Barefoot Blogging, Kinda

As I write this I can't even keep the edge of my laptop stabilized on my stomach because I am way way way too full and might barf if any more pressure is applied to that area. But I was inspired by my Facebook quiz result for "Which Food Network Personality Are You?" and decided I wanted to make something that Ina would give her stamp of approval. It's a little out of season but tonight I went for...

Italian Wedding Soup - serves probably 8 people

For the meatballs:
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 lb mild Italian sausage (chicken, turkey, or pork)
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
generous pinch nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper

For the soup:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 whole chopped yellow or white onion
3 chopped carrots
2 stalks chopped celery
About 6 cups chicken stock
About 1 cup small shaped pasta or rice (I used orzo)
Few springs fresh thyme
Several leaves of fresh basil
1 small bunch fresh spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

To make the meatballs, mix all ingredients until incorporated. Dip your hands in cold water and make a million bite sized meatballs. Brown the meatballs over medium heat but don't completely cook through since the meatballs will finish cooking in the boiling broth in the fashion of a dumpling.

Meanwhile chop onion, carrots, and celery and cook in olive oil until soft. Season with salt and pepper and then pour in three cups of broth and bring to a boil. Then add uncooked pasta or rice and all the meatballs. Cover with the remaining three cups of broth and add herbs and roughly chopped spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted and finish with a big squeeze of lemon or splash of white wine.

For Locals

Just two days left on this, but I am sure you can find some time for pizza and beer. Pizza and beer always find time for YOU.

It may be easier to print it out from here

Rant/Rave - I Thought This Was Supposed To Be Easy

So I think I mentioned awhile back that I planned to take on Omnomicon's recipe for lemon meringue cupcakes. If you actually just went to the link - you will see how cute hers are. They are like little golden caps atop some sort of helpful forest friend whose mom is an acorn and dad is a pine marten. Well mine didn't turn out so well:

These are kind of a three part deal where you make each element and then stack it all together like a Napoleon. The cake part was simple enough, but didn't really rise at all. It did come out nice and spongy and made for a good base - but I would recommend doubling the cake batter part of the recipe.

The second part is the lemon curd, which was easy, and which turned out very nicely, and which made a return appearance in my kitchen this weekend when I had to make a layered birthday cake on short notice.

But it was part three, the meringue part, that seemed to do me in. I am still not sure where it went wrong. My stiff peaks seemed fine:


And I somewhat carefully traced the shape of the cupcake liners onto the wax paper before plopping down the meringue mixture:


But as soon as I pulled them out of the oven, they went from puffy and light golden to sticky shriveled messes in a matter of seconds. Up until that point the only meringue I ever made was on top of a pie and not baked separately, so I wonder if the baking sheet had something to do with it or what. I think I read somewhere you are supposed to leave your oven door open when making meringues so maybe that was it. Whatever the case, they still tasted okay but will definitely not be a go to recipe for me. That is, unless, I get some meringue coaching.

Oh my friend took these pictures which is why they are so, so much better than the ones I usually post.