My sister Lucy is one of those people who can peek into the fridge, pull out a little of this and a little of that, and then bust out a delicious meal. So, whenever our weeknight meals get into a rut, I turn to her for ideas. Recently she swore by something…

“Mark Bittman’s list of simple salads came out in The New York Times almost a decade ago and it remains THE BEST,” Lucy emailed me. “Whenever I have a dinner party, I make a simple main dish and then one or two of these.”

The list is laid-back and inspiring, and one of her go-tos is #44: “Make a crisp grilled cheese sandwich, with good bread and not too much good cheese. Let it cool, then cut into croutons. Put them on anything, but especially tomato and basil salad. This you will do forever.”

How delicious is that? Grilled cheese with a twist. Thank you, Lucy! The rest of the salad list is definitely worth reading, too.

(Photos by Ali Stafford for Cup of Jo. Recipe by Mark Bittman for The New York Times. Thanks to Franny Eremin for helping with this series.)