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.

I've never had much of a taste for revenge, but once, after he ruined a beautiful batch of risotto by spitting a freaking cinnamon candy into it as it simmered, I made my little brother a batch of salt pancakes (please note that we were 9 and 12 years old). The gullible, risotto-destroying brat saw nothing amiss in the golden stack of flapjacks presented to him by his big sis, and so he took a huge buttery, syrup-drenched bite. Of course, the cup-and-a-half of Morton I had poured into the batter made his lips curl into a look of disgust before he spat out the half-chewed sodium bomb.

So, this morning, when I told him I was making salted chocolate chip cookies, he said "You would add salt to something delicious. Thank you for being transparent with your intentions this time."

I promise you this, dear reader: my days of intentionally ruining sweet dishes with copious amounts of salt have gone the way of slap bracelets. Full House and not getting along with my little brother. Now, I only add salt to foods to make them extra delicious. Trust me on this one.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, a limerick:

There once was lady named Gabi
And waiting for bread to rise always made her crabby
She thought, “Maybe instead,
I’ll make Irish Soda Bread!”
So she did, and it wasn’t too shabby!

• ingredients
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling and for pan Pantry
• 2 tsp baking powder Pantry
• 1 teaspoon baking soda Pantry
• 1 tbsp sugar Pantry
• 1/2 teaspoon salt Pantry
• 4 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes $1 for a stick
• 1 egg, beaten $1.50 for 12
• 1 cup buttermilk $1.50 for a pint
• 1 chopped dried fruit of your choice (currants, raisins, apricots, dates) $3.50 for 8 oz.

Total Cost of Ingredients 7.50

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly flour a baking sheet and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Cut in butter with 2 forks until mixture resembles small peas.

Stir in egg, buttermilk and dried fruit to form a sticky dough

Shape into a ball and flatten slightly. Use a sharp knife to score the top a few times.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom.

Serve hot, cut into wedges, with“fresh butter”:http://brokeassgourmet.com/articles/fresh-butter.

Serves 4-6.