These cupcakes are delicious. They straddle the spectrum between cupcake and muffin because of the addition of the ricotta, but the not-too-sweet cake that’s perfumed with Meyer lemon works really well with the white chocolate buttercream. I think the cupcakes would be great just plain, too. And the lemon aroma and flavor gets a little stronger every day.

I skipped the shaved white chocolate topping on the cupcakes and added a bit of pink luster dust instead. It’s pretty but I need practice applying it with a light hand and uniformly.

This bean-based mole is different, probably not something I’d make again. But with squash and greens on hand (the recipe calls for kale – I used chard, since that’s what I had), it was a natural choice. Plus I regularly make up a pot of beans (I have an obsession with Rancho Gordo beans), and this week it happened to be borlottis.

I think the mole would be good on a tortilla with avocado and sour cream. We topped ours with some avocado, but Larry thought it needed sour cream. It wasn’t bad, a nice spicy, hearty dish for a cold night.

• Borlotti Bean Mole with Roast Winter Squash (101 Cookbooks)
• Meyer Lemon and Ricotta Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (Matt Bites)