Microwave Meals in a Mug -- Part 2

I had previously gone over how to make three different meals in mugs but because the internet is vast and people are curious, I thought I would do a continuation of my original post. So here, ladies and gentlemen, I give you four meals in mugs! I'm grading them this time, so you can see the diversity. Also, note how much time it says it should take in the title versus how much time it actually takes. Grab your coffee mugs and run to your microwave because these are going to be interesting!

MEAL #1 - "2-Minute Coffee Cake"
Thanks to my Aunt Judy for pointing this one out, I thought this was going to be a tasty treat. I followed HeatherLikesFood's post and here's what I can tell you:

+ =

 

PROS: Very easy to make. Strudel on top was delicious.

CONS: Coffee cake itself was too doughy - expected it to be same consistency as baked coffee cake and instead found it too heavy and slightly doughy. Extremely hot out of the microwave but would not be any good cold. Ended up throwing most of it out.

TIME: 10 minutes total

GRADE: C  


MEAL #2 - "Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug"
I followed Number2Pencil's post and here's what I can tell you:

Before the microwave

After the microwave

PROS: Takes like a cookie that has just been taken out of the oven, even though it looks... odd. I used light brown sugar and after 50 seconds, it came out just right. Really, is it hard to mess up chocolate? I don't think so.

CONS: Very hot so be careful! "Drops" of vanilla aren't easy to include - I had to pour vanilla into a measuring spoon, pour back into the container, and then used whatever was remaining in the spoon. A bit cumbersome, if you ask me, but worth it!

TIME: 10 minutes

GRADE: A


MEAL #3 - "5-Minute Microwave Berry Cobbler"
I followed DomesticFits' post and here's what I can tell you:

   + =

 

PROS: Strawberries were delicious!

CONS: Too hard to get to the strawberries underneath in coffee meg. The "cobbler" had the consistency of homemade flour play-doh. Perhaps if this were made in a large mason jar, like the original post used, there'd be more room but the flavor of the cobbler was lacking anyway. Had to toss it.

TIME: 15 minutes

GRADE: D


MEAL #4 - "2-Minute French Toast in a Mug"
I followed PrudentBaby's post and here's what I can tell you:

Before the microwave

After the microwave

PROS: 1 piece of nut grain bread, no vanilla, and in the microwave for 1min, 20 seconds and they came out great! The nuts in the bread gave it a slight crunch (since a stove-top wasn't going to harden the crusts) and the cinnamon mixed with the maple syrup makes a great combination.

CONS: Cooked egg whites were at the bottom of the mug and the bread was a little mushier than it would be if made on a stove top, but still quite delicious.

TIME: 8 minutes

GRADE: B

Microwave Meals in a Mug -- from Scratch!

NPR came out with a great blog about meals you can make in your microwave from scratch, which is perfect if you work in an office, live in a dorm, or simply don't feel like paying for gas in your apartment (and therefore can't use a stove). I decided to try out three different meals to see if they were any good.

Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs

I followed this recipe from Mr. Food and here's what I concluded:

PROS: This would be a good meal to make in the morning if you work in an office or a dorm. Very easy clean-up and very quick to make.

CONS: 2 eggs might not be filling enough for some and it was pretty bland. I recommend putting in the salt before you microwave instead of after. Might want to add other seasonings too (oregano, maybe some salsa, etc.)

RECOMMEND?: Yep, I'd recommend this. Super easy to make and a good source of protein!

Lunch - Mac and Cheese

I followed NPR's blog and here's what I found:

PROS: This will be better for you than any Kraft or Velvetta Mac n' Cheese mix you might make for a meal. It tastes good and again, is very easy to make.

CONS: Water does spill all over the microwave when you're first heating the pasta, so be sure to have a couple paper towels underneath. It's also a bit bland so be sure to add some seasonings. Also, 1/4C is not enough cheese so try 1/2C. Finally, this is very hot so be very careful!

RECOMMEND?: I've had better mac and cheese but for 7 minutes (4 minutes boiling the water and 3 minutes for cheese to melt and sauce to form) and a microwave, it's not bad!


Dinner: Brownies (No, not dessert. Dinner.)

Again, I followed NPR's blog for the recipe and here's what I found. Note that I did not include instant espresso, dried cherries, or almonds (I wanted to stick with the ingredients I already had at home).

PROS: Very chocolate-y. If you like brownies but don't want to be overpowered by chocolate, leave out the chocolate chips on top.

CONS: This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it had more of the consistency of chocolate cake than a brownie.

RECOMMEND?: Abso-freakin'-lutely. All you need is a glass of milk or put some ice cream on top and you're in business!

TOTAL COSTS: Free!
But that's only because I had all these ingredients already at home

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 1 minute, 15 seconds for the eggs, 7 minutes for mac & cheese, and 1 minute, 30 seconds for the brownie

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5
These recipes were made for those who a.) either don't like to cook or b.) don't have the time to make big meals ...so they were perfect for me! Give 'em a try and let me know what you think!