Tricks up Your Sleeve: Recipes That Keep and Advice on when to use Them

I find that cooking in the right circumstances can be very relaxing—especially if I’m making a dish I know well and love. There’s something about working with my hands and moving through familiar motions that calms me down. Because cooking is such a tactile, physical occupation, it requires that you stay alert; you’re involved in a steady rhythm of actions, so you can’t be distracted by your day-to-day anxieties. (Granted, I don’t always feel this sense of calm when I’m racing to finish my prep for a busy night at the restaurant, or when I’ve invited ten people over for Christmas dinner and have decided to bake a difficult cake just for the fun of it!) The recipes in this section are the ones I like to make when I feel like cooking without the pressure, when I have a little extra time or just want to be alone in my kitchen.