Martha Stewart’s Newlywed Kitchen

PART TWO

GET COOKING

Ask longtime couples about the best times in their relationships, and many will say the moments they most treasure aren’t the obvious ones like their wedding day or other big celebrations. Instead, it’s the small details of ordinary days that can mean the most—sharing an after-work cocktail and catching up on the day, or preparing a meal side by side and sitting down at the table to eat.

The recipes gathered here embody that spirit. There are breakfasts for the mornings when you’re rushing past each other (fruit smoothies or scones that you’ve baked ahead and frozen); or for those days when you can linger over another cup of coffee and maybe even have breakfast in bed (glorious egg sandwiches and hearty, good-for-you grain bowls).

The dinner recipes are fast and easy dishes you can put together in no time (as a team or with one of you cooking for the other)—yet they taste like you went to some trouble. Think quick coq au vin or a gently poached salmon with new potatoes and buttermilk dressing; both recipes allow you to walk in the door at six and still eat by seven (and maybe even open a bottle of wine while you’re at it).

Within each recipe are the building blocks of good cooking. So as you assemble, say, spicy clams with spaghetti, the two of you will learn how to choose (and clean!) shellfish and how long to boil perfectly al dente pasta. From-scratch pizza will save you from resorting to takeout—again. And because every cook needs a tried-and-true technique to rely on when time is short and people are hungry, there are also several classic main course recipes—chicken paillard, the perfect pan-seared steak, a vegetable frittata, and so on—as well as dozens of flavorful mix-and-match sides. The two parts are meant to complement one another: Choose a main course, then add a side or two. Or make a few sides and call that dinner. There are no rules, only lots of customizable options.

Finally, we collected a dozen or so dessert recipes that you’ll want to commit to memory. These are the ones you’ll turn to again and again, to serve after dinners for two, to pack for picnics and potlucks, and to proudly present at all manner of momentous occasions. You’ll find the classics (chocolate chip cookies, pound cake, fruit crumble) as well as a few that may be new to you (espresso granita, caramel pots de crème, tartufo)—but not for long.

This collection should up the ante when it comes to your cooking skills and provide new go-to recipes for when you’re having a busy day, when a big pot of soup and a loaf of crusty bread is all you need, when you want to cook meals ahead that you can freeze and serve later, or when you simply crave mashed potatoes or a fudgy brownie. And, of course, when you want to sit across the table from the person you love and share something delicious.