Microwave Cake

Microwave cake in 15 minutes? You bet.
 This cake was made in the Demarle Bundt cake mold.  The trick with microwave cakes is to just fold in the ingrediants rather than whip or use a mixer because it adds too much air  -- and also, there is no need to put ALL of the mix in the pan.  Too much mixing or too much mix can make a mess in the microwave. It defeats the purpose of easy clean up!

Here's the deal:
 Devils Food cake mix
3 eggs
16oz. sour cream
optional cut up 15 mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, or 10 large ones
(other candy bars are great, too)

Fold together cake mix, sour cream and eggs. Spoon in half of mixture into Bundt mold - sprinkle peanut butter cups -- then spoon in the rest of the mix leaving out maybe a half cup or so "extra" to avoid a spill over.
Put it in the microwave on high 13-15 min - depending on how powerful of a microwave.  Test by using a tooth pick to see if it comes out clean, and tug at the side of the cake pan to see if it is still sticking to the cake.  Let cool for 5-10 min, then put a plate on top, flip over, and peel the cake mold off. 

Optional Chocolate Gnosh:
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Bring whipping cream to barely a boil in pan, quickly take off heat, add chocolate chips and stir until pudding texture.  Spoon onto the cake (cake can still be hot), and let cool for 5 min before serving.

This cake is great served still hot from the microwave (that sounds funny, doesn't it?) or cooled for an after dinner dessert.  Just take care with the gnosh if it is too hot -- believe me, it is worth letting it cool down before you put it in your mouth!

Meat and Potatoes Man

My husband loves meat and potatoes. Sometimes I make it by the book, sometimes I cheat. Now I have an easier way to do either!
There is a silpat that has an octagon shape that fits right on top of a flower cake mold - the same mold that makes a stunning cake that can be cut into four cute hearts. When the silpat sits on top of the pan, the steam from whatever is cooking creates a seal and a great little crock pot that cooks faster and cleans up way better because it doesn't bake onto the silicone like on a traditional pot.

Now, you ask, "How can you cheat with meat and potatoes?" It's called pre-cooked. There are a ton of meats out there. . . everything from frozen entrees like the lean cuisine my Uncle Jerry used to eat before he got married, to the prime rib I made that was delivered from my "meat man" who delivers steak and chicken to my door. Many times you can find great BBQ right next to the raw meat at your local grocer -- just pay mind to the labels so you know what is in it.

Anyway - the method I used was the same, but it took less prep to cheat, and maybe 15 minutes more to cook the raw steak. Both turned out to have fabulous potatoes and evenly cooked meat.

Here is what I did:
To cheat -- I peeled and cut up a few potatoes, put the prime rib with au jus sauce in the middle, placed the silpat on top, and stuck it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 35 min. It could have been less, but I was busy chasing my 4 yr old.

To use raw meat -- I peeled and cut up a few potatoes, put the steak in the center, poured in 1/3 cup red wine and 1/3 cup water, sprinkled pepper, salt, garlic, and minced dried onions. I placed the silpat on top, put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 50 min, though again I could have taken it out sooner but I had a diaper to change.

My husband wasn't ready for dinner either time, so I let it sit with the silpat on and it kept very hot because the steam created a seal. The clean up? I poured what was left over out, took a dish rag and some soap to wipe it out, rinsed and it was in the drying rack before you could say, "It's the Luck of the Irish!"

What's for dinner, honey?

"groan. . . let's just put in a pizza. . . or order one. . . oh, where you cooking something?"

Why, yes. Yes I was.
Today I got my kit with all the new bake-ware, books, and those fancy molds I've been talking about. I had nothing thawed out from the freezer since I spent all day figuring out what I am supposed to be doing for the biz. But I had eggs, and the one thing I had heard about was that I could cook eggs in the microwave.

Ummm. . . not yet. I am just not that brave. The other thing I had heard was how you could cook eggs like a crust-less quiche and how it will just pop out of the molds. Well, I had ordered a sunflower cake pan, and there was no time like the present to figure it out!
I quickly glanced at the recipes in the new cook book and saw that it should take about 40 min. at 375degrees and found a recipe I could alter with what I had in the fridge. While I put it in to bake, I started feeding the kids apples and cheese, mixed together some add-H2O buttermilk pancake mix, heated up a pan to make 10 as a side dish, and yeay! I had dinner.

Here is what I did:
I could have stirred it by hand, but I have a Kitchenaide mixer that I throw in everything.

6 whisked eggs
a splash of milk
the last of the sour cream (maybe 2 Tbls?)
4 or 6 oz of ham lunch meat (thin sliced, I just tore up half the pack and tossed it in)
1 cup of frozen shredded hash-browns

I poured it into my Demarle sunflower pan, put it on their baking sheet that has breathable holes, and let it bake for 40 min on 375degrees. I knew it was done when it was browning on the top and sides, and I could easily pull the pan from the quiche.
Took it out -- let it cool for 5 min -- then I put a plate on top and flipped it over.
Added pancakes to the plate, and "Ta-da!" Dinner was done.

"Guess what, Mom!"

How did I decide to join selling cookware with Demarle at Home? Let me tell you:
It all started when I went to a play-date.

My daughter has a friend from preschool that she adores, and we were invited over for the kids to play. "Oh, is it okay if I make french toast for the kids?" the other mom asked. Sure, if you're Supermom, I thought to myself. While my mind wandered into thinking how cumbersome and time consuming it is to slave over a hot pan, she pulled out this funny flexible sheet and went to work. . . or lack there of. In just a few minutes, she had a stack of cookie-cut-out bread hearts which she then egg-dipped on the tray. She put it in the oven all the while chatting about this or that. I told her about being a pre-service teacher, and as we talked, she suddenly realized she'd probably left the french toast in too long. I though, well, there's a great way to ruin a pan . . . but instead she flipped out the hearts and there was a perfectly even browned cute heart ready to be devoured. Any other pan, and those hearts would have met their maker's trash can.

The mom gestured me to sit down and said, "Well, this is what I do!" She brought to the table a cake that was cooling in another kind of floppy pan mold, flips it with a plate on top, and peels the mold away to reveal a gorgeous bunt cake. "It's just a box cake, nothing fancy," she said. Yeah right! It was so moist and kept together with a golden edge so we picked up our slices without the need of frosting. . . or a fork. Yum. She brought out a book for me to look through with pictures she took of all of these beautiful dishes. Then she started telling me about the company.

First I just wanted to place an order. The, I wanted to host a party and put in an order. We ate cake, watched the children play together, drank our coffee and just talked. The more I looked at all the information and heard about the benefits of the company, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.

A week or so later, I found myself on a group phone call to the company and had filled out my paperwork to be a representative. So here I am - starting a blog about my journey. Hope you enjoy reading about my joy, my mistakes, and hope you get a few healthy tips along the way!