Recipes for One: Coffee Cup Egg Scramble, Panini with Fresh Basil Aioli, & One-Minute Chocolate Cake

The foodie blogosphere is a happy place right now.... Lots of Valentine desserts and romantic dinner suggestions for two. Unfortunately in real life, Valentine's Day isn't so happy for many people. Our last Valentine's Day as a family was a very sad one. And I know I'm not alone. I have spent the last year and half on widows' forums reading stories very similar to mine. So I've decided to dedicate today's post to the grieving people out there who are hating Valentine's Day. I've invited my widow-forum friends to stop by here today. I have 3 different "Recipes for One".... though all of them can be doubled or made with kids. If you are grieving this Valentine's Day...  treat yourself today, even if you don't want to. Take care of yourself. One day at a time; sometimes, one hour at a time. And remember you're not alone... 
#1) COFFEE CUP EGG SCRAMBLE - BREAKFAST FOR ONE

Scrambled eggs with bacon and cheddar cheese in a cup - done in about a minute with no greasy pans to wash! What's not to like? Recipe adapted from the USDA. Here's what you need:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tbsp. cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp. real bacon bits (optional - not shown, but we use Hormel's Real Bacon Bits w/50% less fat.)
• salt & pepper to taste

Coat the inside of a 12-oz. microwaveable mug with cooking spray. Add the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Beat with a fork until blended:

Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Stir. If you are using bacon bits, stir them in now.

Microwave for another 30 to 45 seconds. The eggs should be just set. Tilt your mug - if you see any runny or liquid egg in there, put it back in and nuke it for another 10 seconds or until the eggs are set. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Make yourself some toast and a nice cup of coffee to go with it. Sit down and ENJOY a nice breakfast - just for you. : )

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#2) HAM & CHEESE PANINI WITH FRESH BASIL AIOLI

Make a restaurant-quality panini for yourself at home! My son rated this 5 out of 5 stars. The Fresh Basil Aioli *makes* the sandwich. By the way, a panini is just a grilled, pressed sandwich - but you don't need a panini maker or an indoor grill to make one. You can cook it on the stove top in a skillet and put another skillet on top of it to press it down...or a brick - seriously, wrap a brick in foil and SLAM IT, I mean - place it on top of your sandwich to press it down while it cooks. And aioli is just a fancy word for a garlic-enhanced mayonnaise. I'll give you the recipe for the aioli first. If you're not up for making the aioli or don't have the ingredients, you can just use Dijon mustard or honey-mustard on your panini.

Fresh Basil Aioli (Recipe adapted from 400 Best Sandwich Recipes by Alison Lewis)

You need:

• 1/2 c. mayonnaise (I used a light version.)
• 1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp. (just a few drops) lemon juice
• NOTE: you do NOT need olive oil for this - I accidentally included it in the above photo. Sorry!

Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl until combined well. Spread on just about any kind of sandwich. Store any leftovers in the fridge - it will keep for up to 3 days. You can see the finished aioli in the photo below.

Here's what you need for the Ham & Cheese Panini:

• 2 slices of a good-quality (from the bakery department) sourdough bread or preferred choice of an artisan bread. (I used a roasted garlic version.)
• 4 slices of smoked deli ham, sliced thin
• 1 slice Provolone cheese
• 1 slice of a complimentary cheese such as Mozzarella, Cheddar, or a blended cheese (I used a Cheddar-Mozzarella blend.)
• fresh basil aioli
• olive oil

Preheat your panini maker or indoor grill according to manufacturer's instructions. If you will be using the stove-top, preheat a skillet to medium low, and have ready a second skillet (heavy duty) to place on top of your sandwich to press it.

Coat the insides of both pieces of bread with the aioli. Be generous. Assemble your sandwich. Brush the outsides of both slices of bread with olive oil. (I made two of these - one for me, and one for my son.)

Cook in your panini maker or indoor grill according to manufacturer's instructions - about 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. On the stove top, cook 2 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp.

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#3) ONE-MINUTE CHOCOLATE CAKE

There are a lot of versions of this on the internet. The most popular one has over 60 grams of fat in it though - and I'm sorry, if I'm going to ingest 60 grams of fat from one dessert, it has to be the most phenomenal dessert ever made and not come out of a microwave. So this one is reasonable. It has about 7 grams of fat, and I think it tastes pretty good. It's not high-end gourmet eating, but it's chocolatey and comforting. The trick is to not overcook it. If you overcook it, it will get rubbery. There are no eggs in the recipe, so undercooking is not a concern. In fact, I think it is better slighly undercooked. I found the recipe on cdkitchen.com and changed it only slightly to add extra moisture to it. Feel free to add some mini-chocolate chips to it. Top it with whipped cream or ice cream and hot fudge sauce...in fact, the more Valentine's Day sucks for you, the more you can pile on this cake - no guilt!

Here's what you need:

• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 tbsp. AND 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. oil (canola or vegetable)

Coat the inside of a 12-oz. microwaveable mug with cooking spray.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add the milk, vanilla, and oil. Mix until well blended. Pour the batter into the mug.

Microwave at full power for 1 minute. If the cake does not appear done, microwave the cake longer in 10 second intervals until set. Here's a close-up so you an see the texture of the cake:

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Wishing you a thoughtful Valentine's Day and a blessed year ahead.  -Adele


This post is linked to The Country Cook's "WEEKEND POTLUCK"

Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp with Spicy Soy-Sesame Rice

This shrimp is so delicious - next time I make it, I'm going to double the recipe. I made enough for 2 - for my son and me, as my daughter doesn't like seafood.  But we definitely could have polished off more shrimp between the two of us! Each of these recipes - both the shrimp and the rice are simple and quick, especially if you prep the night before. I always have a bag of frozen shrimp on hand (already deveined), so I can just defrost them in the fridge overnight. You can even make the rice ahead of time, and then just grill your shrimp at dinner-time. The shrimp only takes 15 minutes to marinate and about 4 minutes to cook. It's a quick, easy, and attractive dish. The Soy-Sesame Sauce recipe came from How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson.

We're going to start with the rice first because it takes longer to cook.

*Please note that the photos show me making a DOUBLE recipe of the rice. I'm sorry for the confusion - I overestimated how much rice we would need to go with the shrimp. The recipe, as it is written below, will make 1/2 the amount you see in the photos and will be enough to serve 2 people.

Here's what you need for the Spicy Soy-Sesame Rice:

• 1/2 Cup white rice
• 1-1/3 Cups water (not shown)
• 1 Tbsp. butter (not shown)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
• 2 Tbsp. chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. dark sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or less if you don't like a spicy sauce)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar

Heat the butter in a medium saute pan over low heat until melted. Add the rice and the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the water and the carrots, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine in a small bowl: the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and sugar.

When rice has simmered for 20 minutes, it should look like this:

Stir the soy-sesame sauce into the rice, and let cook over low for 2 minutes, uncovered. When finished, it should look like this:

You can store the rice in the fridge if you are making it ahead of time. Or just cover it, and keep it warm on the stove top until the shrimp are cooked.



Now for the Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp:

• 20 medium-sized shrimp, peeled & deveined and tails removed
• 4 bamboo skewers
• 1/4 Cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce
• 1 Tbsp. local honey
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced (*When I buy fresh ginger, I peel it and put it in a zip lock bag in the freezer. Whenever a recipe calls for ginger, I just take it out and grate it over a micro plane to get the amount I need.)

Combine in a small bowl: the teriyaki sauce, honey, mustard, garlic, and ginger. Set aside.

Push about 5 shrimp onto each skewer and place in a shallow dish. (Note: if you plan to cook these on an outdoor grill or broil them, you should soak the skewers in water for several minutes.)

Pour the sauce over the shrimp and make sure they are all coated. Let them marinate for 15 minutes.

While the shrimp are marinating, preheat your grill or broiler. I cook them on my indoor George Foreman grill at 300 degrees for exactly 4 minutes. If you are using an outdoor grill, cook them over a medium heat until they turn pink - about 4 to 5 minutes. If you broil them, they will only need about 3 to 4 minutes under the broiler. Shrimp cook very quickly.

Serve them with Spicy Soy-Sesame Rice, or let them cool and put them in a salad. This recipe makes 20 medium shrimp, (which shrink when cooked), so I would say this serves 2.


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Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

If you are bored with the typical grilled chicken sandwich that is deemed "healthy", you have to give this pesto recipe a try. The pesto makes the sandwich! I'll explain this in two parts - the pesto first:

Just 4 ingredients! (plus salt & pepper) Here is what you need:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, undrained
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a food processor (or blender), process the first 5 ingredients until smooth. Stir in cheese and process again until smooth (or the consistency that you prefer). If it's a little too thick, you can add some extra-virgin olive oil. This is how mine looked:

Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Perfect on sandwiches or as an appetizer with crostini or vegetables. Makes about 1-1/4 cups. (Recipe adapted from 400 Best Sandwich Recipes Cookbook, by Alison Lewis)

For the sandwich:

• 4 boneless chicken cutlets (chicken breast halves pounded to about 1/2" thick)
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 4 slices Provolone cheese
• 4 Kaiser or hearty hamburger rolls, toasted
• 1 batch of sun-dried tomato pesto

Pre-heat your grill to medium. Drizzle the breast halves with olive oil, and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. I cook my chicken on an indoor George Foreman grill at 375 degrees for 9 minutes. But if you are using an outdoor grill, grill your chicken 5 to 6 minutes each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees and the inside is no longer pink. (Keep an eye on it, as it's VERY easy to overcook boneless chicken on an outdoor grill.)

Toast your rolls so they are warm when the chicken is done. Place a grilled chicken cutlet on each of the 4 bottom halves. Top the chicken with 2 Tbsps. of pesto. Top the pesto with a slice of Provolone cheese and the top half of the buns. Makes 4 sandwiches.

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