Fice-Spice Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Walnut Toffee

6 pounds orange sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 c light brown sugar
6 T butter
2 t Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
Salt
Crunchy Walnut Toffee, coarsely chopped (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 400. Spread the sweet potato chunks in two 9x13 baking dishes. Add 1 cup of water to each dish, cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes until the sweet potatoes are barely tender. Pour off any remaining water from the baking dishes.

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar with the butter, five-spice powder and nutmeg and cook over moderate heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is bubbling, about 4 minutes. Pour the mixture over the potatoes, stir to coat and season with salt. Bake for about 10 minutes, basting a few times until the potatoes are tender and nicely glazed. Sprinkle the walnut toffee over the potatoes and serve.

Make Ahead: The glazed sweet potatoes can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat before topping and serving.

Cruncy Walnut Toffee

1/2 c sugar
1/4 c water
2 T light corn syrup
2 T butter
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 c walnuts, coarsely chopped

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, corn syrup and butter and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderate heat, swirling the pan a few times, until a light caramel forms, about 4 minutes. Stir in the baking soda and salt. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the walnuts. Quickly spread the toffee on the prepared baking sheet as thinly as possible. Let cool completely. Break into pieces and serve.

Maple-Ginger Roasted Vegetables with Pecans

1 1/2 c pecans
4 medium carrots, peeled and liced 1/4 inch thick on the bias
2 large parsnips (1 pound), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick on the bias
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
1 lb brussels sprouts, halved
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 T minced fresh ginger
1/3 c pure maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 425. Spread the pecans in a pie plate and toast until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, toss the carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, squash and brussels sprouts with the olive oil and nutmeg and season generously with salt and black pepper. Spread the vegetables on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and roast for 30 minutes, until the vegetables begin to brown. Scatter the pecans and ginger over the vegetables and drizzle with the maple syrup; toss well. Continue to roast the vegetables for 25 minutes longer, until they are tender and golden. Scrape the vegetables into a bowl and serve hot or at room termperature.

Make Ahead: The roasted vegetables can be kept at room temperature for up to two hours before serving.

Pecan Tea Cookies

1 3/4 c butter 

1 1/2 c (300 gm) sugar 

1/4 c (Crisco 

1 T vanilla 

1 1/2 t salt 

1 egg 

4 1/2 c (540 gm) bread flour 

3/4 c (70 gm) pecans, finely chopped 

6 c powdered sugar 

6 1/2 T light corn syrup 

1/2 c water 

food coloring 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Soften cold butter in a mixer and add sugar, shortening, vanilla and salt. Blend but do not aireate. Add egg, blend only. Add flour and pecans. Blend only. Divide dough into 4 piecrs and roll into 1 inch logs (about 12 inches long).  Freeze logs for about 30 minutes and then cut into 1/4 inch slices and lay on cookie sheet. (No need for parchment paper or greese.)  Bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes or until light brown. Cool on cookie sheet. 

Place powdered sugar in a bowl. Combine water and corn syrup in a small saucepan and heat to 140 degrees on a candy thermometer, do not boil. (This isn't rocket science - if you don't have a candy thermometer, just guess.) Then add 1/2 of this liquid to the powdered sugar in the mixing bowl. Mix unitl mixture becomes a thick paste with no lumps. Then add remaining liquid and mix until smooth. Add a few drops of food coloring to obtain your desired shade of icing. With an icing bag place a dot of icing into the thumb print on each cookie.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

8 oz softened, butter
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 c canned pumpkin
1 t cream of tarter
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
2 t vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 c plus 2 T flour
1/3 c sugar
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t cinnamon

Beat the butter on medium speed. Add 1 1/2 c sugar and canned pumpkin. Beat until fluffy. Add cream of tartar, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Add vanilla and egg. Beat until well mixed. Add flour in two increments, beating until just incorporated. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix 1/3 sugar, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to create coating. Remove half of dough from refrigerator and roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll balls in coating, covering all sides. Place on cookie sheet 2 inces apart. Bake 12-14 miutes. Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Repeat process with other half of mixture.

Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Chicken Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 2-3 tbsp coconut milk, plus more as needed
• 1 tbsp curry powder (or equal parts turmeric, cumin, and coriander to equal 1 tbsp)
• 1 tsp ginger root, grated
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp fresh lemon grass
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Wooden skewers

Method:

Prepare prior to the tailgating event. Cut the chicken breasts into small square chunks of even size and set aside. Prepare the marinade by adding coconut milk and curry powder or spice blend to a bowl and mixing well. Then add the ginger and garlic. Prepare the lemongrass by cutting the root end off of the stalk and then grating, starting at the cut end. Add the lemongrass to the bowl. Finally add the lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste, and olive oil. Mix well. Add the chicken to the marinade then cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (Note: don't marinate chicken overnight or it will begin to fall apart). Soak the wooden skewers in water for a few minutes. Add about 3 pieces of marinated chicken to each skewer. Put all skewers in a container and reserve in refrigerator until you are ready to take to the event.

At the game or event, grill the skewers (preferably over charcoal) for about 2 minutes per side. Brush each skewer with additional coconut milk and season with salt to taste. Serve warm with peanut sauce.
Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 can of coconut milk
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 2-3 tbsp sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp chile paste
• 1-2 hot peppers, whole
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Method:

At the tailgating event: Over a small burner, pour coconut milk into a saucepan over medium heat. Add peanut butter and stir to combine. Add sugar, salt and chile paste then mix well. Add hot peppers and bring mixture to a boil stirring frequently. Continually taste for seasoning and adjust as desired. Reduce the sauce and then add lemon juice, mixing well to combine. Serve in small dishes alongside chicken satay.

Eggplant Lasagna Tart with Parmesan-Basil Crust

For the Crust:
1/3 cup basil leaves
1 clove garlic
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and well chilled
2-3 T. ice water

For the Tart:
½ eggplant, sliced in half lengthwise and sliced as thinly as possible into half moons
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups ricotta cheese
Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

For the Tomato Sauce:
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt
14-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Prep the eggplant. To avoid a soggy crust, the moisture needs to be drawn out of the eggplant before baking. Toss the sliced eggplant with 1 teaspoon of salt. Transfer to a colander and let drain while you make the tart crust and tomato sauce.

3. To make the tart shell, place the basil and garlic in a food process and process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until finely chopped. Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse to combine. Add the flour, salt and butter and pulse quickly about 25 times. Blend in the 2 T. of ice water in a few additional pulses. The dough should stick together when you pinch it between two fingers. Pour the dough into the tart pan. Working quickly, press the dough uniformly into the pan by pressing across the bottom and working towards the sides and up to form a rim. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 15 minutes.

4. Take the tart out of the refrigerator and poke it a few times with a fork. Cover the tart with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Place on a baking sheet and slide tart onto the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, pull the shell out of the oven, and remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Place the uncovered tart back into the oven, weight-free, for another 5-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with a little shredded Parmesan. Transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature.

5. In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce. Stir the garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and salt together in a small, cold saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the garlic starts to sizzle just a bit. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer, cook the sauce down a bit for 10 minutes or so, and then remove from heat.

6. If the eggplant still appears wet, press it into some paper towels to remove any remaining moisture.

7. To assemble the tart, use a spatula to spread half of the ricotta cheese across the base of the tart shell. Spoon about half of the sauce over the ricotta and arrange half of the eggplant in a single layer on top of the sauce. Spread the remainder of the ricotta over the eggplant, making sure that it reaches the edges of the tart. Arrange another layer of eggplant and finish with the remaining sauce. Top with slices of fresh mozzarella across the top.

8. Place the tart on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes. Remove and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Slice wedges with a serrated knife.

Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.

Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.