Spicy Pepper Penne

This is my favorite pasta dish of all time. It is fast, easy and so dangerously delicious that I think I could eat the whole pan every time I make it. The ingredients may not seem remarkable but once you taste it I am sure it will become a staple meal in your household too!

1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta (I use whole wheat penne)
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
7 ounces sliced pepperoni, halved
1 jar (7 ounces) roasted red sweet peppers, drained and chopped
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a large skillet layer the pasta, rosemary, pepperoni, and red peppers. Add water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add cream and Parmesan cheese; toss to coat.

Yield: About 6 servings.

Mexican Puerquitos

One of the Hispanic cops I used to work with had these cookies in his lunch everyday. I did not think much of them until I moved away to Europe and began missing all things Arizona/Mexico. When I would come home to Arizona for visits I would buy a package of these Mexican cookies to take back to Ireland. Now that I am up in Minnesota I am without them again so I have to make them myself. Good thing they are easy to make!

3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon ground canela or other cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two large baking sheets. Sift together flour, ginger, canela, baking soda, salt, cloves and pepper into a bowl. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the sour cream, egg, honey, molasses, and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix again until well combined. The dough should be fairly moist.

Refridgerate the dough, covered, for 2 hours. Dust counter lightly with flour. Roll the dough out to about 1/3 inch thickness and cut cookies with a pig-shaped cutter. Transfer the cookies to baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart.

To prepare the glaze, combine the egg white and water in a small bowl. Brush the cookie slightly with the glaze. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake because the puerquitos should be soft and chewy. Cool cookies for 5 minutes. Coverered, they will keep several days.

Yield: About 30 cookies.