Five Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 T. flour
4 T. sugar
2 T. cocoa
1/8 t. baking powder
1 egg
3 T. milk
3 T. oil
3 T. chocolate chips
1/8 t. vanilla extract
1 large mug (microwave safe, I bought mine at the $1 store)

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then add the milk, oil, egg and vanilla and mix well. Add chocolate chips and mix again. Spray your mug with cooking spray and pour mixture into mug. 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. I made these for my laurels for their birthdays. It would also be a great visiting teaching gift. Below is another recipe for another flavor. Enjoy!

Chocolate Butterscotch Mug Cake

1 egg
3 T. milk
3 T. oil
1/8 t. vanilla
1/8 t. baking powder
1/4 t. cinnamon
4 T. brown sugar
2 T. instant butterscotch pudding powder
4 T. flour
2 T. chocolate chips

Follow the the same directions above for these ingredients.

recipe from: microwavemugcakes.com

Rainbow Jell-o

I LOVE  jell-O! When I was a kid my mom would make rainbow jello three times a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my birthday. As a mother with three jello crazed kids, I make it nearly once a month. (typically I only make two or three colors) YUM!

Rainbow Jello
For each layer you:
1. Dissolve a box of jello in 1C. boiling water
2. Once the jello has dissolved, take out 1/2c. of the liquid and set aside.
3. With the remaining jello, add 1/4C. cold water
4. Pour into pan. (when I make 2-3 layers I use an 8x8, if doing all the rainbow I use a 9x13)
5. While the clear layer sets take the 1/2C. leftover and add 1/3C. plain yogurt or sour cream.
6. Once the clear layer has set, pour the creamy layer on top.
7. Repeat for each color

picture courtesy of: http://adventuresofafoodslut.blogspot.com/  we keep eating it before I have time to take a picture!

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

3 to 4 chicken breasts, well pounded (I just use Chicken tenders)
4 to 6 slices ham (lunchment works great)
4 to 6 slices Swiss cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
crackers

Place chicken in the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan. Place ham on top, then cheese. Combine the sour cream and Cream of Chicken soup. (I double my sauce so there is extra sauce for rice) Pour on top of cheese. Sprinkle with crushed up crackers if desired. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. I serve it with rice. This is really easy and tastes great. Enjoy!

Pretzel Turtles

Easy Pretzel Turtles (Recipe from Our Best Bites Blog)

small pretzels
Rolo candies - one bag has about 55 candies
Pecan halves - or optionally peanuts, cashews, almonds and m&m's
Optional: almond bark or white chocolate for drizzling

This is easy as can be! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet. I like to use parchment paper for easy handling, but you can also put them on foil, a silpat, or directly onto the cookie sheet.

Unwrap your Rolo candies and place one on top of each pretzel like a cute little hat.

Place pan in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove pan from oven and take a pecan (or other nut or M&M) and gently press it right into the center of the chocolate candy.

Drizzle with almond bark or white chocolate. Just melt some in a plastic baggie and nip the corner off to drizzle. A little goes a long way; I used a half a square of almond bark for half a batch and had plenty left over.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls!

Wow, these are amazing. Don't make these if you are on a diet. Just make them and don't count how many sticks of butter it calls for.

1/2 c warm water

2 packs dry yeast

2 TB sugar

3 1/2 oz instant vanilla pudding mix

1/2 c butter, melted

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

6 c flour

Combine water, yeast, & sugar. Stir until dissolved; set aside. In a large bowl prepare puding according to the box directions. Add butter, eggs, and salt to pudding. Mix well. Add yeast mixture: blend together. Gradually add flour and knead until smooth. Place in greased bowl; let rise until doubled. Punch down; rise again. Roll out on floured board (34" x 21"). Spread on 1 cup softened butter (I only did 3/4 cup). Combine 2 c brown sugar & 4 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle over butter. Roll tightly and cut about 1 1/2" slices. Place about 2" apart on greased cookie sheet. Lightly press down. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 20 large rolls. Frost while still warm.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, soft

1/2 c butter, soft

1 tsp vanilla

3 c powdered sugar

1 TB milk

Beat until smooth.

Enjoy. Seriously these are heaven.

Cheesy Chicken Lasagana

I have been wanting to try this for a long time. I found the recipe at realmomkitchen.com and it was AMAZING!! The chicken/ranch mixture would have been great by itself, add pasta and cheese and it is incredible.

Cheesy Chicken Lasagna

2 cans (12 oz) evaporated milk (not fat-free)
1 (1 oz) pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
3 C. cubed, cooked, chicken
1/8 tsp pepper
1 (16oz) lasagna noodles, cooked
1 1/2 to  2 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 to  2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook the chicken and noodles first at the same time. Once noodles are done–rinse in cold water and set aside (it keeps them from sticking together). Combine evaporated milk (don’t use fat-free version) and Ranch dressing in a 3 quart heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently until dry ingredients are dissolved. Stir in chicken and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes (don’t do any less), stirring frequently. Layer half of lasagna noodles, poultry sauce, and cheese in well-buttered 9×13 pan. Repeat layers again. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!