1. Fagioli. We had a zucchini, so I cut it up and cooked it in the sauce. Zucchini fagioli purees just as well as all the other kinds of fagioli. It's a little more liquid, and pretty mild-tasting. Far too many things work in fagioli. I have to try artichoke hearts at some point.

I plonked what was left of the greek yogurt into the leftovers. This was an excellent idea for thick and creamy profit.

2. Seared fish; pea and parmesan risotto. Since we made multiple things, this was one of the more complex dinners we've had in a few weeks. Each component is similarly easy to make; they are just very different.

This time I was feeling awful and foodless. I started making risotto, which of course takes at least a half hour and a lot of constant attention. Good plan! Then John stepped in and made me a fish to tide me over and make me functional again.

The fish was frozen, so he stuck some water in the pan, slapped on the lid, and let it steam a little. This worked admirably. The peas were there to soak up any extra butter, and to be delicious. I sat on the counter and ate it while he stirred the risotto pan.

Later I couldn't even wait to have risotto cakes for breakfast. I ate it all cold around midnight. Cold risotto is definitely good.

3. Big pasta bake. It's winter.

I made a super vegetable sauce with garlic, onion, an entire diced eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, tomato. I think that's it. Tossed with cooked pasta and cubed mozzarella, baked at 350F for a long time. There were crispy pasta bits on the top and melty cheese bits in the middle.

This could have been better had I spread it out into two pans to make thin layers with plenty of crispy bits for everybody. It was still good, dense, and soporific, but more crispy bits are always better.