Easy, Tasty, Chocolate

A good friend passed this recipe on to me from Betty Crocker. I halved it, made it, and ate it. All. by. my. self.

Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Sundae Cake


1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cups chopped nuts (I didn't use, optional I guess)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 cups hot water

Spray inside of 2- to 3 1/2 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Mix flour, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, the baking powder and salt in medium bowl (this could probably be done in the slow cooker). Stir in milk, oil and vanilla until smooth. Stir in nuts. Spread batter evenly in slow cooker.

Mix brown sugar and 1/4 cup baking cocoa in small bowl. Stir in hot water until smooth. Pour evenly over batter in slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high heat setting 2 hour to 2 1/2 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Turn off slow cooker. Let cake stand uncovered 30 to 40 minutes to cool slightly before serving. Spoon warm cake into dessert dishes and spoon sauce over top.

There might be some left for Hubs when he gets home tomorrow.

Spanakopitza

A coworker brought something similar to this to a department potluck. It was so tasty, I had to have the recipe. It goes something like this:

2 pie crusts - not in the tins
1 box of frozen spinach - thawed
or 2 good handfuls of fresh
some ricotta (1/2 a cup or so)
some mozzarella (1/2 a cup or so)
some parmesean (as much as you want)
garlic powder (or fresh squished)
mushrooms (sauteed would be nice!)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to about 350. Take pie crusts out of fridge to soften. Put a piece of foil on baking sheet and spray w/nonstick. Mix thawed spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesean, garlic powder, 1 egg, mushrooms and/or whatever you want to add in a bowl. The pie crusts should be soft by now, carefully roll one out on the foil. Dump the mixture out on the pie crust and spread out to about 1 inch from the edge. Put 2nd pie crust on top and fold edges together all the way around to seal. Poke a few holes or cut a few slits in the top to vent. Brush with egg wash. Cover with another piece of foil and bake for about 40 minutes or until tasty looking and golden. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes if you can stand it!

(I forgot the eggwash, and I thought that cheese on top would be a good idea...)

Yummy

I was really hankering for some dessert, so I whipped this up in the kitchen (pun intended!)

Quick Parfaits for Two

1 package of your favorite pudding flavor
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups skim milk (for the dieters)
2 Graham crackers
Whipped Cream (fat-free for the dieters)

Mix pudding and milk. Using less than the 2 cups will make the pudding set faster, so mix faster. This will also make the pudding thicker. While the pudding is setting in the fridge, crush all but 1/2 a graham cracker. After the pudding sets, sprinkle some of the crumbs in the bottom of a pretty sangria glass or parfait glass. There should be enough for three layers, so use a tallish glass. Spoon in two or three tablespoons of the pudding, add a good helping of crumbs, top that with two or three tablespoons of the whipped cream. Repeat. Repeat. The last layer should be a dollop of whipped cream, sprinkle crumbs, and garnish each parfait with 1/4 of a graham cracker.

Using the skim milk and fat-free whipped cream, there is only a bit of naughty in the graham cracker. Helpful for Hubby's strict diet. I would have taken pictures, but we ate them too fast.

Enjoy!