When life veers to the edge, we need more than one way to get a meal on the table quickly. When you've grown tired of cooking and weary of take-out, leftovers start to look a lot better, especially those that disguise themselves as something else.

Take our recipe for Two-for-One Noodles. It's ricotta noodles the first night, but later in the week, the leftovers become Mock Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna. Both of these recipes take just 20 minutes, start to finish. Likewise, make a big batch of Asian Rice Pilaf, and the leftovers can be whipped into Two-for-One Rice Salad with minimal work a few days later. Our recipes for Brunch Rice Burritos and Mediterranean Rice with Pita Points turn big batches of leftover rice into practically instant dinners.

Then there's what we call "halfway cooking." That's when you buy part of the dinner and throw together the rest. One of our favorite secret weapons is a plain old roasted chicken. There they are -- at the supermarket, the fast food outlet and the take-out delicatessen -- convenient and cheap. Buy one, head home, and dinner is done. Well, almost. What do you serve with a roasted chicken or, say, leftover meatloaf? That's when our speedy side dishes come in handy.