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I don’t know if I can classify this as a win since I didn’t eat it, but it’s not entirely a fail since everyone else ate it without complaint.  When I first saw the recipe in my People magazine, I was really drawn to the idea of making stuff in a cupcake tin.  Mini meatloaves! In a cupcake tin! How cute!  Then I read the recipe and saw that it called for not only ground turkey (bleh), but also shredded broccoli coleslaw to be folded into the mix (insert head scratching).  Still, I hitched up my apron and decided that a true chef has to be willing to try new things.  Just because my palate hasn’t progressed past PB & J or a burger and fries doesn’t mean something good can’t come of this.

I assembled my ingredients, though there was a fleeting moment at the butcher counter where I almost caved and bough ground beef instead of ground turkey.  I whipped out my handy-dandy Pampered Chef Food chopper and it several satisfying whacks to get my broccoli slaw nice and fine.  I dumped everything into the mixing bowl and proceeded to thoroughly acquaint the turkey with the onion, ketchup, oats and spices.  Because I do love a kitchen gadget, I tried filling the cupcake wells with my cookie baller, but unfortunately, that didn’t work.  The baller is meant for cookies, not meatloaf mix, so I did it by hand. The recipe said you’ll end up with about 9 meatballs. Mine were pretty substantial, about lacrosse ball size, and I still ended up with 12.  I have to admit, the raw turkey, despite being colored by the ketchup and the confetti-esque nature of the broccoli slaw, was pretty unappealing. I was kicking myself not getting beef, even as I slathered the tops of each loaf with ketchup.   With all my prep done, I put the pan in the fridge and went about the rest of my day.

Let me tell you, there is a lot to be said for proper prior planning.  I can’t even begin to describe the whirlwind of activity that made up the rest of the daylight hours, but it was a sweet relief to just pre-heat the oven and throw that pan in there for 30 minutes.  I had some minute rice ready to go and while I did steam up some broccolini for a side, I almost didn’t seeing as there was a hefty amount of greens in the loaves themselves.

As it happens when I make dinner, by the time everything was ready — table set, drinks poured, napkins in the laps — turkey and veggie meatloaf minis were the absolute last thing I wanted to eat.  So, while the hubs and the girls tucked into dinner, I sat back and admired my handiwork.  Sure, the girls didn’t ask for seconds, but I didn’t have to say, “Co, eat your dinner. Co, eat your dinner. Co, eat your dinner,” for the duration of the meal.  As a matter of fact, after her first bite, her eyes widened, she flashed me a thumbs up and said, “Mmmf mf meemee gmmf” (This is really good).  As for Mo, she may have played with it a little bit, but it gotten eaten. She’s more of a rice and broccolini girl.  Even with the big reveal that I made dinner in a cupcake tin, it wasn’t enough to have them fill their bellies, pockets, or other hidey holes with extra dinner.

I think the allure of cooking in a cupcake tin is what is going to keep this recipe in my arsenal (after I sub out the turkey for beef and maybe replace broccoli slaw with chopped green pepper).  There are tons more recipes out there that you can make using non-traditional cooking elements.  I have done lasagna in the cupcake tin and I really want to do breakfast cups (toast, egg, bacon).

Mmmm. . .bacon. . .

Happy Friday, y’all!

Turkey and Veggie Meatloaf Minis

 (courtesy of Hungry Girl via Cooking Channel)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small onion
• 1 1/4 pounds raw lean ground turkey
• 3 cups bagged dry broccoli cole slaw, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
• 1/4 cup, plus 3 tablespoons

DIRECTIONS

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So, on Monday, it was a holiday and a snow day.  After the girls had worn themselves out from frolicking in the snow for a full 45 minutes, we were left with the rest of the day stretched out ahead of us.

Our pantry has been looking like it belong to Ol’ Mother Hubbard as of late, but in my infinite wisdom, I managed to keep a few odds and ends on hand in the event of a dessert emergency.  Yes, they really do exist.  However, given the need to be inside for a good chunk of the day, this was more of a rainy-day/snowy-day/housebound activity emergency.  Enter Cake Batter Cookies.

These yummy treats are pretty simple and kid friendly, too.  While Mo was busy scrapbooking their snowy adventures at the kitchen table, Co decided she would be my sous chef.  I had pre-measured all of the ingredients, which enabled her to just dump things into a bowl and start mixing.  Even with the step stool, the top of her puff barely cleared the rim of the bowl. She had the electric mixer in one hand, her other hand grabbing at the counter for purchase, while her eyes were closed in either excitement or slight panic.  Our electric mixer is on the older side (I’m hoping for a Kitchen-Aid standing mixer one day), and I don’t think Co has ever held any sort of power tools in her hand.  Eventually, the batter came together, each of the girls got one of the beaters to lick and I got to use my cookie baller to get consistently sized cookies on the parchment paper.

One the cookie balls were down, I let Co give them a little squish with the flat of her hand and then adorn them with some pastel sprinkles.  As the cookies baked, we added a few drops of blue food coloring to the cream cheese frosting I had in the panty (I was really about to break my arm patting myself on the back for having had all the stuff on hand to do this).  By that point, Co’s attention span was all but maxed out, so I finished up the bakery business and promised the girls each their own cookie “sammich” once they were cooled.

Nothing like a little bit of sugar on a snowy day.  Happy Friday, ya’ll!

Cake Batter Cookies
www.parents.com/cookie-jar

Ingredients
1 box (18.25oz) yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1/4 c canola oil
1/4 c buttermilk*
Colored Sprinkles
1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
Yellow, red, blue, food coloring

* I don’t keep buttermilk on hand, but quick tip to make your own.  Add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk and stir.  Voila! Buttermilk substitute
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Combine the cake mix, egg, il and buttermilk in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Shaped 2-inch mounds of batter into balls and flatten slightly. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Top with sprinkles.
3. Bake until cookies are golden and firm, 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
4. Divide the frosting among three bowls. Use a few drops of food coloring to tint the frosting the desired shades of pink, blue, and yellow. Sandwich the cookies together with frosting. Makes 30

Uh, more like, makes 18 — my cookies were on the large side.

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Yum, yum, yum.  I am so in love with sriracha right now, I should be exhaling smoke and farting fire.

Too much?

Anyway, when I find myself in the kitchen, it’s usually way past time to defrost something and everyone wants to be tucking into something other than what I’m about to lay on the skillet, including me.  I came across this wing recipe a few weeks ago and actually planned (shocker!) to make it for me and the hubs one night.  The girls simply don’t have the intestinal fortitude to handle this level of heat, so I gave them some Shake-and-Bake filled plastic baggies and let them have at it.

I had my wings defrosting in the morning and after lunch, I decided to tackle the marinade.  The ingredient list was pretty straightforward; I usually keep everything on hand except the orange marmalade.  The sriracha I had was from a jar that I had purchased to make Asian Turkey meatballs ages ago.  Evidently, sriracha requires no refridgeration, so this jar traveled with us from Norfolk to RIC and has been residing in the pantry ever since.  Aside from the occasional teaspoon or two needed for the meatballs, I haven’t really used it.  When it comes to adding heat to my food, I’m more of a Tabasco or Texas Pete kind of girl. I have dallied with some scotch bonnet sauce, courtesy of my in-laws and their delicious Jamaican cuisine, but only in moderation.  I like having taste-buds.

I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet, my measuring cups and spoons and got to work.  I was like a chemist up in the kitchen, what with all my scooping and pouring, scraping and whisking.  The bowl I had chosen seemed more than adequate to hold all the stuff, but halfway through the receipe, I realized the bowl was about 3/4 full.  By the time I added the last 1/4 cup of rice vinegar, the bowl was threatening to overflow.  I reached for my ziploc bag where the wings were resting and with the moves like Jagger, I dumped the marinade over the chicken.  Then, I turned to put the bowl in the sink and I hear. . .

tick. . .tick. . .tick. . .ticka. . .ticka.. . ticka. . .

I turn back around and my ziploc bag has slumped over, leaking marinade all over the counter, which in turn is doing a Jackson Pollock impression on the floor.  Thankfully, I grabbed it before the whole thing escaped from the bag, but let me tell you, cleaning up the floor was a beast.

Sriracha, honey, soy sauce and everything else in a nice constellation spattered over linoleum, up the baseboards and cabinets? Not fun.  Mr. Clean just shook his head at me when I reached for the Magic Eraser.

Anyway, I marinated the wings for the rest of the day and come dinner time, they were nice and juicy for the oven.  I was concerned that they weren’t browning up enough when I peeked in on them at the half-way point, but after I flipped them and let them swim in their own juices for another 35 to 40 minutes, it was perfection.

I will admit, I did chicken out a bit when it came time to go all in with the sriracha. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup.  Uh. . .that’s a lot and like I said before, I like my taste buds. I’d rather add more sauce than lose the top layer of skin on the inside of my mouth, so I opted to use only 1/4 cup and believe me, that was plenty hot.  The chicken skin was sweet, spicy, and crispy.  The meat was tender and juicy, falling right off the bone.  I stir fried some broccoli, snow peas, and carrots in a little Trader Joe’s syoza sauce and presto! Dinner was served.

Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Hot Wings 

Ingredients

• 4 pounds Chicken Wing Drummettes
• 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
• 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
• ½ cups Sriracha Thai Hot Sauce

• ¼ cups Ketchup
• ½ cups Soy Sauce
• ¼ cups Honey
• 1 cup Sweet Orange Marmalade (I Used Smucker’s)
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, Minced
• ½ cups Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
• 2  Limes, Zested And Juiced
• ¼ cups Rice Wine Vinegar

Preparation Instructions