The best thing to enter a microwave since...

Last week, I got an e-mail from my God-sister, Katie. While I was sick, it had been buried under a pile of (much more boring) work-related e-mails, so I didn't hit it until days after she sent it.

But when I finally opened it, I didn't quite believe what I saw...a single-serving chocolate cake you can make in a mug? In the microwave!?!

After my initial shock, it hit me. This could be, literally, the perfect dessert. Just think about it...
1. Who doesn't like anything that can be served in a mug?
2. This is fun for all ages. Little ones would love this; my high-schoolers would be pretty impressed, and my husband would be flabber-gasted (and thrilled!)
3. You can avoid the week-long temptation of having an entire cake sitting around your house after you cave into a chocolate craving and bake one.
4. This is like the ultimate version of hot chocolate. I mean, you could have people over and say, "May offer you a drink? A glass of tea? Some coffee? Perhaps a mug full of chocolate cake?"
5. Think of the clean-up time this would save!

Anyways, I tried it last night, and ladies, it worked like a charm.

Take a peek:



(Note: These are not my photos. These were sent with Katie's e-mail. Our camera's battery is dead, but I can assure you, my little mug of heaven looked pretty much the same...except my counter tops are far grosser than the ones pictured here:)

Here's the recipe Katie sent me for all of you who'd like to try this in your very own microwave!

The most dangerous cake recipe: 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

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

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?

Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

As if we needed another reason to love our microwaves.

Thanks for sending this Katie!

Enjoy everyone, and Happy Tuesday (and St. Patrick's Day!)

It can't be...

I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw this in the store.

I'd heard about this from a friend of mine, but I wasn't so sure it actually existed.

And there, on today of all days, when I needed it most, I saw it...

Yep. That's right. Look closely. It bears two of the magic "C" words.

Chocolate and Caffeine.

It's hot chocolate with a kick, a caffeine kick! Take a closer look, just so you can see the beauty of it.

"As much caffeine as a cup of coffee?" Hallelujah!

I am so tired this week. I haven't been able to get more than five hours of sleep a night, and on top of that, I had a two-hour meeting with our health insurance agent yesterday that really put me over the edge as far as stress goes. So my 5 a.m. wake-up time has been hurting more than usual lately. I'm literally starting to dream about dreaming.

I was searching for anything in the grocery store early this morning to get me through my day of lesson-planning when I spotted the caffeinated-chocolatey-treat-of-goodness. True, I already had a latte in my hand. True, I don't need anymore chocolate. True, I probably won't be able to drink just one serving, making this more binge then blessing.

But they were just sitting there on the shelf, like a little answered prayer. A little combo of my two favorite things in the whole world: Chocolate and Caffeine.

I waited for someone, anyone, to tell me "Brittany, walk away. Brittany, put down the powdered beverage. Brittany Ann, if you don't drop that right now, there will be no chocolate for a week! Two weeks! Drop it! Drop it, I said!"

Instead, I heard a different voice, my own voice, reading aloud, incredulously, the little typed sign, positioned just below the drink of my dreams and sealing my fate for the day.

"Buy one, get one FREE."