What Did You Eat?

WHB: Chickpea Pancakes

I didn't know what I wanted for dinner tonight. I just knew that I was hungry, but didn't want to eat anything with meat, or flesh of any kind.  So, completely perplexed about what to fix, I turned to my old friend, the chickpea.  As long as I have cans of them in my pantry, I know some sort of quick, satisfying meal is possible.  Then it dawned on me that chickpea pancakes would probably taste pretty good, and allow me to use up some odds and ends in my fridge.  I pureed the chickpeas with a dab of leftover tomato-chipotle sauce, garlic, and cumin, shaped them into rough patties and cooked them in a little oil.  And they were very good.  But, I'm biased in favor of bean patties, so others might not like these as much as I did. 

Cupcake Overload

I love cupcakes, but sometimes there is too much of a good thing.  I made 40 cupcakes on Friday, for Lizzie's birthday.  Lizzie, my friend Nancy's daughter, was all about cupcakes for her party this year. Fortunately, a recent article in Food & Wine magazine detailed how to make the perfect cupcake.  Mine weren't perfect, but they were pretty good.  I made a big vat of buttercream, and used it to make strawberry, peanut butter, and Oreo cookies and cream frosting.  And of course, I made chocolate frosting too.   I worried that I'd be gobbling all of Lizzie's cupcakes, but hours of inhaling the buttery, sugary fumes made me sick to my stomach.  I never thought I'd say this, but it will be a long time before I crave another cupcake.

WCB: Round-Up

Two Things. First, Mom spent most of the day making tons of cupcakes. Why?  Who wants to eat those? It's for a birthday party, and she made chocolate, strawberry, peanut butter (Ugh), and buttercream frostings.  Why do people eat that stuff?

Second, we're hosting Weekend Cat Blogging this week. So, leave your link in the comments, if you want Laura to include you in the roundup Sunday night.

Don't forget about The Friday Ark, The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos, and The Carnival Of Cats.

Finally, very sad news. Braum Kitty and Rimbaud have gone on to the Rainbow Bridge.  They are much mised by their family, especially Zed Monster.  But, they will all be together again someday.

PPN: Turkey And Bok Choy Wonton Soup

One of my very favorite comfort foods is wonton soup.  If I see a recipe different from those I've tried, I must make it.  To me, there's nothing so soothing and delectable than a soft wonton full of savory filling. This recipe from Martha Stewart Living included bok choy in the filling.  Hooray!  I've never made wonton soup with bok choy, so I had to correct that oversight.  As it turns out, bok choy gives the dumplings a stronger taste than spinach, which was appreciated. 

To those who think making wontons is laborious, I urge you to plunge in and make them.  It's a simple process, which I detailed here.  Once you do it, you'll get faster and faster, until you can turn them out very quickly.

WHB: Mushroom Balls (Look Ma, No Meat!)

It's no secret that I love meatballs.  Barely a month goes by without a new recipe.  But, I'm aware that many of my blogging friends are vegetarians and can't experience the joy of popping a savory orb into their mouths.   Monday, I saw a large bag of mushrooms in my fridge that needed rescue before they became slime.  Then it hit me, mushroom balls.   So, I made duxelles (thank God for food processors) with the mushrooms, added feta cheese, parsley, onion, and an egg.  I intended to add bread crumbs, but discovered there was nary a crumb to be found in my pantry or freezer.  How did that happen?  Nevermind, they weren't necessary, as it turned out. The meatless balls were delicious, if I do say so myself. And I do.  They looked meaty, but tasted like concentrated mushrooms.  The only drawback is that without bread crumbs, the mushrooms mixture didn't go very far. I only wound up with six medium sized balls. So, I think a person would need a lot of funghi to make enough for a crowd.  Adding bread does seem like a good idea next time.

These lovely balls ( I keep thinking of Alec Baldwin in the classic Shweaty Balls skit on Saturday Night Live) are meant for all vegetarians, but especially Shannon and Anne .  But, you don't have to be a vegetarian to love these things.