I’m not sure why I insist on baking something every time I have more than two beers with my friend Dominic, but the arrangement seems to be working out for both of us. Last night, after a few libations, I started bragging about my amazing pizza dough recipe, and before I knew it, I was surrounded by spectators in his kitchen, clumsily frying cinnamon-sugar pizza dough donuts., while fielding requests for pizza and cinnamon rolls.

In that moment, fueled by enthusiasm and Pacifico, inspiration struck: I should do a pizza/cinnamon roll hybrid—essentially individual strombolis! (hiccup)

As you can see, I am one of those people who keeps her drunken promises.

• ingredients
• flour for rolling and for dusting pan Pantry
• 1 recipe pizza dough $1.50
• 3/4 cup tomato sauce $1.50 for a 15-oz. can
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese $3.50 for 8 oz.
• about 12 slices pepperoni, chopped $3.50 for 6 oz.
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch

Total Cost of Ingredients $11

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly flour a baking sheet and set aside.

Place onto a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out into an approximately 18” x 14” rectangle.

Spread tomato sauce over the entire top surface of the dough. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the sauce. Top cheese with pepperoni and chopped basil.

Starting at the bottom and pinching as you go, roll the dough up tightly, so you have a 14” cylinder.

Use a sharp knife to slice cylinder into about 10 even rolls. Place rolls, spiral-side-up, on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes, or until rolls are golden-brown and cheese is bubbly.

Cool 5 minutes, then serve warm.

Makes about 10 spirals (serves 4-6).

As you know, I enjoy stuffing things into other things (I know, I know, that’s what she said), so today, since San Francisco’s gorgeous 83-degree weather is dictating that I not turn on the stove and get myself out into the sunshine pronto, I decided to make quick, vegan watermelon gazpacho, and pour it back into the watermelon for serving.

In addition to being yummy to eat and adorable to look at, my watermelon “bowls” didn’t need to be washed, and fewer dishes means more time to soak up the sun. Win.

Pizza dough donuts are one of my favorite ways to impress guests while putting forth almost no effort (and even less cash). While I usually just dunk freshly-fried rings of pizza dough in cinnamon-sugar and serve, this time I decided to step it up a bit, frying the dough rings in a combination of fruity olive oil and vegetable oil instead of pure vegetable oil, and dredging them in a sweet/tart/spicy blend of sugar, fresh orange zest and ginger.

Not only scrumptious, they were so gorgeous, they warranted their own Facebook album.

• ingredients
• 1 cup sugar Pantry
• zest of 1 orange, plus a little extra for garnish $1 for 2 oranges
• 1 1” piece ginger, grated 0.50
• 1 recipe pizza dough $1.50
• extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• vegetable oil Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $3

Directions

In medium bowl, mix the sugar, orange zest and grated ginger until well-incorporated.

Divide dough into 8 balls. Roll each ball into a 6” snake, and connect the two ends to form a circle.

Pour about 1” of equal parts olive and vegetable oil into a medium pot or deep frying pan. Heat over medium-high heat, until viscous (test by dropping a tiny splash of water into the middle of the oil—it’s ready when it sizzles).

Working in batches, fry the donuts until they are golden-brown on one side. Flip, using a metal slotted spoon or tongs, and cook on the other side until golden-brown.

Transfer the donuts immediately from the hot oil into the sugar-orange-ginger mixture and coat well. Repeat until all donuts are cooked and coated.

To serve, top each donut with a little extra sugar-orange-ginger mixture and a pinch of orange zest.

Makes 8 donuts.

I made pupusas for my friend Dominic and he asked me if we were eating butterfly.

“Butterfly?” I asked. “What does that mean?”
“The pupal life stage is a phase in a butterfly’s life. It’s integral to complete metamorphosis.”
“Oh. No, these are pupsas—stuffed Salvadoran tortillas—basically the best quesadilla you’ve ever had.”
“Ahh. That sounds much better than butterfly.”

Here, I added pan-roasted corn, jalapeño, onions and garlic. Way, way better than butterfly.

Note: To make the classic cabbage slaw shown here that pupusas are often served with, simply toss together 1/2 cabbage, sliced thinly, juice of 1 lime, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped, salt and pepper to taste. Top with your favorite prepared salsa.

• ingredients
• 1 tbsp olive, canola or vegetable oil Pantry
• 2/3 cup frozen (or fresh) corn kernels $1.50 for 10 oz.
• 1 jalapeño, chopped $0.25
• 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch
• 1/2 red onion, diced $0.50
• 1 clove garlic, minced Pantry
• salt and pepper Pantry
• 4 cups masa harina $2 for 1 lb
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey jack or queso blanco $3.50 for 8 oz

Total cost of Ingredients $8.75

Directions

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium- high heat. Add corn, jalapeño, onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until corn is lightly charred. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.

Mix masa harina, a pinch of salt and water together in a bowl to make a sticky dough (add a touch more water if it’s too crumbly after stirring well). Divide the dough into 8 balls.

Place a ball between two pieces of wax paper and roll out, using hands or a rolling pin, into a 6” circle. Set on a plate coated lightly with masa harina. Repeat with remaining balls of dough.

In a mixing bowl, combine the corn mixture with the shredded cheese. Place 1/4 of the mixture on top of one dough round. Spread out evenly. Top with a second dough round and pinch edges gently to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and corn-cheese mixture.

To cook, heat an ungreased griddle or pan (preferably cast iron) over high heat. Cook the pupusas for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until lightly charred in places.

Serve hot, with cabbage slaw and salsa if desired.

Makes 4 pupusas.

I strongly dislike being told what to do…which is probably why I’ve made a career of inventing my own recipes, rather than following others.

That said, there is one man whose recipes I will always happily follow: Alton Brown. In short, he is a no-frills, food science-based, culinary genius. His recipes are straightforward and easy to comprehend, yet reliably yield wonderful results.

So, when I found myself looking ahead at a week involving nonstop running around and next-to-zero time to eat, let alone cook, today seemed like an excellent time to experiment with Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe recipe—a fun rainy day project, yielding food for the week.

Brown’s recipe calls for the addition of an egg, which results in a mac that is creamy, cohesive enough to be cut into and served in squares, making it perfect make-ahead food.

However, it’s so delicious, I will be lucky if enough remains to get me through Monday.

• ingredients
• 8 oz. elbow macaroni $1.50 for 14 oz.
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter $1 for a stick
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour Pantry
• 2 1/2 cups whole or low-fat milk (don’t use skim) $2.50 for a quart
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped $0.50 for a whole onion
• 1/2 tsp paprika $1.50 for 1 oz.
• 1 egg, lightly beaten $1.50 for 12
• 1 1/2 cups sharp shredded cheddar (yellow or white) $3.50 for 8 oz.
• 1 tsp each salt and black pepper Pantry
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• 1 cup bread crumbs $2 for 10 oz.

Total Cost of Ingredients $13

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter or oil a 2-quart casserole dish.

Cook macaroni according to package directions in salted boiling water. Drain and return to pot.

Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour to form a sticky dough and continue whisking for 4-5 minutes.

Slowly whisk in the milk, little by little, to form a creamy white sauce. Add the onion and paprika, stir well, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Scoop out 1/8 cup of the sauce and whisk it quickly into the egg to temper it. Add another 1/8 cup, continuing to whisk, to avoid scrambling the egg. Slowly whisk the egg-sauce mixture into the pot of sauce.

Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and whisk until melted. Stir in salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Fold the sauce into the cooked macaroni and press into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese.

Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, just until golden-brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly, then sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes, until set and golden-brown on top. Let rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into and serving.

Serves 4-6.