I was sure I had plenty of time to prepare for the holidays as I flipped to the last page of my daughter’s corgi calendar — only to be confronted by a puppy in a Santa hat.
“Ready or not, here I come,” he seemed to yap, tail wagging in the falling snow.
There’s no denying it. It’s time to break out the sequins and cookie cutters and steel myself for a hectic, effervescent, party-filled season, hardly a puppy away.
Before I plunge in, however, I’m marking off a few December evenings in my own calendar for stay-at-home recharging. Such nights, taken for granted in January, are doubly precious now. I’ll have to guard them fiercely, and I’m making a list of warming meals that don’t require a team of elves to make.
My vegetarian skillet chili is high on the list. This 30-minute meal, a heady mix of chile-spiced beans and tomatoes, gets its punch from quick lime-pickled onions piled on top. Dollop on some sour cream to add extra richness.
Featured Recipe
Vegetarian Skillet Chili
Another meatless, low-effort-big-reward option for the list is Hetty Lui McKinnon’s caramelized cabbage and walnut pasta. Cooked in butter with garlic and leeks, the cabbage becomes jammy and sweet while the walnuts add crunch and heft. It’s a lovely, speedy midwinter refresh.
Breakfast for dinner is a time-honored move for unhurried, cozy nights in. Sarah Copeland’s cheesy breakfast egg and polenta casserole has the allure of runny egg yolks saturating a soft, cheesy cornmeal that’s speckled with cured meat (sausage, salami or ham) and bits of spinach. It would also make a terrific weekend brunch.
On the saucy, chickeny side of things, here are a couple of dishes that pair the bird with two distinct sweet and spicy glazes. Vivian Chan’s sesame chicken coats battered and fried boneless chicken pieces with a pungent, complex mix of oyster sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar simmered with brown sugar until syrupy. Naturally, sesame seeds garnish the chicken pieces, adding more flavor and crunch. And Yewande Komolafe’s honey-glazed chicken and shallots is bright from sherry vinegar and lime juice and softened with honey and caramelized alliums. Serve it over rice or other grains or with some good bread for catching its sweetly schmaltzy juice.
This time of year, when cookies and other sugarplum extravagances already abound, I need my homemade sweets to be extra special. Coconut laddoos, made from a classic South Asian mithai recipe by Priya Krishna and Cathy Lo, are a standout for coconut lovers and call for only three ingredients — fresh (or frozen) grated coconut, sugar and a touch of cardamom to perfume the chewy-soft confections.
As always, you do need to subscribe to get these recipes and the other thousands upon thousands we have at New York Times Cooking. If you need any technical advice (where did that recipe box go? Why can’t I print?), send an email to cookingcare@nytimes.com for help. And if you’d like to say hi, I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com.
That’s all for now. I’ll see you on Wednesday.
