Festive Peppered Pecans

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup pecans or walnut halves

Have ready a large baking sheet. In a small bowl combine sugar, salt and black and red peppers. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add pecans; cook and stir until hot, about 1 minute.

Reduce heat to medium; sprinkle pecans with half of the reserved sugar and pepper mixture; cook and stir until sugar melts, about 30 seconds. Add remaining sugar and pepper mixture; cook and stir until sugar melts and coats nuts, about 40 seconds. Place nuts on baking sheet; cool slightly and separate.

Store in a tightly covered container.

Yields 1 heaping cup.

Fancy Spiced Nuts

1 egg white
2 tablespoons cold water
1/4 pound nutmeats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/3 teaspoon ginger
1/3 teaspoon nutmeg

Beat lightly the egg white and cold water. Dip nutmeats into the egg white mixture.

Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Drop nutmeats one at a time into dry mixture and roll about lightly. Keep nuts separated. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees F for at least one hour.

Remove from oven and shake off excess sugar and spice mixture. Store tightly covered.

Dr. Pepper Glazed Pecans

1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup Dr. Pepper
1 cup pecan halves

Melt butter in small saucepan and add Dr. Pepper. Bring to the simmering point, then add pecans and simmer for 15 minutes or until Dr. Pepper evaporates, stirring frequently.

Pour pecans over cookie sheet and bake at 275 degrees F for 40 minutes or until crisp, turning at least every 10 minutes while baking.

Stir-Fried Pork in Garlic Sauce

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons garlic, peeled and chopped
2 dried chiles
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork, preferably from the shoulder
    (Boston butt or picnic), sliced thinly and dried
1 bunch scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths, white and green parts separated
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Cooked white rice

Put oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok, and turn heat to high; a minute later add garlic and chiles; cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic begins to color.

Add pork and cook, stirring once or twice, until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add white parts of scallions, and stir; cook another minute, stirring occasionally.

Stir in green parts of scallions; cook for 30 seconds, then turn off heat and add soy sauce. Serve immediately with rice.

Pork Steaks with Potato Dumplings

2 pork steaks
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon shortening

Dumplings
4 medium potatoes
Salt
Flour

1 (16 ounce) can sauerkraut

Dice pork steaks and saut? in shortening until almost done. Add chopped onion and continue to saut? until done. Set aside.

Dumplings: Grate potatoes. Add salt to taste and enough flour to make a stiff batter – not too dry. Drop mixture one teaspoon at a time into boiling water. Boil until dumplings float on top of water. Turn down heat and boil five minutes longer; drain. Rinse in cold water; drain.

Heat meat mixture and add dumplings, then stir until all dumplings are heated.

Serve with heated sauerkraut.

Serves 4 to 6.

Rhubarb Pork Loin

1 (3 pound) boneless rolled pork loin
1 clove garlic, peeled, sliced
1 teaspoon rosemary, crushed
4 stalks rhubarb, sliced
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
6 tablespoons honey
6 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 to 3 drops red food color

Place pork roast in roasting pan. Cut 8 to 10 slits in surface of pork and insert slivers of garlic. Rub all surfaces of roast with rosemary. Roast for about 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in heavy saucepan; bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Pour rhubarb sauce over pork and continue to roast, basting often, until pork reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F (about 45 minutes). Let pork roast rest for 10 minutes, letting internal temperature rise to 160 degrees F. Slice thinly and serve with rhubarb sauce.

Pork Tenderloin Diane

1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 8 crosswise pieces
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon minced parsley or chives

Press each tenderloin slice to a 1-inch thickness. Sprinkle surfaces of medallions with lemon pepper.

Heat butter in heavy skillet. Cook tenderloin medallions 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove medallions to serving platter; keep warm. Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and mustard to skillet. Cook, stirring with pan juices, until heated through.

Pour sauce over medallions. Sprinkle with parsley or chives and serve.