Disaster Chef: Crockpot Molten Lava Cake (Foodie Friday)

Finished product

I was having a 'Razing the Roof' party a while back, and needed to feed a handful of hungry dudes afterwards. Since the house was a disaster zone, I had to cook on the back porch. Crockpot meals was the obvious solution, since it was not really grilling weather. So I threw some chili in the big crockpot and then went in search of a dessert recipe. I'm picky about my desserts, but this one looked delicious. So I got it together, fixing the dry ingredients first as suggested in the recipe.

AFTER melting the butter and adding extra milk.

When I was ready to throw it all in the little Crock-pot, it was ready to go. But the recipe may not be exactly correct. With only 1/2 cup of milk, it was thicker than bread dough. I had to add at least another 1/4 cup, maybe more, just to make it spreadable in the bottom of the crock-pot. Then I added the chocolate chips and liquid, like it said.

I apologize for the lack of pictures of the finished product. I was busy feeding everyone and being hostess, so I didn't remember to stop and take a picture. We had one scoop left, which I sent with my husband to work, and he's not very confident in his food photography abilities. It would not look very delicious if I posted the pictures he sent me from his phone before he ate it!


I can't say it was the most delicious dessert ever. I only cooked this one 3 hours, instead of the 4, and it was still too dry and not very lava-licious. Plus, it just tasted a little...healthy. Like it needed some more butter and some eggs. I've never made a cake without eggs before, and I'm not sure I will again. If I'm going to be decadent and eat something like molten lava chocolate cake, I'm splurging. I don't want it to taste all granola. I want it to be rich and sinful, so I can indulge.

Recipe: 2 spoons out of 5--easy, but had to be changed b/c of lack of liquid. Also, it doesn't say to melt the butter, which added a bit of liquid, but still nowhere near enough. If you don't, it's just a blob sitting on top of the dough.
 
Cake itself: 2 spoons

Disaster Chef: Lazy Crockpot Lima Beans

I started this meal how I start most of my meals: I had some time to cook. I didn't know what to cook. I went to the fridge and the pantry several times. I saw a package of beans I'd had for quite some time. I don't know anything to make with lima beans except succotash, so I went to Pinterest, like always. And I found this crockpot recipe from this blog. I had most of the ingredients, so I gave it a shot.

Let me just say, that when I'm cooking in the crockpot, it's because I'm being lazy. I don't want to have to cook stuff in a pan first. So I just dumped all the ingredients into the crockpot instead of doing all the prep work she requires in her recipe. I also added some frozen kale, shredded turkey (Thanksgiving leftovers come in handy) and a can of corn, since the spices gave it a southwestern type flavor. Also, I did not use precooked lima beans, so I cooked it a bit longer than she calls for.

Here's what I used:

1 pound dried baby lima beans, rinsed and soaked
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
2 c./1 can chicken or beef broth and enough water to cover all ingredients (if uncooked beans, about 4 c. extra water will be required for cooking beans)
1 can crushed tomatoes/1 pint canned tomatoes if you do your own
1-2 c. kale, chopped (frozen or fresh)
1 can corn
1-2 c. leftover turkey or chicken (optional)
2 TBSP cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 TBSP maple syrup

Toss everything in the crockpot, make sure it's all just covered with water, and cook 6 hrs on high or until beans are soft.

*A word about beans: To properly cook beans, they should first be soaked to remove naturally occurring toxins, as per Weston Price's directions. The night before you want to cook your beans, put then in a large bowl and cover with a good amount of water. I'd recommend at least twice as much as the beans or more, as the beans swell while soaking and you want them to be covered with water. In the morning, pour off the water, rinse the beans real quick, and throw them in the crockpot with new water. If you don't know who Weston Price is, you should. He wants you to eat lots and lots of butter :)

I added some Parmesan on top, because I add it to every soup, even when it doesn't go. I don't think the original recipe would have been enough for a meal, but with all the additions, it was a meal, not just a side dish, though it could serve as either. It's not my favorite, but I'd make it again if I couldn't think of anything else to make. Everyone ate it, and it didn't get complaints.

Recipe: 3 out of 5 spoons