Game Day Food for an Ordinary Sunday

"Start here, because three of the next five sit on top of these. The ridges are not decoration - they are what holds chili and cheese sauce instead of letting it run onto the tray. Parboil, then a screaming-hot sheet, no fryer."

"Two portions, fifteen minutes, and the shortest distance there is between a bag of potatoes and a Sunday afternoon. Crinkle cut is not a suggestion here: a flat fry drops everything you put on it."

"Four portions off one sheet pan, which is the upper limit of what this list is for. Get the cheese under the broiler the second the pan comes out - patchy melt is always cheese that landed on fries that had already started cooling."

"Five minutes of stirring and two hours in the fridge, and then it sits there for the rest of the season. Built on seafood cocktail sauce instead of ketchup, which is why it tastes like a diner counter and not like a squeeze bottle."

"Ten minutes, four quesadillas, one pan, and the only thing here that honestly counts as dinner. Butter on the outside, not margarine, and give the cheese the extra minute it needs to turn into glue before you flip."

"One burger, five minutes, for the Sunday you are watching alone and not telling anyone about it. Never oil the griddle first: cold beef needs dry hot steel to stick, and that sticking is what makes the lace edge."

"Four subs, and the one entry here where the oven and a simmering pan do most of the work: 15 minutes baking, 15 minutes in the sauce, 3 under the broiler. Line the toasted roll with provolone before the meatballs go in, or the sauce soaks the bread before halftime."

"The crescent section starts with the classic: 8 pieces from one can, 15 minutes of rolling and 10 in the oven. The cheese goes inside a slit in the hot dog, not next to it, so it melts in place instead of running onto the sheet."

"Pizza for the hand that is not holding the remote: 3 slices of pepperoni and a tablespoon of mozzarella per triangle, 10 minutes of work, 12 to 15 in the oven. The sauce stays in a bowl, because inside the roll it turns the middle gummy."

"The plainest filling in the section and the one with a trick: melted butter stirred with mustard, brushed on right before the oven. One slice of ham and 2 strips of cheddar per roll, 8 rolls, about 25 minutes start to finish."

"Everything a jalapeño popper has without a fryer: cream cheese, cheddar, bacon and chopped jalapeño folded into 8 pockets. Pat the pickled jalapeños dry first; the brine is what splits the dough in the oven."

"The biggest thing in the section and still inside the rule: one can laid out as a ring, store-bought rotisserie chicken in a Buffalo sauce with butter, 4 servings, 15 minutes of work and 20 to 25 in the oven."