One of my favorite reader questions in the last few weeks came from Kathy, who asked for inspiration for a new recipe to make with her honey on Valentine’s Day. I loved the idea of Valentine’s implied by this request. Instead of going out to a packed restaurant, or just one person slaving away for the other, this is a meal not only eaten together but cooked together, the whole process part of the fun.

Whether you’re cooking with someone dear this Friday night, or for a group of friends, or for your whole family, here’s a recipe that lends itself to some togetherness in the kitchen. Easy risotto, stirred meditatively, cooked slowly with a glass of wine in one hand and the music turned up.

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I’ve long perfected my method for the perfect grilled cheese, but when I first started cooking, it always seemed to elude me. Either my sandwich was toasted on the outside with unmelted cheese inside, or the cheese was gooey but the outside burnt. That was until I figured out the old line cook trick: put a lid on it!

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I admit that I sometimes I do things kind of half-assed in the kitchen. I’ll throw flowers into a vase without first trimming the stems or fail to thoroughly read a recipe before beginning to make it. I’ll not brown the meat enough for the stew or not measure carefully when careful measuring is called for. The results, while not disasters, are often not as good as they could be. They’re not bad, but they’re not perfect. They’re, well, they’re kind of half-assed.

Is this OK?

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