As a parent of four small kids, I’ve stumbled upon a little bit of liquid gold in my own kitchen. Every time I add it to things like soups, sauces, marinades or any cooked meat, my kids give a resounding thumbs-up. What is this miracle ingredient that transforms dinner from a Just-Take-a-Bite-a-Thon into a (reasonably) peaceful meal? It’s Worcestershire sauce!

Ina Garten told me to use it — and by “told me,” I mean she wrote recipes using it — and boy, do I. Now I add Worcestershire sauce all the time, and even though my kid-friendly recipes are all very fast, the Worcestershire makes any dish more flavorful, like it’s been cooking for much longer than I ever have time for.

Want proof? Check out Ina Garten’s 5-star recipes featuring just the right amount of this not-so-secret sauce here:

• Ina Garten’s Turkey Meatloaf (pictured above)
• Salmon Cakes
• Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

And Ina’s not the only one who puts Worcestershire to good use. If you’ve got lots of holiday cooking ahead, here are more 5-star crowd-pleasers in the making:

• Alton Brown’s Shepherd’s Pie 
• Foodlets’ Easy Meatballs Stroganoff
• Rachael Ray’s Super Sloppy Joes 
• Perfectly Flavored London Broil from Foodlets
• Ree Drummond’s Salisbury Steak
• Ree's Homemade Ranch Dressing 

Charity Curley Mathews is a contributor to The Huffington Post and the founder of Foodlets.com: Mini Foodies in the Making…Maybe. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, plus their four small kids, and dreams of someday getting the dishwasher unloaded before it’s time to start making dinner again.