She darted around the kitchen, looking for pans and trays and knives, and then she cleared a small section of the counter. She wanted to make moussaka soup and creamy chicken marsala. She knew the two dishes didn't go together, but they were her two best plates.

She got to work on the soup first, filling a huge pot with oil and browning the tender pieces of lamb. Then she added stock and chopped vegetables and stirred, inhaling the rich steam. As the soup bubbled, she began to work on the chicken marsala. She made the sauce first and then added the mushrooms and extra herbs, tasting it with a...