Feed your Curiosity

Mr. A and I are back from a beautiful week in the Caribbean! Oh how I had missed tropical vacations! Palm trees, exotic fruit, the smell of the ocean, bright sunny days and nights with star-filled skies, endless buffet options... Paradise!

I ate almost everything at the buffet (when I wasn't feeling sick). I know it's not a healthy way of thinking but I do not see buffets as restaurants, I see them as challenges that I am (usually) ready to tackle. Challenge: taste everything! Even if someone tells me that x or y food does not taste good, whether it looks tasty or not, I must try it. I have to feed my curiosity just as much as I have to feed myself. By the end of the week, my curiosity and I were well fed and the buffet went back to being what it should be: a restaurant (not a challenge).

On another note, I had many opportunities to practice my Spanish this past week. To my surprise, I was actually able to carry a conversation! And guess what! After a few drinks, I was practically fluent in Spanish!! Just add "o" or "a" at the end of all the words and there you have it... ¡Español! (I hope you all know I'm kidding).

I hate to say it but, to be honest, I missed home. I'm not exactly happy that my vacation is over but I am happy to be back. Don't get me wrong; I loved the past week! However, I felt bad not doing anything productive with my time. I'm usually always running around and finding things to do so laying down on the beach or by the pool for hours at a time felt unnatural to me. This said, I know that if I had spent my week off running around in Montreal, I would be complaining and saying that I want to go to the beach and spend my day doing nothing. When I'm relaxing on the beach, I want to be doing something; when I'm doing something, I want to be relaxing on the beach. Yes, this is how I am sometimes... I think it's a woman thing. *sigh*

Back to reality, back to blogging and back to cooking! (I missed cooking so much!! I really missed blogging too!)

Here is the recipe of little cornmeal fritters that would always make an appearance on our plates.

Arepitas de maiz

Ingredients
 

- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon anis seed
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- about one cup of oil for frying or less if you choose to panfry them.

Directions

1. Mix cornmeal, milk, eggs, anis seeds, sugar and salt.
2. Heat the oil on medium heat in a frying pan until it is around 350-375F.
3. Add spoonfuls of the mixture to the hot oil. You can flatten them to look like mini pancakes (easier if pan frying).
 *Note: It is best if you work in small batches (about two at a time) to maintain the heat of the oil.
4. Fry until golden brown.
5. Once golden brown, transfer the arepitas on a kitchen cloth to drain a bit of the oil.
6. Serve hot.

 

Big Decisions Coming My Way!

My suitcase is out and now I have a big dilemma to solve: how much clothes do I REALLY need for a one week trip to the South? Hey, Summer! Hey, Sunshine! You don't need to come to me. I will come to YOU! (although today is pretty stunning and surprisingly warm for a mid-September Montreal day.)

For somebody who loves to plan and is very organized, I'm really surprised that I have not started packing yet. We are leaving early in the morning tomorrow. All I've done is crowd a table with toiletries (half of which I probably do not need).

I have OPS: Over-Packing-Syndrome. I think it's a syndrome. When packing, something happens in my brain. Some sort of neurological message gets sent and I get this strong urge to stuff everything in the suitcase so that I have the luxury of choice when on vacation. "Luxury of Choice" goes hand-in-hand with "Heavy Suitcase Problem". And of course, "Heavy Suitcase Problem" results in carrying or dragging that heavy weight and then crossing your fingers hoping that you do not get an overweight surcharge. Not very luxurious.

Looking forward to the days where my biggest and most important decisions would be deciding whether to go to the beach or to the pool; to tan burn on my stomach or on my back; or choosing between a mojito or a daiquiri (or maybe one of those giant drinks that come in a coconut, por favor!)

Here is a wonderful song that will put anyone in a serene, summer mood. Just get yourself a nice drink (maybe a Mojito? Recipe below), hit play, sit back and enjoy the little journey.

 

See you all in a week!

Mojito
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

- 40 fresh mint leaves
- 2 limes, cut into 4 wedges
- 1/2 c white sugar (or Splenda. It dissolves better)
- 4 cups of ice cubes
- 3/4 cup white rum
- 2 cups club soda or carbonated water

Directions

Place mint leaves and 2 lime wedges into a glass. Use a muddler to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice. Add 2 more lime wedges and the sugar, and muddle again to release the lime juice. Do not strain the mixture. Fill the glass almost to the top with ice. Pour the rum over the ice, and fill the glass with club soda or carbonated water. Stir and sweeten to taste. Garnish with the remaining lime wedges. Cheers!

 

I'm THAT girl!

I confess! I am the girl who will stop to pick up a quarter from the ground (usually when they are face up so that they're lucky ☺ ); the girl who will take not one but two (or even three) pieces of candy on the way out of a restaurant; the girl who eats samples at the supermarket then casually yet somewhat discretely takes a second piece if I like it; and the girl who signs up for contests all the time. Yes, I am THAT girl. That somewhat annoying girl.

Let me tell you one thing though-- I am proud to be that girl! Because you know what? It paid off!

I WON!!! ☺

 

Before you get excited, I should tell you what I won. I won a pair of tickets to the Elegant Wedding Show! I know it's nothing significant and I am sure many people who applied won tickets but it made me so happy! All I had to do is fill out a short participation form on Facebook and a few days later, I got the great news.

Some people find the fact that I sign up for contests and competitions quite funny. I don't blame them. I sign up for cooking competitions and know in the back of my mind that I will not get far. I also sign up to win luxury vacations, cars, subscriptions to magazines, a free box of cereal, etc. What are the odds of me winning? Quite slim! But I always tell myself one thing:

If I try, I have nothing to lose; if I don't try, I have nothing to gain.

I use those few words as a guide in many aspects of my life. I woke up yesterday to start a normal day and out of nowhere, I find out that my free tickets to the wedding show are on their way. How can an unexpected surprise like that not make anybody happy?

I will go to the Elegant Wedding Show and soak in all the beauty and innovative ideas. Just looking at the website is mesmerizing. You should all know that I am not a crazy bride-to-be. I do not only talk about weddings, flowers, tablecloth colors and wedding favors. I am a hopeless romantic and in love with love. Frankly, all those little details are secondary to me. The day I become "Mrs. Mr. A" will be a day to celebrate our love with our close family and friends. A wedding is a wedding, not a show.

But of course, at the risk of sounding hypocritical, I still want a beautiful wedding. Despite what I just said, we are still getting married and cannot do so in an undecorated, empty room so I need to go to the Elegant Wedding Show for inspiration!

A friendly warning to Mr. A (or to whoever is coming with me to this Wedding show): I will sign up for even more contests and will sneak extra cake samples☺!

Here is Martha Stewart's recipe of adorable wedding cake cookies. I love how delicate and precious these look.

Sugar Cookie Cakes

Ingredients

- 8 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

- 2 teaspoons baking powder

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened

- 4 cups sugar

- 4 eggs

- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Directions

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough into 4 pieces; flatten each into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or overnight)
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let 1 disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick, adding more flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Using cookie cutters, cut out 2 dozen 3 1/2-inch rounds, 2 dozen 2 3/4-inch rounds, and sixteen 2-inch rounds. Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment paper as you work, keeping rounds of the same size on the same sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill in freezer until very firm, about 15 minutes.
3. Bake until edges turn golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; let cool completely. Transfer icing to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip. Pipe around top edges of each cookie, about 1/4 inch from edge; fill in with a thin layer of icing. Smooth with a small offset spatula. (Reserve about 1/4 cup icing for assembling cookie cakes.) Let set, at least 6 hours (or overnight).
4. Stack 3 large cookies, securing with dabs of icing in between. Repeat, stacking 3 medium cookies and 2 small cookies on top. Secure a gum-paste flower on top of each cookie cake using a small amount of icing. Repeat with remaining cookies and icing. Let stand until set, at least 30 minutes, before packaging.

I'm on The CCC!

Did you know? I change curtains almost as often as I change my clothes. I just found that out recently. I am learning so much about myself! It has been about two weeks since we painted our bedroom and we are now on our 6th or 7th set of curtains. I am really not a difficult person and am not very picky but these curtains are either too narrow, too short, too translucent, too dark, too bulky or too ugly.

To all you curtain designers out there, I have a few words for you! Windows are NOT 1 meter wide so curtains should NOT be 1 meter wide! I understand it's a business and you want us to buy more curtains to cover our windows but you know what would be great? Finding more than 2 curtains at the store. You know what else would be GREAT? Finding curtains that are longer than the standard 84 inches! I can't make these curtains grow longer so please, oh please, get back to your drawing tables and rethink a few things, Dear Curtain Designers.

You know what is really time consuming? Folding curtains so that they fit in the package they came in. After about the 4th set of curtains I purchased, I gave up on the idea of covering the whole window. I am unfolding only one curtain, hanging it, not liking it, leaving it there for the night while the other half of the window is "un-curtained", taking down the hanging curtain the next day, folding it meticulously (which is truly an art that I have now mastered. It is also a true test of patience for the rookie curtain folder I was a few curtain sets ago), returning it to the store, buying another one, unfolding only one curtain, and thus continuing my journey on The Chain of Curtain Craze (The CCC)!

 

My last resort for curtains is Ikea.



The CCC (The Chain of Curtain Craze) meets The IC (The Ikea Craze)

I have been dodging the idea of going to Ikea mainly to avoid a headache. Things could get very crazy there. Maneuvering your way through the store is like driving without any stop signs, lights or speed limits. People just stop in the middle of everything to gaze at bedding, sofa covers and jars to store cotton balls in. Don't get me wrong -- I do it too! That is the whole purpose of Ikea! I mostly gaze at colorful napkins, spatulas, whisks and Tupperware sets. But that chaotic environment is so exhausting. While you try to avoid bumping into the person who is in front of you, the person behind you slams into you. I should just get into my "I'm a fake New Yorker" state of mind and go! (And perhaps treat myself to their frozen yogurt on the way out! ☺)

Have you ever tried to make your own frozen yogurt? It's much easier than making ice cream. Here is a MUST TRY recipe. Here is a video tutorial I found online.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients

 

- 1 can (14 ounces) non-fat condensed milk

- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt

- 1 cup milk

- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

     

Directions

 

In a large metal bowl with an electric mixer, beat together condensed milk, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth. With mixer on low, beat in yogurt, milk, and cocoa powder until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Freeze until firm but (about 4 hours) beating or stirring vigorously every hour. If too hard, let frozen yogurt sit on the counter for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

 

Guilty Pleasures

I love reading tabloids while I am waiting in line at the supermarket. It's one of my guilty pleasures. Generally, most of my other guilty pleasures involve sugar, an abundance of chocolate, a jar of Nutella and a spoon. But really! How can you read a headline that says "Alien Bible Found!" or "Man's Head Explodes in Barber's Chair" and not be slightly curious?

Sometimes I make a conscious decision to stand in the longest line at the supermarket so that I can flip through the pages of these tabloids. I never buy them but, for some reason, I love reading about and seeing pictures of the secret lives of celebrities, their on again-off again relationships, see them compare their butts to Kim Kardashian's and *gasp* are those wrinkles and cellulite?!? These tabloids are so bad that they are actually good! Does that make any sense? I know that most of the stories are not true and frankly, I don't care. I have a love-hate relationship with them though. I love them because they entertain me for a short period of time; but I hate them because some people's sheer stupidity makes me so angry. Just thinking about the stories they try to convince us of hits a nerve. I sometimes feel sorry for the people who have to put these tabloid articles together. Surely they don't believe everything they publish, right? (I hope they don't!)  As I indulge in the ridiculous gossip and stories, my facial expressions go from neutral to "huh?" to "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" very quickly.

So, back to guilty pleasures. My list of guilty pleasures can get very long: eating just the icing off of cakes then leaving the rest in the fridge (yeah, I do that sometimes. But I end up throwing the cake away shortly after cause well, you know, it's not a pretty sight-- naked icing-free cakes!), watching retro cartoons on Saturday mornings, making the ORIGINAL duckface with Pringles almost every time I open a jar, snatching extra toiletries from the hotel concierge cart...the list can go on.

Thank goodness that doughnuts are not one of my guilty pleasures. If they were, I think I would be 20 pounds heavier. But I know they are guilty pleasures for many of you so if you want the "pleasure" part of the doughnut minus the "guilt", I introduce to you DOUGHNUT MUFFINS or DOUGH-FFINS!! These are the easiest, fastest, tastiest "muffins" you'll ever make. And believe it or not, they aren't THAT bad for you.

 

Doughnut Muffins (dough-ffins?)

Ingredients

Doughnut

- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- a pinch of nutmeg (about 1/6th of a teaspoon)
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt(not Greek yogurt)
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- a splash of vanilla extract (about 1 tablespoon)
- a few drops of almond extract (about 1/8th of a teaspoon)

Toppings/Varieties

• If you want a cinnamon-sugar dough-ffin (my personal favorite), you will need:

- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix sugar and cinnamon together.

•  If you want a jelly dough-ffin, you will need:

- 1/3 cup of your favorite jelly(raspberry and strawberry work best)
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
* Important note* If you decide to make this dough-ffin, fill only half the muffin tin with the dough mixture, add a teaspoon of jelly in the middle and add the rest of the dough mixture until the top.

• If you want a chocolate glazed dough-ffin, you will need:

- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons milk
In a small bowl, combine cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Add milk and whisk until smooth.
 Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

1. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl.
2. Add sugar, salt and nutmeg.
3. Mix together and make a little well in the middle of your bowl. 4. Add the milk, yogurt, egg, oil, vanilla and almond extract.
5. Mix the wet ingredients together with a fork and slowly start incorporating the dry ingredients while mixing.
6. Add to greased muffin tins (dough-ffin tins!!) and bake for 9-10 minutes. (*if making Jelly filled dough-ffins, see message above)
7. As soon as it is out of the oven, remove from the tins and customize your dough-ffin.
       7.1. If you want cinnamon-sugar, brush the warm dough-ffin with the melted butter and toss in cinnamon-sugar mixture until well incorporated.
   7.2. If you made jelly filled dough-ffins, coat the dough-fin in melted butter and toss in powdered sugar.
   7.3. If you want chocolate glazed, dip the top half (or all) the dough-ffin in the chocolate glaze. Top with sprinkles, crushed toasted nuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, etc.

 

The Upside of Cold

Did you feel how cold it was this past weekend?! And this morning?? I think it's official. We can say goodbye. Goodbye to the heat, goodbye to cute strappy sandals, goodbye to bathing suits and shorts and goodbye to summer. We can also say goodbye to mosquito bites and sunburns! ☺

Like most of you, I am a little upset that summer is over but I'm also really happy. One of the reasons why I am happy is because I want this year to pass by very quickly because well.. you know! Only 362 days left until I walk down the aisle! ☺

Although not many of you can relate to my first reason, I think a lot of you can relate to my second reason why I'm at peace with summer ending.

 

I like to hide under my clothes.

 

Let me explain!  I had a cold this weekend (another sign that summer is at a close). Well I still have a cold. My ears are plugged, I have a red nose, paler than usual skin (that I put great effort to hide with bronzer), I have a headache, a sore throat and I sound like I have been a chain smoker for the past 30 years. I also sound a bit like Phoebe when she is "rocking it" at Central Perk. (see video below) ☺

What's wonderful is that, when I went outside, I hid under a jacket, a scarf and big sunglasses. I still felt like crap but I looked fabulous pretty decent! In the summer, you don't have the luxury to hide under your clothes like that. I am well aware that disguise has to come off when you get to work but hey! I liked seeing myself morph from I-have-a-cold-Tania to fabulously-decent-Tania.   

See you next year, summer. It has been wonderful. I bid you farewell and hope that I am not a bridezilla next time I see you.

In honor of this beautiful, autumn-like weather (although I think it's not too cold outside now), here is Chef Michael Smith's Mulled Apple Cider recipe. I made it around this time last year and looking forward to making it again!

Michael Smith's Mulled Apple Cider

Ingredients

- 2 cups of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 2 liters (8 cups) fresh cider
- 1 orange
- 24 cloves
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 branches of rosemary
- 8 star anise pods (or 2 teaspoons ground star anise)
- 1 bottle of Chardonnay or Apple wine

Directions Place the sugar and water in a medium sized sauce, large enough to hold the cider and wine. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil and continue simmering as it forms syrup and the water boils away. Do not stir or shake the pot. When the syrup begins to brown gently swirl the pot until the caramel is a deep golden brown. Working quickly and carefully, add the cider to "shock" the caramel and prevent it from burning. It will splatter, so be careful! Bring the entire mixture to a simmer. Spike the orange with the cloves and add to the cider. Add the remaining ingredients and continue simmering for about 30 minutes until the cider reduces by about a third. Add the wine, bring the mixture back to the simmer and serve immediately in a festive mug. Garnish each serving with a rosemary sprig.

2,857 Open Tabs.. Still Open!

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I was cranky when I went to bed last night and hoped that I could sleep it off. I couldn't. Sometimes (more often than I would want), I get in a bad mood and just cannot snap out of it. I think too much. I think my way into bad moods and have so much trouble thinking my way out of them. Remember what I said in my first post?

 

A lot of damage can happen with 2,857 open tabs.

 

I then remembered a quote I read: One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.

 

The first positive thought of the day was very easy.

 

Exactly a year from today, I will marry Mr. A!!! ☺

 

Of course, that thought put a great big smile on my face and I told myself that this time next year, I don't want to remember that I was upset for no real reason a year before.

 

Only 365 days left! ☺

 

Second positive thought of the day: It's Friday!
 

I cannot always rely on just my thoughts to get me out of an irritated mood. So I then tried to "lock in" my happiness by doing little good deeds that would make me and others smile. As I opened the door this morning to get into the building where I work, there was a woman several steps behind me. There was enough distance for me to let the door close behind me but instead, I waited and held the door for her as well. I know it's nothing significant but I was able to make her smile early in the morning  (when we all wish to still be asleep) and because smiles are contagious, it made me smile as well. Believe it or not, I genuinely felt better.

Here is a poignant video I saw a few months ago. I encourage you to watch it. You can take 5 minutes out of your busy day to watch this, right?

I am not telling you something that you don't already know. I am sure you have seen similar videos and heard such things before but have you let these videos inspire you? Have you let them influence your behavior of the day? Have you put the things you just saw in the video into action? You would be surprised how the smallest of things and the tiniest of good deeds can have a great effect on YOU and everyone.

I really need to remember all this next time I am in a bad mood. Sometimes my "bad mood phase" can last a few days. This blog is beginning to be very therapeutic for me.

Because I feel good now (well I feel better... feeling good is a work in progress), here is the recipe of a feel good, healthy food: Falafel Pizza. The "crust" is a giant baked falafel topped with veggies and goodies.

Falafel Pizza

Ingredients

Crust

- 1 can chickpeas (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of parsley
- 2 tablespoons of cilantro
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon hot red pepper paste
- 1 teaspoon salt

Toppings

You can really add whatever topping you want. I put:
- tomatoes
- olives
- lettuce
- radishes
- green onions
- parsley

Tahini Sauce (taratour)

- 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Add all the Falafel "crust" ingredients in a food processor and purée.
3. Spray a cookie sheet with oil.
4. Put falafel mixture on the cookie sheet and spread it flat (about 3/4 of an inch thin).
5. Bake for about 25-30 minutes.
6. When out of the oven, top with any topping you want and drizzle with the tahini sauce.

I'm another black guy!

Mr. A and I were talking today about why I am writing this blog. It took me a moment to find an honest answer. I enjoy writing and I am having a lot of fun sharing my little stories and recipes. I read other people's blogs and they always put a smile on my face. If I can make at least one person smile with my blog posts or if one reader can relate to my stories, I'm happy. But is that the only reason? Probably not. As selfish as it may sound (is it selfish?), I want recognition. I do not want to be the center of attention but I want to be heard. Don't judge me. Don't we all want to be heard?

When we were in New York last week, walking down Times Square, we constantly got stopped to buy tour bus tickets, show tickets or the CDs of aspiring rappers. On our first day, we purchased 2 CDs. The following day, as we made our way down the crowded streets, we were stopped again to buy CDs. As we walked by saying that we already purchased some, the guy yelled "I'm another black guy!" He was one of the many, many others who wanted to be heard and who wanted to be recognized.

That is who I am also. Just one tiny drop in this world who wants to be heard, who wants to succeed, who wants to be recognized and acknowledged. I have dreams, goals and hopes that go further than my imagination can take me and by writing this blog and by sharing my stories, I feel that I am taking the steps to get to where I want to be. We are all just tiny drops.

I have only been blogging for three weeks and have about 900 page views. I do not know if that number is good in a blogger's world (it's probably not great. I see other blogs with hundreds of likes and comments) but it's good for me (for now)! Perhaps some day my audience will grow (hopefully--- please share my page if you like it!) but for now, I feel heard and that makes me happy.

Today's recipe is different than the others. Here is a nice little recipe for success.

Note: Success is always better when shared so pass it around. ☺

A "Prep Wife" kind of Weekend

I had a very "Prep Wife" kind of weekend. I completed all my "wife" duties and then some! I cleaned, did the laundry, cooked and even painted a room. I have been thinking about painting our bedroom for some time (key word: thinking... not doing). When we moved a little over a year ago, we were quite content with the previous owners' choices of colors so we did not paint anything. It felt like the easiest  and smoothest moving experience ever. One of our bedroom walls was bright red. I liked it at first; however after a while, a red bedroom becomes tiring. Because I have been THINKING about painting our room and not actually DOING anything, I started to get angry at the sight of that damn red wall. They say red is the color of passion. I guess that is somewhat fitting for a bedroom but it is also the color of anger.

I really do not like to be the type of person who says who wants something and expects things to happen. No. That's not how life works. If you want something done, YOU DO IT! So that is exactly what I did. At first, I was overwhelmed by the amount of work ahead of me but I put my Big-Girl-Panties on (because we all know what those are now), purchased everything, dropped my phone and shattered the screen, cursed a little and got to work (and then cursed a little more at the sight of my phone)!

Mr. A was out and my "genius plan" was to surprise him. Yeah... that didn't happen. The stool that we have is not very high so I couldn't reach the top of our walls. Instead of surprising him with a freshly painted, beautiful room, I surprised him with a freshly 3/4-of-the-wall painted room that he needed to finish painting!



If you want something done, do it!

 

 

Because our weekend was so busy, I thought it would be nice to give you the recipe of a super fast and fool-proof treat. We have all heard of quick brownie-in-a-mug microwave recipes but here is a CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE IN A MUG microwave recipe! You can be sitting with your freshly "baked" cookie in maximum 5 minutes. If you are feeling extra indulgent, top with whipped cream or ice cream! ☺

 

I couldn't help but laugh when I wrote "fool-proof". That's a lie. No recipe is fool-proof. Sometimes I even surprise myself with the extent of my foolishness. I remember the first time I made a brownie in a mug recipe. My sister and I really wanted a brownie so I thought it would be the perfect recipe to try. Well I did not mix the egg well enough with the other ingredients and the final result was close to a chocolate omelet in a mug! My sister was ever so kind to take a few bites then finally surrendered.

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug

 

Ingredients

 

- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter

- 1 tbsp. white sugar

- 1 tbsp. brown sugar

- a splash of vanilla extract (about 3/4 tsp.)

- a small pinch of salt

- 1 egg yolk (save the egg white for a future recipe (meringues, perhaps?) or throw it out)

- 3 tbsp. flour

- 1/4 tsp. baking powder

- 2 tbsp. chocolate chips (Your choice of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate or even peanut butter chips!)

 

Directions

 

1. Get a cup! Make sure it is microwave-safe.

2. Put your butter in the cup and microwave until melted (about 30 seconds depending on your microwave).

3. Add white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix well.

4. Add you egg yolk and mix some more.

5. Add the flour and the baking powder. Mix until well incorporated.

6. Finally, add the chocolate chips and fold in.

7. Microwave for about 40 seconds. Again, it all depends on your power of your microwave. Start with 40 seconds and zap it an extra 5-10 seconds if you need to.

8. Serve immediately. Top with whipped cream or ice cream if you like. ☺