It’s Election Day here in the United States, and I’ve been asking everyone I see what they’ll be doing tonight as the results start to roll in.
Some of the people I’ve surveyed are heading out (restaurants, shows, other plans), going all in on distraction and avoiding the news altogether. Others are gathering with friends for dinner, making chili, hot pot or other large-format meals that draw people in. Still others (that’s me) will be hanging out at home with a somewhat fiddly cooking project and a glass of red wine, or maybe doing some baking. A great thing about cooking: It occupies both the mind and the hands.
I knew right away I wanted something cheesy, most likely a baked pasta — stuffed shells, lasagna. I settled on the baked Alfredo pasta below, with its pops of green and crisp panko coat. I’m also not ruling out putting a pan of shortbread, chewy brown butter cookies or brownies in the oven as the evening progresses.
What are you cooking? Tell me everything at dearemily@nytimes.com. I love to hear from you.
I’m also making:
Baked wild salmon, dumpling noodle soup, mattar paneer (of course), sautéed baby bok choy, manhattans.
1. Baked Alfredo Pasta With Broccoli Rabe and Lemon
Creamy and gooey, yes, but also slightly bitter and bright, Ali Slagle’s baked Alfredo pasta brings a bit of edge to a cozy genre of cooking. It’s what I’ll be making for dinner tonight. The bitterness comes from the broccoli rabe, but you can use regular broccoli instead if you’d like.
2. Salt-and-Vinegar Baked Fish and Chips
If you, like me, love the bright jolt of salt-and-vinegar potato chips, then I have the recipe for you. This simple dinner from Eric Kim calls for mild, flaky white fish and frozen French fries, along with a few ingredients you’ll stir into a quick tartar sauce. If you’re feeding someone who won’t appreciate the punch of vinegar and capers, don’t marinate that person’s fish; just top their piece with the panko mixture, bake and serve.
3. Peanut Butter Noodles
Another winning dinner from Eric, this bowl of noodles fuses Parmesan and peanut butter into a salty, smooth and satisfying sauce for ramen or spaghetti. The comments on this recipe are raves.
4. Balsamic Chicken Thighs With Burst Tomatoes
Balsamic vinegar is an underloved ingredient in my home, perpetually losing out to just about every other vinegar sitting next to it on the shelf. But its sweet tang sounds perfect in this new recipe from Dan Pelosi, which combines the vinegar with Dijon mustard for a craveable glaze.
5. Khoresh Kadoo Halvaii (Butternut Squash Stew)
This recipe from Naz Deravian requires a little more time, but if you work efficiently (get the squash in the oven before turning to the rest of the ingredients) then you can have this truly delicious chickpea-and-squash stew, a vegetarian riff on a Northern Iranian classic, on the table within an hour.
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