In a thoroughly unsurprising development, the holiday season has left me with less time than I’d like to do the things I enjoy most – namely putter around the kitchen and cook. I eat out too much, go to too many parties, and order delivery too often in an effort to save time for gift-wrapping, which inevitably takes 5 times longer than it takes the average all-thumbed clutz, that I end up cooking less during this home and hearth-oriented season than usual.

And, quite frankly, eating out so much sounds fun, but it is a bit off-putting. I like my own cooking, I like creating something, I like knowing what goes into it, I like being in my kitchen and doing the familiar dance around my pantry and stove, and not doing it makes me feel out of sorts.

The weekend is almost here, and I figure we could all use a liberal dose of HAPPINESS right about now. Maybe you’re cranky from work, the lack of beach weather (it goes that way sometimes in October), or just because you’ve stubbed your toe 5 times in the last 3 days…. well, these cookies are easily the best cure.

I dubbed them “Happiness Cookies” the first time I made them – they are instantly cheering, sunny, warm, and unbelievably delicious. The only sad thing about them is when you get down to the last 1 or 2 of a batch. Luckily, more can be whipped up in about 45 minutes, including baking time.

After a weekend of decadent wedding food and, horror of all horrors, two pit stops at McD’s, I came home craving, yearning for my the fresh veggies from my latest farm share.

Not long after arriving at home, a pile of peppers, bunches of carrots, and one large, firm, brilliant head of cabbage found themselves on the chopping block, awaiting shredding by my lethally powerful Cuisinart.

A bit of mayonnaise, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and mustard later, and I was delving into a crunchy, tangy, refreshing, and so-satisfying bowl of tangy mustard cole slaw.

Things have been a little hectic around Chez Besotted lately, but the brisk Fall air, ushering in the change of seasons has me very excited for some of my cold weather favorites – chicken stock and soup, pies, and scones, and braised meats.

But, there’s still just enough summer left in the air for a de-constructed Summer tomato sauce, made with farm-fresh tomatoes. This is a no-cook, light and easy week-night dinner (unless you count cooking the pasta) that really capitalizes on the flavor and brightness of local tomatoes.

This is my total cop-out post. For several weeks, I was busy baking up a storm and churning homemade ice cream, and then I stopped. Dead stop. I’ve eaten out the last several nights and been making my way through the mountains of baked goods already cluttering up my kitchen, and thus, have prepared little else for the last week or so.

And, when it came time for dinner last night, I realized that there was nothing suitable already made in my refrigerator. This does not happen. I usually have a buffet of left-overs ready for the nights that I don’t feel like cooking, or that are too muggy to contemplate turning on the oven, but not last night. And so my only solution, apart from becoming even better acquainted with the sushi delivery guy than I already am, was to recycle something from the fridge into a dinner-appropriate meal.

There are certain kitchen tasks that, no matter how simple, always reduce my ego and perception of my own mental capacity to the size of a child. For example, basting a turkey…. It’s quite simple, really. You just dip the tip into some of the juice, squeeze the little rubber-thingy, and distribute the juice over the turkey. Simple, right? But, somehow, I always end up choking on the heat of the oven, bump my head tellingly against the oven door, can’t quite get the juice into the baster (at which point it makes that hideous slurp-slurp noise), jab at the turkey senselessly, causing it to lose far more moisture than I ever intended to put in, and usually give myself a nasty burn.

It is amazing how many veggies I’ve been eating since joining a CSA. I didn’t eat this many when I was a vegetarian (a long, long time ago), but it’s hard not to when half of your refrigerator is filled with them every week.

The funny thing about these veggies and greens – it’s been mostly greens since the start of the season – is that they actually do a bang up job of filling me up. I’m not the person that thinks “Hmmm… arugula sounds good,” when my tummy’s growling. I’m more likely to think that a grilled cheese, fried chicken, or a salty peanut butter cookie will do the trick, but rummaging through a fridge stocked with such a copious amount of veggies, just to find the one fat-laden item, brings on such a crushing tidal wave of guilt that words fail me to describe its strength.

Can all the Bostonians/New Englanders/Northeast Corridorites agree that the rain is getting just a tad old… I’ve only been back for 3 days and it’s already wearing on me, so I can’t imagine what it’s doing to those of you that have been enduring this for a week now.

Which is why, I thought that a little summery, sunshiney pasta dish would be just the thing to make us all feel, if not believe, that the warm weather really is right around the corner.

I know I say this about a lot of things, but Aglio e Olio really is my to-die-for dish. It easily makes the list of top 5 foods I would take with me to a desert island, not to mention the fact that it holds a bit of sentimental nostalgia for me.

I have a confession to make…. I started Besotted with more than just the goal of jotting down my favorite recipes and rambling about my culinary experiences. I desperately want to get people back into the kitchen, and for them to do more than peel back the plastic on a microwaveable meal or ‘add water’ to make a meal magically puff up before their eyes.

It’s an absurd quest in our multi-tasking, over-taxed, over-stressed world, but I’m taking it on, and if there’s one recipe in my arsenal to battle the delivery-guy, grocery-store-prepared-foods, and the like, it’s this one, because it takes 15 minutes from grocery bag to table. Not only is it easy and quick, but the flavors – fresh chilis, ginger, garlic, and lemon – will instantly remind you why fresh always tastes best.

Have you ever considered how nearly impossible it is to do all of the things that we should/want/have to do in any given day? Most of the people I know dedicate 10-12 waking hours each workday to their profession, including travel time. Assuming 6-8 hours of sleep, that leaves precious little else for personal hygiene, eating, exercise, staying current on world affairs, having a hobby, talking to your significant other, etc. And, what’s even crazier, is that I’m here beseeching you to make homemade meals, buy local & organic, and add other inconveniences to your life in the name of good eating. It’s madness, but I will try to rectify the situation.

The ‘Weeknight Dinners’ category contains recipes that can generally be prepared – soup to nuts – in a half hour or so and require few, if any, ingredients that would warrant a trip to the store. Today’s recipe, however, is the mother of all lazy day dinners. Born from the remnants of the Beef Tenderloin with Crème Fraîche Sauce recipe, it is essentially the crème fraîche sauce over pasta.