Egg-Free Persimmon Mini-cupcakes

One steadfast rule in my family is that no matter how distant they are still relatives and should be entertained. When my cousin called to tell me his aunt and uncle would be stopping by this afternoon on their way to Niagara Falls, I looked around to see what I had to serve them. We had a store-bought pie (don't ask) and mangoes, but nothing else. The house was a wreck, so I really only had 15 minutes to bake. In addition, my husband informed me that if there were any baked goods left, he would throw them out. So, I decided to make a very tiny batch of persimmon minicupcakes.

Recipes:
Egg-Free Persimmon Mini-cupcakes: (makes 9 mini cupcakes, 350 degree for 10-12 minutes)
Combine in a bowl:
1/4 tsp ground cardamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2-3 T sugar (depending on the sweetness of the persimmon--I did 2 T plus 1 tsp)
2 T olive oil1 tsp vanilla essence 2/3 cup persimmon pulp (ripe persimmon blended and strained)

Sift in:
2/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

Mix in:
1 T cider vinegar

Bake in greased mini muffin tins

Top with something powdered sugar, chocolate "butter"cream, ginger "butter"cream, or greek yogurt (sweetened with powdered sugar, ginger, rose water and chopped pistachios)

Strawberry Tomato Caprese Fusili

So, I was tempted to be introspective and brooding this afternoon, because I went from being in the warm embrace of my family, who were in for the week, to being all alone watching infomercials. But, I decided to shut up and eat. My aunt was in and cooked her little heart out and then some. So, there is plenty, more than plenty, of food in the house.

But, I was in the mood for something not Indian, fresh, unfried and raw. Can I have a more specific craving? Well, that is what happens when you have as special a palette as mine... My fridge is full of impulse purchases from Whole Foods and the farmer's market--the season's first strawberries, a shiny new basil plant, and local fresh mozzarella. I boiled just enough pasta for one serving (no space for leftovers), sliced some strawberries and tomatoes, added sea salt, fresh mozzarella, balsamic, basil and olive oil. 11 minutes to lunch.

As I love a blog roundup and enjoy Closet Cooking, I sent this over to Presto Pasta Nights created by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast and run by Kevin.

Fried Chicken move over: Oven Baked Almond Chicken

I believe a recent post served to misrepresent who I am. That is to say, a deep fryer. I do come from a long line of fried food lovers, but my recent foray into fried chicken was perhaps only the second frying incident I can remember since I reached the age of majority. (Yes, I was a child fryer; in my middle school years I helped my mom make pooris.)

Today, we had guests over for lunch, so I decided to test my fried chicken recipe in the oven. Apparently, helping my family into heart disease is one thing, but company is another. This recipe is basically a step up from the 70s housewife recipe, Corn Flake Chicken, so it was not surprising that it worked. What was surprising was the fact that the oven baked chicken was much tastier than the fried chicken. Forget the cleaning and artery clogging, go with oven baked.