The latest crazy — yet tasty — recipes come from two nwaMotherlode readers. The first one is chocolate cake in a mug from Fayetteville mom of two, Shannon Jones (who got it from her neighbor, Tricia Moore, who got it from a friend in Canda). It is seriously made in a mug in five minutes — two minutes to throw together and three minutes in the microwave!

The second recipe, Perfect and Foolproof Frozen Pie, is from Vi Gross and it’s not so much crazy as it is crazy-easy. Vi said she shares this recipe with all her friends (male and female) who say they’re helpless in the kitchen. She says you can use low-calorie ingredients to shave off some caolories.

5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake:

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
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 (high).
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).

Shannon Jones’ notes: “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!
It is wonderful even without icing. It doesn’t have to be a super large mug, the size you would normally use works fine — and although it rises above the rim, don’t be alarmed, it doesn’t run over and mess up the microwave.” *Pic is of the mug cake cut in half.

Perfect and Foolproof Frozen Pie:

1 store-bought graham cracker crust

2 tubs of your favorite flavored yogurt (prestirred not fruit on the bottom, strawberry is always a big hit)

1 regular sized tub of whipped topping

Remove plastic cover from crust.

Place whipped topping into a large bowl

Add the yogurt

Gently stir until all is mixed

Dump into crust. Flip plastic cover and place on pie to form a dome

Freeze for 3 to 4 hours

Vi says: “It won’t last long!”

Everybody’s got one – a recipe that sounds ridiculous but somehow it just works. Today I’m going to share a couple of mine. If you’ve got an equally crazy recipe that you just love, please share with your fellow moms by sending us an e-mail at mamas@nwaMotherlode.com. Now, go get a little crazy.

Ziploc Omelet

My mom received this one via e-mail, so I’m unsure of the original source. We both tried it, and, believe it or not, it actually works. It’s a great idea for those times you’re short on time in the morning or have a big group of people to feed.

The night before, have each family member or houseguest write their name on a quart-size Ziploc bag. Crack 2 eggs into each bag and shake to mix. (I also add a splash of water to make the eggs fluffier.)

Then have each person add whatever ingredients they like: ham, cheese, onion, green peppers, salsa, bacon, tomatoes, etc. Be sure to get ALL the air out of the bag before you seal it. Shake to mix well. Store in the fridge overnight, if you like. (But it’s not necessary to keep them overnight for this to work.)

The next morning, pop each bag into a large pot of rolling, boiling water. Boil for EXACTLY 13 MINUTES. Then cut each bag open with scissors and let the egg omelet slide out on the plate. Serve with fresh fruit, coffee cake, etc. It’s a quick breakfast, and everyone gets to eat omelets at the same time with no waiting! Sounds crazy, but it works!

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings

I borrowed this one from Mrs. Ora Fischer, a dear family friend, who really knows her way around a dessert.

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine, melted

2 large apples, peeled and cored

1 cup sugar

2 8-ounce cans refrigerated crescent rolls

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 12-ounce can Mountain Dew (or 7-Up or Sprite)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In small saucepan, heat margarine with sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Slice peeled apples into 8 slices per apple. Wrap each slide of apple in a crescent triangle and place seam down in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover with margarine mixture, making sure each dumpling is covered. Lastly, pour Mountain Dew into one corner of the pan, NOT over the dumplings (so as not to wash sugar mixture off dumplings). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. (You can also try it with peach slices!)

Serve and enjoy. Great with vanilla ice cream!

Thanks to Christine Ahern of Fayetteville for the following recipes that are just right for a nice Fall meal!

Chicken Chili:

1 lb or more of cooked chicken and sausage depending on how meaty you like it (can use just chicken if you’d rather)

Two cans of chicken broth

1 cup of salsa (or more)

2 cans of white northern beans, drained

1 1/2 cup of colby/monterey shredded cheese (can use cheddar)

Add salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in big pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour or more to flavor.

Vidalia Onion Cornbread:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped
1 (8-ounce) package cornbread/muffin mix
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onion until tender, but not browned, for about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the muffin mix, egg, milk, sour cream, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the salt, and dill weed. Stir to combine. Pour into the prepared pan and top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until set and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into 16 squares.

Note: Christine got this cornbread recipe from a Paula Deen cookbook.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins:

2 cups sugar

2 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup fat free vanilla pudding (I use yogurt sometimes)

4 large egg whites, lightly beaten

3 cups all purpose flour (I use the whole wheat flour)

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour measure to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Spoon batter in muffin pans (the actual recipe makes 2 loaves of bread but I converted it into muffins). For muffins, cook for 20-22 min. For loaves, back for 1 hr and 15 min.

Attention, mamas: If you’ve got an awesome recipe you’d like to share with the rest of us, by all means send it in! We all get tired of the old standards and it’s great to get recommendations from fellow women who are in the (kitchen) trenches with us. E-mail us your favorite recipes at mamas@nwamotherlode.com!

These three dishes are typically served at University Baptist Church’s annual Angel Fair, a fund-raiser open to the public for the church’s benevolent arm, Second Mile Ministries. The fair is always held just before Thanksgiving and offers hand-crafted Christmas items and food items for purchase. Enjoy these recipes from the UBC “Angel Tea Room”:

BEEFY HAYSTACKS

1 pound ground beef

3 or 4 celery stalks, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

1-2 teaspoon oregano

1-2 teaspoon basil

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can red beans

Corn chips

TOP WITH:

Chopped tomatoes (Roma or cherry)

Chopped green onion

Grated cheddar cheese

Shredded lettuce

Sour cream

Brown ground beef in skillet. As it is cooking, add celery and onions. Saute for approximately 10 minutes. Add herbs and tomatoes, bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add soup and beans. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes Serve over small corn chips (Fritos). Top with grated cheddar cheese, chopped green onion, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and sour cream.

Serves 6-8

PECAN STICKY BUNS

Frozen cinnamon rolls (Rhodes brand is available locally.)

Combine:

2 tablespoons butter

1-3 cups light corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup pecans (optional)

Heat butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and pecans in microwave on full power for one minute. Stir and heat another 45 seconds. Pour mixture into greased 9 X 13 pan. Let cool. Place frozen cinnamon rolls atop mixture about one inch apart. One dozen should fit nicely. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Let rise overnight in a warm area. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. You may wish to cover the rolls with foil to keep them from getting too brown. Invert cinnamon rolls into dish to serve.

FALL DUMP CAKE

1 can apple prepared pie filling

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Yellow cake mix

3/4 or 1 stick butter

1 cup chopped nuts (optional, pecans or walnuts)

Combine apple filling, cranberry sauce and cinnamon in bowl. Spread into a greased 9 X 13 cake pan. Sprinkle cake mix over the fruit mixture. Dot the top with pats of butter. Add nuts if you like. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cake is done with topping is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping.

Serves 10-12