dorm delicacies.

As previously stated: I live in a dorm. A Chin.ese dorm. Picture yourself living in a box and take away all your privacy, then minus the fun/comfort factor by about 10, add a side of mold and that is where I live.

But I digress. I didn't come here today to complain, I came here today to show off the awesomness that is: carrot cake in a crockpot!

In my new swanky accomodations, I have no kitchen. There is a communal microwave that the Sri Lankens make smell like fish every night, but other than that, there is nothing.

This is a big problem because I like to bake for people. If I love you, I make you cupcakes. If I'm stressed out, I whip up some brownies. There's a reason my hips are large and in charge and it's not because I love rice so much...I love to bake.

I purchased a crockpot last year (hard to find) and it revolutionized my life. I made a Christmas pot roast in it. It was wonderful. After a tragic accident involving the crushing of my ceramic crockpot top when I was moving to my new home a few weeks ago, I new I needed a quick replacement.

Lo and behold my new crockpot filled with joy:

That right there is carrot cake a la crockpot. My new specialty.

The other day I was really craving veggies (weird, I know) and I really wanted to bake. I went to work searching the internet for recipes and didn't find any where all the ingredients are available here, so I decided to make one up. I took a bus over to the foreign goods store, picked up a box of uber expensive cake mix, and headed home to make magic in the communal kitchen and make the Sri Lankens jealous.

I would guess that this would be a good dessert to make if you have to bake something and prepare dessert at the same time. The crockpot can be handy like that. The cake is super yummy, but of course, there's no Publix in sight to compare this to so it might be China-ness talking when I rave about it. There haven't been any complaints from the dorm-mates though, and I'm happy to share a bit of bakery love with them.

I was talking to a dorm-mate from Paki.stan on the stairs after baking my first crockpot carrot cake and he mentioned it was his birthday the day before but that he had no cake. I marched him right up to the fourth floor to my room and cut him a big 'ol slice of carrot cake.

He was shocked that we put carrots in cake. "Healthy." I think was his response. And he was slightly embarrassed because in Eastern culture (including Paki.stan) the birthday boy/girl is supposed to treat the guests, not the other way around like in Amer.ican culture. He replied that he should be the one giving to me because of his birthday and I poo'poo'ed him, saying that it was my duty to give him cake to celebrate his life. Everybody needs some cake for their birthday, thank goodness for the carrot craving! Or Ahkmed would have gone without, and that's just no good.

Want the recipe? Ok. Here it is:

Yummy Crockpot Cake Wonder of Amazingness:

Ingredients:

1.5 tsp cinnamon

.5 tsp nutmeg

1.5 cups grated carrots

3 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1/2 cup water

1 box yellow cake mix

Directions:

Mix everything together.

Line crockpot with aluminum foil, then pour mixture into crockpot. Place a couple of paper towels between the top of the crockpot and the lid, put lid on. Back for about 1.5 hours. Check after one hour by placing a toothpick (or in my case, a knife) into the top of the cake. When it comes out clean, you're ready to go. Let it sit in there for about 1/2 hour before flipping the cake out of the crockpot and wallah! You've got yourself a slow-cooked piece of sweet yet semi-healthy wonder.

I'm planning on trying it with apples instead of carrots once everyone gets sick of the carrot cake.

Try it and let me now how it goes! Or just go to Publix and buy some carrot cake, but promise you'll have one bite for me, ok?

walk slow. xoxo.

"do what you can, where you are, with what you've got"......