Puttanesca

Garlic
28 oz. can of whole tomatoes
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 t oregano
1 t red pepper flakes
1 can anchovies, drained
1 T capers, heaping, drained
15 pitted olives, halved or quartered
1 lb. spaghetti

• In a processor, chop peeled garlic cloves and add them to the olive oil heating in a skillet.  Add the canned tomatoes to the processor, pulsing to well chopped, but not pureed.
• Add oregano, red pepper flakes  and anchovies to the garlic and oil and slowly cook, breaking up the anchovies with a spoon.
• Add the tomatoes from the processor, the tomato sauce, the capers, and the olives and simmer for 20 minutes or so.
• Toss with pasta.

This is really quick to put together and better than good.  Even if you think you don't like anchovies do not leave them out for they add umami to the sauce.  This sauce does not even remotely taste fishy. You can use any type of olive-green, black, cured, whatever. I use at least a half a head of garlic.

Spice Cake with Caramel Icing

Cake:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 stick  margarine
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t mace
1/2 t allspice
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1 cup plus 2 T whole milk
1 t vanilla
 Icing:
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 t vanilla

• Heat oven to 325. Grease and flour tube pan.  With a mixer, cream butter, shortening, sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and mix until smooth.
• Sift dry ingredients, twice.  Add to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk and vanilla.  
• Pour into pan and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool in the pan 10 minutes and then turned out onto a rack until room temperature.
• Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the sugar and cream until smooth then bring to a boil for 1 minute.
• After the mixture has cooled, beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Ice the cooled cake.

This cake was added to the Thanksgiving dessert list this year instead of the fig thing. It's essentially a pound cake topped with an unbelievably delicious layer of unsightly icing.  If the icing seems too thick, keep beating it and adding dribbles of cream until you like it's spreadability.