Cake . . . in a MUG!

I love chocolate cake. Love it. I also love to bake, but with limited time that's a pipe dream.

Plus, if I made an entire chocolate cake, I'd eat an entire chocolate cake. I have no will power against Devil's Food (see what I did there?)

So when a friend posted a cake-in-a-mug recipe to Facebook, I decided I had to try it. A single serving of cake made in the microwave. A little disconcerting, no? But you'll never win (cake) if you don't try (cake), so I decided to put on my big girl adventure panties and give it a shot.

It. Is. Delicious! I can't even begin to explain to you how excited I am by this cake development.

What you need

1 box Angel Food or Pound cake mix (I use Pound for the simple fact that the first time I made it, my Kroger was out of Angel Food)
1 box cake mix of your choice (if you go for something other than Devil's Food, I'm not sure I can speak to you anymore)

How to make heaven in a mug

Mix those two boxes of cake mix. I'm a big fan of throwing things around, so I put them in a freezer bag and go to town until they're mixed really well. Put 1/3 cup of the mixed mixes (try saying that 5 times fast) into a coffee mug, or a tumbler works as well. Add 3 Tbs water and stir well. Microwave for 1 minute.

And that's it. You're done. Amazing, right? I usually put it in the freezer for 10 minutes or so after it's done cooking because I don't like my cakes warm (yes, I know, I'm weird). Then I add a good sized dollop of Hershey's Whipped Chocolate Icing and enjoy my mugful of deliciousness.



I don't have a picture of this amazingness on hand, but I'll try to get one taken and posted soon.

Chicken Pasta

If y'all are anything like me, it's difficult to make reasonably healthy dinners on limited time and budget. Why make something when McDonald's (or recently, Five Guys) is literally right there on your way home from work?

Rather than sinking into the delicousness of deep fried potatoes and random chicken parts, I've been trying to make real food lately. I've tried a few of those freezer crock pot recipes, they were kind of meh. But then a friend introduced me to this lovely dinner with the bonus option of using that homemade pizza sauce that's been sitting in my freezer for a couple of months. Amanda uses broccoli, which I just am not a fan of, so I switched that out for zucchini and mushrooms (it's still green, right?).

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts -cut to bite sized pieces
1 small yellow onion - diced/chopped however you want it
Lots and lots of garlic - minced
1 largish zucchini - chopped
1 pkg white cap mushrooms - sliced however you like them
1 can petite diced tomatoes (the 16 oz, not the huge one)
Fresh herbs
Olive Oil
1 pkg pasta (I usually go for bow ties)
Shaved Parmesan cheese

Sauce: I usually run the tomatoes through a blender because I don't like tomato chunks. But starting with petite diced rather than tomato sauce really does change the texture of the sauce. I add 3 cloves minced garlic, and fresh chopped rosemary, oregano and basil. I add a tablespoon or so of each (I vote you can't have too much flavor). A pinch of salt and a good bit of pepper finishes the sauce. I make this while the chicken and veggies are cooking.

Chicken: Heat 2-3 Tbs olive oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Add diced chicken breasts (cut to bite size) and cook until chicken is practically done. Add 3 cloves minced garlic and the diced onion and cook until the onion is soft. Add the zucchini and mushrooms and let them cook for about 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Finally, add the sauce and simmer for ~10 min. You can adjust the cooking time for the veggies depending on how you like them done. I like my onions obliterated. But I don't like my zucchini mushy, so it's all up to you. ETA: Sometimes I add a splash of Balsamic dressing for some extra zing.

Finishing: Cook the pasta according to package directions while the sauce is simmering. Drain. Spoon the sauce over a plateful of pasta and add the shaved Parmesan. Enjoy!