Not long ago I made pudding…chocolate Mexican tofu pudding to be precise. It was really good, but it wasn’t as thick as I would have liked. So yesterday, I went an entirely different direction with my chocolate pudding. Instead of using tofu, I used coconut milk. I also ... [read more]]]>

Not long ago I made pudding…chocolate Mexican tofu pudding to be precise. It was really good, but it wasn’t as thick as I would have liked. So yesterday, I went an entirely different direction with my chocolate pudding. Instead of using tofu, I used coconut milk. I also added some cornstarch to thicken it up nicely, and the best part was I made it without using processed sugar. It was wonderful!!!

I have to say this is the best chocolate pudding I’ve ever made. It’s thick, rich, and super creamy…not to mention oh so chocolaty!

It’s so rich that I could only eat a half portion at one sitting. Keep in mind that it doesn’t make much pudding…only enough for two…so you’ll need to make a lot more if you have a large family or making it for guests.

It’s really simple to make though and doesn’t take long at all. Give it a try sometime and tell me what you think.

Decadent Chocolate Pudding (Vegan)

Recipe Adapted from: Whole Foods Market

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/3 cup raw coconut sap
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch

Instructions:

• Fill a medium sized pot with  about a quart of water. Place a smaller pot inside the larger pot, making sure that the water isn’t touching the bottom of the smaller pot. If it is, just remove some of the water. This will be your make-shift double boiler. (If you have a double boiler, then you can just use it.) Here’s a picture of my make-shift double boiler so you can see what it looks like.

• Melt the chocolate on low heat in the small pot. Don’t be tempted to increase the heat. Let it melt slowly. When melting chocolate, I’ve found that you get much better results when you don’t let the chocolate get too hot. Melt it nice and slow on low…that’s my motto.
• When the chocolate starts melting a little, stir in the agave nectar.
• After the chocolate has completely melted, stir in the coconut milk and increase the temperature to medium.
• When the coconut milk has warmed up, stir in the coconut sap and cocoa powder.
• Now get your whisk out and whisk the mixture until all the lumps dissolve.
• At this point, you want to put the unthickened pudding directly on the heat and whisk in the cornstarch.
• Keep whisking until the pudding thickens up.
• Then remove it from the heat, pour it into your serving dishes, cover with plastic wrap, and chill.

Every now and then we get in the mood for some lamb, and today was one of those days. Whenever we eat lamb, however, we always eat a small amount because it’s so rich and strong in flavor.

The meal we made tonight was out-of-this-world incredible!

And the rosemary wheat bread that I made to accompany it ... [read more]]]> Every now and then we get in the mood for some lamb, and today was one of those days. Whenever we eat lamb, however, we always eat a small amount because it’s so rich and strong in flavor.

The meal we made tonight was out-of-this-world incredible!

And the rosemary wheat bread that I made to accompany it was perfect for sopping up the juices. I didn’t take a picture of the bread, but I used the rosemary sesame seed roll recipe except I left out the sesame seeds.

For dessert, we had raspberry and vanilla cream pudding. Yummm!

Sorry…it’s not homemade, but it’s still creamy and delcious! It’s from a prepared mix (Dr. Oetker’s raspberry pudding). The vanilla cream layer is a combination of whipping cream and Dr. Oetker’s vanilla pudding.

Anyway, it was wonderful meal…from start to finish…and if you’re ever in the mood for lamb, I strongly urge you to try this recipe. It’s awesome-blossom!!

Rosemary Pesto Lamb Rack with Roasted Vegetables

Recipe Adapted from: Bon Apetit on epicurious.com

Here’s a picture of the pesto when it was done:

Ten days ago I received a Friendship Bread starter from a wonderful gal I work with, and I was tickled pink to get it! The bread is just heavenly, but be warned, the smells coming out of your oven while it’s baking will drive you mad!!! If you’re like me, you’ll hardly be ... [read more]]]> Ten days ago I received a Friendship Bread starter from a wonderful gal I work with, and I was tickled pink to get it! The bread is just heavenly, but be warned, the smells coming out of your oven while it’s baking will drive you mad!!! If you’re like me, you’ll hardly be able to wait for the bread to be done!! I have to tell you it’s one of the best breakfast breads I’ve ever had. Yes…it’s sweet, and I while I normally don’t like my breakfast breads too sweet, this one is exceptional.

I have no idea where the recipe originated from. All I know is that it’s supposedly an Amish recipe that gets passed around; however, I don’t think Amish people would be using boxes of pudding in their bread. Regardless, it’s a fantastic bread, and I love the idea behind it…giving starters to friends. What a wonderful gift!

Last week I mistakenly purchased a huge container of vanilla yogurt. Ooops! I meant to buy plain yogurt. So I decided to return the wrong yogurt and replace it with the right one. I went through my files and found the receipt and put it in my pocket, but I forgot to bring the vanilla ... [read more]]]> Last week I mistakenly purchased a huge container of vanilla yogurt. Ooops! I meant to buy plain yogurt. So I decided to return the wrong yogurt and replace it with the right one. I went through my files and found the receipt and put it in my pocket, but I forgot to bring the vanilla yogurt with me to exchange it. Double Ooops! So I decided to just use it. And while I was using something I needed to get rid of, I decided to use a couple of more things I’ve been wanting to get rid of…a box of sugar-free pistachio pudding and a box of sugar-free strawberry gelatin.

I love the pink and green colors which remind me of watermelon and summer, and I love combination of fruit and nut flavors. I also enjoy the smooth and creamy filling and how that contrasts with the buttery and crunchy vanilla wafer crust. The result…total yumminess!!

I still have vanilla yogurt left in my fridge, but maybe I’ll make some kind of breakfast bread with it tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll just enjoy this pie.

No Bake Strawberry Pistachio Yogurt Pie

Ingredients:

• 4 packages Dream Whip whipped topping
• 2 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
• 1 box (.3 oz) sugar-free strawberry gelatin
• 1 box (1 oz) sugar-free instant pistachio pudding mix
• 6 oz. vanilla wafers, crushed
• 4 tbsp. salted butter, melted

Instructions:

• In a large mixing bowl, beat together with an electric mixer 2 packages Dream Whip, the box of strawberry gelatin, and 1 cup of vanilla yogurt.
• After the ingredients are combined and the mixture has thickened, refrigerate it.
• Clean your beaters, and in another bowl beat together 2 packages of Dream Whip, the pistachio pudding mix, and 1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt. It will be thicker than the strawberry mixture. Refrigerate.
• Crush the vanilla wafers by putting them in a plastic bag and using your rolling pin to crush them.
• Put the crushed wafers in a pie dish.
• Melt 4 tbsp. butter.
• Mix the butter into the crushed wafers with your hands, and then spread it evenly over the pie dish.
• Spread the pistachio pudding on top of the pie crust.
• Then decorate the top of the pudding with the strawberry cream. I used a decorator gun, but you can also just as easily put the cream in a plastic bag and then cut a tip at the bottom of the bag. Then you can just squeeze out the cream to decorate the top.
• Freeze for several hours and serve chilled.

Today something totally magical happened. I made a rice pudding for Kemal, and ... [read more]]]>

Today something totally magical happened. I made a rice pudding for Kemal, and when I tried it, I fell in love! I was oooohing and aaaaahing while I enjoyed every rich, creamy bite! Kemal really enjoyed it as well and said I did a really good job.

So how did this recipe come about?

Well, a while back when I made Russian Hat Cake, Kemal and I sampled the cream filling and thought it was excellent. He said he could imagine that filling being used as a base for rice pudding, and today, I made the pudding the way he envisioned it. I just basically cut the cream filling ingredients in half and added some vanilla. Then I added the soft, milk-soaked rice and presto…a rich, creamy rice pudding was born! Thanks to my friend, Vesna, for the cream filling recipe, and to Kemal for the idea and inspiration! Also, thanks to my mom for the bread basket liner she made which I used as a background when I photographed my pudding.

If you decide to make it, you’ll need about an hour or so, and you’ll be doing a lot of stirring. My fingers were aching by the time the rice was done, but it was definitely worth the time and effort.

Rice Pudding That Makes You Oooooh and Aaaaaah!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, salted
• 6 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 7 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 pkg. vanilla sugar (Optional)
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla

Instructions:

• Put the stick of butter on your counter top so it can soften.
• In a medium-sized saucepan, mix together 5 1/2 cups milk and rice, and then bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.
• After the milk begins to boil, reduce the heat to low, stirring constantly until the rice becomes soft.
• Remove it from the heat when the rice is done, and then stir in 1/2 cup sugar. Set it aside to cool a little.
• Next take 1/2 cup milk and 7 1/2 tbsp. flour and whip it by hand with a whisk until there are no lumps. Set it aside when you’re done.
• Put 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, and vanilla sugar in a sauce pan and heat it on medium well heat until it boils, stirring constantly.
• After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and then add the flour/milk mixture that you just whisked together, stirring it in with the warm milk/sugar very quickly.
• Keep stirring it on low heat until it has the consistency of a pudding.
• When the mixture becomes pudding-like in texture, mix in the 2 tsp. vanilla.
• Then refrigerate it so it can chill.
• After the cream cools and is nice and cold, take your mixer and beat the stick of softened butter into the mixture.
• Then stir the rice mixture into the cream mixture, mixing well.
• Serve warm or chilled.
• Optional: You can garnish the top of the pudding with cinnamon sugar or with a sweet cocoa powder if you like.

Krempita (pronounced krem-pee-tah), like Sampita which I made last week, is another popular Yugoslavian dessert, and it’s also one of my husband’s favorites. There are numerous ways to make this cake, and it seems the possibilities are endless. Last night Kemal found over 100 different recipes for krempita, and trying to choose which one we ... [read more]]]> Krempita (pronounced krem-pee-tah), like Sampita which I made last week, is another popular Yugoslavian dessert, and it’s also one of my husband’s favorites. There are numerous ways to make this cake, and it seems the possibilities are endless. Last night Kemal found over 100 different recipes for krempita, and trying to choose which one we would make wasn’t easy…that is until Kemal found a krempita recipe that called for rum and espresso soaked tea biscuits which comprised the “cake” part of this dessert. There’s also a layer of vanilla pudding, as well as a meringue layer on the top. Here’s a picture so you see how it looks:

Anything soaked in rum and espresso certainly gets my attention! Just a wee bit of a warning…this cake is addictive. I’m really, really, REALLY ashamed to admit that last night I had three pieces for dessert. *Blush* Can you believe I ate three-fourths of what’s on this plate?! Yikes!

What’s even worse is that this evening I did it again…had three pieces after dinner. I’m so ashamed guys. I normally don’t indulge like that, but that cake takes the cake!! I also intentionally ate less dinner to save room for dessert, but regardless, I’m still ashamed. Anyway, if you make it and can’t stop yourself from overindulging, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.

While the cake turned out incredibly delicious, I wasn’t happy with how it looked. I wanted the cake to be taller. So next time, I’m going to use a smaller pan so I’ll have taller pieces of cake. I think it’ll look prettier that way.

Alright…just one more thing I need to get out of the way…the recipe calls for using raw eggs whites so I need to remind you that using raw eggs may not be something you want to do. There is another option available if you don’t want to do that.

Disclaimer: There is a risk of Salmonella food poisoning when consuming raw eggs or undercooked eggs, and that risk may be higher in children, the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, or nursing mothers. If you are concerned about using raw egg products because of the risk of Salmonella poisoning, please do not prepare this cake (or any other recipe) with raw eggs. You can use meringue powder or dried egg white powder instead.

Krempita (Recipe Source: Coolinarika.com)

Yield: 24 small pieces

Cake Ingredients (The tea biscuit layer):

• 50 tea biscuits (or you can substitute lady fingers or graham crackers)
• 1 shot rum
• 1 cup hot espresso (If you don’t have espresso, strong black coffee will work fine
• 1 tbsp oil (to cover the bottom of the pan

Cream Filling Ingredients (The pudding layer)

• 2 boxes vanilla pudding…not instant…you need the kind you have to cook on the stove
• 4 cups milk
• 3 tbsp. cornstarch
• 10 1/2 tbsp. cane sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)

Meringue Ingredients (The egg white layer):

• 4 egg whites (To avoid any risk of Salmonella food poisoning, you can substitute meringue powder or dried egg white powder instead of using raw egg whites.)
• 14 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
• pinch of salt

Garnish Ingredients:

• Shaved dark chocolate with espresso. (I used Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate with Espresso. If you prefer a different type of chocolate, whatever kind you decide on will work  just fine. You don’t have to use the kind I did.
• Dried orange peel.

Note: Other garnish ideas would be to sprinkle some espresso coffee  powder on top or to use some kind of liquor-flavored chocolate.

Step One:  Making the Tea Biscuit Layer which will be the base of your cake:

• The first thing you need to do is decide if you want taller pieces of cake or shorter pieces. Once you make that decision, then you can decide which cake pan you will use.

Note: For this recipe, I used a large 13 1/2 inch by 9 inch rectangular Springform pan. That was fine but next time I think I’ll use my 9 inch square Springform pan instead to get taller pieces. Also, you don’t have to use Springform pans at all. Just a regular baking pan will work fine, but I prefer the Springform pans because I can remove the sides and then present the cake on the base.

• After you decide which cake pan you will use (depending on if you want a taller or shorter cake), then you need to grease the pan with a thin layer of oil.
• Make your espresso or strong black coffee.
• After the coffee is done, pour it in a small to medium sized bowl that can withstand the heat.
• Add the rum to the coffee and stir well.
• Start dipping the tea biscuits in the coffee/rum mixture one-by-one and then place them on the baking pan. Continue doing this until the entire pan is covered in coffee and rum soaked biscuits. You may need to cut some of the biscuits in half in order to cover the entire pan. That’s what we had to do.
• Once the pan is covered int he soaked tea biscuits, set the pan, the biscuits, and the coffee/rum mixture aside so you can make the pudding next. You’re going to need all those ingredients again very soon because you’ll be adding another layer of soaked tea biscuits, but for now, you need to make the pudding.

Step Two:  Making the Creamy Pudding Layer:

• You want to separate your four eggs, putting the egg whites in one bowl and the egg yolks in another. Put the egg whites in a glass or stainless steel mixing bowl. Plastic bowls aren’t good for egg whites. Leave the egg whites sitting out on the counter at room temperature. This will help them whip up better.
• Melt 1 cup of butter (2 sticks) in a small sauce pan, and set it aside to use later.
• Beat your egg yolks until they’re mixed together.
• Put the blended egg yolks in a medium sauce pan, and then add the 4 cups of milk, the 2 boxes of dry vanilla pudding mix, 3 tbsp. cornstarch, and 10 1/2 tbsp. of sugar.
• Cook all the ingredients in the saucepan over medium well heat, mixing well and stirring constantly and quickly.
• After the pudding comes to a boil, it should be at a thick, pudding-like consistency. At this point, turn the heat down to medium and add the 2 sticks of melted butter, a little at at ime, into the hot pudding and stir constantly.
• Take the hot, creamy pudding and pour it over the soaked tea cookies, taking a spatula to smooth it out nicely.

Step Three:  Making Another Tea Biscuit Layer:

• Now the next thing you need to do is take your coffee/rum mixture and warm it up on the stove. You don’t have to heat it until it boils…just until it gets hot again.
• Pour the coffee/rum mixture back into the heat-proof bowl.
• Start dipping the tea biscuits again, one at a time, placing them on top of the hot pudding. Do this step until the pudding layer is covered with the soaked tea biscuits.

Step Four:  Making the Meringue Layer:

• Measure out 14 tbsp. of confectioner’s sugar and put it in a small bowl and set i aside (place it in a location that will be close to where you will be beating your egg whites).
• Put the four egg whites and a pinch of salt into a large stainless steel or glass bowl, and then use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites.
• After you’ve beat the egg whites a few minutes and it’s starting to get foamy, start adding some confectioner’s sugar, a little at a time, to the egg whites. Don’t stop beating while you’re adding the sugar.
• Continue adding the sugar and beating the egg white/sugar mixture until the egg whites get stiff. The egg whites didn’t rise up as high for me this way, although they did get stiff. When I make a meringue without sugar, they seem to rise higher. The egg whites don’t need to rise really high though. You just want them to get really stiff.
• You will know the meringue is done when you can take a spoon of the egg white cream, turn it upside down, and it doesn’t fall or drip off the spoon.

Step Five:  Adding the Meringue Layer and Garnishing the Top of the Cake:

• Take the egg white cream that you just made and spread it on top of the soaked tea biscuits. Use a spatula to spread it out evenly.
• Sprinkle the top of the meringue layer with dried orange peel.
• Next, take a grater, and using the large holes, grate your chocolate so you have chocolate shavings to garnish the top of the cake.
• After garnishing the top of the cake with the orange peel and chocolate shavings, put your cake in the refrigerator to cool for about 3 to 4 hours.
• After the cake has cooled, you can cut it, serve it, and finally get a ch ance to enjoy a slice or two (or in my case three) for yourself.

Here’s a picture of the cake after it had cooled and before we started devouring it:

You can cut the cake into however many pieces you like. We cut ours into 24 small pieces.

Cooking Note: Kemal and I found that the rum and espresso flavors for this cake were not strong enough. If we make this particular recipe again, we’re going to double (perhaps triple) the amount of rum the recipe calls for. We might also make a mocha pudding instead of vanilla pudding. We’ll see.

Next week, we’re going to make krempita for our friends, one of whom doesn’t drink coffee. So we’re going to skip the espresso and just soak the tea biscuits in rum. Then we’re going to make a layer of chocolate-rum glaze that we’ll drizzle over the rum-soaked tea biscuits. The rest of the cake we’ll make the same…except we’ll top it shaved chocolate which doesn’t have coffee in it. I’m hardly waiting!!