The Yummy Side of Life…

Cake in a mug! This is one of my favorite desserts for which I usually have everything on hand. But somehow I don’t have any cocoa in the house right now (did I throw it out in the move? I can’t remember!). I headed to Google to see if I could find any other recipe than my usual, and I found this particular recipe. It makes a VERY dense bread-like cake. I used a Creme Brulee hot cocoa mix. Two packets of this mix came out nearly to 9 tablespoons, so that is something I can remember for future hot cocoa cakes!

Hot Cocoa Chocolate Cake (in a Mug) – adapted from www.wikihow.com

Ingredients:

• 9 tablespoons (2 packets) Land O’ Lakes Creme Brulee Hot Cocoa Mix
• 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 tablespoons water
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients together in large mug.
2. Add wet ingredients and stir with spoon. Fold ingredients from bottom, making sure to incorporate ALL dry ingredients.
3. Microwave for 3 minutes (more or less depending on wattage).
4. Enjoy straight from mug, or turn out into bowl and garnish with a topping of your choice!

Cooking in the Microwave

Soooo I have to rave about the new local ice cream shop in town. The Split Banana opened in March and is absolutely delightful! It is co-owned by Nick Blanton (I forget the other guy’s name… Sorry!). His sister is Erin, co-owner (with their mom) of the local toy store–Pufferbellies. Yeah, that last sentence didn’t really have a point. Just had to throw a plug in for Pufferbellies too :-p

Anyway… The Split Banana always has a unique selection of sorbets, gelatos, and ice creams. Tonight, they had a new gelato flavor, Cocoa Ancho. Most foodies know that this is actually a pretty typical combination, but I’ve never heard of it as a frozen treat. I tasted it, and was immediately enamored! A rich dark chocolate with the kick of ancho chiles. I had to have it! So I got it as a shake. 4 scoops of the gelato and some creamline (non-homogenized) milk, and off we go! All that to say… It was really good 🙂

Also, THE WHOLE STAFF is always really nice and welcoming. We go there so often, I’m sure some of them are tired of seeing us!

YOU should visit their website here —-> The Split Banana

from Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis

3 cups mix of hulled and quartered strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries (I used a defrosted frozen bag of mixed berries in order to save money)
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice (I used bottled and it turned out just fine)
Pinch kosher salt
Grated grapefruit zest (Left it out, since I used bottled juice)

In a large bowl, toss together the berries. Spoon the berries into serving dishes and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks, sugar, grapefruit juice, and salt in a large metal or glass bowl. Whisk vigorously until combined and the color is a pale yellow. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Using a whisk or an electric hand mixer, vigorously whisk the egg mixture until it has tripled in volume and is very thick and creamy, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Spoon the warm zabaglione over the berries. Top with a light sprinkle of grapefruit zest. Serve immediately.

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Zabaglione – A dessert or sauce consisting of egg yolks, sugar, and wine or liqueur beaten until thick and served hot or cold. -from Answers.com

This was superb. One of the best desserts I’ve had in a long time, and that means it’s beating out any form of chocolate.

…in an email from my MIL.

Add to chocolate/egg mixture:

The batter will be more wet than normal cookie batter. According to my MIL, you can add dried fruits, nuts, wheat germ, ground flax seed, or a favorite liqueur. Or not!

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside 🙂

When I was a teenager, my mom and I baked something almost every weekend. I guess it was about the time when I was in high school that we found a recipe for cake mix cookies. They are SO simple and yummy (or as Rachael Ray would say… YUM-O!) Anyway, here’s the recipe:

Cake Mix Cookies

1 box (18.5 oz) cake mix (any flavor)
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients until batter is the consistency of a normal cookie batter. Mold spoonfuls of batter into balls and drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes.
Cookies should be slightly crispy around the edge and gooey in the center when pulled from the oven. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to wax paper.

You can also add candies to your cookies. 2 cups of baking chips (chocolate, butterscotch, or peanut butter) or 3/4 cups of mini M&Ms will do!!!

Have fun with this easy recipe and enjoy!