I have redeemed myself!!!

After creating bricks of bread earlier today, I have redeemed myself and made the most delicious cake!!  Peanut Fudge Pudding Cake...amazing!! I was going through my mother in law's cookbooks (she has over 100!) and copied recipes from the slow cookers ones since fall and winter seem to be the time I use mine the most. That's when I stumbled across a cake recipe made in the slow cooker, what could be easier? But how would it taste? Would it be gross and overcooked, or delicious and moist like everything the slow cooker makes? Answer of course was AMAZING!! So here were go:

Peanut Fudge Pudding Cake

1 c . flour

1 c. sugar, divided

1 1/2 t. baking powder

2 T. vegetable oil

2/3 c. milk

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 c. boiling water

Coat the slow cooker with non-stick spray. 

Combine flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, and baking powder in medium bowl.

Add milk, oil, vanilla, and peanut butter. 

Mix until well-blended.

Pour batter into slow cooker. 

Combine remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and cocoa powder in small bowl.

Stir in boiling water. Pour into crockpot.

DO NOT STIR!!!

Cover. Cook on high for 1 hr and 20min-1 hour and 30min. until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow cake to rest 10 minutes then scoop into serving dishes or onto serving platter.

Serve warm with chopped peanuts and ice cream.

doesn't look to pretty, but its sooo good!!

This truly was so simple. I, however, got so excited by the sheer smell that I forgot to let it rest for 10 minutes! But it seemed to create this warm fudge sauce that was perfect with the ice cream.  I also used chunky peanut butter, it was all I had, and I actually think I'd prefer it that way. But its your choice. One other thing is I think you could add a little espresso powder to the cocoa powder and sugar mixture to add a grown up twist to it. Ice cream goes perfectly with it, but you could do whipped cream too. Its pretty versatile.

*Note: I saw slow cookers were on sale at Target for $15 this week! For those of you who don't have one! Get one!!

Lovely Smell...bad results....

So today I decided I'd face my nemesis- bread. I had a simple bread recipe and decided to give it a try.
Its Everything Braid Bread. I carefully followed the recipe, doing exactly what it said, measuring as carefully as possible. Taking my time, making sure everything was right. I got through the 1st rise thinking I'm golden! Look at the rise on that! Braided the bread, left it to rise, came back and hour later..nothing...2 hours later..nothing. It was already hard. Rock anyone? You don't really need that tooth right?

So I prayed silently over my rock bread, and thought maybe while it bakes it will magically rise and become beautiful and delicious. Otherwise I'm going to end up with two doorstops.  I slid the oven door shut, with another little prayer, and left the room. The whole time I'm smelling this amazing aroma from all the spices and seeds on the bed, thinking its going to be amazing. It beeps. I slowly walk into the kitchen, and slowly open the oven door as though it the gingerbread man going to pop out at me...and I see it. One flat, lifeless doorstop. It didn't fluff up at all, I think it shrunk. I've made shrinky dinks bread. Lovely.

However, if you are able to produce a lovely loaf of bread then this recipe would be wonderful. Even if you just make your regular white bread dough, then roll it out to 12x8, cut it into 6 long strips, take three and braid, put it on a greased baking sheet, and repeat with the next 3 strips.  Let it rise for about an hour more, brush it with one egg + 1 T. of water, and then sprinkle a mixture of 1 tsp. each of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, kosher salt, toasted onion flakes and dried rosemary. Bake at 400* for 25-30 minutes...tap bread, if it sounds hollow its done. Mine sounds like hitting piece of cherry hardwood. Bummer.

I hope that my horrible experience doesn't deter you from trying this bread. The smell is absolutely amazing.  I would even consider mixing some of the herbs into the dough for extra flavor. Plus if I think about it, this whole failure will actually save me money. No need to buy the dogs chewies this week. We're set now.