CAKE! In 5 minutes! Really!

Today I joined this thing online called Librivox.  

Basically, people record books that are part of the public domain, and then anyone can listen to them.  For free.

On Friday we had a meeting at work to discuss expectations.  We talked about a bunch of different things--attendance, eating smelly foods, taking too many breaks, and t

alking with coworkers.  The meeting was for everyone, to clarify things, but really attendance and breaks were discussed for one guy (who actually wasn't there, heh heh), smelly foods were discussed for another guy, and talking with coworkers was for everyone, but mostly me.  

When I started working there, I started the pandemic known as "friendship and conversation."  I think before I started working there everyone mostly sat quietly just scanning.  People listen to music on their ipods, music on the computers, etc.  And then, I started working there, and I started chattering.  And I can work just as fast while I'm talking.  But not everyone else does.  So our boss has been telling people not to talk to me.  Sad!  

WELL, I have to cooperate with our new "Don't talk to your coworkers about things other than work" policy, so I decided I'm going to start listening to books while I work.  Ideally, I'll find some of the books which I am supposed to read for classes later in the semester.  This could be a really good thing.  Think of all the books I'll be listening to if I can listen to 4 hours per day!  This can be a great way to get in non-required "reading," too.  I'll become the most anti-social person there!  

Anyhow, I found this site.  And I'm going to start recording chapters of books.  But probably not super often, since I have classes and homework, and work, and LSAT classes, and homeless shelter volunteer stuff, and volunteering at the symphony, and my calling with church, and I'm starting my knitting club, and getting ready for my half marathon in a couple months, and I have a teenage cat that plays with loud toys while I'm trying to record things.

After I registered, I downloaded the software I needed to make recordings, and I went through all of the setup steps, and I did my test recording, and then I had to wait for people to leave me feedback.

So I started looking at other sections of the forum.  And there's an off-topic category, and they actually put "yes, this is where knitting gets discussed" in the title.  Knitting!  What?  So I clicked on it.  And I didn't see anything at the top about knitting.  BUT, I found this:

A 5 minute Chocolate cake recipe

posted 24 November 2008 by libraryanne

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour 
4 tablespoons sugar (You can decrease this amount slightly.) 
2 tablespoons cocoa 
1 egg 
3 tablespoons milk 3 tablespoons oil 
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional) a small splash of vanilla extract 
1 large coffee mug 

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. 
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) 
and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook 
for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if 
desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). 
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or 
night! 

Note:Using a 12 ounce mug is ideal, and won't rise over the top.

Gasp!  Books, knitting, and chocolate cake?!  I fit in perfectly!

I had to make the little cake immediately to see if it actually worked, and IT DID!  And it actually really took like 5 minutes.

Amazing!

It would have tasted better with ice cream.  The texture was a little different than normal cake (I think because it has a whole egg for just a little cake), but it wasn't bad.  

When I flipped mine, I thought maybe it was gooey at the bottom, but it turned out the chocolate chips had melted on the bottom.  I got it out of the little bowl thing, and I smeared the chocolate chips on the top, which made it look like frosting.  

I knew this recipe had changed my life forever, so I wanted to share it with the world!  (Or, all four of you who read my blog, anyhow.)

1 c. Western Family everything. Mix well.

I noticed this a couple days ago and I thought it was kind of funny. Usually recipes on generic food call for the generic item that it's on, but the other ingredients don't have specific brands listed.

This recipe calls for:
1/2 c. Western Family butter. (I only have Kroger.)
1/2 c. Western Family brown sugar. (Darn, I have C&H.)
1/2 c. Western Family sugar. (!!! It's on the WF sugar package, so I've got this.)
1 Western Family egg. (My eggs are Smith's eggs.)
1/3 c. Western Family peanut butter. (I have crunch and smooth, but both are Kroger.)
1/2 tsp. Western Family baking soda. (I have Arm & Hammer.)
1/2 tsp. Western Family salt. (I have Morton.)
1 c. Western Family flour. (Kroger again.)
1 c. Western Family old fashioned oatmeal. (I have this!!!)
1 c. Western Family semi sweet chocolate chips. (Hershey's.)
1/2 c. Western Family powdered sugar. (C&H again.)
2 Tbsp. Western Family peanut butter. (See above.)
2 Tbsp. Western Family milk. (I have Winder Farms.)

This is funny to me for three reasons:
1. Darn, guess I can't make it since I only have two of the right ingredients and I would have to substitute for everything else.
2. Isn't it kind of interesting that one brand makes sugars, flour and oatmeal, dairy stuff like eggs, butter, and milk, and also salt and baking soda and peanut butter? That would be like if Campbell's soup also made ice cream and rice. And I know that Nestle makes everything, etc, but still.
3. *Sigh* Guess I'll never know what Scott's Soccer Practice Bars taste like. Except, oh wait, they're actually the same thing as Peanut Butter Fingers. Who is Scott, why did he think he could change the name of such a common dessert, and what does any of this have to do with soccer practice?

I also have a package of Kroger sugar, and the only Kroger ingredient required for the sugar cookies recipe on back is sugar.