Warm Delights

So, I LOVE chocolate. And I love chocolate cake. But who wants to take the time to bake an entire chocolate cake every time you crave one?  Besides, it's just NOT a good idea to have all that cake sitting around my house. I'm on a see-food diet - I see food and I EAT it.

Anyways, I love Betty Crocker's Warm Delights, but I can't bring myself to pay for them. But occasionally I've found deals to get them for free or for nearly free (less than a quarter) and I indulge.  Did you know that you can make these yourself?  I have tried many microwave cake recipes (cake in a mug, etc.) and frankly, they are NO GOOD. Trust me.

Recently, I came across an alternative to make your own Warm Delights, and they are JUST LIKE THE REAL DEAL, people!!!!  Why didn't I think of this before?

Observe:

1. Take one box of cake mix

2. Measure 1/4 cup into a microwave safe vessel (or reuse an empty Warm Delights pan!)

3. Add two tablespoons of water

4. Mix well with a spoon

5. Lick spoon
5. Microwave for 1 - 1.5 minutes

6. Let sit as long as you can stand it (~15 seconds for me...)

7. Top with some chocolate chips, or fudge or whatever (optional)

8. EAT!!!

9. Relish in the frugalness of it all!
10. You're welcome. :)

Yo No Go

Well, the mix-in yogurt thing was short lived. After a few days, the novelty wore off, and the girls didn't like it anymore. :-( I tried!

Something that has been working better, however, is a recipe from Alton Brown for what he calls "Pearsnip Sauce." It looks just like applesauce, but is made from pears and parsnips. I've never cooked a parsnip in my life, but thought this might be a good way to trick the girls into eatting some vegetables. It worked! C loves pears, so I just told her it was "Pear Sauce." (She's too smart for her own good, if I said "Pearsnip" I KNOW she would say, "I don't LIKE Pearsnips.")

E and C have asked for seconds and thirds and fourths of it! I modified the recipe slighty, so here it is:

Pearsnip Sauce

Ingredients:
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 parsnips)
1 pound pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces (4 pears)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 cups orange juice
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 pinch ground clove
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
Place the parsnips, pears, maple syrup, orange juice, salt, and cloves into a microwave safe, sealable 3 to 4 quart container. Cover with a lid, leaving one corner open to allow steam to escape. Microwave on high for 10 to 15 minutes or until the parsnips and pears are fork tender. (*** NOTE: I used my Pampered Chef Microcooker and this spilled out everywhere making a HUGE mess.***)

Add the lemon juice and puree to your desired consistency using a blender. Serve warm or chilled. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, refrigerated.

Good luck!

Yogurt Du Jour

My girls both love that nasty, unnaturally colored, over-priced kiddie yogurt. I've tried in the past to substitute generic brand yogurt, buying strawberry flavor and even putting it into old kiddie yogurt cups. But they don't like the chunks.

So I had another brilliant idea - buy the vanilla flavored yogurt (no chunks!) and color it myself at home. The girls always eat the blue colored yogurts first, so I whipped up a couple blue concoctions last night and waited to see their reactions at breakfast.


It was a hit! I also realized that they can request colors and mix it up themselves. This could also be a fun way to teach color mixing (i.e. Blue and Red make Purple). At lunch C had pink, and E had purple. It amused me to hear C ask how the purple tasted...