Microwave Brownie Lava Cake

Ingredients

• 1 brownie mix (family size for 9x13 pan) plus ingredients needed according to brownie mix instructions (normally oil, water, and eggs)
• 1 large egg (in addition to the eggs called for in the brownie mix instructions)
• 16 Dove Dark Chocolate Promise candy pieces (each piece weighs .3 oz), or similar
• whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, optional
• raspberries or strawberries for garnish, optional

Directions

Empty brownie mix into large bowl. Whisk to remove large lumps. Coat 8 (6 oz) custard cups with cooking spray. Add a small amount of dry brownie mix to each cup and rotate cups until completely lightly coated; tap and shake out excess back into brownie mix bowl. Set aside. In separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients called for in brownie mix instructions (oil, water, eggs), plus 1 additional egg. Add wet ingredients to brownie mix and stir until well combined.

Spoon batter into each custard cup or bowl until 1/2 full (approx. 1/3 cup of batter for 6 oz. cup/bowls).  Stack two Dove candies and press them down into the center of the batter; spoon batter over candy so it is completely covered.

Place in microwave and cook at full power for 1 minute for 1 cake (microwave power and times may vary). May cook up to 4 cakes at one time, adding 1/2 minute to cooking time for each additional cake.

To remove cake from bowl: Immediately, run a thin knife around the edge of the cooked cake. Place a small plate on top of the cake bowl. Flip the plate and bowl over, so the cake is inverted on top of the plate. Gently lift the bowl, leaving the inverted cake on the plate. If any melted chocolate remains in bottom of bowl, spoon it on top of inverted cake. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream; garnish with berries, if desired.

Cakes may also be eaten directly from the custard cup they are cooked in (without inverting them on a plate). May also be cooked and served in half-pint mason jars.
(If eating cakes directly from bowl or jar, it isn't necessary to spray or coat them before adding batter and cooking.)

MAKE AHEAD: Batter may be mixed and added with chocolate pieces to custard cups or jars in advance. Cover and refrigerate up to a week. Remove from refrigerator and warm to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.

Nutritional Information per lava cake (portioned into 8 cakes per recipe): 397 calories, 21.3g fat, 217.5mg sodium, 56g carbs, 3.4g fiber, 48.2g sugars, 5.4g protein; Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 12

Corn muffins

Ingredients:
(makes 12 muffins)

 1 cup cornmeal
 1 cup all-purpose flour
 1/3 cup white sugar
 2 teaspoons baking powder
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 egg, beaten
 1/4 cup canola oil
 1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, oil and milk; stir gently to combine. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Meatballs stroganoff

This is a quick and easy dinner I got off of Pinterest.

frozen meatballs
beef broth
salt, pepper, oregano, basil, parsley
sour cream
heavy whipping cream (or milk + cornstarch)
wide egg noodles


Heat 1 T. olive oil in a black iron skillet.  Add frozen Italian style meatballs (enough to cover the bottom of the pan).  Brown them up nicely.

After they are browned, deglaze the pan with about 2 cups (16 oz.) of beef broth.  Bring to a boil.  Season generously with salt and pepper, and dried herbs (parsley, oregano, basil; 1 heaping tsp each).  When it starts reducing, add about 2/3 cup sour cream and about a cup of heavy whipping cream (or 1 cup milk + 2 T cornstarch mixed cold).  Bring to a full boil so the thickeners can work.

Meanwhile, boil water in a separate pot and add the wide egg noodles.  Boil until they are still just a bit al dente, drain briefly and add to the simmering sauce.  They will finish cooking in the sauce and also soak up a lot of that goodness.

For a low-carb alternative, take out the noodles and substitute in cauliflower florets, cooked from frozen and chopped bite size.

Grilled cheese sandwiches

Buttered bread + cheddar cheese + medium heat skillet = Classic yumminess
(In our house, it must be accompanied by a mug of chocolate milk.  It's a Lambert thing.)


Variations:

*Pizza: mozzarella + pepperoni + italian seasoning (dip in marinara)

*Pesto Italian: french bread, mozzarella, thinly sliced tomato, pesto

BBQ club: cheddar, ham, turkey, bacon, tomato, BBQ sauce (a little goes a long way)

Savory herb french toast: mix 1/4 cup milk,1 large egg, 1/8 tsp coarse ground salt, 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp dried thyme; Dip four slices of bread in mixture then place in buttered skillet. Flip, then add cheddar and top slice.  Then flip to brown the top. (this makes 2 sandwiches)

Fried egg:  provolone, bacon, fried egg, pepper, green onion, parmesan, fresh basil leaf on sourdough

Apple or pear (thinly sliced) or apple butter

Avocado, pepper jack, ham, bacon, tomato

Carmelized onion (cook thinly sliced red onion in butter for 10-15 minutes), cheddar, pepper jack, BBQ sauce

Bread ideas: challah, cinnamon, italian, artisan, sourdough, croissant

Tortellini Spinach Salad

from my friend Mandy Douglass

1 pkg baby spinach

1 cup craisins

1 cup shredded parmesan or mozzarella

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 pkg multi-colored tortellini

1/2 cup honey roasted almonds

Dressing:

1 cup veg oil

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp paprika

Put in blender and blend one minute.  Put on right before serving or on side.

Strawberry-Peach Freezer Jam

1 1/4 cups crushed strawberries
2 cups finely chopped peaches
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (2 oz.) box MCP Pectin
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup

Wash and rinse plastic containers or freezable glass jars with tight fitting lids.  Use 1-2 cup sized containers.

Wash, stem and crush berries using a potato masher for best results. Peel, pit and finely chop peaches. Do not puree the fruit; jam should have bits of fruit. (Use firm, ripe fruit.)

Measure EXACT amount of prepared fruit and lemon juice into a large bowl.

Measure EXACT amount of sugar into a separate bowl. Reducing sugar amount or using substitutes will result in set failures.

Gradually stir in 1 box of MCP pectin into fruit. Mix thoroughly. Set aside for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to dissolve pectin thoroughly.

Pour 1 cup light corn syrup into fruit mixture. Mix well. This prevents sugar crystallization during freezer storage.

Stir sugar in gradually. Stir constantly until sugar is COMPLETELY dissolved and no longer grainy.

Pour into prepared containers, leaving 1/2-inch space at the top for expansion during freezing.

Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours until set. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or store in freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in fridge. Recipe makes 7 cups.

[Note: Only use the recipe that your pectin calls for.  Mixing and matching different pectins and recipes will cause your jam to fail. This is the recipe for MCP brand pectin.]

Breakfast sandwiches

To cook eggs for breakfast sandwiches, bake in a well-greased muffin tin approximately 14 minutes at 350 degrees. (Eggs can either be scrambled before pouring into tins or cracked right into the tin.)

Bread options:  english muffins (toast with cheese while eggs bake)
                        biscuits
                        toast

Meat options: sausage patties, deli ham slices, canadian bacon, bacon slices

Cheese (any type, sliced or shredded)

Combine bread, egg, cheese, and meat to make a sandwich.

Can be frozen by wrapping in plastic wrap, then placing in a ziploc.

Reheat in microwave by removing plastic, wrap in a paper towel, cook 1 minute at 50% power, flip over, cook one more minute at full power.