Pinterest Recipe Test: Mug Mac 'n Cheese

I LOVE mac 'n cheese! So one day I got a craving, but didn't want to make a big recipe of it and I was feeling lazy (hey we all have those days!). Plus in an effort to eat healthier I have purged the house of all boxed mac 'n cheese and Easy Mac. To Pinterest I went looking for a single serving of mac 'n cheese. I found the following recipe for mac 'n cheese in a mug: 1/3 cup whole grain pasta, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Tried putting it all in the bug and putting it in the microwave. The result was an EPIC FAIL!! I had water, milk, and melted cheese all over the microwave plus the pasta was dried out. So I played around with the recipe a little to find the perfect balance, and I came up with the following:

Mug Mac 'n Cheese
1. Put 1/3 cup whole grain pasta and 1/2 cup water in a large mug. Microwave for 2-3 minutes. Put a paper towel down since there will be some water than bubbles over.
2. Stir in a little bit of butter (to taste) and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Add a splash of milk (about 1-2 Tbls) to make as creamy as you like.
3. Enjoy!

Here are some pictures to go along with the instructions.

So it doesn't look like the Easy Mac or Kraft box mix, but it's healthier and tastes SO much better! What's your favorite thing to make in a mug?

Tastes of Spring: Rhubarb

Wow! It has been a while since I've written a new post. It is definitely spring here in the Pacific Northwest, and I love it! Besides the fact that the weather can't make up it's mind and can (and usually does) go from rainy to sunny several times during the day. It makes getting out into the garden or going for a run a little tricky.

On Easter I went up to Mt. Vernon to visit my grandparents and see some tulips. They're so gorgeous!

While I was up there I stopped by my dad's cousin's house to pick some rhubarb. She has a HUGE plant (wish I took a picture of it); so big that you could not even tell I picked about ten stalks! So now I have lots of rhubarb, and need to figure out what I am going to make with it. Such a hard thing to do since my family and I LOVE rhubarb! I cut up 4 cups for a pie for my dad's birthday and stuck that in the freezer. Of course we had warm rhubarb sauce over vanilla ice cream for dessert that night. Now I still have plenty of rhubarb to try out some new recipes. My aunt gave me the Taste of Home Farm Fresh Favorites cookbook for my birthday a few years ago so I decided to look in there. Low and behold they have a whole section with rhubarb recipes; muffins, pie, jam, ice cream, etc. Which one to try first?! This morning I made the Rhubarb Lemon Muffins (recipe in the link), and the turned out great. They are especially delicious with a little butter and homemade strawberry jam!

I think I may try this recipe again, and use grated fresh ginger to replace the lemon peel. They would become rhubarb ginger muffins.

Next recipe to try is the Rhubarb Popover Pie (again recipe is in the link) for breakfast tomorrow! And of course I'll be making a batch of rhubarb jam! What are your favorite things to eat in spring? Do you have a favorite recipe with rhubarb?