Mug o' Cake

Once again, Cook's Country magazine comes through with an awesome recipe.  You like chocolate cake?  This one is chocolaty, delicious and takes about 5 minutes to make.  Yes, it seems crazy, but it really works!  Look!

Combine butter and chopped bittersweet chocolate.

 

Melt the chocolate/butter in the microwave then combine with sugar, eggs, cocoa and vanilla.  Combine the dry ingredients.

 

Blend everything together and divide it into coffee mugs (at least 11 oz size).  The recipe that follows is for two servings--I doubled it.

 

 



 

Microwave for 45 seconds at 50% power.  Stir and do it again for 45 seconds.

 

Shove 2 pieces of bittersweet chocolate into the batter.  This will create the molten part of the cake.  Microwave for another 35 seconds at 50% power.

 

Let sit for 2 minutes and you have an incredible molten chocolate cake!  It's that simple!

 

Add a little whipped cream if you want and enjoy!  They really are delicious!

 

 

COFFEE MUG MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE FOR TWO

from Cook's Country

 

This recipe is for a 1200-watt microwave.  If using a smaller 800-watt oven, increase cooking time to 90 seconds for each interval. 

 

INGREDIENTS

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped, plus 1 oz broken into 4 equal pieces

1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) sugar

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup (1 1/4 oz) all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

 

1. Microwave butter and chopped chocolate in a large bowl, stirring often, until melted, about 1 min.  Whisk sugar, eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt into chocolate mixture until smooth.  In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.  Whisk flour mixture into chocolate mixture until combined.  Divide batter evenly between 2 (11 oz) coffee mugs
2. Place mugs on opposite sides of microwave turntable.  Microwave at 50% powder for 45 seconds.  Stir batter and microwave at 50% power for 45 seconds.  Press 2 chocolate pieces into center of each cake.  Microwave at 50% power for 35 seconds (cake should be slightly wet around edges of mug and somewhat drier toward the center).  Let cakes rest for 2 min.  Serve.











 

Stella's House Blend Cafe

We finally did it.

Every time I drive down Main Street in Sellersville, I see people going in and out of a relatively new restaurant, Stella's House Blend Café.  Mary Beth had off yesterday and we decided to go give it a try.

This is the kind of place that our area needs more of.  (Not the most grammatically correct sentence in the world, but you get the point.)  Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera and MB forgot her phone, so I had to steal a picture from their website.

Stella's is the kind of place where you'd just like to hang out.  An airy room with not too many tables and high-back chairs.  The place has interesting photos and other artwork on the bead board walls, hardwood floors and comfortable areas with couches and tables.  You could feel fine coming in for a quick lunch or hanging out with a book and a cup of coffee for a while.  The staff was extremely friendly--always ready with a friendly comment, joke or menu suggestion.  It really was a pleasant visit.

Oh yeah, the food....

Stella's serves breakfast and lunch every day and dinner on Friday and Saturday (hours listed below).  The lunch menu was full of appetizing salads, soups and sandwiches, all made in-house.  I wouldn't say that there was much all that out of the ordinary on the menu, but everything is made fresh with really good ingredients--so it doesn't have to be fancy to be delicious.

We both ordered from their lunch specials.  Mary Beth ordered the Meatball Parmesan Sandwich.  (Our server suggested this, telling us that the meatballs were made that morning as was, we found out later, the bread.)  It was very tasty--the meatballs were flavorful and tender and covered in tomato sauce and melted cheese.  I'm a sucker for egg salad, so I went with the Egg Salad and Bacon Wrap.  You know how you order something with bacon at many places, you get maybe 2 shriveled up slices?  Not in this case.  It was yummy egg salad with lots of bacon--cooked just right--that added great texture and taste.  The whole wrap was stuck in a Panini press to give a little crunch to the outside.  Again, nothing fancy, just really well done and made with good ingredients.

The breakfast menu features a number of egg dishes, omelets, pancakes and breakfast sandwiches.  Our server also told us that on Saturday mornings, Stella's offers freshly baked sticky buns.  Apparently, you need to get there early because people line up out onto the street for them. 

For dinner, the menu includes Roasted Garlic or French Onion Soups, appetizers (like Shrimp on a Raft and Swedish Meatballs), salads, pastas and entrees (like Chicken Parmesan, Broiled Scallops and meatloaf).  Menus are listed on their website.

Oh, and if you're a coffee lover (I'm not), they have a wide array of locally roasted coffee and espresso (and tea, too).  They also have take-out and catering services.

Great atmosphere, tasty food, friendly people all at a good price!  What could be better?  So give Stella's a try!  You'll understand why all those people are going in and out of this gem of a local eatery.

Stella's House Blend Café
200 N Main St.
Sellersville, PA  18960
267-404-2443

Hours:
Mon-Thurs  6:30 AM-2:00 PM
Friday  6:30 AM-2:00 PM & 5:00 PM-9:00 PM
Saturday  8:00 AM-2:00 PM & 5:00 PM-9:00 PM
Sunday  8:00 AM-2:00 PM