Better To GiveMaster Chef
Chocolate Cake in 5 Minutes
This is probably the #1 recipe to know if you're enduring your period, trying to get a paper done for school, or otherwise want to treat yourself (or someone else) on a budget. In fact, when I first got this recipe I was skeptical that I could have quality chocolate cake in 5 minutes. But indeed, it is true!
You'll Need:
- 1 coffee mug (I suggest you use the biggest mug you've got)
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa (I use Hershey's cocoa powder)
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons chocolate chips (though nuts could be substituted if that's your thing)
- A dash of vanilla (it can be the imitation extract to save a few dollars)
Directions
- Add and mix your flour, sugar, and cocoa into the mug
- Add in the egg and mix it up
- Add in the oil and the milk and mix all of that up (the contents of your mug should be getting thick)
- Add your chocolate chips (or nuts) and the touch of vanilla and make sure everything is mixed well!
- Put this concoction in the microwave (make sure it's on high) for 3 minutes
Note: the cake will likely rise over the top of the mug while in the microwave, don't worry about it, and in fact it's kind of cool to watch.
ENJOY!
Though this could also make a good birthday surprise. Buy your loved one a fun mug you're sure they'll like and bake their birthday cake right into the mug! Though wait to put in the candle until after it comes out of the microwave!
Tags: master chef, birthday, quick recipes, gift ideas, better to give, chocolate, chocolate cake
The City of Food—Chicago, IL
Chicago is known for a number of things: the windiness from being on the shore of Lake Michigan, the hometown of current US President Barack Obama, railroads, and seemingly always having a mayor from the Daley family. Personally, what makes Chicago shine for me is the food! In fact, I think that’s what works for most people in Chicago, you’ll be pretty hard pressed to find lots of skinny people. But I think of it more as being fat and happy rather than grotesquely fat—just please make sure your shirt is long enough to tuck into your pants or skirts!
Though finding the tastiest food in town does take some skill. In fact when I’ve visited this great city, I usually rest my fate into the hands of a local. The locals know the off-the-beaten track stuff that will simply blow your mind. If you stay to the well-trodden touristy areas I can guarantee that you will not share my sentiment for the high quality of the food in this city! Rather you’ll consider me crazy because all you can associate with Chicago is stereotypically over greased up deep-dish pizza and the same ol’ same ol’ from the nationwide chains.
Personally, I’m a fan of the Logan Square area. In fact, this is usually where I base my Chicago adventures on the couch of a good friend. It’s nowhere near downtown, in fact, it takes about 30 minutes to get there on a good day. This is a SAFE distance from the downtown tourist traps! In fact, the further you get from the downtown core, the cheaper the eats and the lodging get. You can gauge your distance from downtown by noting the number of 6+ level buildings: if there are none or virtually none, you’re safe.
Above all, I simply just cannot live with myself unless I can get a burger from Kuma’s Corner. I will never wait two hours to eat at a cozy establishment playing loud metal, never, never, never …unless I’m in Chicago at this restaurant. They break all of the rules of burger craft so I have to break all of my rules about waiting, loud music, and being just a little too close to everyone else. Perennial favorites here include the Goblin Cock (it’s an entire Chicago-style hot dog with all of the fixings, on top of a burger) and the Famous Kuma’s Burger which features a fried egg and bacon on top of a huge burger. These guys say they’re the best burger in Chicago and I think that’s selling them short, a self-described meat enthusiast, I’ve got to say these guys have the best burger on the continent.
Though because it is Chicago, the top place to get a hot dog is of the utmost importance. The reference place to visit for your encased meat fix is, without a doubt, Hot Doug’s. Here you can get your standard Chicago dog, but you can get so much more! Their offerings of sausage are broad and range from the fairly typical to some types I’ve never seen anywhere else, such as wild boar sausage, Thai chicken sausage, and cherry pork sausage. Furthermore, on Fridays and Saturdays you can get duck fat fries! Though regardless of when you go, this establishment is cash only and do expect to have to wait 20-30 minutes for your order to be taken (longer if around lunchtime). But if you’re not looking for anything too unique from your dog in Chicago, Superdawg is also a great choice—can’t really say it’s the next best thing because these guys make out of this world hot dogs too!
The Logan Square area of Chicago also boasts one thing a lot of other eastern and Midwestern cities seem to struggle with: a huge variety of bars! As someone that doesn’t typically rock out in bars, I can truthfully say I’ve been to a fair number of them in this area of Chicago that didn’t repulse me at all! Furthermore, many of them serve food and since visiting Chicago, my perception of bar food has been completely warped forever. In fact, that experience may be what’s ruining bars in other part of the country for me. Additionally, Chicagoans take their beer seriously. It doesn’t take much looking to find bars with expanded beer lists, often featuring lambics (perfect for the non-beer fan!), and high-test suds. And it takes no concerted effort to find a bar serving Old Style, which is apparently a Chicago tradition. My understanding is that it is fit only for folks who think Pabst Blue Ribbon is a classy beer (so if you’re from Atlanta you’re set).
So of course, Chicago is good for a lot of things! I’ve personally enjoyed a swim in Lake Michigan at dawn (ignore the fact I did it with my clothes on), taking in the grandeur of Union Station, visiting the “bean” in Millennium Park, wonderful summer street festivals, and even strolling around all of the shops made for tourists and wealthy in the Gold Coast and Magnificent Mile parts of the city. But don’t forget to take where you eat seriously! Getting a meal at Olive Garden, Outback, or worse yet a national fast-food chain is unforgivable!
Tags: master chef, food, travel bug, chicago, bar scene, hot dogs, midwestern usa, illinois
20 for 20 Vegetarian List
I snatched this list from allrecipes.com, one of my favorite websites for finding new recipes! Basically, this is a list of 20 vegetarian foods to stock up on at the grocery store, and then 20 recipes you can use them to make! (Brilliant idea, right? That is why I love allrecipes.com!) Here's the list of ingredients... if you want the list of recipes, check out the original article on allrecipes.com.1. Tahini
2. Lemons
3. Limes
4. Canned garbanzo beans
5. Canned black beans
6. Fresh ginger root
7. Tomatoes
8. Tomato puree
9. Celery
10. Raw jalapeno peppers
11. Spinach
12. Onions (white, red, green)
13. Garlic
14. Bell peppers (green, red, yellow)
15. Tofu
16. Lentils
17. White rice
18. Eggs
19. Parmesan
20. Cheddar cheese
Tags: master chef, lists, ingredients, vegetarian, allrecipes.com
Vegetarian Options
Kaitlin says...
Before the new site update, I had a request for vegetarian dishes! Some people think that being a vegetarian means eating boring food, and that is so not the case. I lived with a vegetarian last year (and still live with her!) and she never fails to come up with unique, delicious, vegetarian meals. I'll post a recipe today and maybe a few more throughout the week, so check back!South-of-the-Border Couscous Salad
Ingredients- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup uncooked whole-wheat couscous
- 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup fresh (or frozen) corn kernals
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp. roasted garlic flavored olive oil
Directions
- Combine 1 1/2 cups water, cumin and salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add couscous, stir, and return to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 5 to 10 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Transfer to medium bowl, fluff with fork, and let cool to room temperature.
- Fold beans, corn, onion, cilantro and jalapeño, if desired, into couscous. Stir in lime juice and oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add more lime juice, if desired.
Tags: master chef, recipes, vegetarian recipes
Cooking Disasters!
Some degree of culinary proficiency is necessary to get along in the world as a self-sufficient individual. Even if you really think that you'll end up never cooking so much as a hamburger, the fact is that you never know when the occasion might arise. To the end of making the transition from fast food guru to kitchen whiz a little more painless, I've gathered some of the most common cooking mistakes and how to avoid them from an expert source (my mother, a professional cook). These are things that almost everyone is susceptible to, so read on and avoid ruining meals with silly mistakes!
Things Everyone Should Know
There are lots of different ways to mess up a dish. You could get distracted halfway through and forget to check on it. You could misread a direction or a measurement somewhere. For fancier meals, you could even lack the technical skill required (it takes some practice to be able to, for example, just get the whites of an egg). However, there are times when you're messing up and you don't even realize that you're doing something wrong - that is, until you try to eat whatever it is you've just made! Here are some of the more common of those occasions, and how you can avoid them.
Baking at the wrong temperature Situation: So, you've made cookies about a thousand times using the same recipe (or store-bought dough). It's understandable that you'll feel more and more confident as you progress, and you might decide to skip reading the instructions as thoroughly as you did at first. You're sure that you remember everything correctly, and what's the difference if you mess up the temperature by a little bit, anyway?
Resolution: The difference is big, actually, and it's not worth ruining the food just to save a few seconds. Look at the temperature in the directions, compare it to the temperature that your oven is set to, and then look at the temperature in the directions again! It'll take you about thirty seconds, and it could end up saving you the time, money, and effort of having to start all over!
Substituting baking soda for baking powder (and vice versa) Situation: You didn't look at your full ingredient list ahead of time, and you don't have any baking powder. You don't feel like running to the store, so you just put some baking soda in instead. After all, how different can they really be?
Resolution: Very different. Contrary to what their names might lead you to believe, baking soda and baking powder are completely different substances with completely different properties: baking soda fizzes, while baking powder causes food to rise. The people who write these recipes usually do know what they're doing, so do yourself (and whoever you're cooking for) a favor; go to the store, and make sure that you have plenty of both.
Not having all of your ingredients ready to go before you begin Situation: You probably have everything you need, and there's no way those eggs have gone bad already. Why bother wasting the time making sure ahead of time?
Resolution: Because while the eggs still have a few days left, the milk went sour last week and you don't have any baking soda! Get it all together at once - making sure that you have enough, and not just some - and you'll at most need one trip to the store (and you won't have to leave half-prepared food sitting out while you go).
Not cracking eggs into a separate dish Situation: Your recipe calls for three eggs to be added last, so you decide to crack them directly into the dish with the rest of the ingredients. I mean, they're just eggs; what's the worst that could happen?
Resolution: Actually, lots of things could happen. The most common is that you'll get a little piece of a shell in with the rest of the egg, and either not notice (in which case you're serving up sharp eggshells) or have to dig through the rest of the ingredients to get it out (which is messy and gross). Personally, I always crack my eggs into a measuring cup ahead of time, and pour from there. It's not too big to dig out eggshells, nor are there other things masking pieces that might fall in. Another potential issue is that something could be wrong with the egg. Sometimes, eggs are bloody (disgusting, I know; I've never seen one, but my mother assures me that it happens), or just plain rotten. If you're cracking them directly into the rest of the food, you can't exactly scoop it out and try again; the entire batch of whatever is ruined. Whereas if you're putting the egg first into a separate container, you have time to dispose of that egg before it contaminates the rest of your food.
Next Time on Master Chef
Chelsea, 18 from Ohio asks: "Could you pull together some good vegetarian meals? I know so many people who just think there's nothing to eat as a vegetarian, or at least, nothing good, but I want to prove them wrong." I spent this past year living with a vegetarian, and we never had a shortage of totally awesome meals! Readers, if you've got ideas or recipes, we would love to hear them! Submit everything you've got for Chelsea!
Tags: master chef, disasters, cooking