On a recent evening, with temperatures in the low 20s, I stopped in at my sister’s home for a hot tub soak and a cup of tea. I was thrilled by the impromptu invitation, and I really hit the jackpot when I was handed a steaming bowl of chili macaroni and cheese.

This old-school recipe can be dolled up with even more spice and veggies if you like and can be stretched to kingdom come to feed a crowd. Add more of everything, or just some things – it’s so forgiving and will turn out great.

This soothing one-pot meal can be spooned onto plates straight off the stove, stowed in a baking dish to warm in the oven later, or piled into a slow cooker and reheated for the neighborhood potluck. Think of it as winter macaroni salad – you’ll want to eat a lot of it, all the time.

And, oh, how I love a good molasses cookie perked up with ginger, all its spicy friends and plenty of gaiety. These cookies bring me right back to childhood and cause me to fondly remember the neighbor lady, Audrey, who lived across the road from us in our little town. Molasses ginger cookies were her signature treat.

I must add that she was also always up for a rousing game of Chinese checkers and fascinated us with her important job as postmistress – I mean, access to all those stamps and other accoutrements. We loved her for all of it.

To make these cookies perfectly, they should look a bit under-baked when they come out of the oven. The cookies will look soft on top (you may think they’re raw), but if the bottom is one shade darker than the rest of the cookie, they’re done and will be soft and chewy.

You can make the dough up to one week ahead and keep it refrigerated in an airtight container, then take it out of the fridge an hour before baking. So yes, you can fit these into your schedule.

Be like Audrey – make your home smell like Christmastime and gingery joy all year round.

Chili macaroni and cheese

2 cups elbow macaroni

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1 can (15 ounces) diced fire-roasted tomatoes

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained

1 can (15 ounces) chili beans, drained

1 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 cups cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Cook the macaroni in a pot of boiling salted water according to package directions and drain.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute onion, peppers and garlic for 5 minutes, until slightly soft. Add ground beef or turkey and cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Drain if needed. Add tomatoes, beans, broth and spices to the skillet and cook for 10-15 minutes, covered. Stir in macaroni, then add cheese, stirring until melted.

Yield: 6 servings

Thick molasses spice cookies

2⅓ cups flour

2 teaspoons ginger

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 cup dark molasses

2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 large egg yolk

3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, finely chopped

6 tablespoons granulated or turbinado sugar for rolling

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, spices, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large bowl until fully mixed. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the melted butter, molasses, brown sugar, yolk and candied ginger. Whisk these together in the center a couple of times (until the egg yolk is dispersed), then switch to a wooden spoon to continue mixing. The dough will be very thick.

Scoop the dough into balls. You can use a medium cookie scoop (1½ tablespoons) or use just shy of 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Roll each in your hands briefly to shape into a ball, then roll balls in the granulated or turbinado sugar for coating.

Space the cookies evenly on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until top is only slightly firm to the touch, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. They will set as they cool.

Yield: 22 cookies

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