Sauces/6 recipes

Lemon barbecued meat loaves: 6 individual beef chuck loaves basted with a tangy ketchup sauce spiced with allspice, cloves, and dry mustard, each topped with a fresh lemon slice. Ready in 1 hour.

A marbled vanilla cake layered with chocolate sauce and chopped walnuts, baked in a ring pan and served warm with a dusting of powdered sugar. Feeds 4 to 6 in under an hour.

Freezer-friendly chicken and noodle casserole in a red wine tomato-mushroom sauce with basil and garlic. Make it ahead, freeze in individual portions, and reheat on busy nights. Serves 4 to 6.

Pounded-thin veal scallops seared golden in minutes, then topped with wilted spinach, briny capers, and a bright lemon pan sauce. Just 6 ingredients and 45 minutes for an elegant Italian weeknight dinner.

Carol's lasagna stacks six noodle layers with a triple-cheese mix of ricotta, cottage, and romano, plus mozzarella and a slow-simmered ground beef tomato sauce. The classic baked pasta done generously.

Grilled shrimp marinated in pineapple juice, lemon, and hot sauce for a sweet-heat kick. Thread on skewers for a crowd-pleasing appetizer or serve as a sizzling summer entree for 6 to 8.

Vidalia onion pie with 6 sweet onions slow-cooked in butter, mixed with sour cream, eggs, Parmesan, and hot sauce in a baked pie shell. A rich Southern onion quiche that makes two pies.

Pizza Marietta on a Boboli shell with Italian sausage, mozzarella, green peppers, and red onion rings. A quick homemade pizza ready in 20 minutes flat.

Apple City Championship BBQ ribs with a 6-spice dry rub, apple juice basting, and a homemade sauce with grated apple, soy, and Worcestershire. Smoked low and slow for 5.5 hours of pure competition flavor.

A self-saucing cocoa espresso pudding cake that creates its own hot fudge layer as it bakes. Boiling water poured over the batter before baking does all the work. Serve warm for 6 to 8.

Set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker barbecue chicken simmered in a tangy tomato, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Just 10 minutes of prep and 6 to 8 hours on low for fork-tender, saucy chicken.

Tender veal breast stuffed with gooey mozzarella, spinach, and roasted peppers, rolled tight and slow-roasted until fork-tender. Sliced into gorgeous spirals, this Florentine-style roast feeds 6 with a silky white wine pan sauce.

Thin-pounded veal scallops seared golden, then plated with warm avocado slices and a silky vermouth-lemon butter sauce. A retro Italian gem that feels surprisingly modern, ready in under an hour for 6 to 8.

Slow cooker pork shoulder steaks browned and layered over onions, peppers, and tomatoes in a cumin-spiked barbecue and red wine sauce. Set it for 6 to 8 hours and come home to fork-tender, saucy pork.

Lamb and spinach pita sandwiches with stuffed lamb patties, hard-boiled egg, olives, cucumber, and a yogurt-bacon-sunflower seed sauce. A creative Mediterranean-style pocket sandwich.

Chopped cooked turkey simmered in a thick tomato-chili sauce with dry mustard and onion, spooned over hamburger buns. This low-calorie, 6-ingredient turkey barbecue is ready in 20 minutes and stretches leftovers into a new meal.