Perfect Little Cupcakes

I saw Giada De Laurentiis making these cupcakes on the Today Show last week. There were a couple of little girls helping her, and I thought, "Ooo, how fun for Pipsqueak and me." It was one project that did live up to the expectation. The cupcakes are delicious and simple and, we did have fun making them.

Mascarpone Mini-Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze

• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 box Duncan Hines white cake mix
• 1/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 4 mini muffins tine (a total of 48 muffins) with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a mixer, beat the ingredients until combines and creamy. Add the cake mix and 1 cup water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the muffin liners to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tins, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Sift the confectioners sugar and place in a medium bowl. Pour in the strawberry puree and whisk until smooth. Either dip the tops of the cooled cupcakes into the glaze or spread glaze on muffin. Let the cupcakes sit for a few minutes for the glaze to firm up, then serve.

Moroccan Chicken Stew

I loved this dish, but the rest of the family... not so much. They were not big fans of the sweet potato and parsnips. At least I got all the leftovers to myself. I love Moroccan food and African food in general. We used to have a fantastic African restaurant in our area, but it went out of business. If anyone knows of any good African recipe books, please let me know.

1 T olive oil

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces

1 1/2 c. chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cinnamon stick

7 cups of root vegetables, cut into 1/2" pieces (such a potatoes, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, turnips, parsnips or carrots, in any combination using as few or as many varieties as you like)

2 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. dried currants or raisins

1 c. drained, canned diced tomatoes

chopped cilantro

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pot and sauté until light golden but not cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer chicken to bowl.
Add onion to pot and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add curry powder, cumin and cinnamon stick and stir 30 seconds. Add root vegetables. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add tomatoes and chicken with any accumulated juices to pot. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and flavors blend, about 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. Serves 6.

Kasalia (Kale Soup)

On days that Pipsqueak has soccer, I don't get home until 6:30. I want to have dinner on the table as quickly as possible so I have to plan ahead. Today I made a family favorite, Kale Soup. We call it Kasalia, but it's just a made up word that's stuck. Here's the recipe:

1 pound italian sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped

1/2 c. red wine

1 48 oz. can beef broth

1 48 oz. can chicken broth
1-2 heads kale, cleaned, chopped into strips
6 bay leaves
2 cups rice, precooked
cayenne and black pepper to taste
grated cheddar cheese

Fry sausage and onion in a stock pot, chopping up sausage well until sausage is browned and onion is soft. Add red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer;
add kale, bay leaves and wine to stock. Simmer until kale is soft, maybe 15-30 mins.
Remove bay leaves, serve in bowls over a scoop of cooked rice and top with grated cheddar.
Freezes well, good for quick midwinter meals.

I have to give credit to my sister-in-law for this recipe. She had a soup in a Boston restaurant that she loved and this is what she came up with to replicate it. It couldn't be any more simple or delicious. After I had been making this for years, she made it for us last winter and I saw her putting in a can of tomatoes. "You never told me there was tomatoes in that soup, " I declared. "Oh, I forgot," was her response. I didn't really matter; it's good both ways.

My Latest Sandwich Creation

I love creating sandwiches. Using interesting and sometimes unusual ingredients can make them go from hum-drum to yum-yum.

Today I made a Bistro Sandwich. Start with a baguette cut into sections (4-6" long depending on your appetite) and split. On the lower half, spread Dijon mustard and mayo on the top half. Layer the following, starting at the bottom:

• thinly sliced bistro-style ham (pricey, but soooo good),
• thinly sliced shallots (not too many... intense flavor),
• sliced green pepper (I put it in almost all sandwiches... adds a nice crunch),
• sliced American cheese (I would have used Brie if I had it),
• arugula,
• and red leaf lettuce.

Other than bread, there are three essential elements to a sandwich: flavor, texture and moisture. Flavor is achieved by harmoniously combining ingredients; this one uses ingredients often used in French cuisine. Texture is the crunch; other than green pepper, you could use red pepper, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, etc. Moisture is created by condiments or sauces.

Create sandwiches of your own, or make mine. I'll feature some other sandwich creations here periodically.

Spontaneous Pickles

Pipsqueak and I were poking around in the garden to see what was ready to be picked. We found lots of beans, a couple of tomatoes and a few cucumbers. Most were slicing cukes, but two pickling cukes were ready. I suddenly felt a strong urge to make pickles. They were on the big size, so I thought we might have enough to make a quart jar. "Pipsqeak," I said with excitement and determination in my voice, "we're going to make pickles!" "Right now?" she asked, a bit incredulous. "If we have everything we need, yes!" She knows, after six years, that when I get like this, she might as well just go with it.

First I hit the internet. I needed an easy dill pickle recipe. I found this one and divided everything by eight since we were only making a quart. We made another trip to the garden to pick dill, made the brine, sliced the cukes, peeled the garlic, put everything in the jar and processed it in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Voila! One jar of pickles in a half hour! (I skipped the ice water soak. I am not a patient woman when I get inspired.) Now we have to wait two months to open them. I can't wait, but in the meantime, they are beautiful to look at.

The fruit of our labor. Vlasic, eat your heart out.

Dreams of future pickles. Come on little guys... grow, grow!