Latkes For Chanukah

07 Tuesday Dec 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

On the evening of December 6, Robin and I had the honor to have fresh made Potato Latkes with Joe and Rachael Levitch and their two children, Athena and Ethan. It was really great to be included in this Chanukah feast. Here is a recipe for Potato Latkes and some photos of the evening. Enjoy and Thank-You!

Potato Latkes

Yield: 12 to 16 latkes
Active Time: 45 min
Total Time: 45 min
Serve With: Sour Cream and Applesauce

What is the secret to making great latkes? We found that the starchier the potato, the crisper the latke.

History: Latkes, or potato pancakes, are the traditional Hanukkah dish for Eastern European Jews. But the Hanukkah isn’t in the potato; it’s in the oil the latkes are fried in. When the Jerusalem Temple was recaptured and reconsecrated by the Maccabbees, only one night’s worth of oil remained to light the temple. Miraculously, though, the oil lasted eight nights, or enough time to make more oil. That’s the miracle of Hanukkah. This makes about two dozen latkes.

Ingredients:
4 c Potatoes
1 Onion, finely chopped
4 T Matzoh meal or Flour
4 lg Eggs, lightly beaten
½ t Salt
Pepper, to taste
½ to ¾ c Vegetable Oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250°F.

Grate the potatoes and chop the onion.

Mix the grated potatoes and onion, beaten egg, salt and pepper, and matzo meal or flour in a bowl.

Heat a skillet over a medium flame. Film the skillet with 1 to 2 T oil. Form the potato mixture into small cakes – about ¼ cup of potato per cake. Don’t make the cakes too big; they’re easier to turn when small. Flatten the cakes slightly with a spatula.

Cook until the cakes are nice and brown on the bottom, then turn and cook the other side.

Repeat with the remaining potato mixture. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep latkes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven.

Joe and Rachael are preparing the latke mixture.

The latke mixture.

Joe is frying the latkes.

A visitor watches!

The Chanukah Altar

The Altar candles were photographed through special glasses that formed a driedel. Here is the history of the dreidel.

“The Chanukah Dreidel (Dreidle)

The dreidel is one of the best known symbols of Chanukah. A four-sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side, the dreidel is used to play a fun Chanukah game of chance.
SHIN, HEY, GIMEL, NUN
The letters on the dreidel, Nun, Gimmel, Hey and Shin, stand for the Nes Gadol Haya Sham, which means A Great Miracle Happened There.

In Israel, the modern-day land of Judea in which the story of Chanukah took place, the letters on the dreidel are Nun, Gimmel, Hey and Peh, which stand for A Great Miracle Happened Here (Po, in Hebrew).

To play the game of dreidel, two to four players each get a handful of pennies or chocolate money called gelt. The remainder of the pot is left in the middle. The youngest players spins the dreidel and depending on what letter the top lands on, he or she will:

NUN – Lose his turn, the top passes to the next player.
GIMEL – Win all the pot.
HEY – Win half the pot
SHIN (or PEH) – Lose all of his coins

The dreidel — or Sivivon in Hebrew, from the verb to spin — continues to be passed around the circle until one player has won everyone’s coins. The word dreidel comes from a Yiddish word meaning to turn. According to some historians, Jews first played with a spinning top during the rule of the Greek King Antiochus’. In Judea, Antiochus had outlawed Jewish worship, so the Jews would use a game with the spinning top as a ruse to conceal that they were secretly studying Torah.

Dreidels can be made out of just about anything — from wood, plastic or polymer to precious metals (although perhaps you shouldn’t let your kids play with the solid gold dreidel!) You can even make a dreidel at home out of an old milk carton.” (http://www.holidays.net/chanukah/dreidel.html)

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Go Broncos! Last Game Today.

04 Saturday Dec 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bread, Celebrations, Gameday, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, What's For Dinner?

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So it is lightly snowing. 33 degrees F and essentially no wind. Supposed to maybe change to rain this afternoon. But close to 40 degrees. We’ll see. So I guess the Boise Sourdough Bread that I have made, might be good with beef stew. Might just be good to counter the cold weather! The Taste Test has been made – The bread Passed with flying colors! YUM-O.

But then, we must also eat healthy at a Tailgate Party. How about some mixed Blue and Orange Fruit? (Blue Berries and Mandarin Orange) Use your imagination, please. Gail says, “Sharon–I am Ccing Bob so we can brainstorm what might go with chicken wings, chocolate cake and beef stew…I am wearing lots of warm clothes–expect to look like Michelin Woman.” (Believe me, Gail never looked like the Michelin Woman!) I will have some photos later tonight. Cheers! and GO BRONCOS! BSU 42, Utah 14.

Pasta With Portanesca Sauce

06 Saturday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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A good tasting at the Boise Coop Wine Shop of Port wines with Christian Lamotte of New West Wines. Here are the ports that we tasted.

Robin and Christian discuss the ports.

The wines we tasted.

But then, when you have tasted all of these wines and bought two bottles, now what? How about Pasta with Portanesca Sauce. Yup! You guessed it. A pasta sauce with port wine and coffee. Here is the recipe. Enjoy.

Pasta with Portanesca Sauce

Source: Robin and Bob Young
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 c Pasta Shells
1 c White Port wine
1 c Water, used to soak the dried mushrooms
1 c strong Coffee, espresso
3 T Butter
3 T All-Purpose flour
½ c dried Mushrooms, reconstituted in the 1 c Water
4 T Pecorino Romano Cheese, ground
½ T Pomegranate Molasses
1½ T Hazelnuts, ground
¾ c Chicken Breasts, cooked and diced (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 T Olive Oil
4 whole Figs
Shaved Pecorino for garnish

Directions:
Cook the pasta until done. Rinse. Add the 1 T olive oil and toss to keep from sticking. Set aside.

Cut each fig in half lengthwise. Set aside.

Soak the mushrooms for 2 hours in 1 cup of water. After 1 hour, replace the water with 1 c Port. Reserve the water.

Reduce the coffee by ½. Add the reserved water and the port wine from the mushrooms. Reduce by ½. Keep warm.

Large dice the mushrooms. Set aside.

Add the butter to a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until it is nut brown. Do not burn! Add the flour and whisk to blend. Add the reduced coffee mixture and stir to blend. Add the ground hazelnuts, the cheese and the pomegranate molasses. Add the optional diced chicken. Stir all to blend. Let the sauce thicken.

When the sauce is thick, add the pasta. Stir to mix. Heat throughout.

Plate with two figs cut in half on a plate. Top the pasta with the shaved pecorino.

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As we used to say in the dance classes we were teaching, “Your turn!” Good luck.

Food Trivia From "Rudy’s – A Cook’s Paradise"

02 Tuesday Nov 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food Trivia, Recipes, Rudy's Twin Falls, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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Now this looks like an interesting week. There is even a recipe posted. Enjoy! (Source: Rudy’s – A Cooks Paradise)

Week in the History of Food and Drink

November 2: The Soup Nazi first appears on the ‘Seinfeld’ TV show.
November 3: National Sandwich Day
November 4: National Candy Day
November 5: National Donut Day (This week just keeps getting better!)
November 6, 1993: The world’s largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich was created in Peanut, Pennsylvania. It was almost 40 feet long and used 150 pounds of peanut butter and 50 pounds of jelly.
November 7, 2010: Happy 45th birthday to ‘Poppin’ Fresh aka The Pillsbury Doughboy.
November 8: National Harvey Wallbanger Day.

In the United States alone, over 10 billion doughnuts are made every year.
However…Canadians Win! They consume the most doughnuts in the world and Canada has the most doughnut shops per capita.
OK. So we here in the States can try to win this competition. Here is a recipe from Rudy’s – A Cook’s Paradise for doughnuts. Enjoy them!

Zeppoli
(also spelled zeppole)

(Adapted from Desserts by the Yard, by Sherry Yard) If you’ve ever been to a street festival in any Little Italy in the United States, you know this lovely treat– a kind of fried doughnut that is tossed in a paper bag with powdered sugar. Use Sherry Yard’s basic batter recipe and then divid it into three portions, flavoring one with lemon zest, one with orange zest, and one with chocolate and orange zest.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
‘2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups ricotta
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3/4 – 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

vegetable oil, for frying
about six brown paper lunch bags

Directions:
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar. Add the ricotta and whisk until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla and nutmeg and combine well. Whisk in the flour and divide into three smaller bowls. Add the lemon zest to one, mixing well. Add 1 teaspoon of the orange zest to the second, mixing well. Add the last teaspoon of orange zest and the cocoa powder to the last bowl and mix well. Cover the three bowls and put them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (you can leave them for up to 4 hours).

Before you start frying the zeppole, set out a baking sheet with a wire rack on top of it for draining. Open and turn down the tops of six brown paper bags.

In large heavy pot heat two inches of oil to 350 F. Carefully spoon tablespoonfuls of batter into the hot oil in batches. Start with the lemon batter, then the orange, and finish with the chocolate-orange. Cook the batches of zeppole for about 2 – 2 1/2 minutes, flipping them over every 30 seconds. Fish them out with a mesh skimmer and let them drain on the rack. Keep cooking the zeppole in batches until you have no batter left.

Divide the zeppole into the brown paper bags and then sprinkle about 1 1/2 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar into each bag. Close up the tops and give them a good shake to coat the zeppole with sugar. Eat warm.

Marsala Sauce vs Madeira Sauce

12 Tuesday Oct 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Classic Sauces, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes

≈ 2 Comments

Two very, very classic sauces!! I told Robin that I have posted and article and recipe from Rudy’s – A Cook’s Paradise about Marsala Sauce. And she said that there is a difference between Madeira Sauce and Marsala Sauce. I know. But the question is: How many others are not aware of the differences? I have the book, The Sauce Bible: Guide to the Saucier’s Craft by David Paul Larousse. If you are into cooking and sauce variations based on the classic sauces, this is the book for you. But for now, look at the basic differences between these two awesome sauces.

Madeira Sauce
(Sauce Madère)

Ingredients:
1 T Butter, unsalted
1 Shallot, Minced
1 c Madeira wine
1½ c Demi-Glaze
2 T Butter, unsalted and cut into ¼ –inch cubes

Directions:
Sauté the shallot in the butter for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the Madeira and simmer until reduced by three-fourths. Add the demi-glaze and simmer until suitable thickness is achieved. Mount with butter.

Notes: Madeira (a fortified wine) sauce is frequently used either as is or as a base for numerous other sauces. It is typically served with omelettes; ham; sautéed or fried meat; grilled or sautéed kidney; and large roasted or breaded joints of meat.

Some variations of Madeira Sauce are:

Antin Sauce: Madeira Sauce flavored with a reduction of dry white wine and garnished with mushrooms, truffles and fine herbs.

Broglie Sauce: Madeira Sauce flavored with mushrooms and garnished with diced ham.

Camerani Sauce: Madeira Sauce garnished with minced black truffle.

Castelan Sauce (Sauce Castellane): Madeira Sauce flavored with tomato and garnished with diced bell pepper and ham. Served with lamb or beef medallions (tournedos), garnished with tomatoes cooked in olive oil, potato croquettes and fried onion rings.

Richelieu Sauce: Madeira Sauce flavored with a reduction of white wine, fish stock and truffle essence.

What is Madeira?
A fortified wine made from various grape varietals grown on the island of Madeira, in the Atlantic Ocean, 320 miles West of Africa and 620 miles Southeast of Portugal. It was an uninhabited volcanic island discovered and settled in the 1640’s by Portuguese sailors and later farming immigrants. The gulf stream provides a fair and stable temperature of 60 -70 F in both the air and water. Often referred to as a Garden Island, grape rootstock were most likely brought from Portugal. Aging the finished wines fortified with different amounts of distilled and thus high alcohol brandy, mark or grappa changes the resulting product. Three well known styles of Madeira are 1.) Sercial – which has a distinctly dry finish. 2.) Bual- a richer finish. 3.) Malmsey – the sweetest of all.

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Marsala Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
1 Shallot, Minced
1 T Butter, unsalted
1 c dry Marsala Wine
1 t Thyme, fresh leaves
1 c Heavy Cream
2 T Butter, unsalted and cut into cubes
Salt and White Pepper to taste

Directions:
Sauté the shallot in the butter, cover, for 5 minutes. Add the Marsala and thyme, and reduce until 2 Tablespoons of liquid remain.

Add the cream, and continue simmering until reduced by half. Add the butter and stir continuously until fully emulsified. Season with salt and white pepper. Set aside, keeping warm until ready to serve. Accompanies “Medallions of Veal” and “Ragout of Wild Mushroom”.

Source: The Sauce Bible: Guide to the Saucier’s Craft, David Paul Larousse, 1993

And from Ask.com, we get this information about Marsala Wine,

What Is Marsala Wine?
Marsala wine is a dessert and favored cooking wine that comes from the Mediterranean Island of Sicily just East of the ‘toe’ of the Southern Italian ‘boot. The region of Marsala is located between the Western city of Palermo and the Eastern city of Messina on the Northern coast of the island. Mount Aetna, the still active volcano, is located on the island of Sicily.

It is vinified from either white skin or dark red skin grapes. The Nero d’Avila grape is a native varietal also used for table wine. More wine is made on Sicily than in New Zealand, Hungary and Austria combined. In the early years of exporting the wine during the long ocean journeys, Brandy was added to ‘preserve’ the wine by fortification making it more resistant to temperature changes. The tradition continues due to high demand in England and the USA.

Marsala wines are typically used for cooking in Italian dishes, and can be found as Amber Marsala and Ruby Red Marsala. The age of the wine determines its type.

Fine wine is aged just over a year.
Superiore wine is aged between 2 and 3 years.
Superiore Riserva is aged just over 4 years.
Vergine Soleras is aged 5 years and over.

Marsala wine as a sweet cooking wine can be substituted by a Port or maybe a Sherry. Although, it will change the flavor. If you are fixing Chicken Marsala, definitely stick with the Marsala wine!

Hope this helps you to understand the differences between the two wines and the sauces made from them. Cheers!

Huckleberry Jam!

04 Monday Oct 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Canning, Jams and Jellies, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Things To Do

≈ 5 Comments

It seems as though I am about 1 month ahead of last year. Especially with the huckleberry jam. Did the berries ripen sooner? Must have. I made 13 pints of the jam this morning and here is the recipe for the Wild Idaho Huckleberry Jam. If you cannot find fresh, wild huckleberries, try using blueberries. Cheers!

Rudy’s Food Trivia

31 Tuesday Aug 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food Trivia, Recipes, Rudy's Twin Falls, Thought For The Day

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Here is another great week of Food Trivia from Rudy’s – A Cook’s Paradise in Twin Falls, ID. We were just there looking for a deep dish ceramic pie dish – my old one cracked.

Week in the History of Food and Drink

August 31: It’s grape blessing day in Armenia!

September 1: Oyster season begins.

September 2, 1666: The Great Fire of London began in the shop of the King’s baker. After burning for four days, more than 13,000 buildings had been destroyed.

September 3: National Welsh Rarebit Day

September 4, 1885: National Macadamia Nut Day! Celebrate by making the Grilled Pork with Macadamia Salsa above. *Pssssst: Happy Birthday Patti!

September 5, 1643: Louis XIV, King of France (the ‘Sun King’) was born. A gourmet, gourmand and many say a glutton. During his reign food began to be served in courses, rather than placed on the table all at once, and forks came into widespread use.

September 6: National Coffee Ice Cream Day

For more information about Rudy’s, visit us online at Cook’s Paradise

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And for another treat, look at this recipe that Rudy’s sent along! This really looks good. And seeing as how this comes from Australia, it might even be good with lamb. Yum!

Grilled Pork With Macadamia and Peach Salsa

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 pork fillets or pork leg steaks
Macadamia oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Salsa Ingredients:
1/2 cup roasted macadamias
1/2 cup diced peach
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
1 tablespoon ginger or lime marmalade (optional)
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
1). Brush the pork fillets with oil and some of the lemon juice and season to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

2).Combine all the salsa ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes, if time allows.

3).Heat a grill pan or barbecue to very high and sear the pork for 2-3 minutes on each side or cook as desired. Serve with the salsa. This is delicious on a bed of mixed leaves or sauteed potatoes.

Recipe courtesy of Australian Macadamia Society

Kürbiskernweckerl (Pumpkin seed rolls)

16 Friday Jul 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bread, Photos, Recipes, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

≈ 4 Comments

Now here is a bread that really sounds interesting. Give this one a try. Try this variation: Change the seeds to sunflower seeds and call the rolls Sonnenblumenkerne Rolls. Just a thought. Thanks Gary for passing this recipe along. Might be good with rabbit! It might also be wise to use a scale that is calibrated in grams/ounces, as suggested by Maria below. Cheers!

Kürbiskernweckerl
(Pumpkin seed rolls)

Source: The Inverse Cook, via Gary Payne
Yield: 10 round rolls

Pâte Fermentée
50g (1¾ oz) (3½ T) Flour, Type 700 (strong white flour)
30g (1 oz) (2 T) Cool Water
2g (¾ oz) (1½ T) Fresh Yeast
1g (¼ oz) (½ T) Salt
Mix together and let rest for 12 hours in a cool place, or 1 hour at room temperature and in the fridge overnight, 12-16 hours.

Soaker:
25g (⅔ oz) (1⅓ T) coarse Rye Meal
50g (1¾ oz) (3½ T) Pumpkin Seeds
25g (⅔ oz) (1⅓ T) Flaxseeds (linseed)
100g (3½ oz) (7 T) Warm Water
Stir the ingredients of the soaker together and let stand covered for about 12 hours.

Dough:
250g (8½ oz) (2 c) Flour, Type 700 (strong white flour)
50g (1¾ oz) (3½ T) light Rye Flour, Type 960
140g (5 oz) (⅔ c) Cool Water
10g (⅓ oz) (⅔ T) Barley Malt
15g (½ oz) (1 T) Pumpkin Seed Oil or Vegetable Oil
10g (⅓ oz) (⅔ T) Salt
10g (⅓ oz) (⅔ T) fresh Yeast
Soaker ingredients
Additional pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds

Directions:
Combine all ingredients to a shaggy mass and let stand for 10 minutes. Knead for 10 seconds, either on an oiled surface or drag the dough in circles with a strong fork in the bowl. Let stand for another 10 minutes, then knead again for 10 seconds. Let stand for 10 minutes, then tip the dough onto an oiled surface and fold it onto itself a couple of times. It will be sticky, although not excessively wet like ciabatta dough.
Let stand for 40 minutes at room temperature. Agitate / Fold the dough after 20 minutes.

Divide dough into ten pieces weighing roughly 73g (2⅔ oz) (⅓ c) each, shape round, moisten the surface and press with the wet top into a bowl of pumpkin and sesame seeds (I omitted the sesame).

Proof for 50 minutes.

Bake at 240°C (465°F) for 20-25 minutes reducing the heat to 200°C (390°F) after 10 minutes.

Lapin à la Crème de Moutarde (Rabbit With Mustard Cream Sauce)

13 Tuesday Jul 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Rabbit, Recipe By: Robin Young, Recipes

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The photo to the left is the completed, and braised, Lapin à la Crème de Moutarde. Please understand that there are as as many variations to this classic dish as there are people who make it. Therefore, if you come up with something different or you want to add something else, do so. This recipe is not “set in stone”. That’s what makes it so interesting. If you braise the dish, think white wine. Just some ideas.

Lapin à la Crème de Moutarde
(Rabbit With Mustard Cream Sauce)

Ingredients:
3 lb Rabbit, cut into serving pieces
1/4 c Butter
3 T Plochman’s Stone Ground Mustard
1 c Cream
7 sm Red Potatoes, quartered
1 med White Onion, sliced
6 sm Shallots, sliced
2 lg Carrots, cut to bite size
4 slices Fennel, fresh and thin sliced

Preparation Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 1 hour 30 mins Oven Temp: 350°F

Directions:
Combine the mustard and the cream. Set aside.

Butter an oven proof casserole dish. Add the vegetables. Place the rabbit in pan. Roast until vegetables are tender and rabbit is browned – not pink or bleeding. Coat the rabbit with the mustard/cream sauce. Serve with the roasted vegetables and any extra mustard/cream sauce that may be left. The photo to the right is an oven roasted version.

Discussion:
This is a French country classic, and there are endless variations. All are good. Some recipes bake the rabbit, others braise it. We like it either way. The keys are mustard—good grainy mustard, not the bright yellow stuff you get at the ballpark—shallots, and something creamy. We use heavy cream, but some people use Crème Fraîche, others sour cream.

Rabbit has a mild flavor that is all its own. Think chicken breast, but with a slightly different flavor. Rabbits usually come whole, and if you don’t know how to break them down yourself, ask the supermarket butcher to do it for you. The photo to the left is the plated oven roasted version. Serve with a Greek wine, Apelia Dry Red Wine. Cheers!

Fourth of July and Bistro At The Buzz!

05 Monday Jul 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Robin Young, Recipes

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Yup! A Fourth of July Pot Luck at the Buzz! Then on 5 July, starts their Bistro Menu. We will probably go to the Opening Night. Fireworks for sure!

Oh yes! Smoked Salmon and Fresh Garden Vegetable Plate. Just one of the many entrees that were brought for the potluck dinner. Such fun and originality. Yum-O!

And how about Black-Bottom Cupcakes that Robin made and adapted!

Black-Bottom Cupcakes
The Great Book of Chocolate,
David Lebovitz

Yield: 12 full-size or approximately 30 mini cupcakes

For the filling:
Optional: 6 fresh Dark Sweet Cherries, pitted and cut in half
8 ounces cream cheese, regular or reduced fat, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the filling: Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

Make the cupcakes:
1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.
4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Option – place 1/2 Cherry in center. Spoon a few tablespoons* of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely,** which is fine.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. These moist treats will keep well unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

Two notes:* If you choose to go mini for these, keep the filling at a tablespoon or less, lest you run out, as, ahem, someone else may have.
** Though I’ve only made this recipe once, and therefore don’t think you should take my input as absolute authority, I’ve got to advise against actually letting these guys fill up. Not an issue if you’re going full-size, but if you go mini, aim for 90 percent full.

And here is a plate full of dinner. Salmon, brat, noodles and rolls.

And of course, there is always one Special Delight at every party. Here we have ours. On the right and trying not to look at the camera, is Bailey. A delightful young lady that loves to smile and tease, especially her brother.