Cumin Coriander Orzo Pasta Recipe

Orzo is rice-shaped pasta. If you have little children, this dish is always a hit. I mixed several vegetables such as Japanese eggplant, roasted pumpkin and green beans, and flavored the dish with cumin and coriander. The spices take the stage in this pasta dish and impart a wonderful Asian flair.

I wanted to incorporate some protein into the dish, so I also added garbanzo beans. They're an excellent source of protein for the vegetarians in my house. For the meat eaters in the house, I typically serve the orzo with roast chicken or a cordon bleu.

Pesto Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

You may not believe it, but buttermilk mashed potatoes are just as fluffy as regular mashed potatoes made with heavy cream. The only difference is a pleasant tangy taste that the buttermilk imparts to the potatoes. To enhance the flavor of the mashed potatoes, I added some homemade Pecorino basil pesto. There is nothing subtle about this dish; it is absolutely bursting with color and flavor.

I was inspired to make this dish during our Christmas trip to Las Vegas. We went to our favorite eatery, "The Buffet at Bellagio". They served pesto mashed potatoes, but without buttermilk. It was so good I had to replicate it but of course, I wanted to add my own twist. I recently made a large batch of Pecorino basil pesto, so I thought it would be a good time to try my hand at the dish. I hope you like it!

Cranberry Apple Pinwheel Cookies

After all the cranberry apple dishes I've made so far, I incorporated the same flavors and created pretty pinwheel cookies. The swirl is a lot easier to make than it seems. All you need is sugar cookie dough to roll around the filling. My choice for the filling was cranberry apple butter but you can use any other filling you like.

Don't get scared by the yield of this recipe! We're getting prepared for Christmas and make our logs of cookie dough in advance and store them in the freezer. They make great gifts, and the cookies are small and delicious, so they'll disappear very quickly.

Sweet Potato Pie with Pecan Crumb Topping

Sweet potato pie is a classic American dessert that is not overly sweet. The texture is similar to a pumpkin pie, but firmer. I jazzed mine up with a little anise extract, other flavorings and a crown of pecan crumb topping. It's a great pie for Thanksgiving, but really, you can enjoy it any time of the year.

I made this for a reader named Bill who e-mailed me a request for a sweet potato pie recipe. If you're reading Bill, I hope you like it!

Cranberry Apple Oatmeal Crisp

This recipe is a riff on a classic apple crisp. If you've been reading my posts lately, you'll know that I've been on a bit of a quest to find creative ways to utilize our Thanksgiving leftovers. A cranberry apple crisp seemed like the perfect destiny for the leftover cranberries the fridge.

It's an incredibly easy recipe to make. If you have cranberry sauce, then all you really need to do is to add a sweetener, prepare the topping and bake the individual servings in the oven. They are great for intimate holiday parties.