Happy St. Paddy's Day

Salted Caramel Mug Cake

I'm fairly new to the Pintrest craze and I've book marked several recipes I've yet to try.  Last night I tried not one, but two "pinned" recipes.  Yea me!  Let's begin with dessert; shall we?! ; )

I'll admit, I was skeptical about how a microwaved cake would turn out, but I was so pleased.  

Here's the cake after 30 seconds, still much like batter.

Here's the cake after 2 minutes, this cooked it all the way through.

 Salted Caramel Mug Cake

 {makes 1 mug cake}
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg – beaten
3 tablespoons skim milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 salted caramels

What to do: 
1. Into a small bowl add: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, egg, milk, and vegetable oil. Mix to combine.

2. Pour mixture into a regular sized coffee mug. Drop caramels into center of mixture one at a time.

3. Microwave on high for one minute and 30 seconds. If needed {if cake batter is still gooey}, microwave on high for up to an additional 30 seconds.


Here's my take on the time for cooking, it will depend on your microwave.  A minute and a half (three 30 second intervals) gave just the right consistency for us, not cooked solid, but with just the right amount of gooey-ness.  We topped ours with whipped cream, but that's optional, of course. 


This was so quick and easy.  I was like a kid on Christmas morning waiting to open the first present when I sunk my spoon into the cup...smiles all around.

**ALSO, if you want a good chuckle visit the link regarding recipe and read the comments.  This alone made discovery of the recipe worth it.


Sharing at  designsbygollum.

Play Date

This little nugget is growing up so fast!

Sunday Fun Day

What a chocolate chip cookie coma looks like...

When we make chocolate chip cookies, we use the Nestle recipe.  Works for us. 

Be in "the know."

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Lemon Lavender Scones

If you follow Michael Lee West's blog, Designsbygollum, or if you've read some of her books, you may know that she's a fan of scones, and, well, all her scone-talk has got me craving them.  Scones are new-ish to me, but I'm glad that I discovered them.  The first time I ever had a scone was when I was in culinary school and made a batch for class.  I made cranberry orange scones, a classic flavor combo, and they turned out fine, but I wasn't in love.  It wasn't until I had a blueberry scone, some years later, that I understood what all the fuss was about.

Now, this recipe calls for clotted cream and that's another anomaly to me, but one I'm sure I'll work into our breakfast routine soon enough.  I mean, if a girl can love Devonshire cream, what's not to love about clotted cream? ; )

Here's a recipe I found, today, for Lemon Lavender Scones.

Since I didn't make the clotted cream, I added a dollop of lemon curd.  I do love lemon curd.  If you are looking for a lemon curd recipe, of sorts, you should check out this blog.  I'm eyeing this recipe and hopefully I'll get around to making it soon.

For the scones:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar + 1 tsp
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
• 2 tsp finely chopped dried lavender, divided
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
• ½ cup nonfat yogurt (I used low-fat with great result)
• ½ cup buttermilk   + 1 tbsp

• ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Make the scones:

Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Place this baking sheet onto another one to protect the bottom of the scones from overbrowning (it’s not totally necessary but I like to do so). Set aside.

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into a medium bowl. Add the 1/3 cup of the sugar, lemon zest and 1 ½ tsp of the dried lavender. Mix to combine.

Cut the chilled butter into ½-inch pieces and drop into the bowl of dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the mixture until it is evenly distributed and no large pieces of butter are visible. Combine the yogurt and ½ cup of the buttermilk in a glass measuring cup, whisk. Add to the dry ingredient and stir with a fork until the dough comes together.

Coat your hands with some flour and pull the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface. Knead the dough lightly, folding and flattening it several times. Pat the dough into a 6-inch circle, approximately 1 inch thick. Transfer the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top with the remaining 1 tbsp of the buttermilk, sprinkle the remaining 1 tsp of the sugar over the top.Using a blunt side of a large knife score the circle into 8 wedges without cutting all the way through.

Bake the scones for about 23-25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool the scones on the baking sheet on a rack for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining lavender,powdered sugar, and lemon juice. Stir until smooth.

Transfer the scones onto a cutting board and cut into wedges using the scored lines as a guide. Place the scones on the rack set over the baking sheet. Drizzle the icing over slightly warm scones.

Serve with a generous dollop of the clotted cream and fresh berries of your choice.

Recipe courtesy of  Vera at Baking Obsession

The Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad

Look at those colors!

Here's a healthy salad by The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.  My first time to make an Asian Noodle Salad, and boy is it tasty!  If you make it, you may want to scale back on the ingredients because it makes a huge amount.

I'd cut everything by half and am guessing it'd still be enough to please a crowd.  I used salted almonds since I forgot the cashew nuts, but that's the only alteration I made.  The almonds still gave that crunch factor I was wanting so I'm glad I added them.

This salad eats like a meal and is a great option for a meatless night.  I'll be perusing Mrs. Drummond's page for more great flavors and will share thoughts.

Happy Saturday,

KW

P.S.  Here's a fun pic of Bebe and Dabby doing some handy work ; )