On a cool November day, sometimes it’s nice to curl up and enjoy a mug of mac and cheese. Yes, you heard me—a mug of mac and cheese.
Mug cuisine is something I am relatively new to, despite the fact that university students are arguably the target demographic for this exotic method of food preparation. Most recipes take under 10 minutes and have a simple ingredient list that often includes cheese, which in my books is everything a university student requires.
Yet until this point I had never tried to make anything in a mug except tea. So I sought out recipes through the wonders of the Internet, and boy did I find a lot. There were lists upon lists of things that could be made in mugs. Some recipes, in my opinion, strayed from the true essence of mug-ability and included way too many steps.
My quest was simple—find recipes that were easy and delicious, and it’d be great if I already have all the ingredients.
I settled on two recipes: an oatmeal and apple dish, and mac and cheese.
I tried the oatmeal first—breakfast is the first meal of the day, after all. I made a few modifications to avoid going to the grocery store for honey and bananas.
What I do like about this recipe is you can spice it up any way you like, so the only thing that limits you is your creativity.
I chose to have apples and cinnamon in my oatmeal. In cold months, a warm breakfast can go a long way, but regular oatmeal can be kind of boring. The addition of apples and cinnamon added some flavour and texture.
I was skeptical about mac and cheese made in the microwave. What can I say? I’m a traditionalist. My mom spoiled me with homemade mac and cheese in a proper white sauce, so this seemed like cheating.
My first surprise was that, yes, macaroni can be made in the microwave. The recipe I picked had only four ingredients: macaroni, water, milk, and cheese. I adapted the recipe slightly by adding garlic powder and onion power, a trick I learned from the goddess of mac and cheese, my mom.
The scent from the microwave was enticing, to say the least. Everyone in the Charlatan office oohed and aahed. Once the timer sounded, we all gathered around to take a peek. I took the first bite. It was all the ooey-gooey-ness with half the work.
This recipe converted me from a mug cuisine shunner to a mug cuisine lover.
What’s more is these recipes actually filled me up. So if you’re trying to feed yourself before you pull an all-nighter, try grabbing a mug—the possibilities are endless.
