What's happening in my life:
I've joined Pinterest.  I don't know what it is really.  I don't know if 'joining' is a word that you use in reference to 'pinning' pictures... whatever.  It looks like a virtual vision board to me which feels ever so slightly lame but my sister joined and invited me and I joined because I love her.  Then I found out that all these other people give a crap about Pinterest too.  Weird.  So here I am.
I'm still biking... in February... in Toronto.  It looks like it's going to be that kind of winter this year.  So, I'm going to take advantage of it and try to push away all the guilt and fear surrounding what this means on a global scale (the guilt and fear are ebbed just a little by the cold snap in Europe - 'See Wanda, it's really really cold somewhere').
Kid #1 has gotten to the final round of a national short story competition.   She is going to be published no matter what and we are incredibly proud of her.  So at the ripe old age of 11 she has already performed on tv, sung with Michael Buble and been published.  What's next for god's sake?
I've been working on my jar pile in the cold room.  It's all been experimental this year.  All this canning and how much of certain things do we actually use and all that.  I already know FO' SHO' that I need double the amount of tomato stuff next year.  Probably a little less on the fruit front.  I've already finished my beet pickles (which were awesome and I'll do some for you soon) and my green tomato and tomatillo salsa is at the halfway point.  It's kinda fun, all this.  Oh yeah, and if anyone has some ideas for canned pears - please let me know.
Remember how a few posts ago I was telling you that I was L O V I N G this song?  (Incidently, they can to this stuff live - I know, right.)  We just found out that they're filming their music video tomorrow here in Toronto and they're looking for kids between 8 and 20.  Yup - kid #1 and I are going.  I know I'm not 20... shut-up.

I'm on a mission now to begin to work through my frozen summer harvest.  I've got bags of corn, green beans, broccoli, pesto, herbs, blueberries, peas, peaches... and other stuff I can't remember right now.  I figure that the end of February (well 2/3's of the way through) is as good a time as any to start clearing out in a serious way.


These cupcakes were 'created' in direct correlation to the freezer thing.  I had a huge, almost shockingly so, container of egg whites.  In fact, I didn't even use them all for this recipe.  So even though I love angel food cake and I'm tot's not scared of it now that I know to hang it upside down, I wanted cupcakes... with lemon.  I wanted to put cherries on top, one's that are also in my freezer, but I didn't un-freeze them in time.   Even though these don't get the upside down treatment they still held up pretty well.  Bite sized angel food... hell's yeah.



Angel Food Cupcakes adapted from "How Sweet It Is'
makes about 20 - 24 cupcakes

12 lg egg whites (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup icing sugar (sifted)
1 1/8 cup sifted cake and pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
grated zest of 2 lemons
blueberries (I used frozen ones from last summer) or cherry pieces for the tops

Let the egg whites rest for at least one hour at room temperature (you can do up to 24 hrs easily).
Line about 24 cupcake tins and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift together the icing sugar, flour and salt and set aside.
In a large bowl begin to beat the egg whites at medium speed using a mixer.  Once the whites are frothy add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the mixture forms soft peaks (this took me about 10 minutes with my hand mixer).  Add the sugar slowly whilst continuing to beat.  Continue to beat until the mixture forms soft, droopy peaks.  Add in the vanilla and beat a little longer.
Slowly fold the flour mixture into the egg whites a half a cup at a time.  Fold gently and lovingly (!) until everything is mixed.  Fold in the lemon zest.
Pile the batter into each lined cupcake thingy.  I piled mine until they were just reaching the top of the liner.
Place a few blueberries or cherry pieces on top of each cupcake.
Bake for about 18 or so minutes or until the cupcakes look golden and are springy to the touch.
Remove from the oven and slather the tops with the lemon glaze while the cupcakes are still warm.
Cool before eating

Lemon Glaze

Juice from 2 lemons
1 1/2 cups icing sugar

Mix the lemon juice and icing sugar together in a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Heat over medium heat just until the mixture begins to simmer and then turn the heat down to low.  Continue to heat on low until the syrup begins to thicken (about 10 minutes).
Pour over cupcakes while they're still warm from the oven.