Cute Overload....

What can you do with the darling little clementines known as Cuties? They're so easy to peel that eating them out of hand is the simplest way to go.

They're loaded with Vitamin C, potassium, folate and other B vitamins (and I just read a story this morning that scientists believe B vitamins can help vision in older women...I can use all the help I can get in that department.)

I've not seen the little Cuties for sale in anything smaller than a three pound bag, and most times it's five or six pounds. That's a heck of a lot of little orange orbs, especially for a household of two. The season is November through April, so now is the time to pick up a bag and add a little sunshine to your diet.

You can peel them and break them into sections to garnish green salads, cold rice salads or even a salad of just clementines and shaved fennel...maybe a few slivers of red onion, too, and dress it with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a delicate vinegar, like rice wine vinegar.

Or, you can peel them, slice them crosswise into 1/4 inch rounds and steep them in a spiced sugar syrup, and then use them as a topping for whole grain pancakes, or serve them along side a nice scone. Here's an easy recipe for spiced clementines. Make this the day before you plan to serve them.

Spiced Clementines

1/2 cup sweet white wine (like Gewurztraminer) or apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 star anise pod
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
8 clementines, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds

Bring the wine (or juice), water, sugar and spices to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring once or twice for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Place clementine rounds in a flat, shallow baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Pour hot syrup and spices over the rounds, making sure each round is moistened with syrup. Cool to room temperature, turn the rounds over, and then cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.