We all know that by the end of a soccer night, kids are starving (and I mean starving!), and there's absolutely no energy left for anything else complicated. The goal of this list is to save your evening: a basic yet delicious dinner, backyard setup, fancy, absolutely minimal cleanup, and food on the table before anyone falls apart.

1) Sheet-pan lemon herb chicken and potatoes

The prep for this sheet-pan herb chicken literally takes five minutes. Cut the potatoes up all the same size, season your chicken, add olive oil, and into the oven it goes. It's a game changer for weeknight cooking.

I like to change and mix up the herbs each time I make it, using thyme sometimes, rosemary, whatever I've got in the back garden. The chicken skin gets extra crispy because I add that extra layer of olive oil. You can also grate some garlic into this and add some sliced onion, which gives it a completely different texture.

2) Grilled cedar-plank salmon with maple glaze

Cedar plank salmon is a technique that comes from indigenous North American cooking, where fish was cooked over an open fire long before anything was ever recorded. The plank absorbs water when you soak it, and that moisture turns to steam while it sits over the heat, so the salmon is essentially being steamed from below and smoked at the same time. Two cooking methods happening at once, without you really doing anything. That's why the texture is different from anything else you'd get off a grill or broiler.

I find plank salmon goes well with something fresh and cold that cuts through the smoke, like a simple green salad or something with lemon, and maybe a grain on the side.

3) Steak fajitas with charred peppers and onions

The secret to fajita steak on the braai is high heat and leaving it alone, which my husband can't do. But let it get a proper char and rest before you slice it. Cut against the grain, and a tough cut of beef becomes something that pulls apart beautifully.

I always add the peppers and onions directly on the grate until they blister, soften, and pick up that smokiness you cannot replicate indoors. The combination of charred vegetables and rested steak in a warm wrap is one of the best things you can make over a fire. I serve it with an avocado salsa and some freshly cut lime on the side. It's the perfect outdoorsy, stand-around-and-help-yourself dinner.

4) Beer-can BBQ chicken with spice rub

I don't know if there are two things in the world that my husband loves more than beer or Brian, so this beer-can BBQ chicken with spice rub is something he loves to tackle. It looks ridiculous, but it works perfectly.

The beer steams from the inside while the outside gets the heat and the spice rub, and you end up with the moistest, juiciest chicken you've ever made on a fire. It takes longer than most backyard food, but it's worth every minute. It goes well with a lovely green salad, and I make an olive oil- and herb-based potato salad on the side.

5) Shrimp foil packets with garlic butter and corn

Shrimp Foil Packets with Garlic Butter and Corn

I absolutely love shrimp, so when there's a chance to make it any way, any technique, I'm game. And this technique is delicious. The shrimp, corn, and garlic butter go in well, and then you throw it in the packet. The packet traps all the steam and everything cooks in its own butter. I don't know, I can't explain it; the corn somehow takes on a flavor of its own just sitting in that delicious garlic butter. There's no washing up, no watching, and no drama.

I sometimes swap the corn for different veggies if I don't have it, like zucchini or bell peppers. Open that up on the table, let it steam off, and then we go around with some crusty bread and soak up the garlic butter sauce first.

6) Grilled portobello burgers with balsamic onions

This makes my mouth water. We typically do burgers every Friday, and I'm not a huge meat eater, so I replace a beef patty with a portobello. There's something that happens on the grill, the way the mushroom takes in the smoke. You forget that you're not eating meat. They go dense and juicy, and the balsamic onions on top are sweet, sticky, and slightly tart. It really tastes like a real beef burger.

I like to have these burgers with thin slices of camembert or brie on top. Make sure not to over-grill them, and serve on the bun with some arugula and garlic aioli. Nothing beats the Friday easy burger takeout that isn't a takeout.

7) Korean-style short ribs (galbi) on a hot grate

Sometimes I really get a craving for Korean-style food, and this is my go-to. Koreans have been cooking meats over fire like this for a very long time. These ribs are cut across the bone rather than along it, a flanken cut, three or four bones per strip, and that means they cook in minutes over high heat.

The marinade, which I make at home, is soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and some brown sugar. That sugar is so critical. It hits the hot grates and caramelizes almost immediately, giving you that slightly charred crust you can't get any other way. It's fast to cook and completely different from anything else you put on a grill.

I like serving these sticky ribs with something pickled and fresh. You need that to cut through the richness of the beef. I always have kimchi in my fridge, and if you want to go down that road for a Korean-inspired evening, quickly pickle some cucumbers too. This is a great Saturday night gathering with friends, and it makes a good starter.

8) Smoky bratwurst with caramelized onions and kraut

Bratwurst is a German sausage made with pork and veal, seasoned with nutmeg and caraway. It behaves differently on a grill than a regular hot dog or bratwurst-style sausage; it's finer in texture, and the casing splits in the heat. That's not a mistake; that's where the char gets in.

I like to serve this with caramelized onions. You need some patience with those because if you rush them, you get fried onions, not caramelized ones, and there is a big difference. I also like to get my bratwurst from a local butcher.

The sauerkraut is fermented cabbage that I actually make from scratch. I don't buy it from the shop because they have all sorts of added preservatives in it. It's very easy to make your own sauerkraut. It also cuts through the fat of the sausage and the sweetness of the onions. So you've got three very different things that completely make sense together.

And then of course some delicious German mustard to go with it. I like to cut up the sausage and stick little skewers in them and have them as a taste before the main meal.

9) Grilled pizza with mozzarella, basil, and prosciutto

The dough goes directly onto the grate and blisters and chars within minutes, giving you a base that no home oven can replicate. Get it done fast before the heat gets away from you. I always add a good drizzle of olive oil after grilling, and I tear the mozzarella into larger pieces so it melts unevenly for texture.

Absolutely do not add the prosciutto while it cooks. Add it afterward so it stays crispy instead of getting chewy. Then I like to serve this with some fresh basil from my garden, a handful of arugula, and even some good Parmesan.

10) BBQ tofu skewers with peanut-sesame sauce

BBQ Tofu Skewers with Peanut-Sesame Sauce

Tofu on the grill works if you've pressed it properly and got the moisture out. If you skip that step, it steams and falls apart, and you've lost it. Press it, cube it, secure it on high heat, and it chars up and becomes something completely different from what came out of the packet.

The peanut sauce goes at the end, not during, or it burns before the tofu is ready. Sometimes I swap the tofu for tempeh for extra char, and freezing the tofu before marinating to get it extra firm is worth it, too. Or serve it over noodles and that sauce becomes a completely different meal.

This is a lovely dinner when you don't feel like eating any meat, and you've got some tofu in your fridge that you need to use.

11) Whole grilled trout with lemon, dill, and butter

We know how to eat a grilled trout. When we go to the farm, my brother will catch it and prep it, and then we stuff it with tons of lemon, dill, and parsley, all from the garden and from the living tree. My brother's technique is perfect, as he does every single time we go. There's something amazing about something that's so fresh.

To tell that it's cooked properly, just check the backbone. If it pulls off easily, it's done. We then leave most of the leftovers outside, and when we come out the next day, everything is gone. This is delicious with anything, but we normally have it with a big salad and some homemade garlic bread.

12) Honey-garlic pork chops with grilled pineapple

Honey-Garlic Pork Chops with Grilled Pineapple

Whenever I think of honey-garlic pork chops and pineapple, it always throws me back to the 70s, and I think a lot of people write it off. But then they try it, and they reconsider. The fire does something to both of them that a pan never will. The pork gets proper char, and the pineapple caramelizes all the way through. The hanging glaze pulls it all together. This is a lovely dish; just serve it with some fluffy rice or even coconut rice to give it a tropical edge.

Like chicken breast, pork chops are one of the most overcooked things that go on a grill. The trick here is to pull them off earlier than you think and then let them rest. Then they'll get nice and juicy and slightly pink in the middle.