropriate, parchment paper. This helps with sticky things like a favorite treat: Better than Pecan Pie Cookie Bars (recipe follows).

For getting things like cookie bars cleanly out of the pan for perfect cutting, place a strip of foil across the middle of the short side of the pan, leaving an overhang of a couple inches on each side. Then line the pan going the long way so that it is fully covered.

When it comes time to get your treats out of the dish, the foil overlap acts as a nice handle. The food comes out of the pan easier, and you won't spend hours scouring away a sticky mess.

8. Flour power

Dredging things in flour, rolling things out on a floured board or making certain baked goods can leave you with a dusty, then potentially sticky, mess.

The trick to cleaning flour without turning it to paste is simple. First shake excess flour into the trash.

Then instead of going with your gut to rinse with the hottest water possible, turn the tap to the cold side.

Hot water essentially cooks the flour, turning it into a goo that then needs to be scrubbed of your work surface. But cold water will rinse the flour away cleanly, leaving you with a surface (counter, board, plate) that can be washed in a jiffy with hot water.

9. Get nuts with the microwave

A bit of toasty roasted nuts is a nice addition to morning oatmeal, a snack of yogurt in the afternoon or sprinkled over ice cream as a treat after dinner.

They also add crunch to salads, rice and couscous dishes.

What I don't like is dragging out a pan and turning on the oven when I just need a handful of sliced almonds or a sprinkle of coconut toasted.

So I use an appliance that normally does not get much love in my house: the microwave.

Honestly, I didn't even have a microwave for several years, and I was OK with that. I could accomplish everything I needed without it. Some things just took longer or made a bigger mess.

The trick here is to not do too many at once, to spread them out in a microwavesafe dish and check and stir them frequently. Sliced almonds and shredded coconut will toast in just a few minutes and can burn if you don't give them a stir at one-minute intervals.

Toast a batch up on a weekend and keep them in an airtight container all week to add an instant pop of flavor to so many things.

10. Get to the root of things

My son is too young for helping with tasks in the kitchen like chopping veggies. But I look forward to the day he can help. Not just because it will mean less work for me, but because I think kids need to learn their way around the kitchen.

With bigger kids, those who are ready to sharpen their knife skills, you can get them at the chopping board safely by getting a handle on things. Literally.

When cutting things that have a root end (think carrots, leeks, onions, cucumber, zucchini, etc.), don't cut off and discard that little rooty nub.

That end can make a good natural handle that lets the person doing the chopping have something to hold, keeping fingers clear of the blade.

If your kids are working with you in the kitchen, of course you should supervise. But by letting them see you think they are ready to tackle bigger tasks, they will be encouraged to help out more.

I started cooking on my own when I was in middle school. I had the confidence and skills because my mother gave me a solid understanding of the kitchen, the tools and the ingredients. Now here are a couple recipes to let you test out some of these tips.

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These cookie bars are everything I love about pecan pie (pecans, gooey filling) without the part I don't like (making pie crust). Plus this makes so many decadent, rich pieces that you will want to share, so it is perfect for a potluck or that bake sale fundraiser. I add a bit of spice to the filling with cayenne pepper. I don't find the spice overwhelming, but it can be skipped and the results are still delicious. Or, if you like more heat, add a dash more to the mix.

BETTER THAN PECAN PIE COOKIE BARS

Yield: 12-16 servings

For shortbread crust:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2⁄3 cup packed brown sugar

2-2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

For pecan-pie topping:

1 stick salted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1⁄3 cup honey

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1⁄2 to 3⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups chopped pecans

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving two-inch overhang on all sides.

Make the crust by creaming together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the flour and salt and mix until it is crumbly.

Using your hands (this is where gloves can be useful) press the crust into the foillined pan and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

With about seven minutes left to go on the baking time of the crust, prepare the filling.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, heavy cream and, if using, the cayenne pepper in a saucepan and stir it over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is all dissolved, about five minutes.

Stir in the chopped pecans.

When the crust is ready, remove it from the oven and immediately pour the pecan filling over the hot crust, spreading it to cover the entire surface. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes longer.

Once done, remove the pan from the oven and allow the bars to cool in the pan. Use the foil overhang to lift the bars out in one big piece and transfer them to a cutting board. Remove the foil, slice the bars into small portions (a little goes a long way here) and serve.

Source: Adapted from justataste.com

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Another recipe that lets you practice some of the tips here (chopping, freezing) is a flavorful, healthy sofrito. A sofrito is a simple Spanish sauce that gets most of its flavor from tomatoes and sweet red peppers. It is a nice way to perk up simple roasted or grilled meat and fish dishes, and it adds depth to simple sautéed vegetables or beans. Make a big batch now and freeze a bunch for later.

SO EASY, SO TASTY: SOFRITO

2 pounds plum or Roma tomatoes

3 large sweet red peppers

2 medium yellow onions

7 cloves garlic, peeled

1 bunch cilantro (a good sized handful), large stems removed

1⁄2 cup olive oil

Cook's notes: To make subtle flavor changes to this sauce, add in a chopped jalapeño pepper or about 1⁄2 a cup of lemon juice. Or substitute basil for cilantro.

Procedure

Clean and core the tomatoes and peppers, then coarsely chop tomatoes, peppers, onions and cilantro.

In a food processor or blender, pulse all ingredients except olive oil, working in batches until finely chopped.

Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium-high and add the tomato-pepper mixture.

Cook about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once cool, store up to two weeks in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Or freeze for up to six months.