Martha Stewart’s Newlywed Kitchen: Recipes for Weeknight Dinners and Easy, Casual Gatherings

In this helpful guide to cooking as a couple, it’s not just about what to make but how to work together. The trick, the editors maintain, is to divide up the labor, deciding on what tools are absolutely essential, agreeing on a scheme for organizing the wares, and building a practical pantry. The lineup covers reliable standbys (maple granola, seared rib-eye steaks with mashed potatoes, shortbread cookies) along with bolder choices, such as grilled-snapper sandwiches with pickled vegetables, iceberg wedges with tahini dressing, and smoked-trout and celery-root salad with rye crisps. The “Gather Round” section of the book provides party menus for a year’s worth of occasions with sophisticated flavors (dill vodka martinis; roasted apricots with ricotta, thyme, and lavender) but relatively easy instructions. It is a clever and thoughtful collection that would serve any young twosome well. (Nov.)