raspberry-tinted frosting

sure, you can color buttercream frosting with food coloring… but how much cooler to do it naturally? plus you get the added benefit of a delicious berry flavor.

i have only tried this with raspberries and blueberries (although the berry-prepping technique was slightly different, the most important step is the same), but i would imagine blackberries would be devine, and strawberries would definitely work, too.

i started with 4 dozen of the tiniest vanilla cupcakes you’ve ever seen.

the scale is totally off in that picture. that is a mini muffin tin, a mini scoop, and a mini spatula. seriously, the pan isn’t more than 6 inches long. it makes cupcakes that are less than one bite. i love it.

anyway, bake all those up.

for the frosting, i simmered about a cup, maybe a little bit more, of frozen raspberries (you could use fresh if they were in season, but for the price, frozen might be a better deal) until they broke down and got all juicy.

then i worked them through a fine sieve to separate out the seeds. i don’t think this step is absolutely necessary, but i was making these for elderly ladies, and i didn’t want to cause them any dental problems!

the key to adding berry syrup (or pureed berries, in the case of my blueberry example) to frosting is to whip it into the butter before you add the confectioners sugar.

if you add it after, it gets too wet and you never end up with the right “frosting” consistency. also, it might separate, which would be bad, too.

so beat a tablespoon or so of butter with about half the raspberry puree. then start adding confectioners sugar until the texture is right. you’ll probably end up using about one box, which is enough for a layer cake, two dozen cupcakes, or an army of mini ones.

if you need to add more liquid, use the raspberry – just a little at a time. i didn’t use any milk at all, which is the traditional liquid to soften frosting.

look at how pretty they turned out!

happy 90th birthday tea party, grandma!

(i also made her a mini layer cake, with raspberry jam between the layers.)

skillet lasagna

this recipe-slash-technique sounded super intriguing to me, because i love all the qualities of lasagna, except all the work putting it together perfectly. (and it never comes out perfectly anyway, so why bother, amiright?)

unfortunately, i don’t have a large enough oven proof skillet, so i had to improvise.

you start by breaking up your (whole wheat shh!) noodles, which i already like more than regular lasagna

and cooking them until al dente.

meanwhile, in your oven-safe skillet (if you’re doing it one-pot style, or in a regular skillet if you’re not), cook up your mushrooms and onions. i also added artichoke hearts because… um yum.

already you can see that my wee skillet is no match for this recipe.

so i dumped the mushrooms/onions/artichokes into a large baking dish, and tossed some blanched asparagus in there, too.

then i sauteed two garlic cloves and some frozen spinach. fresh would probably be better, but i happened to have a lot of frozen in the fridge.

that goes in the dish, too.

oh! while all this is going on, i’m also making a bechamel sauce with one tablespoon butter, one tablespoon flour, 1 1/2 cups milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a splash of wine.

i also added a handful of shredded mozzarella.

yum! who doesn’t love wine-y, cheese-y bechamel sauce, right? gets me to eat my veggies any day!

so once the veggies are all done, toss them and the bechamel in your baking dish (or skillet). then the recipe says to “add in the cooked lasagna noodles and gently toss to distribute.”

much easier said than done.

at this point, mine is looking like a hot mess.

but with a topping of more mozz and scoops of ricotta, it can’t be too bad, right?

bake for 15 to 20 minutes (until bubbly and browning) at 450 degrees.

i thought it was delicious. he referred to it as “that thing,” but then ate tons of it. it was just as great – maybe better? – leftover and reheated.

pasta primavera con vongole

this is a yummy spring pasta with a high ratio of veggies to pasta. the broth is scented with white wine and lemon, so you’ll probably want some bread to sop it up with. it’s also only a two-pot meal, which gets big points in my book.

start by rinsing your clams very well in several rounds of cold water.

next, blanche pieces of asparagus and peas.

in order to not waste the water, i used a strainer-spoon to remove them, and then cooked the pasta in the same water.

i went with bucatini, but you could use spaghetti instead. also, before you drain the pasta, reserve a cup of pasta water.

slice one large shallot and three or so garlic cloves, and sautee in a little oil in a heavy-bottomed pot.

when they’re done, add the clams and about a cup of wine. cover and let bubble on medium heat until the clams are open and falling out of their shells – about 10 minutes.

then i used the strainer-spoon again to remove the clams from the broth. don’t worry about scooping up some onions/garlic at the same time.. we’ll get it all back in there eventually.

add the reserved cup of pasta water, 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter, a teaspoon or two of lemon zest (to your taste), and some salt to the broth. add the pasta and veggies. you might also want to add some red pepper flakes here.

pull the clams out of their shells and add back into the pot (with any onions/garlic that came out, as well).

sometimes i like presenting pasta with clams in shells, but sometimes it makes for an easier dining experience when they are already removed.

get everything mixed well together. you’re looking for a consistency between usual pasta and noodle soup.

serve with lots of parmesan cheese!

[my phone died right before i served it, so you'll need to trust it was very pretty and delicious!]