Disaster Chef: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

When I found this recipe on Recipe Girl a few months ago, I knew I wanted to make it even though it is soooo not healthy. But sometimes, you just gotta indulge. In this instance, my son asked me to make them, and I told him I'd make them for his birthday. Of course I then forgot all about it. But he didn't. On his birthday morning, he reminded me, so I put them together. They do take a loooong time, since they have 3 different components. I wouldn't just whip these up any day, since they took hours to make. But for special occasions, yes. My son already asked me to make them again for his next birthday. Knowing him, he'll remember, too.

Without the frosting.

For these, you have to make the cinnamon swirl, the pancakes, and the frosting.

First, I made the cinnamon swirl.
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter,  melted
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Mix ingredients and pour into a ziplock sandwich bag. Set aside.

Next, I made the frosting. I'm not sure why mine turned out so dark, maybe the vanilla I used was too dark? I used pretty much exactly what the recipe specified, but mine was sort of caramel colored instead of a nice pearly white like the original recipe:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt the butter, then stir other ingredients into pan, mixing well after each addition.

On with the pancakes. Mix together
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Mix together flour and baking powder, then other ingredients, mixing until moistened but still a bit lumpy.

Pour about 1/4 c. batter for each pancake into a skillet and let cook a couple minutes before cutting corner out of sandwich bag and drawing the circle on the pancake.You might have to squish the baggie a bit if the cinnamon mixture has separated. It should be toothpaste consistency as it squeezes out of bag.

Once turned, the cinnamon swirl melts into the pan, leaving a crispy, sugary, hollowed out swirl pattern in the pancake.

Turn it out onto a plate with the swirl side up. Drizzle with frosting to finish. They don't need anything extra--no butter or syrup.

As I said, these were sinfully delicious. I never use white flour exclusively, but I really wanted these to taste like cinnamon rolls, so I did this time. They were very decadent and delicious, very sweet and rich. I would make them again for special occasions, but not for an ordinary day. They are an indulgence for sure.

Disaster Chef: Cheesy Beer Bread

I found this recipe quite a while ago, but like most pins on pinterest, I pinned it and forgot it. But then I saw the stray can of beer that's been hanging out in my refrigerator for a couple months, and I went to pinterest to see if I could find something to do with it.

This bread is based on a recipe I found at Gotta Get Baked blog. It's definitely worth checking out her blog, if only for the gorgeous pictures. My bread was gorgeous, but my pictures don't do it justice. Her pictures are awesome. Plus, she's kind of hilarious.

Anyhow, this is how I adapted her recipe.

You will need:
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 12 oz. can or bottle of beer
1 tbsp honey


If you will notice, there is no butter or oil in this bread. I thought that was weird, because every time I've made quick bread, it has a lot. And eggs--this one has no eggs, either. I was confused until I mixed up the batter and realized that the yeast activates and makes bread dough (duh--but I really hadn't thought of that until I mixed it up and it was all sticky like yeasted bread dough).

Now, let's put it all together. 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Grease a loaf pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. Add 3/4 c. of the shredded cheese and onion; toss together so that everything is well combined. At this point, everything will be so coated with flour it will be white.
Add the beer and honey. Mix until all dry bits of flour are absorbed/moistened. Your dough will be lumpy and sort of sticky, but it shouldn't be as moist as cake batter. This should be more like dough.
Dump the dough into the loaf pans and smooth the top of the dough.

It will look about so at this junction.

Bake for about 25 minutes, then add the last 1/4 c. cheese to the top of the loaf.

Half baked and covered in cheese.

 Return to oven and bake for 15-25 more minutes.

Hot and fresh out the oven.

 I had to bake for all 50 minutes before a knife in the center came out clean. It looked done at 40 minutes, but the knife came out all gooey. At 50 minutes, it was completely clean. I let the bread sit about 10-15 minutes, then turned it out and set it on a rack for a few minutes.

Textured, yeasty goodness within.

My son absolutely LOVED this bread. He kept picking at it while it cooled. We ate it warm with pork chops and braised red cabbage with apples. It was delicious warm. He ate 2 pieces, and my husband had 3. It was a big hit, and delicious the next day, too.

Cheesy, crispy goodness without.

Disaster Chef: Blueberry Peach Cheesecake Bars

I'm deep into my Fanny & Me blogging, but sometimes, I just have to make something that's not from Fannie Farmer. She doesn't have a whole lot of newer recipes, since the cookbook is over a hundred years old. So, no cheesecake bars. 

I found this recipe I'd pinned on Pinterest a long time ago, and since I happen to have both blueberries AND peaches right now, I had to try it. Plus, it's got a nut crust, which I really like. So, for anyone doing the gluten free thing, this recipe is worth a shot. In fact, check out this blog where it originates--she has a lot of great recipes like this.

Peaches and blueberries, oh my!

Here's my adapted version.

Putting it in the oven.

 Ingredients

All puffed up and ready to eat.

• 1 c almond butter
• 2-4 tbsp finely shredded coconut
• 6 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
• ½ c plain yogurt
• 4 tbsp. xylitol (or sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 large eggs
• ½ c blueberries
• ½ c diced peaches

Instructions

Yuuuuummmmm.

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the almond butter and coconut and mix well. I may use more coconut next time, or use almond flour like the original recipe does, because mine were a bit too almond buttery.
2. Spread crust mixture into an 8×8 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes then remove from the oven to cool.
3. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and yogurt and mix well with a hand mixer (or stand) for about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time, continuing with mixer.
4. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the crust (crust doesn’t have to be completely cooled). Top the cheesecake mixture with the blueberries and peaches. The blueberries sank into mine, so if you want them on top, I'd wait until the cheesecake has cooked 10-20 mins before adding them.
5. Bake the bars at 350 for 40-50 minutes (until the cheesecake is set).
6. Cool completely then cut into bars and serve.

 These turned out pretty well. The 'crust' I used was just almond butter and coconut, and it was just a little too...almond buttery. Next time, I'll probably use almond meal how the original recipe does. Or at least some kind of nut flour. This was just too wet somehow. Also, I don't think I added quite enough sugar in the cheesecake part. I only used 2 tbsp. but next time, I will definitely use 4. And yes, there will be a next time. This recipe is easy, good, and healthy. Can't wait to make it again.

Disaster Chef: Kale Soup aka Zuppa Tuscana (Olive Garden copycat recipe)

I've made this dish a handful of times. It's my husband's favorite, and a popular meal I've made for my family. It's an Olive Garden knockoff, though I add a few things and change it up a bit (I'm incapable of following a recipe exactly). It can be eaten as a side, but we always use it for the main course as it is very filling and complete all on its own.

I have used different sites for the recipe every time I've made it, but this time I grabbed this one off Pinterest, from My Kitchen Joys.

I cut the recipe in half, since I was using potatoes and kale from my own garden, and I only had a bit of each. Here's the halved version, which serves 4 as a main course.

2 cups potatoes, sliced 1/4" thick.

In the pot.

3/4 cup onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth (I didn't have this, so I used 1 c. water, then added an extra cup milk at the end)

2 cups water

2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (I never add this and never miss it)

1/2 Lb. Italian sausage

1 packed cup kale, chopped

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (I used whole milk, plus the extra cup to make up for the chicken broth, which made it plenty creamy)

*I also add a can of beans, usually red kidney but this time white kidney, as my husband and son like those better.

Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, garlic in pot and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Meanwhile, brown sausage and crumble. Add sausage and kale. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn to low heat, then add cream. Heat through and serve. 

Every recipe for this soup that I've used calls for putting kale in at the end, with the cream, but I don't like my kale very tough. It's still plenty chewy after cooking 10 minutes. This soup is a big hit with everyone who has tried it.

Recipe: 4 spoons of goodness
Product: 5 spoons

Disaster Chef: Buckwheat Noodles with Honey Lime Sauce

Finished product.

I was looking for a good recipe to make with buckwheat noodles, which I LOOOOVE, so I grabbed one off pinterest. I like more veggies in my meals so I used a whole carrot. I then discovered I didn't have any green onions, so I used about 1/4 of a regular onion and fried it (along with the grated carrots, since I don't really like raw carrots much).

I followed the dressing recipe from Joylicious blog  closely, though!

Ingredients

• Handful of buckwheat soba noodles (the ones I get come in handy serving-sized portions)
• 1/2 lime, squeezed (I didn't have a fresh lime, so I used about 2tbs. lime juice from a bottle)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 carrot, shredded (I grated one whole carrot and sauteed it...the next time I made it, I also added a couple sliced mushrooms and some shredded cabbage and sauteed everything...it was delicious!)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (I didn't have these so I left them out)
• small handful of cilantro, cleaned and chopped
• 1 tip of a green onion, cleaned and chopped (I used 1/4 of regular onion, sauteed)
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 2 eggs

The sauce mix.

Instructions

1. In a medium pot fill with water and bring to boil. Drop noodles in and cook for 4 minutes at medium heat at a gentle boil.
2. Rinse carrots and herbs and pat dry. Shred carrot and set aside. Finely chop cilantro and green onion and mix with shredded carrots (and if you're me, saute them now).
3. Test to see if noodles are semi firm, if so turn heat off immediately. Allow pasta to further cook in the hot water for an additional 2 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the dressing.
4. In a bowl combine lime juice, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Whisk well and set aside.
5. Test noodles for preferred firmness/softness and strain. Return noodles to pot and mix in carrots, herbs and dressing.
6. In a medium pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Crack egg(s) carefully into pan and fry until edges are browned and whites are set (sunny side up). Flip over and cook for about 1 minute for over easy, ~ 2 minutes for over medium, ~3 minutes for over hard. (I did all this in the same pan, just pushing the veggies to the sides and frying the eggs in the middle, then tossing it all on top of the noodles and sauce, and mixing it as I ate to get some sauce on the veggies).
7. To serve: Place noodles in a bowl and top with fried eggs. Feel free to add a dash of chile powder or chile sauce for an extra punch!

This recipe is wonderful, because it is so versatile and easy! I've made it three times, changing it every time. Sometimes I add extra veggies, sometimes I use only one egg, sometimes I add chili powder or cayenne on top. It's one of my favorite Pinterest recipes, and I think it's the only one I've gotten around to more than once. I love buckwheat noodles, and I've made this three times in the last month. I think I'll just add whatever veggies I have on hand, keeping the noodles, dressing and cilantro the same every time.

Recipe:  5 spoons of easiness
Outcome: 5 spoons of deliciousnsess

Disaster Chef: Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal

My son is a picky eater, so sometimes dinner is a bit of a battle as it seems he never gets anything he likes. Once in a while, I like to let him choose dinner. Usually he’ll ask for a grilled cheese sandwich or something. But after trying baked oatmeal at my sister’s house, he’s really wanted me to make it. So, I looked up baked oatmeal on Pinterest and found about a billion recipes. He chose peanut butter baked oatmeal, and even though it’s summer and I encouraged the more summery blueberry baked oatmeal, he wanted the pb version, so that’s what I made.

Here is the recipe, off the fabulous Tidy Mom.

• 1-1/2 cups quick cooking oats (I used regular and increased cooking time to 30 mins)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (here I used 1tbs black strap molasses)
• 1/4 cup white sugar (I used xylitol instead)
• 3/4 cup milk (whole milk)
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 egg (I used 2)
• 1 tsp baking powder (I used 1/4 tsp baking soda here)
• 3/4 tsp salt (and left this out)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup Skippy® Peanut Butter (I used East Wind organic)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9×13 pan. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and stir well. Spread in to pan and bake for 20-25 minutes (I used 30 mins for regular rolled oats) or until edges are golden brown. Serve with warm milk poured over top (I used cold milk and sliced bananas, like Tidy Mom suggests).

As you can see, I altered nearly everything in this recipe. It wasn’t very sweet when it came out, and my son complained about it, but he ate up a whole big bowl full. If I was making it for breakfast, I wouldn’t want it to be super sweet anyway, and with bananas and milk, it was just sweet enough. I also added an extra egg, since we have our own and I like to use them whenever I can. I don’t use baking powder, so I used ¼ tsp. baking soda instead. And I left out the salt, since I’m very sensitive to the taste of salt in baked goods.

The outcome was pretty tasty, but I don’t know if I’ll make it again, and not in the summer, for sure. It’s heavy and wintery with the peanut butter. I might try the blueberry one this summer, though. It was super easy and only required one bowl and one pan.

Recipe: 3 out of 4 spoons.

Product: 3 out of 4 spoons.

Disaster Chef: Traditional Beef Stroganoff

Last month I posted about a beef stroganoff with wine sauce. While I was looking for stroganoff recipes, I found many, most with cream of mushroom soup. While I liked the wine sauce, I wanted to try my hand at a more traditional stroganoff, too. So I made this for my family.

I'm not big on using prepackaged foods, so I made my own cream of mushroom soup. See recipe on last week's post, here.

The recipe I used this time was a quick and easy one from Everything in Moderation, again using ground beef, although I used lamb. I admit, I'm not the hugest fan of lamb, and I ended up with a lot of it when one of my friends offered me a year-old sheep. Since it was raised outdoors and not mass-market, of course I accepted. I have to find recipes that will somewhat disguise the flavor, so this one seemed like a good one for some of the ground lamb. But I don't think it would be much different using beef, except beef may have a bit more fat in it.

Here is the recipe. It was super easy!

1 lb. lean ground beef (I used lamb)
1 med. onion, chopped
1 T. Cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water (I used milk here)
1 tsp. garlic powder (here I substituted 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I used 2 c. cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 c. whole milk)
1 (16 oz.) pkg. dried egg noodles (we used quinoa for a bed instead of noodles since my sister is gluten free)
1 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)

Brown beef and onion in skillet till meat is done and onion is transparent (I also added about a cup of sliced portabella mushrooms to the pan with the onion and meat). Drain grease (I didn't do this). Dissolve cornstarch in cold water and pour onto meat. Stir in garlic (saute another 1-2 mins if using fresh), salt & pepper and soups. Cook for five minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 10 minutes (everything was done, so I removed from heat after about 3 minutes). Meanwhile, cook noodles (or rice or quinoa) according to pkg. directions. When done, drain . Remove meat mixture from heat and stir in sour cream and mix well. Add to noodles and mix till well blended.

We topped the quinoa with stroganoff, though you can mix if you want. One of my sisters did not like this recipe at all, but everyone else thought it was okay. I liked it, and my son ate some, though he complained and picked out all the mushrooms. So, for a picky eater, maybe not.

Recipe: 4 of 4 spoons.

Clear instructions, very easy.
Product: 3 of 4 spoons. Tasty enough. I'd make it again, though my family isn't a big fan.

Disaster Chef: Cream of Mushroom Soup (project pinterest)

My inspiration for this soup was actually a beef stroganoff recipe that called for 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup. I would probably have to be very desperate to use canned soup, so I thought I'd find a good recipe and save some for the stroganoff. This recipe, from Pinterest, caught my eye. But let me just warn, there was NOT a lot of it! Not even enough for the stroganoff...and I'm not talking about leftovers here. I mean, it made about 2.5 cups total. So, I'd recommend doubling the recipe, especially if you want to have some leftover for cooking or if you just like soup. And trust me, you're going to want to have a bowl of this, and probably go back for seconds.

Here's my version, adapted from the original recipe, which can be found over at Veg Recipes of India.

• 1 16oz. package baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small to medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• a pinch of grated nutmeg
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup full fat milk at room temperature
• 6 tbsp half&half or cream
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• ½ tsp dried parsley
• freshly crushed black pepper as required
• salt as required
• a few chopped parsley or coriander leaves for garnishing (I didn't have these, but they make the pictures so much prettier on the original website!)

  

  I made this in my cast iron, where I make everything!

Here are her Instructions

This step is not pretty. It looks pretty disgusting right now, actually.

1. melt the butter in a sauce pan.
2. add the bay leaf and saute till fragrant - about 4-5 seconds.
3. add the chopped onions and garlic.
4. saute till they soften and become translucent.
5. add the sliced or chopped mushrooms and saute till the mushrooms start to release water.
6. saute till all the water dries up and the mushrooms are a light brown (this took quite a while, and the onions got a bit mushy by then, so I might not cook them as long next time).
7. add the flour and saute for 3-4 minutes stirring often.
8. then add freshly crushed black pepper and saute for half a minute.
9. add water first followed by milk.
10. stir well and season with salt.
11. on a low flame let the soup come to gentle simmer
12. the soup would also begin to thicken.
13. simmer for about 4-5 minutes.
14. then add the cream and parsley.
15. simmer for 2-3 minutes more stirring often.
16. lastly sprinkle nutmeg powder and stir.
17. switch off the stove top and pour the soup in individual serving bowls.
18. serve the cream of mushroom soup steaming hot garnished with parsley or coriander.

Disaster Chef: Foodie Friday: Barbecue Ribs (project pinterest)

Another search on Pinterest yielded results. This time I went in search of a ribs recipe. I've heard that ribs are hard to make, and I didn't want to use the Crock-Pot this time, since I was making them one evening after work. This was a good oven recipe that turned out great! It would be perfect for those who have to work on Fourth of July and still wanted to cook afterwards. Everyone in my family loved it and wanted more. Again, a recipe my son scorned, but then he gobbled them up.

I served them with Chinese cabbage my sister had given me from her garden. Organic veggies=yum.

You can find these ribs on my Project Pinterest board now, from the original recipe from Jenny Can Cook.






Here's her recipe:

• one rack of baby back ribs (I had two racks of ribs from a pig my sister gave me--no idea if they are babyback or not, but they were small racks).
• juice of one lemon (I didn't measure this, just squirted some on from one of those lemon juice lemons)
• 1/4 cup rub (your own or my recipe below)(I used her recipe, modifications listed)
• 1/2 cup barbeque sauce (Our favorite is Sweet Baby Ray's) or look on Jenny's website for hers.

 Rub: Here’s her rub recipe: 1/4 cup brown sugar (I used 2tbs xylitol, 2tbs black strap molasses here); 2 tsp. each of chili powder & sweet paprika; 1 tsp. each of salt, dry mustard & oregano; 1/2 tsp. each of garlic powder & onion powder (I didn't have these, so I slice a couple cloves of garlic and scattered it on top before the ribs cooked); 1/4 tsp. pepper

1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. Remove excess fat from ribs. Peel the silver skin off the back of the ribs - lift with a sharp knife and grab with a paper towel to remove (I don't even know what this means, so I didn't do it!)
3. Cut ribs apart into individual pieces.
4. Rub ribs all over with lemon juice.
5. Coat ribs with dry rub. Place meat side down in large baking pan, & cover tightly with foil, shiny side out.
6. Bake in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.
7. Remove from oven & pour off liquid (didn't pour off liquid, but just b/c I forgot and there wasn't much liquid in the pan, anyway)
8. Brush bbq sauce over all sides of ribs.
9. Grill: To finish ribs on the grill, remove from the pan and place ribs on the grill (I use a basket over direct but low heat) basting and turning a few times for about 10 minutes.
10. Oven: To finish ribs in the oven, set oven to broil and return ribs to the same oven rack, basting and broiling about 5 minutes per side, watching so they don’t burn. They will be so tender, it’s best to turn them using gloved hands. (I used the oven and they turned out great!)

    

    Ribs and Chinese Cabbage.

 So, another non-disastrous recipe! That's two in a row. Maybe I'm getting better at this whole cooking thing (or at least choosing recipes).

Disaster Chef: Taco Casserole (project pinterest) (ammended Weight Watcher's recipe)

I found a recipe for Taco Casserole on Pinterest last fall, but when I went back for it, the blog was gone. Super disappointed, since it looked awesome. I really wanted to make it anyway, so I searched and of course about a hundred recipes came up. After reading a few, I settled on this one, which sounded good.


Unfortunately, it was a Weight Watcher's recipe, which stands for everything I'm against! If it works for you, my apologies, and good job. So I'm posting the recipe below, along with my NOT low-fat recommendations.


1 lb extra lean ground beef (drained or rinsed!) (...NO NO NO! Do not use lean meat, and do not rinse. Saturated fat is not the enemy! lol...seriously, regular grass-fed beef, no draining and dear lord no rinsing...are you trying to remove all taste?!)                                     

1/2 cup onion (chopped)

1/4 cup canned jalapeno slices, chopped (I skipped these, since my son doesn't like spicy food, but I also put salsa on top once it was done)                                           

2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped or 1 (15 ounce) can diced canned tomatoes

1 (15 ounce) can kernel corn (drained) (I used frozen corn since that's what I had)

1 (15 ounce) can black beans (rinsed and drained) (Used red beans, since I had some cooked)                                    

1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix (chili powder, cumin and salt did the trick).                                          

8 corn tortillas

3/4 cup nonfat sour cream (REGULAR)                                                  

1/3 cup reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend, shredded (About a cup of regular shredded cheese on top was perfect)                                          

1/3 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, to taste (or less (or more) 

(GARNISH: I USED SALSA, OLIVES, SOUR CREAM, LETTUCE, CILANTRO)                                    

Directions:

1. 1
   Brown ground beef and chopped onions in large skillet; brown 10 to 12 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring constantly. Drain well and rinse with warm water to remove all fat; return beef/onions to skillet. (Please don't wash your beef. It's weird).
2. 2
   Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, chilies/jalapenos and taco seasoning mix; mix well. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.
3. 3
   Meanwhile spray 12x8-inch (2-quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut each tortilla in half; place 8 halves in bottom of sprayed baking dish, overlapping slightly.
4. 4
   Spoon half of beef mixture evenly over tortillas. Spoon sour cream over beef mixture; spread evenly. Top with remaining 8 tortilla halves and remaining beef mixture. (Cover tightly with foil & Freeze for later OR cook as directed below…).
5. 5
   (Thaw overnight if frozen) Heat oven to 350ºF. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with fresh chopped lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black olives, etc… /.
6. 6
   Makes 6 large Servings at 6.5 weight watcher pts/each.

It turned out pretty tasty, especially after garnishes. Without that, it was a little plain. Also, the corn I used was really sweet for some reason, and tasted a little off in the recipe. I might leave out the corn next time. But, there will definitely be a next time. It was really tasty, and pretty easy to make. It did take a bit of time, but it was worth it. Everyone liked it, picky-eater son included, though he said he'd rather have tacos next time.

Disaster Chef: Pear Pecan Steel Cut Oats (project pinterest)

I bought a bunch of steel cut oats a while back because I heard they were healthier than rolled oats. I didn't know how to cook them, so I did the overnight oatmeal with the first batch. It was okay, but my son did not like the 'chewy oatmeal.' So I ended up eating all 5 jars that I'd made for the week. The next time, I tried to cook it, but didn't leave it in nearly long enough and it was very chewy.

This time I made it the right way, cooking it for a long time with lots of water as directed in the article on two vrooms blog.
Here's their recipe:

1/4 tsp salt
1 c. steel cut oats
1 T + 1 tsp butter
1/2 c. pecans
2 tsp sugar
2 pears (peeled, cored, sliced into chunks). If you don't have or don't like pears, try this recipe with apples instead.
3 T honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Half and half

In a medium size sauce pan, boil 4 c. water and salt. Add steel cut oats and wait for it to boil again. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer (uncovered) for 25-35 minutes, stirring often.

In a frying pan, melt 1 tsp butter. Add pecans and sugar. Stir 1 minute: the sugar should melt and coat the toasty pecans. Move them to a cutting board and chop coarsely when cooled.

Right before your oatmeal is done, melt a tablespoon of butter in the frying pan again. Add the pears and stir occasionally for 3 minutes. The juice should come out of them and they should be hot all the way through. Add honey and cinnamon.

It turned out delicious. My son even ate it a couple days, though he still prefers rolled oats. For this recipe, I used pears from the tree outside our new house, which was exciting. I'm not a big fan of pears, but I wanted to find ways to use up the ones on the tree, since they were there and obviously all-natural and organic and not sprayed. So we collected a bucket of them and used some in this recipe. I made it later for my husband, and he liked it, too.

I did not prepare the pecans as directed in the recipe. I just used plain pecans. I added more honey to the pears than the recipe calls for, and more butter, and I cooked the pears for probably 15-20 minutes before they got juicy and somewhat cooked. I didn't want to cook the pecans, as I don't like the way sugar-coated things feel between my teeth. Plus, raw nuts are healthier. So I just threw a handful of raw pecans on top. This breakfast was great all week, healthy and tasty. Sure, it's still just oatmeal. But it was as exciting as oatmeal gets
.

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