5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

You have to try this!! I found this on a friend's blog (I can't find the link now!) the week before Reese's birthday, so we made these individual cakes on the night of her birthday (since we would be making a big cake for her party just 3 days later). I can't wait to make them again! They are not the "best" in terms of cake...but for a quick, hot, chocolate dessert, they can't be beat!

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well, then egg, milk and oil, and finally the chocolate chips and vanilla extract, mixing well after each addition.

Place your mug in the microwave and heat on high for 3 minutes. You can either eat it right out of the mug or tip it out onto a plate. Or you can do what we did.....

**Since we had 6 people eating the mug cake, I mixed 3 times the recipe in a bowl, mixed, and then separated into 6 mugs (I figured we could use smaller portions, anyway!) What we ended up with was 6 mini cakes, HOT, with a scoop of ice cream melting on top....all contained in a mug. And it took us all of 5 minutes. Amazing!!**

Salmon with Pesto

4 5-6 ounce salmon fillets
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp basil
Parmesan cheese

1. Place fish fillets on the greased unheated rack of a broiler pan, tucking under thin edges. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 4-6 minutes, or until fish begins to flake when tested with a fork. If fillets are 1 inch or more thick, carefully turn once halfway through broiling.

2. Meanwhile, for topping, in a small bowl stir together mayo and pesto. Spoon mixture over fillets. Broil about 1 minute more or until topping is bubbly. If desired, garnish with Parmesan.

A twist on the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I read this tip recently and gave it a try. I thought it was worthy of a pass-along. Instead of buttering your bread, spread your bread with mayonaisse, then heat in a heavy saucepan or griddle as usual. Apparently, this is a special restaurant secret.

Since my boys like to call grilled cheese sandwiches "Boy cheese sandwiches", that's what I'll call this. Boy cheese. Boy, is it yummy.

Creamy Herbed Pasta

Start-to-finish: 30 minutes

4 cups dried rigatoni or other dried pasta (10 ounces)
¼ cup snipped fresh basil or 1 Tbsp dried basil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ of an 8-oz package reduced fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
½ cup low fat cottage cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
¾ cup milk
¼ cup snipped fresh parsley
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbsp dry white wine or milk
Meat or veggies can be added to give this pasta some variety!

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a heavy saucepan cook basil and garlic in hot oil about 30 seconds. Reduce eat. Add cheeses. Cook and stir until nearly smooth. Stir in milk, parsley, and salt until combined; and wine or milk. Bring to a gentle boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve sauce over hot pasta.

Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

1 ½ lbs chopped cooked chicken
Flour tortillas

Dressing:
1 clove garlic, puree
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp anchovy paste or salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Salad:
Romaine or other lettuce, chopped
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup croutons, crushed
1 cup chopped tomatoes (optional)

Mix dressing together in bowl and whisk. Assemble wraps by placing desired amount of salad, chicken, and dressing on each tortilla. Tuck bottom of tortilla up over the filling, and roll the sides.

Note: You can TOTALLY use store-bought Caesar salad dressing and a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, making this a super easy meal to make!