Donut Army

I have a love-hate relationship with this recipe - part of it I love, but parts of it I haven't got quite right yet. It relies on the Thai peanut sauce recipe posted yesterday. And, as you can see from my comments on that, I don't have that recipe perfected yet; mine remained a bit grainy, and I would prefer something smooth. That problem remained throughout the fully assembled dish. More than that, though, is the quantity of sauce to use. You can see from some of the user comments on the Cooking Light website itself that some users have found the original recipe bland, and thought that increasing the amount of peanut sauce would help. I followed their advice and began adding additional peanut sauce in small increments -- just 1/4 c additions at a time. Eventually, I had added the entire 2 c of peanut sauce made from yesterday's posting. And that turned out to be too gloppy -- tasted good, but looked unappetizing. Somewhere, there is a happy medium for this dish. ...

  Thai peanut sauce is very versatile stuff - it can be used as a dipping sauce, as a salad dressing, or as a sauce for stir-fry or pasta. Here is one version of Thai peanut sauce I found that is simple to make, and tasty to boot. I made mine in a food processor. I may make it in a blender in the future, to see if I can get a better grind -- I found mine was a bit lumpy throughout. Thai Peanut Sauce About.com 1 c dry roasted peanuts, unsalted 1/3 c water 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce 2 tsp sesame oil 2 T brown sugar 2 - 2.5 T fish sauce 1/2 tsp tamarind paste, or, 1/2 T lime juice 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or 1 tsp Thai chili sauce 1/3 c coconut milk Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until smooth. If you prefer a runnier sauce, add a little more water or coconut milk. This sauce tends to thicken as it sits; add a little water or coconut milk to think it out, as needed. Stores well, if kept covered. (K...

This is a lovely, lovely cupcake. I can't say that any of the flavors are particularly dominant (but then again, my head has been stuffed up because of allergies, and my taster is all off). So next time I make this, I may toy with infusing the lavender and oolong for longer next time. It really is just a hint of these flavors -- which is good; you don't want everything in life to be overpowering. There is considerable clean-up from this one. The frosting is a mess (think hard-tack candy dried on all your bowls and measuring cups), but it is just beautiful stuff to work with -- shiny, firm, and able to be sculpted. But is it worth the considerable clean-up just to say, "Why, what's in these cupcakes? Why, these are just li'l ol' oolong cupcakes with lavender frosting!" Yes, yes it is worth it. Be warned - this recipe makes just 6 cupcakes, but the frosting is enough for an entire cake! So, next time I make this, I will probably quadruple the cupcake ...

I can't believe how many years I wasted being scared of leafy greens. I assumed they would be bitter -- probably because the ones I had eaten before were indeed very bitter. Or, soggy and overcooked and too much like mush. But, once you cook leafy greens a few times, you realize that you couldn't have an easier vegetable side dish to prepare. Collards with Dill and Parsley Greens Glorious Greens 3/4 lb collard greens (6-7 c), chopped 2 tsp olive oil 2 carrots, cut diagonally into 1/4" ovals 1/2 c water pinch salt 2 tsp dill weed, fresh, chopped 1/4 c parsley, minced 1 T lemon juice Wash collards. Trim stalks from greens and discard stalks. Cut leaves into 1/4" strips and set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add carrots and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add collard greens and toss to coat with oil, about 1 minute. Add water. (After just a few seconds, you entire stock pot full of greens will will down to a very manageable amount -- see be...

This is a tasty and colorful rice dish that is easy-to-assemble and prepare. Could it with beans and a heaping side of greens or a cornbread, and you have yourself a very healthy dinner! Venezuelan White Rice Cooking Light , June 2008 1 T canola oil 1/2 c onion, chopped 1/2 c red bell pepper, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 4 c water 1/2 tsp salt 2 c long grain rice, uncooked Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and pepper; cook 5 minutes, or until tender. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add 4 c water and salt; bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I have made several variations of "beans and rice" over the past two weeks, each time reminding myself how broad of a category that really is. And, with such diversity, you can always keep yourself interested in such simple basics. Here is a lovely, and simple, form of black beans. The base recipe calls for simple flavorings in the beans, and for using canned beans. As always, I recommend starting from dried beans (cheaper, and more flavorful). Also, I cannot help myself from adding cilantro paste to any black bean dish I am making. I just love it that much. Simple Black Beans (Caraotas Negras) Cooking Light , June 2008 1 1/2 T canola oil 1 c onion, chopped 3/4 c red bell pepper, chopped 1/2 tsp brown sugar 1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp cumin 1 c water 2 15-oz cans black beans, undrained (or, cook from dried beans) 1 tsp white wine vinegar (opt) 2 T cilantro paste (opt) Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and be...

Sometimes, you just want the basics. Summertime, holidays, melancholy -- all of this can deepen our desire for the foods of our youth -- including that old standby of the church picnic: macaroni salad I thought this was a particularly nice version of macaroni salad (even though it makes enough to feed an army). Macaroni Salad Found Recipe 1 package macaroni 1 1/2 c celery, diced 1 1/2 c cabbage, shredded 2 pimientos 1 green pepper, chopped 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp paprika 1 T lemon juice mayonnaise Cook macaroni. Drain and chill. Combine vegetables. Season with salt and paprika and lemon juice. Mix with mayonnaise and serve. Note - I didn't have any pimientos in the house, so I would up doubling the amount of cabbage. This is really pretty much a clean-out-the-fridge kind of dish -- if you can eat the vegetable uncooked, then you can add it to this salad. I could see adding zucchini, broccoli, and red pepper flakes. Possibly even pickles or capers.

Sometimes, when you have been pursuing something for a long period of time, the solution comes from the most unexpected place. For years, I have been trying to identify this one taste I would pick up in Indian food that was prepared outside of my kitchen. It was a deep, smoky flavor that permeated everything certain curry dishes, especially those with lentils. I have tried many lentil-based recipes, from a variety of Indian recipes sources,  and was never able to capture the secret.   On a lark, I tried this recipe -- from Cooking Light -- and it produced the very taste I have been looking for for years! It proves that Cooking Light is much more than just a low-calorie publication, but is instead a resource for healthful, flavorful dishes. No wonder I turn to them more often than I had expected I would. The secret comes from toasting cumin seeds (here, mixed with peppercorns) and then mushing them up into a paste with a mortar and pestle. I don't think you woul...

Sometimes, you just have to trust the advice given to you, even though you've never had a warm radish in your life. And here's the advice: sauteed radishes are delicious. They attractive only on the day you make them; holding them over as leftovers, their color changes and the entire dish becomes monochromatic pink. For display, make the day you are serving. Sauteed Radishes Sunset , June 1972 2 T butter 3 c radishes, sliced 1/8" thick 1/4 c water 2 tsp lemon juice salt and pepper 1 T chives, chopped In large frying pan, melt butter over high heat. Add radishes and water. Stir and cover. Cook at high heat, stirring occasionally, until radishes are barely tender and almost all liquid is gone, about 4 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped chives.