Mexican Wedding Cakes
These "cakes" are really festive cookies.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans, toasted, coarsely ground
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Using a mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until well blended. Beat in flour, then pecans. Divide dough in half; form each half into ball. Wrap separately in plastic; chill until cold, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and cinnamon in pie dish to blend. Set cinnamon sugar aside.

Working with half of chilled dough, roll dough by 2 teaspoonfuls between palms into balls. Arrange balls on heavy large baking sheet, spacing 1/2 inch apart. Bake cookies until golden brown on bottom and just pale golden on top, about 18 minutes. Cool cookies 5 minutes on baking sheet. Gently toss warm cookies in cinnamon sugar to coat completely. Transfer coated cookies to rack and cool completely. Repeat procedure with remaining half of dough. (Cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature; reserve remaining cinnamon sugar.)

Sift remaining cinnamon sugar over cookies and serve. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

8 oz. orzo
6 Tbls. olive oil
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbls. plus 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 lb. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (14 1/2-oz.) can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tbls. fresh oregano, finely diced or (2 tsp. dried, lightly toasted in dry skillet)
1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 400° F. Brush 11 x 7-inch glass baking dish with oil. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain well and return orzo to same pot. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup feta cheese, Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons basil; stir to blend. Arrange orzo mixture in prepared dish.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and saut? until slightly pink, about 2 minutes (shrimp will not be cooked through). Arrange shrimp atop orzo. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to same skillet. Add garlic and saut? over medium-high heat 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with juice; cook 1 minute. Stir in wine, oregano, crushed red pepper and remaining 1/4 cup basil. Simmer uncovered until reduced to thick sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper; spoon over shrimp. Bake orzo until heated through, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup feta cheese and serve. Makes 4 main dish servings.

3 large salad tomatoes
3 large garlic cloves, cut lengthwise into slivers
2 Tbls. fresh rosemary or 2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat broiler to 500° F. Cut the tomatoes crosswise in half and place them, cut-side up, on a broiling pan or shallow baking pan. Stick the garlic slivers into the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the rosemary, salt and few grinds of pepper. Drizzle with the oil. Broil about 3 inches from the heat for 10 to 15 minutes or just until the tomatoes release their juices and the garlic begins to brown. Spoon the pan juices over the tomatoes before serving.