lurvethelife: recipe

Microwaved Chocolate Mug Brownies!

21:45

I found a recipe for chocolate brownie in a mug a few weeks ago and I didn't have the time to try it out until last week. The best part? It's super easy to attempt and takes less than 5 minutes!

Some of you may not agree with microwaved food. If so, this post is not for you (sorry). I may post the recipe for oven-baked brownies but that may take some time as I dont really have full access to an oven.

Enough with the gibberish and small talks. I've downsized the recipe as the original one was too much for me. Therefore, this smaller portion is quite suitable for a light snack/dessert. Here's what you need:

× 2 tablespoons flour
× 2 tablespoons sugar
× 2-3 tablespoons milk (depends on how soft you want the brownie to be)
× 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
× 1 tablespoon chocolate chips
× 1 tablespoon olive oil
× half an egg (beat it and save the other half for frying or other purpose. Or you could try to add in a whole egg, I havn't really experimented with that yet)
× 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
× a pinch of salt

*Makes enough brownie for 1, unless you have a huge appetite*

Add everything into a MICROWAVABLE MUG (or cup, or bowl) and stir well. It may look a little weird and gross at first but trust me, it'll look better later on.
Pop the mug into the microwave oven for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes and voila, a brownie is born. (yes, a tad bit dramatic, I know.)

Not too bad-looking, right?

Anyway, if you're feeling like it, add in some ice-cream and chocolate sauce too. I prefer it with ice-cream, especially when the brownie is fresh out of the microwave oven. That warm and cold combination is just perfect for me.

I tried adding in some chocolate chips for my previous brownie but it was just too much chocolate and it was hard to shove it down my throat. My first experimental microwave brownie was a Nutella brownie but that didnt go well because it tasted weird and quite nauseating.

(yeah, a little gross, ikr. should I add in photos of failed projects?)

I decided to give mug brownies another try and I am still thankful that I did. Will experiment further next time! x)

Chocolate

Easy (and Lazy) Hot Chocolate Recipe

23:20

To be honest, the hot chocolate at some cafes tasted as though it was a 3-in-1 Milo drink. It is so not worth the extra bucks for me (that's why I seldom get hot chocolates at cafes nowadays, unless it's really good).

So, I looked up the Internet and got a pretty easy hot chocolate recipe that doesn't even take 5 minutes!

You'll need:
→ 237ml (1 cup) milk
→ 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
→ 1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)
→ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence (to enhance the flavour)
→ 1 pinch salt (again, for a better taste)

Whisk 2 tablespoons of milk, the cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the cocoa, sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour in the rest of the milk and whisk over medium heat until it's hot. Then, stir in the vanilla and you're done.

Who am I kidding.
I'm quite a lazy person so here's my LAZY way to prepare it (it may not taste as heavenly as the hot chocolate prepared using the method above but it's good enough).

First off, put the cup of milk into the microwave oven (make sure that your cup is microwave-friendly) for about 30-60 seconds to heat it up. Then, stir in the cocoa powder, salt and sugar until they fully dissolve. If they are unable to dissolve, heat the cup up a little more. Add in the vanilla and stir well.
There you go! A cup of hot chocolate without having to light up the stove.

There are quite a lot of variations to this recipe. You can...

1. Drink it as it is, or...

(sorry for the bad quality pic. it was a lazy day. hahah)

2. Freeze them into chocolate cubes using an ice tray and plop them into a cup of milk.

3. Freeze it and blend the mixture for a cup of cold chocolate. I havn't really tried making cold chocolate yet but it really seems like a good idea.

Feel free to add in some whipped cream or marshmallows too :D

Now you've known the lazier way to make hot chocolate, why not give it a try? Grab a book and enjoy your drink!

dessert

Crazy for MANGO.

22:13

So... One day I decided to make mango froyo. Frozen yogurts are a healthier alternative to ice-cream and they are quite easy to make, even without an ice-cream machine!

I got the recipe below from the Internet and it turned out awesome. :D

What you need is:

♥ 250ml plain yoghurt

(I used the leftover greek yoghurt I used for the chocolate truffles I made earlier and it was not too shabby)

♥ 125ml milk

♥ 50g sugar (or to taste)

♥ 3 tbsp honey

♥ 2 ripe mangoes

♥ a pinch of salt

and of course..

♥ 2 ripe mangoes!

(after some trial and error, I decided that putting diced mangoes into the blender helps a lot so it is kinda like mango puree and it is easier to handle)

Some yoghurt..

Some fresh mangoes..

Some honey...

A little mix here and there..

After blending or mixing everything until the mixture is smooth, refrigerate it.

If you DO have an ice-cream machine, follow the instructions on the user's manual in order to freeze the chilled mixture.

If you DON'T have an ice-cream machine, you'll just have to do it the other way. It is not that hard, really. All you have to do is cover the mixture and put it in the freezer for about 45mins to 1hr. After that, whisk it and place it back in the freezer. Repeat for 3 times or until the mixture is frozen.

Personally, I prefer using the blender (again) as it makes the job easier and your froyo won't turn into huge chunks of ice.

I accidentally left it overnight (my mistake) and it got totally frozen so HELLO BLENDER!

... And the product is a not-too-sweet and healthy mango froyo!

NOTES
If you ever get frozen solid froyo, you'll probably want to put it into the blender for a little while and back into the fridge for 30-45mins.
If you want the swirly kind of froyo, you can try putting the mixture into a piping bag and into the fridge for 30-45mins and pipe it into a cup or a bowl or whatever you're filling the froyo with.

I'll probably experiment with some other flavours the next time :P

(eh, probably after SPM..)

bread

Crabstick Sandwiches

20:24

Long story short, we decided to have sandwich one day.. Ok, maybe it was an on-the-spot decision, but I'm not regretting it anyway. This is just awesome!