Molly's blueberry muffins come from Ruth Reichl's blog.

BANANA MUFFINS
Adapted from The Quick Recipe, Cook's Illustrated

10 ounces (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
7 ounces (1 cup) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table sat
13 ounces mashed very ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
3 ounces (1/3 cup) buttermilk
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray. (I like Baker's Joy or another spray with flour in it.)

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together the mashed banana, butter, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl. (I like to mash the banana in a large bowl and then stir in the rest of the wet ingredients.) Add the dry ingredients and fold in gently until just combined.

3. Drop the batter into the muffin tin cups and bake until you get a nice brown ring around the edge of the each muffin top, about 22 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and serve warm.

Yield: 12 muffins

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THE SPILLED MILK BURGER

We like a 6-ounce burger, but you lose a little meat to the grinder, so we've specified a little extra meat. It's unusual to find boneless short ribs for sale, so buy English-cut short ribs bone-in and cut them off the bone (easy!) or ask your butcher to do it.

7 ounces boneless short ribs, cut into cubes
7 ounces lean boneless beef chuck, cut into cubes
3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
toasted buns

1. Sprinkle the meat with salt and grind through the fine plate of a meat grinder. Form into two patties, about 3/4-inch thick, pressing an indentation into the center of each patty so it's thicker at the edges than in the center.

2. Heat a stainless or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat or higher. When the surface is very hot, add the burger patties. Cook without moving for 3 minutes. Flip. (A metal spatula is helpful here.) Cook to medium-rare (internal temperature of 130°F), testing with an instant-read thermometer if you have one. This will take 1 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately on toasted buns.

Yield: 2 servings

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SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD
Adapted from Land of Plenty, by Fuchsia Dunlop

1 English cucumber
2 tablespoons peanut oil
8 long dried red chiles, snipped into 1-inch sections
2 teaspoons whole Sichuan peppercorns
salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and pulp with a spoon, and then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick half-moons.

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the peanut oil and swirl around to cover the base of the wok. Turn the heat down to medium-high and then add the chilies and Sichuan pepper. Cook for a few seconds until they smell deliciously spicy and the chilies are turning a darker red color. Take great care not to burn the spices.

Toss in the cucumber pieces and stir for about 30 seconds to heat and coat them in the flavored oil, adding salt to taste. Remove from the heat, add the sesame oil and stir thoroughly. The cucumber should not be cooked through, just swiftly heated so that it absorbs the flavor of the spices. Allow to cool before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

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Pan-Fried Peppers with Lemon, Garlic, and Sea Salt (via Bon Appetit)
Pickled Peppers with Shallots and Thyme (via Bon Appetit)

FOLDED ENCHILADAS
Adapted from Everyday Food, September 2010

1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
4 anaheim chiles
1/2 white onion, quartered
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
salt and pepper

8 corn tortillas
oil or lard for frying
1/4 head red cabbage, shredded (2 cups)
3 radishes, thinly sliced
2 ounces crumbled cotija, queso añejo, or queso fresco

1. Heat broiler with oven rack in top position. Place tomatillos, chiles, onion, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil 5 minutes or until tomatillos and chiles are blackened and blistered. Flip everything and broil 5 minutes more. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and peel, core, and seed the chiles. Add the garlic, chiles, tomatillos, onion, and 1/2 cup water to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a frying pan over medium-high. Heat the sauce in another frying pan. Working one at a time, fry a corn tortilla in the oil for about 30 seconds on each side. It should brown slightly around the edge and firm up, but you don't want it crispy like a tostada. Pull the tortilla out of the oil, let it drip for a few seconds, then dip it into the sauce and flip it over. Place the tortilla on a plate, folded in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas, for a total of 2 tortillas per plate.

3. Top each plate of sauced tortillas with one-quarter of the cabbage, radishes, and cheese. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

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TOMATO CORN SALAD

Note that the dressing should be started well ahead of serving, to allow the shallots to mellow in the vinegar.

2 small to medium shallots, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, or more as needed
1 garlic clove, grated on a Microplane
Kosher salt
4 or 5 fresh basil leaves, smashed a bit between your fingers
1/2 cup olive oil
Good tomatoes, sliced
Fresh corn, cut from the cob

For garnish:
Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

In a small bowl, combine the shallots, vinegar, garlic, and a pinch of salt. The vinegar should just cover the shallots; if it doesn't, add a splash more. Let sit at room temperature for an hour or more, until the shallots have given up their raw flavor. Then add the basil leaves and olive oil, and whisk well. Taste, and add salt as needed. If the shallots are too strong or bitter, you can fix that with a pinch or two of sugar. Set dressing aside at room temperature, ideally for at least 30 minutes, to allow the basil to release its fragrance. Remove the basil before serving.

Arrange some sliced tomatoes on a platter, and top with corn kernels (about 1 ear of corn for every 2 or 3 tomatoes). Spoon dressing generously over. Garnish with thinly sliced fresh basil.

SPICY SAUTEED CORN

3 tablespoons butter
Kernels from 3 ears fresh corn
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed if desired, minced
2 tablespoons water
salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high until bubbling. Add the corn, scallions, and jalapeño. Cook until the corn begins to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes, lowering the heat if necessary. Add water and scrub the bottom of the pan with the spatula to dislodge the extremely delicious brown bits. When the water has boiled off, add salt to taste. Off the heat, add lime juice and serve immediately with additional lime wedges.

Yield: 4 side-dish servings

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SOUR CHERRY SHAKE

If you can't get fresh sour cherries, jarred or canned sour cherries (not pie filling!) make a fine substitute; the jarred morello cherries from Trader Joe's are our favorites.

2 pounds sour cherries, stemmed and pitted, or 24 ounces canned or jarred cherries, drained
1 quart vanilla ice cream

Place the cherries in a blender or food processor (reserving a few for garnish) and blend into a smooth puree. Add the ice cream and continue to blend until smooth, rich, and pink. Pour into four glasses, garnish with fresh cherries, and serve.

Yield: 4 12-ounce shakes

SWEET PICKLED CHERRIES
Dana Cree

Makes about 4 cups

These cherries are wonderful with panna cotta, vanilla ice cream, cheesecake, or foie gras. Dried hibiscus can be found in the bulk section at natural foods stores, at Latin markets, and by mail order.

2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 star anise
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons dried hibiscus flowers
1 cinnamon stick
2 pounds fresh sour cherries, stemmed and pitted, or two 24-ounce jars sour cherries, drained

In a medium saucepan, bring water, sugar, balsamic vinegar, star anise, lemon zest, lemon juice, hibiscus, and cinnamon stick to a boil. Boil 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is fragrant and sugar is fully dissolved. Place cherries in a large bowl. Strain the pickling liquid onto the cherries. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to a week.

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YAKI UDON

1 package frozen udon noodles (9 ounces)
half bunch bok choy (about 6 ounces)
4 medium asparagus spears
1/2 cup diced smoked ham
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1. Boil a pot of water. While it's boiling, prep the vegetables. Cut off the woody stems of the asparagus and cut the remainder into 1-inch lengths. Halve the bok choy stems lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Slice the bok choy leaves crosswise into 1/2-inch wide strips.

2. Boil the noodles just long enough to thaw and separate, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold water.

3. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the ham, bok choy stems, and asparagus. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the ham is browned and the bok choy stems are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the bok choy leaves and cook an additional minute. Add the noodles, soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar, and cook until the sauce is nearly completely absorbed, about 1 minute.

Yield: 2 servings

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RHUBARB SHERBET
Adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook and Molly's sister-in-law, Susan Pollak

3 cups sliced rhubarb (from 6-7 stalks)
1 scant cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
3 Tbsp. orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
2 Tbsp. framboise or cassis (optional)
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
3 Tbsp. heavy cream

Put the rhubarb in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, 1/2 cup water, orange liqueur, and framboise. Simmer until the rhubarb is tender and almost completely falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Transfer the rhubarb and its cooking liquid to a food processor. Add the lemon or lime juice and cream, and process until smooth. Taste, and adjust with more lemon or lime juice or sugar as needed. Add the remaining 1 cup water, and process to incorporate.

Chill overnight; then freeze in an ice cream maker.

Note: This sherbet freezes very hard, so be sure to let it soften before trying to scoop and serve it.

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For the rice balls recipe, look no further than Just Hungry:

Onigiri (Omusubi) revisited: An easier way to make Japanese rice balls, step by step

and her rice ball FAQ.

Here's some of that Korean seaweed we were grooving on (this is a different brand and possibly a different size, but the same stuff).

Finally, here's a video of Molly making a rice ball. It's that easy!

Spilled Milk: Molly makes a rice ball from Matthew Amster-Burton on Vimeo.

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