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

Waste Not

We've all done it: Thrown away bread that got moldy.  Found some kind of produce in the crisper that's turned into a puddle of green goo.  Discovered a container of leftovers from weeks ago in the back of the fridge.  Into the trash it goes!  What a waste!

And believe me, we're not the only ones.  The average home in the US wastes about 470 pounds of food each year.  About 27% of consumable food in this country is thrown away--at the expense of about $600 per year per family.  Crazy, huh?

Why is it so easy to waste food like that?  How many times do we buy more food than we need?  There's a sale, so we pick some up just to forget about it in a few days.  Many times, it's good intentions that result in the waste--we mean to make a nice dinner out of those veggies or that meat, but our busy lives get the best of us and it ends up going bad.

Yup, it's very easy to waste the food, but with just a little work, we can cut back, if not virtually eliminate, our food waste. 

• Of course, my first suggestion would be to hire a personal chef (I hear Dinner's Done PCS is great!).  Seriously, when I cook for clients, I buy just what is needed for that service, so nothing goes to waste--it all just goes into their dishes.
• Plan your meals ahead--before you go shopping.  Then just buy what you will need--and stick to it! 
• Many times, veggies and fruits that are nearing their end can be used for different things.  Use overripe fruit in a smoothie; put some limp veggies in a soup.  If bananas start getting too soft, I put them in the freezer and use them at a later time for breads or muffins. 
• Don't be afraid of leftovers.  Many things taste even better after a day or two.  Be creative--if you don't want to eat the same dish again, use it to create another dish. 
• Rotate your food when you bring it home from the store.  In other words, put the new stuff behind or underneath the food that's already in there.  That way, you're more apt to use the older stuff first.
• Learn the best way to store items in your fridge and freezer.  Wrapping/storing things the proper way will add lots of time to their lives.  And save you money!
• And while we're talking about the fridge--CLEAN IT OUT once in a while!  I go through our fridge once a week.  Not only does this let me find those scary pieces of moldy whatever-they-are, but it gets me familiar with what's in there and helps me to use those things before they go bad. 
• One expert I ready suggests to put the guilt trip on yourself by making a list of every food item that you throw out in a week.  Watch how long that list gets and you will feel guilty.  (One study says that 39% of Americans surveyed feel guilty about wasting food--as opposed to 7% that feel guilty about using chemical fertilizer on their yard.)
• Learn to freeze, pickle, can--whatever it takes to keep from wasting all that food. 

Do you have any tips for slowing down your food waste?  Let me know!

Grilled Cantaloupe

I love grilled fruit.  Grilled pineapple with a little cayenne and brown sugar is great.  Have you ever grilled peaches?  Try using a recipe I posted a while ago for Grilled Peaches with Bourbon Honey.

The final recipe I made at Blooming Glen Farm a couple weeks ago used their delicious sweet cantaloupes.  I grilled cantaloupe wedges basting with a sweet glaze, then cut the melon into chunks.  You could very easily cut it into chunks before grilling and slide onto skewers for a nice serving presentation.  Get fancy if you want and garnish it with some minced mint.

However you do it, it's a tasty way to end a meal--especially served with a little ice cream! 

GRILLED CANTALOUPE WITH HONEY-CINNAMON GLAZE
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
1 cantaloupe, seeded and cut into wedges
1/3 cup honey
1/4 butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

• Preheat grill to high.
• Combine honey, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small saucepan.  Heat on grill until butter melts and all are combined.  Brush cantaloupe with glaze.
• Place melon on grill and cook until starting to soften, about 1-2 min per side, basting with more glaze as needed.
• Remove from grill and let cool slightly.  Remove flesh from rind, cut into chunks to serve.  Drizzle with remaining glaze.

Dude! What is on this Corn?

Corn on the cob--yet another great flavor of the summer.  Usually, I don't like to cover up the flavor too much if it's good corn.  Just a little butter, salt and pepper.  But once in a while, you have to make an exception.

This recipe is a take on a street food popular in Mexico.  It's grilled corn doused in a creamy, cheesy coating with just a little spice.  As Tom Murtha of Blooming Glen Farm said when he tasted it, "Dude!  What is on this Corn?".  Well, I'll tell you....

MEXICAN-STYLE GRILLED CORN (from Cook's Illustrated)
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sour cream
3 Tbsp cilantro, minced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
4 tsp lime juice
1 oz Pecorino Romano, queso fresco or Cotija cheese (about 1/2 cup)
4 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt or 1/4 tsp table salt
6 large ears of corn, husked and silk removed

• Preheat grill to high.
• While grill is heating, combine mayo, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, 1/4 tsp chili powder, pepper, cayenne, lime juice and cheese in a large bowl; set aside.  In a second bowl, combine oil, salt, remaining 1/2 tsp chili powder; add corn and toss until coated.
• Grill corn, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides, 7-12 min total.
• Remove from grill and place in bowl with mayo mixture; toss to coat evenly.

Choka

I always like to grill--but especially in the summer, I try to find as many ways to cook on the grill as I can.  This recipe is easy and if you've already gotten the grill fired up, why not make an appetizer for before dinner?

If you grill whole eggplant long enough, the flesh inside becomes very soft and mushy--perfect for a dip.  Be sure to use the thin Asian eggplants--they will get to the desired consistency much quicker than globe eggplants.

Serve the dip with tortilla chips, pita chips, crackers or whatever you have on hand.  It's great hot off the grill, but still really tasty at room temperature.

CHOKA (GRILLED EGGPLANT DIP) (from The BBQ Bible by Steven Raichlen)
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds thin eggplant
8 garlic cloves, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp fresh grated ginger root
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

• Preheat the grill to high.
• Make slits around each eggplant and insert a half clove of garlic in each slit.
• Grill eggplant, turning occasionally, until skin is charred all over and the flesh is very soft, about 20-30 min.  Transfer to a plate to cool.
• Open the skin and scrape the flesh out into a medium bowl (with the garlic) and mash to a course puree with a fork.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients and serve.

Watermelon and What?!

Another true flavor of summer is watermelon. 

Getting a fresh, sweet, ripe watermelon on it's own is good enough to please the ol' taste buds.  But I'm always on the lookout for interesting flavor combinations.  So here's a salad that I made that puts together ingredients that you may not think would go so well.

But they do!  Sweet, salty, savory--it's all there!  Try it!

WATERMELON SALAD WITH FETA, OLIVES AND BACON
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 lbs watermelon (preferably seedless), cut into 1 1/2" chunks (about 10 cups), chilled
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (or more to taste)
1 cup kalamata olives, coarsely chopped (or more to taste)
1 small sweet onion, cut in 1/2" dice
1 cup mint, coarsely chopped
5 sliced bacon, cooked until crispy and coarsely chopped

• In a large bowl, whisk together oil, juice, salt, hot sauce and pepper. 
• Add watermelon, feta, olives and onion.  Toss gently.
• Garnish with mint and bacon.  Serve chilled.