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We eventually became a family of five. Eating out was on the back burner, and there wasn’t a slow cooker recipe or hot dish I wouldn’t try to make our meals (and money) go further. We bought meat in bulk and shopped at warehouse stores; volume was baked into my culinary DNA. The cooking-for-the-masses mentality I possess is still a running joke in the family.

Now, with the last kid a college freshman, we’re empty nesters and back to where we started. We still have jobs with odd hours and enjoy eating out, but my love of cooking (and its dual function as a stress reliever) has me recalibrating the way I shop and operate in the kitchen for a party of two.

I lament that good bread isn’t sold in half loaves, make lasagna in loaf pans now and am more diligent about preparing meals with leftovers that freeze well.

I quietly slid “A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together,� by Sonja and Alex Overhiser, into the house. In addition to an array of recipes for drinks, desserts, and dinners ranging from everyday meals to those for special occasions, it gives a blueprint for cooking together, assigning tasks to each cook.

“Cooking together is not for the faint of heart, the hotheaded or the proud,� they write in the introduction. “But if you’re open to it, it can be one of the best ways to grow a relationship.�

Or, in our case, nourish it. While I’m no kitchen novice, I’m also not used to sharing space in it. The Overhisers’ tips about kitchen teamwork were helpful reminders.

It’s about the relationship, not the food. Cooking together isn’t about finishing the recipe in the quickest amount of time. It’s about enjoying the time together, no matter the results.

All good tips outside of the kitchen, too.

We paired recipes from “A Couple Cooks� with desserts from America’s Test Kitchen’s new “Baking For Two� to give cooks both special occasion and everyday menu options.

Love may not always be in the air, but it is in the kitchen.

Truffle Pasta with Mixed Mushrooms and Goat CheeseServes 2.

This pasta for two brings in one of our favorite flavor tricks: black truffles. The earthy, pungent notes of this notoriously expensive fungus take the dish to gourmet status. Look for natural truffle oil (not synthetic), which tastes delicate and authentic. From “A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together� by Sonja and Alex Overhiser.

• 4 oz. dried tagliatelle pasta, linguine, fettuccine, or 6 oz. fresh pasta
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 8 oz. cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced
• 4 oz. oyster, maitake or shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed (see Tips)
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. fresh sage, minced, divided
• 1 tsp. to 1 tbsp. natural truffle oil (see Tips)
• ¼ c. heavy cream
• 2 oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, for garnishing

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once you start cooking the mushrooms (in the following step), add the pasta and boil until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.

In a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the mushrooms are tender and golden brown, another 4 to 5 minutes.

Turn the heat down to low, add the garlic and 2 teaspoons of the sage, and cook until the garlic is starting to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add the truffle oil and cream to the skillet and stir until a sauce forms, then remove from the heat.

Take the pasta out of the water with tongs and add it to the mushrooms. Stir in the goat cheese, the remaining ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Taste and add more truffle oil to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining sage and Parmesan cheese.

Tips: For oyster mushrooms, slice off the bottom stem to separate the individual caps. For maitake mushrooms, use your fingers to pull them into bite-size segments. For shiitake mushrooms, remove the stems and slice any larger caps into bite-size pieces. To clean the mushrooms, give them a quick rinse if you see dirt, and pat them dry (don’t soak).

Our favorite brand of truffle oil (Truff) tastes great with 1 tablespoon in this recipe, but each brand is different, so adjust to taste. Avoid using synthetic truffle oil if possible. If that’s all you can find, start with half of the amount listed (or less).

Mango Chicken Bowls with Peanut SauceServes 4.

• A good peanut sauce is the perfect balance of all five flavors: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. Here’s a colorful bowl meal we designed around our favorite one. Drizzle it over juicy chicken strips and a fresh salad of mango, red pepper, and cucumber, garnish with crunchy peanuts and fresh cilantro, and it’s chef’s kiss. Make it vegetarian or vegan by replacing the chicken with tofu. From “A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Togetherâ€� by Sonja and Alex Overhiser.

For the chicken:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb.), sliced lengthwise into 4 cutlets
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the mango salad:

• 1 ripe mango, diced (see Tips)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• ½ English cucumber, diced
• ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp. roughly chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
• 3 tbsp. fresh lime juice (2 small or 1 large lime)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tbsp. honey
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt

For the peanut sauce:

• ¼ c. unsweetened creamy peanut butter
• 3 tbsp. fresh lime juice (2 small or 1 large lime)
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 1 medium clove garlic, grated
• Cooked white jasmine rice, for serving (see Tips)
• Crushed peanuts, for serving

Directions

To prepare the chicken, preheat the oven to 400°F.

Put the chicken in a baking dish and sprinkle both sides with the kosher salt. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, lime zest, ginger and black pepper. Brush both sides of the chicken with the mixture. Bake until a food thermometer measures 165 degrees when inserted at the center, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool for 3 minutes, then cut into strips.

Meanwhile, to make the mango salad, put the mango, bell pepper, cucumber, red onion and cilantro in a medium bowl. Toss with the lime juice, olive oil, honey and kosher salt and mix to combine. Taste and add a pinch or two more kosher salt if desired.

To make the peanut sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients.

When ready to serve, toss a handful of roughly chopped cilantro leaves and a few pinches of kosher salt in with the rice and stir to combine. Place a serving of rice in a shallow serving bowl, then top with the mango salad on one side and sliced chicken strips on the other. Drizzle everything with peanut sauce and top with additional cilantro leaves and crushed peanuts.

Tips: Look for a mango that is still firm but indents slightly when pressed with your thumb. To make it vegetarian or vegan, use cooked tofu instead of chicken and agave syrup instead of honey. For gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.