Here’s a lovely little appetizer that you’re going to want to bookmark: Chicken Marsala Meatballs.

These tasty little bites are made with deliciously nutty Parmesan cheese and ground chicken, so they stay moist. Marsala wine is a fortified wine from Sicily that gives food, especially sauces, a light sweetness with hints of tamarind and vanilla, and overall deepens the flavor of the dish.

I made Chicken Marsala Meatballs as an appetizer, but you can serve them with the rich wine sauce as a main course over rice or pasta.

Here’s the tutorial… the printable recipe follows!

 

Chicken Marsala Meatballs

1. Gather your ingredients: 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided; ¼ cup finely chopped parsley; 1 pound ground chicken (I used thigh meat); ½ cup breadcrumbs; 2 cloves finely chopped garlic; 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 egg; 1 tablespoon butter; 2 tablespoons olive oil; ¼ cup chicken broth; ¼ cup Marsala wine.

 

2. Finely grate the Parmesan cheese. Place ½ cup on a plate; set aside remaining ¼ cup. 

 

3. Finely chop the parsley; set aside.

 

 

4. Place the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and egg in a large mixing bowl. Blend with your hands or a spoon until well incorporated.

 

5. Form into 1-inch balls.

 

 

6. Roll each chicken meatball in the Parmesan cheese on the plate; set aside.

 

 

7. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add meatballs and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often until lightly browned on all sides.

 

8. Add chicken broth and Marsala wine. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked through. 

 

9. Remove from pan and top with remaining cheese and parsley. Serve immediately.

 

I shared this recipe On the Monday Handmade Linkup Party... Come over and take a look!

Okay pals, I’m not going to sugarcoat this… wait, I AM going to sugarcoat this… here’s your super-sweet Easter treat: Easter Egg Cakes!

We don’t sweet-eat like this all the time, so a little indulgence is okay.

Lemon extract gives the crumbly cake filling a bright flavor… but you can pick your favorite flavor (orange? mint?) or just keep it simple. I used Wilton’s Candy Melts (confectionary coating), because when they harden, they wrap the egg-shaped cake in a nice hard shell… just like, hmm… a real egg! Makes decorating super simple.

I’ve included a step-by-step tutorial just below the recipe. Oh, and don’t worry if your eggs aren’t shaped like perfect eggs… put a stick into them and call them cake-pops!

Tutorial: Easter Egg Cakes 

1. Gather your ingredients: For the cakes you’ll need 1 package (16.25 ounce) white cake mix, 1¼ cup water, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 3 egg whites, 2 teaspoons flavored extract, drops of food coloring, 1 cup (3 ounces) marshmallow cream, 2 bags (12 ounces each) white Wilton’s Candy Melts (confectionary melting wafers). For the Decorating Icing you’ll need ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 teaspoons water.

2. Place oven rack in middle of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom only of a 13 x 9-inch pan. I used Betty Crocker Super Moist Cake Mix, so  I mixed the water, oil, egg whites, extract (see below), and food coloring (I used a blue and red combo to make lavender) in a large bowl on low speed for 30-seconds, then on medium speed 2-minutes. Make sure you scrape the bowl occasionally.

3. Pour into the greased pan.

4. Bake for 28 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. My cake cracked, but it doesn’t matter because I’m going to break it up anyway.

5. Crumble cooled cake into a large bowl.

6. Fold in marshmallow cream until well blended.

7. Shape into 3-inch balls then roll to form an egg shape. My Easter Egg Cakes look like purple potatoes, so don’t worry if yours don’t look like perfect eggs. Refrigerate 2-hours.

8. Melt Wilton’s Candy Melts (confectionary melting wafers) as directed on package.

9. Dip Easter Egg Cakes one at a time with a fork, allowing excess to drip off. Place on a wax paper-lined tray to dry completely. I used my Silpat silicone non-stick pan liner because I was out of wax paper.

10. Mix the confectioners’ sugar and water in a small bowl until well blended.

11. Make piping bags: I like to use Ziploc® Brand Gallon Size Bags because the sandwich bags always break (I probably squeeze too hard!). On a diagonal, cut off the bottom two corners of one Ziploc® Brand Gallon Size Bag. This will give you two small bags to fill… but make as many bags as you need for the number of colors that you want. Place the “bag,” corner tip down, into a small glass. Fill with the Decorating Icing.

12. Place a few drops of the desired food color into each bag; twist the top of the bag to close (or tape closed). Gently knead the bag to mix the colors; set aside. Carefully cut off the tip of the bag. The closer to the tip, the smaller the hole.

13. Decorate the eggs with the piping bags. Let stand 15 minutes or until hard. Refrigerate until ready to serve.