Spiced Cupcakes

This is a very easy recipe (so easy I made it w/ my kidlet while the baby was napping) adapted from the Easy Cupcake Recipe found at www.cupcakerecipes.com This particular recipe came was inspired by my desire to make spice cookies and the kidlet's desire to make cupcakes. So why not combine the two for the best of both worlds?

If you follow this recipe the cupcakes will come out on the light side, kind of muffin-ish, and won't be overly sweet either so feel free to frost away (or eat for breakfast with coffee).

Frost how you like (chocolate with sprinkles for the kidlet) or not at all if you're like me and simply like cake. You can whip this up by hand and burn a couple of extra calories in the process or breakout the hardware use the kitchen mixer with the paddle or whisk attachment.

Spiced Cupcakes makes 2 dozen

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ginger, ground
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon cloves, grond
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners, or spray with baking spray.

Combine the dry ingredients, including spices, in a large mixing bowl. Add shortening, milk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Add eggs and beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape bowl and beat on high speed for 1 minute 30 seconds until well mixed. Spoon cupcake batter into paper liners or greased cup cake pan until 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean as ovens may vary).

Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove cupcakes and place on wire racks to cool completely. Once cooled, frost or decorate as you desire.

Chicken in Sage Sauce

To me, sage is an herb that packs quite a punch most of the time. However, on a recent trip to the farmers market I picked up a couple of bunches that are really mild and that's nice because I can fearlessly use sage without worrying about drowning out other flavors in the dish. It's also a good lesson in that you should always taste your ingredients before using them, especially if procured from a farm or organic source, because unlike mass-produced genetically modified foods, each crop can have nuances of flavor and texture.

This dish is a great use of leftover chicken, which I seem to always have on hand because I typically roast a chicken at least once a week.

1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp evoo
1/2 bunch sage, chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
1/4 half and half or heavy cream
9 oz chicken breast, cooked
salt & pepper

Saute onion, garlic and sage in a sauce pan until fragrant and garlic is golden. Add the stock/water and heavy cream, season with salt and pepper.
Add cooked chicken and continue cooking until sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Serve with a rice side dish like a pilaf.

Broccolini with Parmesan

Sometimes less is more.

This is a very simple dish but that's because broccolini doesn't need any gussying up to be delicious. However, the vegetable does go by many names including broccoli raab, rapini and broccoletto.

This was a cause for pause at the checkout time at Wallyworld (I know, I was surprised to see it there too and just couldn't resist bringing it home). The cashier said "This isn't parsley." I nodded and said, "I call it broccoli raab, but I think the sign said broccolini." She checked her illustrated produce guide to no avail and finally, with the line behind me growing restless, she asked if she could look inside of the clear plastic produce bag to see the label on my not-parsley. It said rapini.

Ah well, all that confusion for a vegetable that here, is prepared very simply. Read more about broccolini, its heritage and health benefits here and here.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse and trim the tough ends off of the broccolini.

Heat a large pot of salted water until boiling. Blanche the broccolini by submerging it into the salty boiling water until it turns a beautiful emerald green. Immediately remove broccolini from the water and dunk it into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

When cooled (just a few minutes) drain thoroughly, toss with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top with grated cheese and bake in a 400 degree oven until the cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Tortellini w Chicken Portabello & Spinach

/>This is a leftover makeover! Yay!
After my Spinach Pecan Stuffed Portabello Caps I had mushrooms and spinach left (hey, bagged spinach was BOGO at Publix) so this became dinner shortly thereafter. Another quick and easy meal whipped up for the blink of an eye that the baby wasn't in either arm.

Tortellini with Chicken, Mushrooms & Spinach

1 9 oz package of fresh cheese filled tortellini
1 6 oz bag of pre-washed baby spinach
2 large portabello mushroom caps, cut into batons
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
2 6oz chicken breasts, cooked
2-3 Tbsp basil pesto, prepared or homemade
1/2 cup shredded cheese such as Asiago or Parmesan
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, reduce heat slightly and gently cook the tortellini until tender. If you boil them, they will break and spill their contents as well as cook unevenly. When plump and tender, drain the water and set aside.

Meanwhile in a skillet, heat 2 tbs of olive oil and saute the mushrooms and garlic until the garlic just begins to brown.

Stir together the stock/water with the pesto and pour into the mushroom mixture. Add the cooked chicken, spinach and the cooked pasta and gently stir to incorporate. The dish should be well covered in pesto but not soupy or saucy.

Transfer to a serving platter and top with shredded cheese and toasted pecan pieces.