Desperate for Dessert

During the whole pregnancy I have not been much of a sweets lover. I mean I can definitely eat sweets no problem but I just don't have a craving or draw to sweets. Last night, however, I really really wanted some moist cake. I didn't care where it came from as long as it was moist.

I called Joseph since he was out running errands and picking up parts, etc for the kitchen and asked where he was... Kearny Mesa. No real cake place around there. I told him that I really wanted some cake and he didn't know what to do...

So I took matters into my own hands and went in search of an easy, simple & fast cake recipe that didn't need much prep and didn't lead to lots of dirty dishes (Joseph was working on hooking up the sink in the kitchen so I didn't have a sink to do dishes in... the garage sink was already full with dishes...).

I had an idea of what recipe I was looking for since I had made it before. It's a microwave mug cake that takes about 5 minutes to prep... and cook! If you are in need of a chocolate cake fix and don't have time to make or buy one I'd suggest this recipe to tide you over. I do enjoy adding the chocolate chips because it makes it that much more chocolaty and moist. I do warn you though that it doesn't taste exactly like chocolate cake but it curbs the craving.

Source: Many sources if you google 'microwavable chocolate cake' but I took this recipe from this blog.



Chocolate Microwavable Mug Cake

• 4 tablespoons cake flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoons oil
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1-2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Mix the first three ingredients thoroughly in a mug.

Add the egg and beat in. Add the liquid ingredients and combine until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Let stand for 30 seconds before eating (it will be hot!). You can either dump the cake onto a plate or eat it right out of the mug like I do!

*warning* the cake does rise in the mug (see picture below) however it will not spill out :)

I Love Surprises!!!

Guess what I came home to? No guesses? Ok... here it is:



Now if you can't read that it says that I won some chocolate cake mix and chocolate frosting from Cherrybrook Kitchen! I also received a cute little spatula too. The best part? I didn't even know I won. Now I'm sure I got an email update from Blake Bakes telling me to go comment on his blog about how much I'd love to win this fabulous prize and I'm sure I did that but I somehow never caught on that I won!

I gotta say... with a husband with a food allergy (allergic to nuts) I am always looking for allergen-free products so that I know he's safe. Now if the kitchen remodel would only be finished I could whip up some cake with this mix. Maybe I'll be able to make it for book club on Wednesday :)

And I just looked at Blake Bakes to see when he announced the winners and it looks like everyone won! Isn't that the greatest?

Waffle Mania

I love waffles. Have I ever mentioned that? I am sure I haven't. It's just so easy to whip up a fresh batch of batter and cook them on the waffle iron. And if you love waffles like I do, you might appreciate this recipe a bit more. I've had it for a while. I became a fan of these last December right after I first joined Weight Watchers. I ate these as a dessert sometimes covered in 2 tablespoons of Cool Whip lite. What kind of waffle, might you ask, would serve as dessert too? Pumpkin waffles! Perfect for the fall or winter and super tasty and fun.

Since I don't currently have an oven or stove I decided that I needed something warm for breakfast. Than Joseph asked me to get some bagels from Einstein Bagels. How could I resist a husband who's working so hard to give me the kitchen of my dreams? So I set aside my craving of waffles and went to go get breakfast.

As soon as I got home I was absorbed in finishing Midnight Sun and 12:30 rolled by quickly. Joseph asked what was for lunch. Waffles immediately popped into my head but I knew he wouldn't want any. So I grabbed him a pot pie from the freezer and set out to hunt down the ingredients for the recipe and my waffle iron. I set up shop in the garage and started cooking. Boy were these good!

Source: Weight Watchers



Pumpkin Waffles

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk (I used 2% due to a lack of buttermilk and lemon juice)

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and next four ingredients into a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.

Combine egg, brown sugar, oil, pumpkin & milk in a bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray; preheat. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter per waffle onto hot waffle iron, spread batter to edges. Cook 5-7 minutes or until steaming stops; repeat with remaining batter.

5 servings, 2 waffles per serving
4 points per serving

Warming Up

With the cool weather that has finally hit I decided to make something warm and comforting for dinner. I had to be smart and had to use what ingredients I had in the house. That's pretty hard right now since we're remodeling our kitchen and I've all but used up the contents in the freezer (saved a lot of money over the past two months not having to go shopping as often). So I knew we had potatoes, cream and cheese on hand. What better than a potato cheese soup?

We are limited to just a few cooking options at our house right now. So it was either the BBQ, rice cooker or slow cooker. I chose the latter. I searched my GR for some inspiration and found a cheddar, potato steak soup on Carrie's Cooking Adventures. With a few tweaks due to the ingredients I had on hand I came up with this...

Source: Carrie's Cooking Adventures



Potato & Cheese Soup

• 2 russet potatoes, peeled & diced (or cut into thin strips)
• 1 box chicken broth
• 1/2 box water (used chicken broth box to measure)
• Spices (I used s&p, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb and some Tony's Original Creole Seasoning)
• 1/4 pound of marble jack cheese

Peel potatoes. Dice, or thinly slice and than cut into strips, potatoes and put them in the slow cooker. Pour in broth and add enough water to cover the potatoes. Throw in the spices (I didn't measure... just literally threw in a bit of everything).

Cook for 6-8 hours (I cooked for 7 hours) on low.

Add cheese to top of soup and cook on high for 1/2 an hour longer. Stir soup and taste to see if any more seasoning is needed. If not, scoop into a bowl or cup, top with more cheese if you'd like and enjoy!

Update: I just tried the soup heated up today for a quick snack and added some bacon... MMMM! (I used the microwavable bacon from Costco).