Halushki is a humble Polish-Slovak dish from my childhood. It's simply noodles, cooked cabbage, and onions [I also tossed in some mushrooms, for good measure]. It may look austere, but the flavor combo is sublime: the sweet onions and cabbage dance a mean polka with the starchy noodles. Halushki is pure comfort food. It has prevented me from ordering out many times, since it's so pathetically easy to make – especially if you use store-bought noodles or pasta. It's also incredibly economical.

Halushki is one of those recipes that everyone makes differently, so it would be sacrilege to give you exact proportions. However you make it, you really can't go wrong with these complementary flavors.

We shop for groceries with the best of intentions. We load our carts with piles of fresh vegetables, fruits and whole foods. Then the realities of life settle in. The weeks get ahead of us. Other things take precedent over cooking.

So, one night, we peek in the 'fridge facing rice milk five days past its expiration date and farm stand tomatoes that are sprouting fuzzy, Muppet-like growths. That's when you know it's time to use it or lose it.

Faced with past-its-prime, extra-firm tofu, a softish onion and a few spotty-but-salvageable zucchini that I had had every intention of using up the week before last, I ad-libbed this dinner. First, I pressed the tofu and dry-fried it in my wok, along with a splash of tamari. I sauteed the zucchini and onion in olive oil along with plenty of garlic and a swan-song bunch of basil from my windowsill plant. While I would not publish the recipe on my blog or in my next cookbook, the result was truly tasty. And it saved me from tossing the tofu.

I know it's cruel. But today, I am going to be a blatant tease and tantalize you with a photo of my newest creation: Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake. Rich, creamy decadence perched upon a ginger snap base, the recipe for this hedonistic cheesecake will be published just in time for Thanksgiving, in Grid magazine's November issue.

Since broccoli is abundant and inexpensive right now, what better way to kick off soup season than by making a huge pot of Cream of Broccoli? This soup is a snap to prepare. Plus, it's so rich and filling that it's a meal in itself. The hint of nutmeg infuses this potage with a subtle, earthy sweetness.

Serves 6