The answer: a Moroccan-inspired stew, complete with preserved lemons, cumin, cinnamon, and saffron. Saffron always looks pretty…

…but preserved lemons kind of freak me out. They look like an ingredient for a witch’s brew.

If you aren’t familiar with preserved lemons, they’re pickled in lemon juice and salt. They aren’t hard to find in most big grocery stores or specialty shops, and depending on where you live, they shouldn’t cost too much. The jar pictured above cost around $4 at Fairway. You can always substitute fresh lemon juice in the stew, but it won’t have quite the same flavor.

Whether you use legit preserved lemons or lemon juice, when combined with the cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and saffron, they take a jumble of simple vegetables to a new level. Did I also mention that the whole recipe takes under an hour to complete? Yes, my friend. This is a vegetable stew you can make on a weeknight (or a busy weekend). Let’s get to it.

Moroccan Squash Stew
Serves 6-8
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen. Note: The original recipe also called for 2 cups of chickpeas, so feel free to add them in.)

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
• 4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound peeled butternut squash, large dice
• 1 pound red potatoes, skin on, large dice
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
• Pinch saffron threads
• Pulp of 1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped
• 1 cup brined green olives
• Steamed couscous, for serving

Optional garnish:

• Fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• Toasted slivered almonds
• Plain yogurt

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight fitting lid over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add onion, garlic, cumin, ginger, and cinnamon, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add squash and potatoes, season with a bit more salt and pepper, and stir to coat with with the oil and spices. Cook until the squash and potatoes start to become tender, about seven minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the broth, tomatoes and their juices, and saffron. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the squash and potatoes are completely tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make your couscous according to the box directions.

5. Once the vegetables are tender, remove the stew from heat and stir in the preserved lemon pulp and olives. Serve over couscous and your garnishes of choice.

It started with a grapefruit sliced in half.

But I needed to place the grapefruit in a pan that was safe for broiling. See this glass pan? While pretty, it’s not the best for broiling. And by “not the best,” I mean it could explode in the oven under the extreme heat. (I remembered this important fact as I took the photo below.)A quick switch to a metal pan and all was right again. I ran a paring knife around the edge of the grapefruit flesh and between every segment to loosen things up.

I drizzled each half with melted butter, sprinkled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and ground ginger, and broiled for about seven minutes. The result: A warm, satisfying breakfast in a city covered in snow.

Broiled Grapefruit

• 1 cold grapefruit, right out of the refrigerator
• 1 tbs. butter, melted
• 1 tbs. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1. Pre-heat the broiler.

2. Cut the grapefruit in half crosswise and place in a broiler-safe pan with the cut side up. If the grapefruit won’t stay upright, slice a small portion off the bottom. Run a paring knife around the edges of each grapefruit half and between each segment. This will make it easier to eat once cooked.

3. Drizzle each half with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and ground ginger. (Feel free to add more to your taste.)

4. Broil for 6-7 minutes, or until the sugar begins to caramelize. Let cool for 2-3 minutes and serve.

Few of us have time to prepare a spread of sandwiches, scones, and clotted cream to enjoy with an afternoon mug of tea, so my go-to accompaniment is a buttery, crunchy cookie.  That’s why I immediately flagged this recipe from The Kitchn. Butter, rosemary, and sugar? Perfect.

I followed the exact recipe from The Kitchn and had great results, but I wanted to try making a chocolate version. Truth: I liked the original, non-chocolate version more than the chocolate version I created. It didn’t let the rosemary flavor come through as much as I like. But! If you’re in the mood for a chocolate shortbread, give it a try.

Chocolate, Rosemary, and Walnut Brown Butter Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen (Adapted from The Kitchn)

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped small (none larger than pea-sized)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary, minced
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup confectioner sugar (or another 1/4 cup granulated, if you don’t have confectioners)

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Swirl the pan occasionally until the butter stops foaming, turns brown, and small dark brown specks form. It will smell like roasting nuts. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Mix the walnuts, rosemary, and dry ingredients in a medium bowl. While beating on medium speed, add the cooled butter until it’s fully incorporated and the dough takes on the consistency of damp sand and holds together when you press it into a ball. Add a few teaspoons of water if it doesn’t hold.

3. Pour the dough onto a large cutting board or other work surface and form into two logs about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least thirty minutes (up to three days).

4. When you’re ready to make your cookies, preheat the oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Unwrap one of the dough logs and use a sharp knife to slice it into 1/4 inch cookies. Place them on the parchment paper about a 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies will keep in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.

As I sprawled on the couch and watched back-to-back episodes of Sherlock on Netflix streaming—spoon in one hand, sorbet in the other—I wondered how I could make my very own blood orange sorbet or similar frozen treat. It couldn’t be that difficult. A little fruit juice, sugar, and time seemed like the three main components, and I had plenty of all three.

I looked through my cookbooks and searched the web for a guide, but I encountered a roadblock with almost every recipe I found: I don’t own an ice cream maker. With limited cupboard space, how many apartment dwellers have room for one? (Sure, I have a waffle maker and salad spinner, but I count those among my practical kitchen tools.) The recipes that didn’t call for an ice cream maker instructed me to stir the sorbet every thirty minutes or so to make sure it didn’t freeze solid. All warned of large ice crystals forming if I didn’t get it right, and none of them promised the smooth, airy results I’d get if I’d just sacrifice some additional shelf space.

So rather than seek out a way to create a smooth sorbet, I went in the opposite direction. I decided to make a granita, which is a semi-frozen dessert that’s akin to a chunky Italian ice. I just needed to combine juice, simple syrup, and a splash of liquor to keep it from freezing all the way. A quick stir with a fork every half hour would create the texture I needed, and if I forgot a stirring appointment, it wouldn’t doom the whole dessert.

Once I recovered from my sickness, I went to the store and picked up a whole bunch of blood oranges to juice. I also wanted to give the granita a little bite, so I bought ginger root to infuse into the simple syrup.

I may have taken too many blood orange glamor shots. For example, here are some oranges sitting in a chair:And more sitting on the coffee table:

Waiting to be juiced:

But enough with the oranges. On to the recipe.

Blood Orange and Ginger Granita

• 2 1/2 cups fresh blood orange juice (you can substitute regular orange juice or your favorite citrus fruit)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• Fresh ginger root about the length of your index finger, peeled and sliced fine
• 1 shot of tequila

1. Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the sliced ginger and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside for about 30 minutes.

Strain the syrup into a bowl and set aside to finish cooling.

2. Pour 1/2 cup ginger syrup and all of the orange juice into a large glass container. Add a shot of tequila and stir to combine. (The tequila will help prevent the mixture from freezing solid.) Continue adding the ginger syrup to taste, keeping in mind that the mixture won’t taste as sweet once frozen. (If you don’t use all of the ginger syrup, it can be kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for about a month. It’s great in cocktails.)

3. Place the container, uncovered, into the freezer. Stir the orange and syrup mixture once every half hour with a fork, scraping the icy portions off of the sides of the container. Repeat this for about 2 hours, or until the entire mixture has become flaky, pink ice crystals.

4. To serve, scrape the top of the granita with a fork and spoon into serving bowls.

After we sat down, Charismatic Waiter complimented my dress and launched into the specials of the day. I picked the capellini special with pesto, butternut squash, and prosciutto because those flavors are great on their own, but when combined, I imagined they’d create a Voltron of deliciousness. And boy, did they. The chunks of prosciutto were just the right level of salty and fatty, the butternut squash sweet and tender, and the whole thing was covered with a fresh basil pesto with parmesan.

I tried to recreate the dish in my kitchen last night and it was a success overall. The only issue was that I bought prosciutto pre-cut into tiny cubes, while the original dish had larger chunks. If you decide to try this recipe, I recommended buying a small piece of prosciutto and cutting it yourself at home. If you’re a vegetarian or don’t feel like dealing with meat, you can make the dish with just squash and it’ll still be good.

First, peel and dice half of a butternut squash into into 1″ by 1/4″ chunks.

Next, heat a little olive oil in a pan and cook the squash for about eight minutes, or until tender.

Once tender, set the squash aside in a bowl and add the prosciutto to the pan. Cook until browned.

Meanwhile, put a pot of water on to boil. The capellini only needs about two minutes to cook, so don’t throw it in until your prosciutto has been browned and set aside.

Once the pasta is drained, combine the prosciutto, squash, and your favorite homemade (or store-bought) pesto.

Capellini with Butternut Squash and Prosciutto
Serves 6 with a salad on the side

• 1 lb. capellini
• 1/2 cup prosciutto, cut into 1″ by 1/4″ chunks
• 1/2 a large butternut squash, also cut into 1″ by 1/4″ chunks (about a cup and a half)
• Pesto to taste (I use about 3/4 cup, but you can add more or less to your liking)
• Salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Olive oil

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Add a dash of salt.

2. Heat about 1 tbs. olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the squash and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until tender enough that a fork can easily piece the squash, stirring often. Pour the squash into a bowl and set aside.

3. Reheat the pan to medium-high heat and add the prosciutto. Cook until browned (but not too crispy), about five minutes. Remove the prosciutto with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain.

4. Once the water is boiling, add the capellini and cook according to the box directions. (It should be done in about 2-3 minutes.) Drain and return the pasta to the pot. Add the squash, prosciutto, and pesto to the pot and stir until everything is evenly coated with pesto. Serve with a few Parmesan shavings, if desired.

When Christmas morning finally arrives, all I’ll want to do is collapse, but what better way is there to collapse than onto a couch with a sticky bun in hand? Even better, a sticky bun that’s easy to make and includes the flavors of the season, like citrus, cranberries, brown sugar, and lots (and lots) of butter. If you defrost your puff pastry overnight, this whole recipe should take ten minutes to put together, not counting the baking time.

It starts with mixing up some butter with brown sugar and orange zest.

Then, melt some non-zest-infused-butter, brush it on the puff pastry, and top with all sorts of delicious things.

Next, roll it up and slice it up. The filing will try to escape, but be strong.

Finally, drop spoonfuls of the orange butter into a muffin tin, place the rolls in the tin spiral-side up, and bake. The buns will puff up and brown. After about thirty minutes, they’ll look something like this:

Cool them for a few minutes, then invert on some parchment paper. Done. (If you were a stand-up comic or giving a speech, this would be an appropriate moment to drop your mic. You can do the baker equivalent instead, which I suppose is dropping your oven mitt. )

Sunday Morning Sticky Buns
Makes 1 dozen
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

The filling:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup golden raisins

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375º. Place a 12-cup muffin tin on top of a baking sheet with lined parchment paper.

2. Mix together 12 tablespoons butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and orange zest. Place a tablespoon of the mixture in the bottom of each of the muffin cups. Sprinkle with pecans.

3. Lightly flour a large board or other work surface. Unfold one of your puff pastry sheets and brush lightly with melted butter. Top with 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup cranberries, 1/2 cup golden raisins, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Carefully roll the pastry, and finish with the seam side down. Cut a bit off the ends and then cut into six equal parts. Place the buns spiral-side up into the muffin tins. Repeat this process with the other pastry sheet.

4. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown. (Check them often because just a few extra minutes can mean the difference between gooey caramel topping and tooth-breaking brittle.) Allow them to cool for five minutes in the muffin tin, then invert onto the parchment paper on the baking sheet. Let them cool and then serve.

Soup season is a time to slow down and gather your friends, because really, are you going to eat an entire pot of soup alone? You could freeze it for later, but it’s not as fun. One of my favorite soup memories is a miso and tempura party at my friend Allie’s house in late high school (or was it early college?). We got together in her kitchen one afternoon and chopped up mountains of vegetables, mixed up tempura batter, and took turns tossing carrots and mushrooms into a hot wok. Sarah kept an eye on the oil temperature and cooled the tempura batter with ice cubes while someone prepped a big pot of miso soup on the stove. Teamwork.

I didn’t have any extra sets of hands when I made a quick pot of miso soup last weekend, but I did share it with Ramsey when it was done. Before I share the recipe though, let me fess up to something: I took the lazy route for miso soup. The ambitious make dashi for their miso, which calls for boiling kelp and dried fish flakes to make a rich, salty stock. I, however, am a woman in a small Brooklyn apartment where smells tend to linger days after cooking, so I decided to forgo the fish and just use water and miso. However, if you’re up for making the stock, give it a try and use in place of water in the recipe below.

Miso Soup with Tofu and Soba
(Adapted from everyone’s favorite magazine with a one-letter title, O)

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 medium bunch spinach
• 4 medium carrots (about 3/4 pound), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 4 ounces buckwheat (soba) noodles
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1/2 cup miso
• 4 ounces tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 scallions, finely sliced
• 2 1/2 quarts water or dashi broth

1. Heat oil in large heavy pot over medium heat. Add garlic and stir occasionally until fragrant, about one minute. Add carrots and cook for three minutes. Add water or broth.

2. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until carrots are tender, about seven minutes. Meanwhile, bring a separate, smaller pot of water to a boil and add soba noodles. Cook for three minutes, then drain and run under cold water. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

3. Add the spinach and peas to the soup, then quickly bring the water to a boil again. Remove 1 cup boiling liquid, and swirl in a bowl with the miso paste. Set aside.

4. Add tofu and cook for about two minutes. Add soba, and whisk the miso into the soup. Serve immediately and top with a sprinkling of scallions.

It felt good to wake up at home this morning, a familiar light fixture above my head and the Brooklyn streets still quiet outside. A perfect time to fill the apartment with the smells of baking and warm spices, like cardamom, cinnamon, and a dash of ground ginger. A perfect time for coffee cake with streusel.

I adapted a Martha Stewart recipe to fit the contents of my refrigerator and available baking pans.

Cardamom Coffee Cake with Streusel
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

For the Streusel

• 1 tbs ground cardamom
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

For the Cake

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tbs ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat oven to 350° F.

2. Start with the streusel. Combine cardamom, flour, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles large crumbs. If you don’t have a pastry blender, you can use the double-knife method. Set aside.

3. For the cake, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time. Reduce the speed again and add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream.

4. Coat a large bunt pan with non-stick oil or butter. Add half of the batter to the pan and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle with the streusel. Top with the remaining batter and smooth gently with a spatula.

5. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t brown too much. I made that mistake today, and while the crunchy exterior of the cake is nice, I wish I’d pulled the cake out at the proper time.

6. Cool the cake in the pan for 15-20 minutes on a wire rack. Invert the pan on the rack to remove the cake and cool for an additional 45 minutes or so. Serve with coffee, tea, or a mug of chai with milk and sugar.

I decided to make marshmallows for the first time yesterday, and as I read over the marshmallow recipe I found on JoyofBaking.com, I exclaimed “I get to use my candy thermometer!” in all sincerity. Ramsey looked up from his book with confusion and concern for my mental state. It’s about the little joys.

As long as you have a candy/frying thermometer ($12 at your local kitchen store) and an electric mixer with a whisk attachment (hand-held or standing), it’s an easy recipe. It starts with boiling sugar, water, corn syrup, and a little salt. While the sugar boiled and the gelatin softened in cold water, I prepped the pan where the marshmallow would set overnight. Powdered sugar served as an unsticking agent throughout the marshmallow-making process.

Once the sugar syrup reached the right temperature, I added it to the gelatin in the bowl of an electric mixer. It tripled in volume as I whipped it.

I poured the whipped sugar and gelatin into the pan to set overnight.

When I removed the marshmallow block from the pan this morning and dusted it with more powdered sugar, it was surprisingly easy to cut with a pizza cutter. A sharp knife would have also worked well.

A perfect way to start Sunday.

But let’s not talk about work. Let’s talk about warm pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. These are the kind of cookies you want to come home to when you’re a post-work zombie. Chocolate and pumpkin make things all better.

They start with fresh pumpkin puree.

Actually, let’s take a step back. These cookies really start with a whole pumpkin. To make pumpkin puree, you need a small sugar pumpkin (also called a pie pumpkin). Slice it in half and scoop out the seeds and gunk. If you’re obsessed with citrus and have a few grapefruit spoons in your silverware drawer, they’re great scoopers.

Next, pre-heat your oven to 400°. Cover a baking sheet with tinfoil, coat with a small amount of oil, and place the pumpkin halves on the sheet with the sliced side down. Cover the halves with tinfoil and bake for about an hour, or until a fork easily pierces the skin.

Let the cooked pumpkin cool for 20-30 minutes, then use a spoon to remove the flesh. Puree in a food processor or mash with a potato masher, whichever you prefer. Set aside and start the cookies.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from the classic Nestle Toll House chocolate chip recipe)

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°.

2. Cream butter and sugars together with electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add pumpkin puree and also mix until incorporated.

3. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Gradually add to butter and egg mixture until fully incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Using a tablespoon or fancy cookie scoop, drop balls of dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. The edges and tops of the cookies should be golden brown.

5. Let the cookies cool for a minute on the baking sheet and then move them to a wire rack. Serve with a glass of milk or spicy hot chocolate. The pumpkin puree will give the bottom of the cookies an extra crunch.