Pudding

I love warm pudding. It just tastes like comfort. It's also fast and easy and you don't need to keep a dorky box of mix around. Here's my recipe that I just made up.

Fast Chocolate Pudding (with a minimum of dirty dishes)
Equipment: Small pot, whisk, 1/4 c measure
1. Whisk together 1/2 c sugar (i.e. 2 of your 1/4 cups), 1/4 c cornstarch, 1/4 c cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt in the small pot. Make sure to break up all the lumps in the cocoa.

2. Stir in 2 c milk (I just use the 1/4 c measure and count to 8) and a splash of vanilla. Whisk well to dissolve the cornstarch. You'll be left with a foam of cocoa powder floating on the top.

3. Turn the heat on to high or medium-high and whisk constantly. Don't let gunk accumulate in the corners of the pot. The cocoa powder will dissolve when the milk gets warm. When it comes to a boil, the cornstarch will activate and it will get very thick very fast. Turn off the heat.

4. Gently whisk in another cup of milk to cool the pudding to the proper warm temp for eating. If you like it chilled, pour it into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Keep the wrap touching the surface of the pudding to avoid forming a skin. Stash in fridge until cool. But really, it's better warm.

I was in the mood for Mexican chocolate, so I added a teaspoon and a half of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne to step 1.

Other ideas: add in some chopped chocolate after step 3 for added decadence. Replace some of the milk with cold coffee for a mocha flavor. Leave out the cocoa for a vanilla pudding. Warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, and black pepper are all possibilities. Vanilla + nutmeg = eggnog flavor. Replace some of the milk with fruit juice (may want to reduce the sugar). Chocolate orange maybe? Imagination is so tasty! Just don't add lemon or lime juice or the milk will curdle (not good eats).

And now my bowl is empty. It's time for a refill. I'm going to warm it up on the stove a bit first. Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!

I don't know what to say.

Still here, still alive, not smoked out yet.

Life in Southern California has definite seasons, there's the dream perfect season (Spring), followed by heat (Summer), followed by fire (Fall), and then mudslides (Winter). Right now we're apparently in the early part of fire season. Last year was really bad with the highlights being ash raining on the sidewalks and evacuation of the school. This year we're on the other side of the hills. The particulates all are on the other side, but this is the view behind our apartment. No, those are not clouds, it's smoke.

Great idea?

One of the advantages of coaching is that you have access to a large amount of stuff that people think is pretty cool, but that few people have lying around. As a result I decided that I would try to see what would be the reaction if I walked in the house wearing a football helmet. I placed in on my head and Thomas just stared at me for about five seconds and the a soft voice filled with awe, "Thomas want!" These pictures are the result.

Of course if it's good enough for Thomas.


It's good enough for Ruthann as well.

Ruthann's Baptism

We realized that Ruthann had been baptized a year ago on the 20th. It's also her great-grandfather's birthday. We thought that this meant that we needed a party. What does any party need? Pulled pork, coleslaw, and ice cream sandwiches! This is how Ruthann eats an ice cream sandwich. Let me also say that I can think on no other meal that she has ever eaten where there we no crumbs left over at the end.

Where's Thomas's ice cream sandwich you may ask. Thomas thought that the best part of ice cream sandwiches was that if you hold it in your hand it will melt, onto the carpet. If we broke off a piece of it and put it in his mouth he screamed. This resulted in his ice cream sandwich being taken away if he wasn't going to eat it. Who ate it then? Ruthann did. It was a double dose of joy.

If you're taking pictures of Thomas...

He's going to want pictures of Gilgamesh.

Dada get camera

Dada take pictures of Beowulf!

Jenny and Ruthann

Note the black eye, someone opened the door of the play kitchen into her face.

Thomas no sleep in bed

Can you believe that we make him try to sleep in a bed?

Take Pictures Thomas Bear

I got out the camera and I heard an small very insistent voice, "Take pictures, Thomas, bear."

This is it.

Fireworks

Ruthann is Hiding

So out of the kindness and generosity of my dear, lovable wife's heart we've upgraded cameras to a DSLR and even got image software. Expect more high quality pictures in this space more often and e-mail me or Jenny if you want a higher quality file so that you can make a print at Costco or somewhere else. I shrink the images way down for posting on the blog.

Talking to Grandma

Hanging with Jimbles

Ruthann and Mugsy

Lahar

It mewed at the door to come in Thursday and hasn't left yet. Very friendly and purrs. Beckham tolerates her. A lahar is a volcanic cloud of ash and mud that can flow downhill at over 100 mph. Her color reminded me of ash and of clouds.

Synchronized Sleeping

First Cow's Milk

Once you're one, you're allowed to drink cow's milk. I think this is the first time she's drank from a sippy without spitting all of it back out.

Birthday Morning-After

Ruthann's First Birthday

Thomas thinks the German Chocolate Victoria cake is for him. Well, one piece of it is.

Is this all for me? I'm not sure what to do with this big thing.

Pieces go in The Mouth! Oh, it's so good!

Here, Mama. Want some that I found on my dress?

Could the day get any better? Yay! A bath!