Last Summer, in the gloaming of a doomy relationship with an all-time-low of a boyfriend, I came across this real gem, a food column by Mark Bittman, the Times' heaven-sent Minimalist, a list of 101 easy meals, each described in a sentence or two, no useless measurements or directives. The meals were meant for summer, but I say they are scrumptious all the live long day, and handy in this here nouveau-Great Depression, as we try to muster the courage to not go out to eat every night. At the time that the article was published, I spent several days copying it down into a wee grey handmade (my hands!) notebook that I called my 'cook journal'—remember friends, my love life was in shambles; I was also spending a great deal of time weeping and watching "Cops." I needed to keep busy and fill my head with lovelier thoughts of moules preparations and curried lamb chops.