Satsuma Vodka-tini

• 1 cup fresh cranberries 
• 1 cup vodka 
• ½ cup sugar 
• 4 satsumas 
• ¾ cup Grand Marnier 
• ¼ cup lime juice 

Combine cranberries, vodka, sugar, and satsumas in a food processor; process until pureed. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. 

Strain mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl, pressing to extract juice. Discard solids. Stir in Grand Marnier and lime juice. 

Place 1 cup satsuma mixture in a martini shaker with 1/2 cup crushed ice; shake. Strain mixture into 2 martini glasses. Repeat procedure to yield 10 cocktails.

Serves 10; 187 calories.

VERDICT:  Made with only things already in the house, and delicious!  (I did use Cointreau, and then Triple Sec in place of the Grand Marnier.)  Would be a good Christmas/Thanksgiving cocktail--make-ahead and batched.  Keep.

Mushroom Cauliflower Bolognese

• 12 oz. mushrooms, such as shiitake or crimini, stems removed
• 1 medium head of cauliflower (about 2¼ lb.), broken into florets
• ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 chile, such as serrano, Holland, or Fresno, thinly sliced, or ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped rosemary
• ⅓ cup double-concentrated tomato paste
• Kosher salt
• 1 lb. rigatoni
• 2 oz. finely grated Parmesan (about 1 cup), plus more for serving
• 3 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
• ½ lemon

Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out food processor bowl.

Working in 3 batches, pulse cauliflower in food processor until pieces are about the size of a grain of rice (some smaller and some larger ones are fine), transferring to a medium bowl as you go.

Heat ¼ cup oil and 2 Tbsp. butter in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 4–6 minutes. Add onion and 2 Tbsp. oil to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is very soft and golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Add garlic, chile, and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is softened and mixture is very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until paste is slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook, yes, still stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is cooked down slightly and begins to stick to bottom of pot, 6–8 minutes. Season with salt, then keep warm over low heat.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until almost al dente, about 1 minute less than package directions.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer pasta to pot with sauce. Add 1 cup Parmesan, remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, and 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente and sauce is clinging to pasta, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt (it'll probably need another pinch or two). Finely zest lemon over pasta and toss once more.

Divide pasta among bowls. Top with more Parmesan, then drizzle with oil.

Serves 6.

VERDICT:  This was not as hard as I expected it to be--the bulk of the chopping happens in the food processor--it has achievable ingredients, and it's delicious. Keep!

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili

• 2 tbsp. avocado or olive oil
• 6 scallions, sliced, dark-green parts reserved for garnish
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 can (about 15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
• 1 can (about 14.5 oz.) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1/3 cup bulgur
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• Sour cream, for garnish

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium. Add the white and light-green scallion parts, the bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash, stock, beans, tomatoes with juices, bulgur, chili powder, and chipotle pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash and bulgur are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Divide the chili among bowls. Garnish with sour cream and the dark-green scallion parts.

Serves: 4

VERDICT: I made this to use up some scallions and a sweet potato (which I subbed in for the butternut squash) and was surprised by how much I liked it.  The bulgur adds nice texture.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 large onion, finely diced 
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced 
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced 
• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste 
• 1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, such as Annie's Naturals 
• 1 dried bay leaf 
• 1 cup French green lentils, picked over 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 
• 1 cup frozen peas 
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add Worcestershire, bay leaf, 4 cups water, and lentils; season with salt and pepper. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Stir in peas; remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes and garlic in a medium saucepan; cover with 2 inches of cold water. Season generously with salt; bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until a knife pierces potatoes easily, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain; return potatoes and garlic to pot. Add butter and milk; mash with a fork or potato masher until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer lentil mixture to a 2-quart baking dish. Dollop with mashed potatoes; spread evenly to edges. Transfer to a baking sheet; bake until golden and bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes; serve.

Serves: 8

VERDICT: This was not wildly exciting, but I also did not get sick of the leftovers, which is a huge plus and pushes it over into "keep" territory.