31Pins: Day 18

Cake in the form of a brownie.  Yum.

I was so going to do a "nails" pin today.  I saw a great idea about painting glitter between two layers of sheer polish.  Well, turns out I don't have the right glitter or sheer enough polish to do this!  So, here I sit with one hand done (again) at 10:20 writing this post because I did this one late in the day.

Josh needed something sweet for his lunch tomorrow, and I easily found a dessert pin to try.

Original pin: 

Click image for original recipe

Simple ingredients: cake mix (I just used the one with the sprinkles already in it), egg, oil, milk, and optional chocolate chips.

Add egg and oil first, then milk just until moist.  Aiming for a very dense cake.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

She was adamant about the edges being just golden and pulling away (the original blogger, that is).

We let it cool for a while to set up, but then tried a piece.  It is VERY GOOD.  Especially if you love cake!  No need for icing with this recipe.  It is super rich by itself. :)

I may try with chocolate if I don't have brownie mix sometime.  Might be a little different than what we are used to in a brownie, but I think it would be good!  I will update if I ever try.

31 Pins: Day 12

3-2-1 Cake!

My mom actually found out about this one, gave me the recipe, and a premixed bag of the ingredients.  I was keeping it up my sleeve for a day like today.... busy!  I found a pin the next day so I could try it out. ;)

Original pin:

There are only a few ingredients to this quick, simple cake.  The dry mix requires a box of angel food cake, and a box of whatever regular cake mix you prefer (chocolate, white, yellow, etc.).  My mom mixed carrot cake mix in hers.  You will have quite a bit of mix, so it could be given out as a gift or kept on hand for a craving fix. :)

The other things needed are: a mug, spray oil, and water.  That's it!!

You are probably wondering why it is called 3-2-1 cake...  That is the cool part!     

Mix 3 Tablespoons of cake mix with 2 tablespoons of water, 

and microwave for 1 minute.

3-2-1 Cake!

Looks like a sponge...

...but is not bad for a quick fix!  It certainly would have been better with some cream cheese frosting, but not necessary.  I look forward to trying different flavors of cake with this one.  The strawberry in the original pin looks yummy!

Expense rating: Inexpensive (2 boxes cake mix)

Difficulty rating: EASY

31 Pins: Day 7

We had some overnight guests last night, and I was not exactly sure what to have for breakfast.  I remembered this pin and decided to take the opportunity to check another one off of my list.  And, of course, blog about it.

Original pin:

Click the image to see the original recipe.  I changed it up a bit according to what we have and our likes.  See below.

The results:

Recipe: 

6 eggs 

1/2 cup milk

1/2 lb. sausage 

1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped

2 tsp. Tastefully Simple Bacon Bacon (or bacon bits and dried minced onion)

1/2 tsp. ground mustard (I love mustard with my sausage, so thought it would work.... and it did!)

salt n pepper to taste (if you use the Bacon Bacon, no need for more salt)

Mix all ingredients together, and use a quarter cup measure to pour into muffin tin.  Should make about 12.

I used cupcake papers and sprayed with pam, but it still stuck.  I might try the bare tin next time, well greased.

Before baking, I added some breadcrumbs and a small pat of butter to the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes.

They were delicious!!!  They contain a lot of protein, and held me over until lunch.  You could add ham or bacon instead of sausage, potatoes, mushrooms, fresh onions, bits of toast, etc. to make these your own.  At our church breakfasts, a lot of the ladies make different variations of this in a casserole dish, which might be a better idea.  Muffins are just so cute!

Expense rating: Inexpensive (especially if you buy a whole pig and grind your own sausage)

Difficulty rating: EASY

Sporty Eggs

They are good for your health and fitness, but not athletic themselves. What I am referring to are deviled eggs with a kick. (Named by my dad's family...got this idea from Gram). Everyone has their own hard-boiling techniques and recipes, but here are mine:

Place a dozen or so eggs (add a couple extra just in case they break/tear) in a pot; cover with water.  Heat to boiling and then boil for about 10 minutes.  Allow to rest for a few minutes, and then strain.  Fill pot again with cold water, cover with lid, and shake!  The shells will crack, and the cold water will get in underneath and make peeling a whole lot easier.  Peel and rinse. Cut eggs in half placing cooked yolk into a small mixing bowl.
Mash with fork.
Add mayonaise (quarter cup-ish - enough to make the mixture smooth).
Add a squeeze (or more) of mustard.
Add enough hot sauce/wing sauce to get the desired amount of heat.
Add any other spices/salts you desire (e.g. italian seasoning, onion powder, etc.).
Optional: Ranch dressing or powder

Spoon mixture into ziploc sandwich bag and cut off corner.
Squeeze into egg halves.
Top with garnish (I used celery seed, but you could use paprika or whatever you like).

Chill.  Enjoy.