Pineapple Upside Down Cake in a Mug

I've always liked the idea of cake/muffins/brownies/cookies in a mug in the microwave. Mostly, because if I make a whole pan of brownies or such... I'll eat them all. So it's nice to be able to have a treat without having all of the tempting leftovers. Lately, Lydia's really been interested in helping me cook in the kitchen, so we've been doing a lot of these little recipes because she can help me measure all of the ingredients - she doesn't have to wait for a long time for the end result - and it doesn't make a huge mess in the kitchen. We had some leftover maraschino cherries and some pineapple rings in the pantry and this cake was SO good. We may have made it 3-4 days in a row. I have a big soup-mug that I used because the pineapple ring fit perfectly in the bottom, but if I was using a regular mug, I'd just slice the ring on one side and wrap it to fit. 

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake in a Mug

Source: Crouton Crackerjacks

Ingredients:
1 canned pineapple slice
1 maraschino cherry
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose or plain flour
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp pineapple juice (reserved from the can of pineapple slices)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp beaten egg
1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In a 12oz glass coffee mug, layer the brown sugar, pineapple slice and place a maraschino cherry in the center of the pineapple ring. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients and pour on top of pineapple slice. Microwave on 50% power for 2 1/2 minutes. Let sit 30 seconds, run a knife around the outside of the cake and then turn out onto a plate. Scrape all the syrup from the bottom of the mug onto the cake.

Tetrazzini

This is a great way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving but can also be made with shredded chicken. David doesn't like mushrooms, so I cooked everything then added mine at the end. So good.

Tetrazzini
Source: Adaped from Ready Set Eat

Ingredients:
8 ounces dry spaghetti pasta (or linguine/fettuccine)
vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups chopped cooked turkey/shredded chicken
1 can Diced Tomatoes, undrained

4 oz green chilies

1 can Cream of Chicken soup
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt. Meanwhile, add oil to a large skillet; heat over medium-high heat.
Add onion; cook 3 minutes or until softened. Add mushrooms; cook 5 minutes more or until mushrooms are tender and lightly browned.
Add turkey, undrained tomatoes, chilies, soup, water and half of cheese to skillet; stir to combine. Stir in cooked pasta; heat until mixture is hot and pasta is coated. Top with remaining cheese.