5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

I must admit that I am really looking forward to the movie, The Hunger Games. I'm not the only one. It premiered this weekend and has already brought in revenue of $155 million. Steve and I bought Keely the trilogy for Christmas, and I read them myself in January. The story is set in the future in a nation that consists of a rich Capitol and surrounding, poorer districts which cater to the Capitol's needs. Each year, one boy and one girl from the poor districts are selected by lottery and forced to participate in the "Hunger Games." This is a televised event where the participants must fight to the death in a dangerous outdoor arena until only one remains. The heroine in the movie is 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers in place of her younger sister, and she kicks butt.

As I read these books, I couldn't help but think how I would soooooo be the first one out in this kind of a competition. Seriously. I'm the one who panics in pretty much any situation much less a dangerous one. But in the spirit of The Hunger Games, I am going to give you the most dangerous cake recipe in the world. That's right. And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now all of us are only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of day or night! Now that's my kind of danger.

I first got this recipe from my cousin in Texas. (Thanks, Janie!) I instantly thought I would love it, and I was right. In addition to the minimal time requirements, I love the fact that you can satisfy your sweet tooth without having to make an entire cake. Since it doesn't have icing, I think it tastes more like a chocolate muffin (which I love, too) rather than a chocolate cake. If you want to raise the danger level, you can make your own individual mixes ahead of time with the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa, and chocolate chips. Then, you'll be only 4 minutes away from chocolate cake any time of day or night! Hmmmm . . . maybe I have a little bit of Katniss in me after all?

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips (The original recipe states that these are optional. I always take those kind of statements as a joke.)
• Small splash of vanilla extract
• 1 large coffee mug that is microwaveable

Directions:
Add dry ingredients to mug. Mix well. Add the egg, milk and oil. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla extract. Cook in the microwave on high for 3 minutes. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed. (Come on, you can do it. We're coping with danger here.) Allow to cool a little. Either eat straight from the mug or tip out onto a plate if desired.

Buttermilk Pie

Will you be celebrating National Pi Day? This is one of those mostly unknown holidays that us math geeks look forward to. I will be conducting a Kaizen Leader class on that day, so I had a plan. I approached our administrative assistant:

KK:  Holly, do you mind if I make a very nerdy request? Are you familiar with "Happy Pi Day?"
Holly:  No . . .   ??!!??!?
KK:  Well, pi is one of those constants in math. You know. . . 3.14 and a bunch of other numbers. Well, 3.14 is March 14. Get it? And that's when we're holding the Kaizen Leader class. Although pi is actually spelled p-i, I think it would be fun to serve a variety of pizza pies for lunch along with a variety of other pies for dessert. What do you think?

Remarkably, Holly didn't roll her eyes. In fact, she went above and beyond and actually researched this holiday, finding something that I didn't even realize. It is also Albert Einstein's birthday!

I love that! It turns out this small celebration has expanded to include our whole division. You just gotta love working with a bunch of engineers. I really do!  :)

Now Steve is a different story. He is the complete opposite of your stereotypical nerdy math geek. I still giggle each time I recall him saying, "I'm OK with numbers. Really. But when you start putting letters with numbers, I'm outta here!"  But, I know my husband. He'll gladly celebrate any holiday with me if it means that I'll be making him his favorite buttermilk pie:

 
Buttermilk Pie

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1 frozen Pillsbury pie crust

Directions:
Mix first 7 ingredients well. Pour into frozen pie crust that has been wiped down with egg white. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Energy Bites

One of my favorite new memories happened just over a week ago. Keely and I ran in Disney's Princess Half Marathon! What a blast! After training for 18 weeks, we flew to Orlando and ran on Sunday, February 26. We woke up at 3:00 a.m. to make sure that we were at the park at 4:00, then herded into the corrals by 5:00, and we started running at 6:00. Needless to say, I was already worn out before we even started. It was such an emotional morning. Out of nowhere, I began to cry before the race even began. I think Steve thought it was fear. It wasn't. Yes, I admit I was afraid the day before. Afraid of not finishing. Afraid of failure. Keely just grinned and said, "Boy, Mom. You're just a little ball of nerves, aren't you?" Yes, that's true. The uncontrollable tears, though, came out of an unbelievable sense of accomplishment. Gosh, I was so proud. And even though I came in 13,688th place (ha!), I did indeed finish. And in this case, finishing is winning! Oh, by the way, I did beat a few people. There were close to 20,000 participants.

The very next day, we visited Islands of Adventure. Keely has been wanting to see the Harry Potter World for quite some time. Although I could barely walk, it was a great day. After flying back home on Tuesday, we loaded Keely's possessions on Wednesday and then moved her to Nashville on Thursday. Steve and I then spent the whole weekend helping her get settled into her new apartment. What an exhausting week! I sure could have used some of these energy bites.

I first came across this recipe on the internet. What first caught my attention was the claim that this was "basically a healthy version of my favorite no-bake cookies" . . . without the 2 cups of sugar and stick of butter. I couldn't wait to try them. I'm glad I did since they are now one of Steve's new favorites. They're great for breakfast, snacks, or even dessert.  I modified the original recipe by not using ground flaxseed. Instead, I substituted extra chocolate chips. No brainer, right? Also, I didn't think the energy bites looked very appetizing in the end, so I made one other modification: I rolled them in toasted coconut. Yum!

Energy Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry oatmeal
• 1 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1 cup chocolate chips (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup chocolate chips + 1/2 cup ground flaxseed)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Stir all ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled, roll into approximately 1" balls. Roll in extra toasted coconut. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated. Makes about 2 dozen energy bites.

Banana Bread

One of my most requested recipes is banana bread, so I just knew I had to add it to the family cookbook. My brother Scott was the one who taught me his secret: dust the pans with sugar. It really makes a difference! It is a favorite of many of my friends, especially Keely's best friend, Cacy Burtnett. Knowing that we were going to drive to Nashville to watch her play her last home basketball game, I decided to make her some a couple of weeks ago. That's the nice thing about this bread. It freezes beautifully.

We have been watching Cacy play basketball since she was in elementary school. She and Keely played on the same AAU basketball team, coached by Steve, and her love of the game was unmatched. Cacy is one of the few student-athletes I know who has successfully endured all four years of playing college basketball. We loved supporting her in her final home game last night at Belmont, and I loved giving her not one, but two of my loaves to show her in a very small way just how proud we are of her! 

Cacy's mom, Cindi, has tried to duplicate my banana bread in the past and swears that the recipe I gave her was deliberate sabotage. Then last night, at Belmont, Cacy's sister Sheelah told me she tried to make it, too, just last week and it failed. So, I don't know the root cause yet why the Burtnetts can't make banana bread (that's probably worthy of another post), but I promise you, this is exactly what I do:

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 1-2/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 4-5 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 2-1/2 cups flour 
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon soda

Directions:
Cream together sugar, shortening, and eggs. Add bananas and nuts. Mix well. Slowly add buttermilk. Mix well. Sift remaining dry ingredients into mixture. Mix well. Pour into 2 bread pans that have been coated with shortening and dusted with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Dessert Fondue

One of my favorite restaurants is The Melting Pot. I just believe having fondue, especially for dessert, is such a fun treat. Keely knows this about me, too, and that's why she gave me two small fondue pots (orange, no doubt) for Christmas 2 years ago. The fondue is kept warm with a simple tea light candle. I have researched so many different fondue recipes on the internet, and my favorites not only taste great, but they're the easiest recipes I have:  only two ingredients! It doesn't get any better than that!

My first favorite fondue is caramel-pecan. Admittedly, I came across this recipe by accident. When Keely and I planned to serve dessert fondue for New Years Eve earlier this year, I tried a recipe that I had found where you heat up butter, sugar, milk, and I don't even remember what else because I threw away the recipe after making it twice and scorching it both times. Not one to give up since we were already in party-mode, I quickly went to the fridge, found a bottle of caramel ice cream topping, popped it in the microwave, and then just sprinkled chopped pecans on top. That's it! It was delicious with absolute perfect consistency. So simple. I'll never try to make it again "from scratch."

Now for my next favorite. Of course, it has to be chocolate. For New Years, I did make a chocolate fondue from scratch that turned out great: butter, heavy cream, chocolate chips, etc. This is what I planned on serving at our Soup-er Bowl party for Steve, the Burtnetts, the Suiters, the Picketts, and Ralph Brett. It ended up being a group effort. Cindy brought a variety of dippers (strawberries, bananas, pineapple, pound cake, and peanut butter cookies). I made some Rice Krispie treats for dipping, too. When I was telling Kim what the plans were, she told me about how she learned to make chocolate fondue that was served at a nice restaurant while she was vacationing in Banff, Canada. Furthermore, she already had the ingredients since she was going to make it for Christmas, but didn't. I now have a new favorite. The one I had initially planned to make tastes just as good I believe; however, why add complexity to a planned event when you don't need to? Just two ingredients: Toblerone chocolate bars and heavy cream. Yep, that's my kind of recipe.

Cindi then added that she has had it with Toblerone white chocolate bars and kahlua instead of the heavy cream. You can bet that I'll be trying this combo next! 

Unlike many others, I am not going to serve fondue only once a year on that one "special" occasion. It's too much fun. Take out the fondue sets, light a couple of tea lights, mix together just two ingredients, and serve with a variety of dippers. Show your family and friends just how special they really are to you. They deserve it!

Dessert Fondue

Caramel-Pecan:

• 1 cup caramel ice cream topping (I used Smucker's caramel flavored sundae syrup.)
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Chocolate:

• 4 (3.52 oz) Toblerone milk chocolate bars (Swiss milk chocolate with honey and almond nougat)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

White Chocolate-Kahlua:

• 4 (3.52 oz) Toblerone white chocolate bars
• 1/2 cup kahlua

Directions:
Heat two ingredients in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir well. May need to repeat. Transfer to fondue pot. Serve with a variety of dippers such as fruit, pound cake, cookies, etc.

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ever since my fun niece Hayley contributed her Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup to the family cookbook, I couldn't wait to serve it at our "Soup-er Bowl" party just like she did. First of all, anything with Crock Pot in the title sure gets my attention. I always look for recipes that are easy, take minimal effort to prepare, and taste great. As a result, I got to enjoy a great game with great friends instead of slaving in the kitchen. (Yeah Eli! New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17)

I ended up modifying the recipe below just slightly. First of all, I ended up using more chicken. Although I used 3 chicken breasts, they weighed closer to 2 pounds than 1 pound. I also left out the onions, garlic cloves, and bay leaf. Instead, I sprinkled some Paula Deen House Seasoning in it to taste. Not surprisingly, it was delicious and one that I will definitely make again. Thanks, Hayley!

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb frozen chicken breasts (3-4 breasts)
• 2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (10 oz) can green enchilada sauce
• 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (10 oz) corn
• 1 can black beans
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (add into before serving)
• 2 corn tortillas (cut into strips)

Directions:
Place frozen chicken breasts on bottom of crock pot. Place everything else into the pot, except cilantro and tortillas. Cut tortillas into strips and place in oven to toast. Cook soup on low for 6-8 hours in crock pot. Shred chicken after 7 hours of cooking and add the cilantro and tortilla strips before serving. Serve with optional toppings: avocado, sour cream, extra cilantro, or brown rice.

Buttercream Icing

My friend Kim Suiter noticed on one of my Pinterest boards that I wanted to take a cake decorating class. In fact, it's #89 on my Life List: Things I'd Like to Do Before I Go. So, that's what she gave me for Christmas along with the Wilton starter kit. I was so excited! The 4 classes were held at The Sugar Shoppe in Chattanooga each Monday night, beginning January 9.

The first lesson was essentially an introduction to the tools. Some of the things I learned include how to prepare a featherweight bag with a coupler, take triangle-shaped parchment paper and turn it into a disposable bag, level a cake, make your base icing completely smooth, and make awesome buttercream icing. (Recipe at bottom of post). The rest of the night was spent using the star tip.

The second lesson included how to use many other tips to make designs such as little rosettes and a border. I also learned how to use piping gel to transfer an image (perhaps from a coloring book) to a cake to then decorate. That's how I made the cupcake design below. Here is my very first decorated cake. I was quite proud, oh and it was delicious, too! :)

I was really looking forward to the third session because the focus was on cupcakes. I learned how to make a pompom flower and the shaggy mum. I also discovered these adorable little eyeballs that really added life to animal designs. Although I learned how to decorate cupcakes with the tall swirl designs like you see in bakeries, I decided to decorate the six I brought to class as shown below. I had a blast!

The last session started out a little stressful. It is where I learned how to make a rose. I think I finally got the hang of it, but it required more practice than the other techniques. My last assignment was to decorate a two-layer cake any way you wanted to. Here's my "final":  Woooo hoooo!  :)

Thanks again Kim for a gift that will definitely keep on giving! :)

Now for the best part. This icing is awesome! It tastes just like what you would get on a birthday cake from a bakery. Mmmmmmmm! This makes a very generous amount that you can divide and color as desired. Store whatever you don't use in the freezer for a later use.

Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

• 2 cups hi-ratio shortening (which is basically whipped Crisco)
• 2 teaspoons flavoring (I use 1 teaspoon clear vanilla and 1 teaspoon almond.)
• 5 tablespoons water (You may need to add just a little more for desired consistency.)
• 2 lb powdered sugar

Directions:
Cream together first three ingredients. Add powdered sugar and mix until all ingredients have been thoroughly blended and creamy.  (Or, just do what I do: dump everything all at once into the bowl of my stand mixer and just use the slow "stir" speed.)