The Better Letter

I used to love to cook for my 3 children, but once I started working full time, it became less of a joy and more of chore.

It’s Dr. Seuss’ birthday! So celebrate March 2nd with Green Eggs and Ham. Pesto is the secret green ingredient and it gives the eggs a nice zip. We promise your kids will eat them in the rain or on a train. In a house and even with a (pet) mouse.

Classic Italian comfort food, stracotto, is as easy as pot roast and the leftovers are terrific with pasta—if you have leftovers—that is. You can make this in a dutch oven or a slow cooker.

Pork tenderloin can be made in a snap on a weeknight, but the herb-cheese-bread crumb topping on this recipe makes it guest worthy or just hey-we’re-all-home-tonight worthy.

I have always loved grilled cheese sandwiches. My mother used to make the American cheese kind, but with whole wheat bread. Cognitive dissonance, I know.

Most families have a hell day. Each kid is going in a different direction, and dinner isn’t going to be a sit-down meal … unless everyone’s willing to eat late and tolerate cranky kids.

On our last vacation, we ate at an outdoor café that featured stuffed crêpes and grilled burritos. Taking a wrap and browning it changes the dish from a sandwich to a meal, but it’s still super simple. Here’s a family friendly burrito variation. Use cilantro from your new herb garden to make the creamy salsa.

Any recipe that asks you to “open a can of beer and drink half” deserves a place on the menu for Father’s Day. Steven Raichlen, author of “The Barbecue! Bible,” made the Beer Can Chicken famous.

This good-for-you and good-for-the-planet dinner combines hot food trends: local ingredients, less meat, international flavors and more produce. You can feel virtuous making it, and your family will happily eat it because it’s delish.