Donut Army

Hold on to your hats! And, get ready to throw away all your dessert plans for Christmas. This simple and refreshing pie provides a light, citrus flavor at dessert, with a pleasant textural surprise inside. Imagine the base of, say, a lemon meringue pie - but without the meringue. Now, replace with a small orange and lime flavor, complete with actual orange slices in it. Beguiling! Clementine Lime Pie Vegetarian Times , January 2005 Crust: 1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs 1/2 c pecans, crushed 2 T brown sugar 4 T unsalted butter, melted Filling: 1/3 c lime juice 1/4 c clementine juice 1 T grated clementine rind 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk 2 clementines, peeled and sectioned * Garnish: 2 clementines, peeled and sectioned 1/2 c pecans, crushed * Note - I used only 2 clementines when I made this for the first time. But for future iterations, I would at least double - enough clementines to cover the entire base of the pie. Pre...

I brought these to Thanksgiving dinner, where they were overshadowed by another batch of roasted nuts I had brought (see Garam Masala Spiced Nuts ). So I had about 1 1/2 pounds of Rosemary Roasted Pecans to enjoy at my leisure, post-holiday. And, I must say, the simplicity of these nuts have really grown on me. Next time, I might increase the amount of cayenne, salt, and honey - just to make them pop a bit more. But as they are, the flavoring is nice and subtle. And, undoubtedly, better for you than increasing any salt and sugar on them! Rosemary Roasted Pecans The Basic Gourmet Entertains 2 lb pecans, whole 1/2 stick unsalted butter (2 oz) 1/4 tsp cayenne 1 T honoey 1/2 c rosemary, chopped 2 tsp salt Preheat oven to 325. Divide pecans between 2 rimmed baking sheets. In a 1-quart saucepan over low heat, melt butter with cayenne, honey, and rosemary. Allow rosemary to begin to sizzle, then immediately pour over pecans. Sprinkle pecans with salt and toss with a ...

These are so delicious. And addictive. I have a feeling I know what my neighbors are getting for Christmas gifts this year..... Seasoned with just garam masala, they acquire a nice complexity of flavor, bit with the smallest amount of work in the kitchen. Garam Masala Spiced Nuts NPR: Kitchen Window 1 egg white 3 T sugar 1 1/2 tsp garam masala 1 c cashew, roasted, salted 1 c peanuts, roasted, salted 1 c pecan halves, toasted Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Whisk together the egg white and 1 teaspoon water until a sturdy froth forms. Stir in the sugar, garam masala and nuts. Mix everything together to coat the nuts well. Spread the nuts on the baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake until crispy and golden, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool completely, and break apart into pieces to serve.

Sometimes, it is necessary to bribe your way into the good graces of people. Such is the way when meeting new clients, perhaps. Or, bringing a dish to a neighborhood cookout, etc. When this is the case, I often turn to this recipe.  The result is a gooey, rich mess of cakey brownie, topped with gooey chocolate, crunchy walnuts, and puffy marshmallows. People generally like you after that. Rocky Road Brownies Gourmet magazine, December 1996 6 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces 2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1 c sugar 2 eggs 3/4 c flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 c walnuts, chopped coarsely 1 c miniature marshmallows Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9" square baking pan, knocking out excess flour. In a heavy 1 1/2-quart saucepan, melt butter, unsweetened chocolate, and half of bittersweet chocolate until smooth. Remove pan from heat. Cool mixture 10 minutes, then stir in sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well with ...

This "quiche" is so simple to make - you can prepare everything the night before, assemble it in the morning, and have it ready to go soon after waking up. An ideal dish to serve company, too. Crustless Couscous and Spinach Quiche The Garden of Earthly Delights 1 1/2 c water 3/4 c couscous, uncooked 3 eggs, beaten 1 bunch spinach 3/4 c cottage cheese 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded 3 T salsa 1 tsp chile powder 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp oregano, dried 1/2 tsp coarse salt 1/2 tsp pepper Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a 9" pie plate with vegetable oil and set aside. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add couscous. Stir once, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer couscous to a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Spread couscous evenly in the bottom of the pie plate. Placein oven and bake until a knife comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove quiche from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

This slightly tangy sweet bread is great toasted for breakfast. Would also probably be good in mini-muffin form as something to pass with dinner! Saffron and Raisin Breakfast Bread Cooking Light , December 2007 1 1/3 c warm milk 1/4 tsp saffron threads, crumbled 2 1/4 tsp dry yeast 1 tsp sugar 1/2 c warm water 5 1/4 c bread flour, divided 1 1/2 c raisins 1/3 c sugar 3 T butter, melted and cooled 1 tsp salt Combine milk and saffron let stand 10 minutes. Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in milk mixture. Add 5 c flour, raisins, 1/4 c sugar, butter, and salt to milk mixture, stirring to form a soft dough. Turn dough out into a floured surface. Knead unti lsmooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Add enough of remaining flour, 1 T at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Dough will feel sticky. Place dough in a large bowl to let rise 90 minutes, or until doubled. Punch dough down cover and let rest 5 minutes. ...

This is one of the more interesting things I have tried in the kitchen lately. I felt like I was playing God - making a pie from a fruit that most had never considered before.  They said couldn't be done. Finding a recipe from a 1970s Southern cooking cookbook on cantaloupe pie, I realized that we had lost yet another regional foodways tradition. And I wanted to do my part to revive it! Unfortunately, the original recipe was insufficient. As many older recipes are known to do, it had vague instructions -- the kind of instructions that make sense to the person sharing the information -- these steps are so innate, that they are difficult to pass along to others. But, to those new in the world of baking cantaloupe pies, I found the recipe less than ideal. While using the original recipe, I realized that it just was not going to work. Too many pieces were missing from the instructions, and I did not sense that the pie would set up. So, mid-pie, I jumped to the in...