I love using my four-serving crockpot to make recipes. The food can cook while you are doing homework, taking tests, or just plain being lazy. My favorite time to throw something in the crockpot is on Sundays, so that by the time I get home from church, I don't have to cook. Although I make some really yummy recipes for dinner, one of my favorites is for a heavenly chocolate cake. Just thought I should share:
Chocolate Mud Cake
Prep. Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 2 Hours
Yields: 4 servings
What you'll need
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate (or 1/3 cup chocolate chips)
- 1 cup sugar (2/3 cup & 1/3 cup, added separately)
- 3 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups hot water
How to make it
- Coat the inside of a 2 1/2- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. (Note: the cake's cooking time and final appearance will vary depending on your crock's size.)
- Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water and mix well.
- Whisk in the 2/3 cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of cocoa, vanilla extract, salt, milk, and egg yolk. Add the flour mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Pour the batter into the slow cooker and spread it evenly. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar (white and brown), cocoa, and hot water until the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the mixture over the batter in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the crock pot.
- Even when done, the cake will be very moist and floating on a layer of molten chocolate, but you'll know it's ready when nearly all of the cake is set and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pot. (As you check, try not to let the condensed steam from the lid drip onto the cake.)
Ok, let's be honest right here; since I LOVE Institute, I will be blogging frequently about my class. Today's lesson was on obedience and the importance thereof. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to my teacher and other students tell of times when they were unsure of a decision. We started the discussion on priorities & obedience with the scripture Doctrine & Covenants 124:49. It reads, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings."*
This brought to mind the Primary song, "Nephi's Courage", very simply sung, but contains deep meaning. The Lord will always provide a way for us to keep His commandments and do what He has asked of us. This principle is taught through 1 Nephi 3:7 "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."*
We need to try our best to stay close to Him and his teachings, as this will benefit us the most. God is a god of happiness; Whatever he asks us to do WILL end with us being happier than we ever were before. As Bro. B stated, "The Lord will always understand your disobedience, but will only reward obedience. No matter how many times you listen to or write promptings/commandments down, if you don't apply them, they won't be effective in helping you."
To wrap all this up: eliminate excuses and be dependable! Less talk, more action! Practice what you preach! And last of all, hoorah for Israel!
*All scriptures and quotes from LDS Authorities can be found at http://www.lds.org
Being down at college has made me realize how rare a good recipe is; let alone how rare a good home-cooked meal is. But, after some time of looking for healthy, but quick recipes for smoothies, I have only found a few. My favorite being one I made up myself. I think this fruity sugarless smoothie is pretty much me and K's favorite splurge item now.
Recipe:
1 can peaches, drained.
1 can chunk pineapple, with juice.
2 large bananas, sliced.
4 ice cubes.
Blend altogether, but not too much. If too runny, add more ice and don't blend that much.
Yields: 4 servings.
Disclaimer: Since there is no sugar, some might find this a little sour. You may add sugar as you please, but that is not the way I make it. Also, if you add the peach juice, it is likely to be more runny and more bitter.
When we are super busy with homework and such, this is the perfect replacement for dinner. It blends quickly, as well as fills the belly fast. The ingredients are also not terribly expensive (I try and buy three smoothies worth when I get them). Enjoy!
I LOVE attending Institute! The class I am in right now is called "Joseph Smith: The Early Years"; it is fabulous. The class discusses stories, events, and revelations that lead up to Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon and establishing the church. One of my favorite lessons so far has been about God's timetable. My teacher, Bro. B, just brings so much power and inspiration to the lessons. In this particular lesson, he compared trials to a cake. We start out as the batter, and yeah, while batter is delicious and we don't mind it all, we need to be baked to improve/get any better. The trial is being in the oven. He asked, "what do you think that cake is saying as the oven slowly heats up?" Out of 350 degrees, we will probably start complaining at 110-150ish degrees, "Dear God, I can't do this any longer, I've hit my limit". Even though God loves you and wants to help you (take you out of the situation), he knows not to take the cake out early; you will be your best after about 20-25 minutes. The quote my teacher used was,
"Thus in the process of life, our Omniscient Lord
has a schedule, a timetable, and a pattern - macro and micro. We all need to know and remember this. Being perfect in His knowledge of us and in
His love of us, God is our perfect Father.
The metering and disclosing by degrees are all part of this mortal
process. Therefore, our faith in God
includes faith that God lives, faith that He is our father and faith that His
process (called the plan of salvation) is necessary and proper. But, finally, faith also includes faith in
His timetable. Accepting that timetable
requires great meekness and patience on our part." --Elder
Neal A. Maxwell
It was just a lesson in patience for me, I guess. I've never realized how much faith is required for going off to college. Faith everything will be okay, faith you will get good grades, faith you will make friends & good decisions, etc...the list goes on and on. A true testimony comes from deciding now to stand on the Lord's side, so when the heat is turned up, you can handle it. Be gone temptations, be gone trials, I am here and I am making the right choices! I hope this brought the same confidence and courage to you as it brought to me. It is amazing what one class, as simple as it is, has shown & taught me. Go Institute!
This last weekend was Stake Conference in my ward. It was so inspirational; I just wanted to jump up and stick a missionary badge on! The sister missionaries in our stake shared their experiences about deciding to go on a mission--they pretty much settled all my concerns. I want to go very badly! (It's all about finishing this year of schooling first, I guess...) The Stake President also spoke and emphasized the need for more missionaries and the importance of a strong testimony. The whole meeting was just uplifting and I left not realizing I had been in the meeting for more than two hours! I just wanted to stay and ask questions, take notes, and just genuinely be inspired! When me and K (my roomie) walked out of the meeting, we both looked at each other and said, "Wow! What a meeting!" Everyone that spoke was prepared and all those that listened were in tune with the messages, the spirit in the room was miraculous! Here's a video they showed everyone: http://bcove.me/qojpkw47
I'm just not sure what the reasoning is behind the great idea of "No Shave November". I think it is so strange; one minute, every male around me is clean-shaven and then BAM! There are beards, goatees, cookie dusters, and sideburns all over the place! Now, I don't care if men think this fad is for them or even participate, I just don't understand. I have even heard of competitions/bets being placed on the longest, thickest, scruffiest, etc...beards. If any of you out there understand this phenomenon that's slowly evolved over the past couple years, please enlighten. The whole idea just seems a bit silly. imagine if girls swore off of shaving for an entire month...eww. Such images just can't be removed from one's psychi. Please shave! Signing off, until next time.
Well...I've been thinking I should start a blog for quite some time now. A lot of people I know have started one and frankly, I love reading them! A blog, I feel, is a good way to journal and post things that are too personal for Facebook, Twitter, etc...I always have to hesitate when posting on these sites to not include tons of personal information and all that jazz, and this blog might just be the thing I really need to keep all my thoughts together. It's funny because sometimes I'll be on FB, writing about the days, weeks, or weekends' happenings and the thoughts just keep coming. Pretty soon, the posts are a billion words longer than anticipated and might share things that everyone on planet earth doesn't necessarily need to know. Also I figure that since I am really quite the slacker-type in journal writing, but I do get on my computer a lot, that this would be a great way to remember great and important things/events/people in my life. So...to conclude, I hope that all who read these various vignettes find inspiration, laughter, and a sense of connection to the things I type about. Feel free to comment at any time, as I am open to suggestions, improvements, and just flat-out compliments. We'll see how this goes for now. Goodnight all, until next time.
