I found this recipe while stumbling around the internet and thought it was just hilarious. It is chocolate cake that you make from scratch.... in a mug! Even you boys you look at this blog have to realize just how unbelievably easy this is to make. I would suggest trying this the next time you find yourself at home looking for a little sweet-tooth fix.

CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

1 Large Coffee Mug

4 tbl Flour

4 tbl Sugar

2 tbl Cocoa

1 Egg

2 tbl Milk

3 tbl Vegetable Oil

1 splash of Vanilla

1. Spray mug with cooking spray. Mix all the dry ingredients in the mug in the order they are given. Add the egg and mix. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

2. Place the mug in the microwave and cook on high for about 3 minutes. The cake will rise up over the top but don't worry. Allow the cake to cool and then eat with a spoon right out of the mug or tip out onto a plate. Enjoy!

The best part of the site I found this on was that they were calling it "The Most Dangerous Cake in the World". Why, you ask? Because you can have it almost anytime, anywhere. It turns something that should seem like chore into something that can be done from start to finish during commercial break! Give it a try and impress yourself and your friends with this fun new dessert. :)

Fruit Tart

In honor of the wonderfully welcomed change in the weather, I decided to post something a bit more spring time appropriate this week. One of my absolute favorite things to make for parties or birthdays during the spring and summer months is a fruit tart. I just started making them about two years ago, but throughout that time I have come to find that this is by far the best. It is a normal tart crust, filled with an amazing white chocolate cream filling, and then topped with your fruit of choice. This dessert will stun even the most seasoned chef with its amazing look and even more amazing melt-in-your-mouth flavor!

WHITE CHOCOLATE FRUIT TARTS

CRUST:

3/4 c Butter

1 1/2 c Flour

1/2 c Powdered Sugar

FILLING:

1 pkg White Chocolate Chips, melted

1/4 c Heavy Whipping Cream

8 oz Cream Cheese

Assortment of Fruit for Decorating

GLAZE:

3 tbl Sugar

2 tsp Corn Starch

1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

1/2 c Pineapple Juice

1. In a small bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Slowly add the flour and mix well. Press into the bottom of one large tart pan or many individual sized ones. Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. DO NOT OVERCOOK!

2. For the filling, mix the melted chips and cream in a small bowl. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Spread over the crust up to the top. Use your assortment of fruit to decorate the tops in patterns and flavors you will enjoy.

3. For the glaze, combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Stir in lemon and pineapple juice until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir until thick. Let it cool then brush over the top of the fruit.

If any of you ACTUALLY need something easy, fun, and very impressive, please give these a try. They always turn out great and are so much fun to decorate with friends or family. It is a great recipe to have on hand for summer BBQs or picnics. Don't be afraid to get crazy with the kinds of things you use to decorate them with. Since the filling is white chocolate based, it goes great with almost anything. Personally, I like to do them in individual tart pans because then it makes decorating them a group experience and also allows for more experimentation. Also, don't try to be calorie conscious and leave out the glaze. It is the key to making them look perfect and it will also help to preserve the fruit so it doesn't dry out. Have fun!

Sugar Cookies

Easter, like most holidays now days, is always filled with all kinds of delicious treats. Not that I'm complaining, I'm always up for a little something sweet! I thought in celebration of the holiday I would share my favorite recipe for sugar cookies. Sugar cookies are such a staple treat that anyone who enjoys spending time in the kitchen should be able to make. They can come in handy on almost any occasion considering they can be shaped into anything and decorated with almost all colors and flavors. Roll some out and get creative!

SUGAR COOKIES

1 1/2 c Butter

2 c White Sugar

4 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

5 c Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough out onto a floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch thick. Use shaped cookie cutters or just a round cut-out to shape cookies.

3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until the cookies start to turn golden. Let them cool completely and ten decorate as you desire.

I made some of these today with my family and, I must say, decorating them is just too much fun! We made a big batch of white frosting and just dyed it all different colors; pink, purple, green, and yellow! After we made a huge mess, we had an overabundance of little bunnies, eggs, and flower cookies and they are still taking up quite a bit of counter space. Next time you need a fun activity and a tasty treat, I would definitely suggest trying these out!

Irish Soda Bread

In honor of the upcoming holiday, I decided to give you a recipe for a traditional Irish treat. Soda Bread! This is a pretty simple bread recipe given to me by my grandmother who is so Irish it's just plain silly. She would always make it around St. Patrick's Day and I thought I would as well.

IRISH SODA BREAD

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2.Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend egg and buttermilk together,

and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter. Pour into prepared

pan.

3.Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a

wire rack. Wrap in foil for several hours, or overnight, for best flavor.

Make it today and you'll have a great surprise for your friends and family when tomorrow comes

around! I hope you enjoy it.

English Muffins

Considering most of my posts are usually the kind of thing we, as semi-conscious eaters, try to avoid on a daily basis, I thought this week would be a good time to include something you can have fun making everyday without the guilt afterwards. English muffins are actually a healthy alternative in the mornings to toast and especially to bagels. They are good with jam, peanut butter, and, my personal favorite, fried eggs.

ENGLISH MUFFINS

1 c Milk

2 tbl White Sugar

1 pkg Active Dry Yeast

1 c Warm Water(110 degrees)

1/4 c Melted Shortening

6 c Flour

1 tsp Salt

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles and then remove from heat. Dissolve in the white sugar and then let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast into the warm water until creamy or for about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, mix 3 c flour, milk mixture, yeast, and shortening. Beat until smooth. Add the salt and enough of the left over flour to make a soft dough. Knead for a few minutes and then place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until almost doubled in size.

3. Punch down the dough and roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into about 2 1/2 in rounds and dust both sides with cornmeal. Place onto a wax paper, cover, and let rise for another 1/2 hour.

4. Heat greased griddle and cook each muffin for about 10 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Allow to cool and serve right away or store in a plastic bag.

I love, love, love english muffins and these ones definitely made the top of my list. Since they are homemade, you are given the chance to experiment with different flavors and ingredients just like the scones I made a few weeks ago. Adding raisins and cinnamon give you another classic variation of the english muffin or adding fruit and nuts could lead you to your new favorite! Personally, I enjoy mine with eggs and cheese so normally I stick to the classic. The only tip I would suggest is replacing the all-purpose flour with some whole wheat flour. Just like most baked goods, it is easy to give your creation a little bit more nutritional value by simply adding some flax, wheat germ, or oat bran. It definitely does change the texture but usually for the better.

Monkey Bread

I got this recipe from my grandma years ago. She would always make it for my brothers and I when we were little and we just couldn't get enough. It isn't the most nutritious treat but it is the perfect thing to make for those occasions that only come around a few times a year that call for an indulgent breakfast. It requires no more experience to make than boxed cake so even if you are brand new to the world of baking, you can impress your friends and family with this fabulous classic!

MONKEY BREAD

3 pkgs Frozen Biscuit Dough

3/4 c White Sugar

2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 c Butter

1 c Brown Sugar

1/2 c Chopped Walnuts(optional)

1/2 c Raisins(optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a pan with the shape of your choice.

2. Mix the white sugar and cinnamon together in a plastic bag. Cut the biscuit dough into cubes and shake 6 to 8 pieces together at a time in the sugar mixture. Place the pieces in the pan as you go and continue until all the dough has been covered. If you choose to use the nuts or raisins, make sure to spread them as you place the dough in the pan to make sure the are evenly dispersed.

3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together. Boil for one minute and then pour over the dough in the pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Let the bread sit in the pan for at least 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack.

One of my favorite things about this is it is so family friendly. Adults love it because it is a simple treat and kids love it because its sugary and really fun to eat! There is no need to cut this bread. Just let it cool and put it on a serving dish and it pulls right apart. This is another one of those posts where there is not much you can do to make it healthier but like I said, thats what makes it fun for those times of year that don't come around too often. It is also a really fun activity to do with friends because everyone can help do something and then you all get to enjoy it together!

Waffles

What does every person love to wake up to in the morning? A delicious and hearty breakfast.... like waffles! Waffles are a super easy way to make a daily routine seem a little more fun even without a special occasion. There are so many ways to top waffles and they go with everything, which is why they are one of my personal favorites.

WAFFLES

2 Eggs, beaten
1 c Milk
1/4 c Canola Oil
1/4 c Apple Sauce
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 c Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 c Wheat Germ
1/2 c All-Purpose Flour
1/4 c Flax Seed Germ
4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tbl Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt

1. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in remaining ingredients until smooth.
2. Preheat a waffle-iron and coat well with cooking spray. Pour in about 1/4 c of batter for each segment(may be different for different irons). Cook until golden brown and crispy.
3. Remove from waffle-iron and serve immediately. Cover with desired toppings and enjoy.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it is already so healthy! Most of the suggestions I would have normally suggested, have already been adapted into this specific recipe. Unfortunately, when talking about a breakfast food like waffles, it is so easy to negate all the health benefits bywhat is put on top. Creating a nice mixture of chopped apples, cinnamon, and a little brown sugar can give you a delicious alternative to syrup without adding too any calories or sugars.