5 Minute Chocolate Cake

A recipe from my dear 'old' Dad~

Many of you who know my father will also know that he is not a particularly fabulous cook. He gets by and does a decent job considering he is all alone and has not always had to cook for himself. He has learned alot over the years since his and my mother's divorce. Much like a fine wine, he has gotten better with the passing of time. My father and I are alot alike. We both love the internet for all it's resources and we both love to learn. My father recently sent me a recipe that he got from the internet and I loved it so much that I had to share it. It's called 5 Minute Chocolate Cake - and yes - it really does only take 5 minutes from beginning to end. I love this recipe because I am often alone with the girls while my dear husband is on the road with his job. Making a big chocolate cake for dessert will only lead to me becoming fat because I have no self control around chocolate. This recipe is wonderful because it only serves 2 people and is super fast. I have made it several times since receiving my father's email last month and my college-aged duaghter has made it for late night snacks as well when she had a friend over to watch a movie. It is the perfect way to be a good hostess without all the time and mess of a traditional cake. Here's the recipe and directions:

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
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 (microwave safe), a tablespoon measure & a fork to mix it all.


Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

(This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

Frugality Cubed

~Creative ways with ice cube trays~
In a recent article from MSN, the writer said that a friend of hers pours leftover coffee into ice-cube trays. The caffeinated cubes make first-rate iced coffee because they chill the beverage without diluting it. That got me thinking about other creative ways to use ice cube trays. I have used trays for multiple purposes in the past, but had not thought of using them to freeze those ‘little bit of leftovers.’ Here are a few suggestions to help you save some money with the oft overlooked and lowly ice cube tray.

1. You can save a lot of money by making your own baby food. Steam and puree vegetables (which you can mix with meat and/or rice or other grains if you like), or puree soft fresh fruits. Frankly – I just used to put the leftovers from the dinner table into a bullet blender and make Ashley’s baby food. As your baby gets older you can chop things a little more coarsely with just a fork. If necessary, thin these foods with a little of the cooking water from vegetables. That way there are even move vitamins being utilized instead of being tossed down the drain. Freeze this mashed goodness in ice cube trays and store in Ziploc style freezer bags. To save more money – you can re-use your zip-loc style bags. Unless the bags are greasy with meat residue, they're easy to wash and reuse.
2. Speaking of that veggie cooking water: Even people without babies should save those nutrients. Freeze the liquid for use in homemade soups. If you have younger kids, freeze some of the cubes extra-small and add one or two to a toddler's soup to cool the soup without diluting it.
3. Freeze herbal teas, lemonade or fruit juices for use in summertime drinks. Then, when you need an ice cube for a drink – it doesn’t get that watered down taste.
4. When a recipe calls for just a partial can of tomato paste, or sauce or juice don't leave the rest of the can in the fridge to grow fuzz. Freeze it for future meals.
5. If you can’t finish the milk or yogurt before it goes bad, freeze it. Then thaw a couple of cubes at a time for cooling morning oatmeal or coffee. It also makes great smoothies. My own version of a Strawberry Colada smoothie is made by tossing the following into a blender: 6 oz. milk, 1 ½ TBS. strawberry flavored Tang and a splash of Coco-Real. I then fill the magic bullet blender mug the rest of the way with crushed ice and give it a whirl. It’s VERY GOOD STUFF!!!
6. Bananas, strawberries or other fresh fruit getting too ripe? Puree and freeze them. Then add the cubes to your smoothies (or thaw them for baby's dessert).
7. Freeze homemade pesto: It's easy to pull out just a couple of cubes for appetizers or to brighten up a jar of store-bought spaghetti sauce.
8. Freeze white vinegar in ice cubes and put them in a large zip lock bag in freezer. Once a week, grab 2-3 vinegar cubes and put down garbage disposal to clean and freshen it.
9. Freeze leftover chicken stock. Each cube is about a tablespoon. When sautéing meats or veggies, throw a couple of cubes in the pan. You can then use less oil and it adds a little flavor.
10. Soda that has gone flat can be frozen into cubes and then used either as a mini-popsicle or to cool down other soda drinks. Ginger ale frozen into cubes is good added to iced tea.
11. The ice cube trick also works for fresh herbs. Cut them up into water and freeze in the ice cube trays. Use for soups etc.
12. Another great idea to use those little bits of leftover dinner (like the last of the gravy, a few bits of roast, a few peas or a little corn) is to put one of those large empty ice cream containers in your freezer. When your meal is over, put the leftovers into the container. When it's full, get out the crock pot, add a can of tomatoes and get yourself the best soup you've had in a long time.
13. It's more efficient to keep one's freezer full than it is to keep it half-empty anyway, so those bags of frozen cubes may help save on the electric bill, as long as you allow space for proper circulation. The more your freezer is filled with frozen goods (such as ice), the less energy it takes to keep cool.
14. Don't rule out non-food uses. Crafters have always known that ice cube trays are good for organizing beads and small hardware. You can use them to hold small amounts of paint for crafts and even mix some of the colors in an empty compartment. Use in the bedroom to sort small pieces of jewelry: pins, rings, earrings.

Store what you Use & Use what you store. Never throw away useable food or other non-food products! If you have something usable but don’t think you personally are going to use it – give it away or donate it to a local charity. Someone will be thankful to have what you don’t want. One man’s trash really is another man’s treasure.

Emergency Preparedness Tips

10 Tips on Preparing for Emergency Situations
These are just my own suggestions. I am sure there are plenty of other good suggestions out there, but these are a good place to start.

1. Go through your 72 hour kits every 6 months on a specific weekend. Since I write to a mostly LDS audience and I myself am LDS, I choosse to do this task each General Conference weekend (in April and October). I put my kits in the floor as I am watching the Saturday sessions and go through them. Anything that is out of date is replaced. If I do not have stock on hand to do this – I go to the store that very evening after conference and get whatever is needed.

2. These weekends are also a great time to go through all the flashlights and check the batteries. Make sure you have extra batteries on hand for them just in case they die before the next conference. ALWAYS – replace the batteries (at conference time or every 6 months on your own schedule) in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. If the battery is still good – replace it anyway with a new one and use the old one for a less important purpose.

3. Candles – Use decorative candle sconces in your home. That way – in the event of a power outage – you can have hands-free light in every room that you need. NEVER – leave a candle burning in an unattended room. Store matches in a place where every adult has access and knows where to find them. I choose to put them on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet in each bathroom as well as on top of the fridge.

4. Put a small flashlight in the nightstand of each bedroom. The self-generating kind are great – then you don’t have to worry about battery life.

5. Generators – having a small portable one on hand can save your freezer and refrigerator in a summertime prolonged power outage. A good small generator can be purchased for as little as $300 – $400. (I know I have a lot more food than that in my freezer!) Make sure that you have at least 5 gallons of fuel stored and designated especially for the generator. Check with city officials about ordinances regarding fuel storage in residential neighborhoods if you want to store more than that. A 2000 watt portable generator will provide enough juice to power you fridge, freezer and the blower for your furnace. (You must have your furnace blower wired with an accessory plug in order to connect to a generator in the event of a power outage.)

6. If you have an alternative heat source (wood burning stove – fireplace – propane or kerosene heaters) make sure that all the adults in your house know how to properly and safely use it. Make sure that you have plenty of ‘fuel’ or wood stored for these sources.

7. Alternative cooking sources should be stored for an emergency as well. A solar oven is great, but expensive. A good, portable and cheap alternative for those just getting started is a butane stove (about $25 – canisters of fuel are about $2). A folding stove with fuel cell cans for a 72 hour kit is good as well and will only run you about $15 with 2 cans of fuel. Propane stoves that fit the small propane canisters are also relatively cheap and easy to use for a beginner. Again – whatever you chose – practice cooking with it and learn how to use it ahead of time!

8. Keep a pair of comfortable shoes in the same location as your 72 hour kit, in case you have to evacuate in a hurry and do not have time to go hunting for your good hikers or tennis shoes.

9. Place a laminated photo of each family member on a lanyard and attach it to their 72-hour kit. Write all pertinent information on the back of the photo including the name of the person, cell numbers for the parents or spouse, allergies to drugs, ect. In the event of an emergency – each family member should remove the lanyard from the pack and wear it around their neck. That way- if you are separated from your children – they can be identified and you can be more easily located. You and your medical issues can also be identified with this information if you are found unconscious.

10. Put a small set of scriptures in your 72 hour kits. This will be a great source of comfort in any emergency. (For a small child – have a favorite story book and/or a stuffed toy or card game like old maid, Uno, ect)

Just get prepared! You never know when an emergency will strike.