Kalbi and Snap Peas, Plus Chocolate Cupcakes

We've been having a lot of noodles and clear soup lately, so the pictures aren't pretty. But last night I also marinated some short ribs, pan grilled them, and then added some snap peas to the pan so we'd have some meat and vegetables as well.

Last week I baked Martha Stewart's one bowl chocolate cupcakes for a friend's birthday. It really is my favorite cupcake recipe. It's incredibly easy to put together (one bowl!), the cakes are very fluffy, and if you just pay a little extra for good cocoa powder you're bound to astonish everyone with your skills. Some good cocoa powder choices are Scharffen Berger, Penzey's, Valhrona instead of Hershey's or Ghiardelli--and NEVER use Nestle.

For the frosting, I tried a Southern gravy frosting for the first time. The texture is fluffier and smoother than plain buttercream. I loved it; it was almost like a cross between buttercream and marshmallow fluff. I thank "Axalady" from Chowhound for this recipe:

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch or 4 tablespoons flour (I used cornstarch both times I did this)
• 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature if you want to save yourself some time
• 1 cup room temperature butter (do use good butter, like Plugra. It's only $3 at Trader Joe's for a pound, which is two cups)
• 1 cup sugar (I found this too sweet and a little gritty. Buy baker's sugar or process your sugar in a food processor until it's powdery, and use only 3/4 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (Nielsen-Massey is my favorite)

Whisk the cornstarch and milk together and heat over a medium flame. Lower the flame if you're afraid you'll burn it, but be aware it will take forever. Whisk slowly but constantly. The milk will take awhile to heat up. When it starts frothing up, you're getting close and should definitely keep whisking. It will thicken up quite suddenly. Lower the heat and keep whisking until the milk forms a ribbon when you lift the whisk as opposed to just dripping off. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Beat butter and sugar until it is fluffy and not grainy when you rub it between two fingers. Slowly add vanilla and milk mixture, and beat until fluffy like frosting. The time it takes to become fluffy will depend on the precise temperature of all your ingredients, but don't sweat it. If you keep beating it, you'll get there.

This is quite possibly the world's most perfect frosting (for me, anyway). It smells divine and has an unctious texture that's hard to describe but had me licking it out of the bowl. It doesn't become grainy the way chocolate ganache can, it's not hard to make like some European style frostings, it's not as dense and sweet as American buttercream, it won't melt at room temperature like a whipped cream frosting, and it's more versatile than the delicious cream cheese frosting.