Chocolate Pudding

This summer I am trying not to eat ice cream.  I can’t go completely without ice cream this summer but I will definitely eat less of it.  I do love it.  I have a smoothie that has been a go to any time I want some ice cream.  Here is the recipe to this wonderful smoothie.  Strawberry Chocolate Milkshake.  

Now onto the pudding recipe.  Usually I do not like pudding.  Any pudding from a box or pre-made is certainly not for me.   I am beginning to love making pudding.  I looked over a few recipes before creating this version.

Chocolate Pudding

serves 8 or 4 if you love pudding

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups milk plus 1/4 cup milk

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt.  Whisk this together to blend.  Add 1/4 cup milk (I used whole milk but really I think any milk will work), whisk until smooth.  You need to blend the cornstarch well or lumps will form.  Mix in the rest of the milk and heat over medium heat.  Whisk often, after about 8 minutes the mixture will be thick.  Then add in the dark chocolate.  Cook another 4 minutes, mixing the whole time with a rubber spatula.  Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract and chocolate extract.  Strain into a medium bowl (with a spout is certainly nice).  Pour into serving bowls and chill for 2 hours.

Weekly Menu

I have to plan ahead.  After work if I come home without dinner planned I don’t make dinner.  I wish I could be an Iron Chef cook but that is just not me.  Of course I have heard the Iron Chef chefs do not cook without planning ahead as well.  Usually every weekend I sit down and plan out my menu.  We eat a lot of vegetarian meals, many healthy meals and well every once in while completely unhealthy things.  Here’s a look at what we are eating this week.

Sunday  Salmon with herbed butter and Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Slaw

Monday Chickpea Salad with pita

Tuesday Slow Cooked Pork Tacos

Wednesday Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potato

Thursday Italian Pesto Pasta Salad

Friday Lemon Chicken Skewers, corn on the cob and Rice Pilaf

dessert Pineapple Butter Cake

 

Let’s Keep Learning!

Cathy

Friday Night Finishers

I have the best group of friends.  My quilting friends are really some of the best friends you could ever ask for.  We get together every so often to do a Friday Night Finishers night.  Now most of the time we start projects, really very little finishing happens.  Today I was going to finish a quilt.  Going to is a key word here.  This afternoon I head down to begin a fun night of sewing and chatting.  I get there and start handing tacking down the binding.  As we chat my friend T says hey you should sign up for the state fair challenge.  You have until July 1 to sign up, she says.  I say, I don’t think I can finish a quilt that quickly.  Well about 1/2 hour later I’m at the store signing up for the challenge.  There it happened again, Friday Night Finishers turned into a start a new quilt night.  Of course I only have the binding to work on.  I spend the rest of the night hand stitching with my mind in over drive about what I am going to make for my challenge quilt.  I do think I have a great idea in mind now let’s see how this really turns out.

I did almost get the binding completely attached, almost of course.  I do think the next time I sit down with it I will finish it.

Here’s a look at this fun quilt in progress.

 

Let’s Keep Learning!

Cathy

Wine Class June 26, 2014

This is a weekly class put on by Payless Liquors.  I started attending these classes at the start of this year.  Really I think we started the first of January.  These classes have been great.  They are free, we try 6 – 10 wines per class and we get a 10% discount if we buy any of the wines.  Of course the shop wants to sell wine and I do think this class certainly is a great way to help increase sells.  This is a large shop and over half of the store is wine.  It certainly can be an overwhelming experience.  The classes certainly help make the wine shopping experience easier.

This weeks class may be favorite one yet.  The lady teaching was so good, her knowledge was amazing and her willingness to share this knowledge was equally amazing.  The wines were all good, some certainly better than others.

  This is one of my favorite Chardonnay.  It has flavors of lemon and lemon rind, limestone and nice acidity on the finish.  The wine has not been aged in oak but has gone through 100% malolactic fermentation.  I think this would pair wonderfully with creamy cheeses, creamy pasta dishes and, if I wasn’t allergic to them, oysters.

This Chardonnay is from Chile.  It has a sweeter fruit flavor than the first one.  I thought more like the flavor of lemon pie with a floral finish that had mild acidity.  I have a hard time picking a food to pair with this one, think of it more like a porch pounder.

This was the wine I was most excited to try.  100% Cabernet Sauvignon!  It has red berry , green bell pepper, and stone  flavors with medium tannins on the finish.  This wine has seen no oak so the fruit flavors really show.  I would serve it with steak and/or lamb.  For about 10 dollars this is a nice wine for the price.

This one is a new favorite of mine.  Very nice red and black berry, plums, bell pepper, black pepper, and cedar flavors.  It has a long earthy finish with nice acidity and high tannins.  I would serve it with a nice peppered steak.

This is a really nice Malbec.  It has red fruit, floral and vanilla flavors with a long finish and medium tannin.  I do think this is the perfect wine for burgers on the grill this summer.

This is the wine we bought!  It has a plum/prune, leather and Mexican mole flavors.  Very rich and smooth.  I really think a beef dish with chile powders will be perfect with this wine.

Let’s keep learning!

Cathy

 

Why did I start this blog

This seems like a great way to start the blog.  I love ted talks.  The radio show for TED can be so much better than the actual talks but still many of the talks are great.  I keep watching this one talk often – the happy secret to better work.  

The last time I watched this I decided it was time to take action.  He lists 5 things to do to improve happiness and keeping a journal is first on the list.  Also on the list is listing 3 things you are grateful for.  This should be easy enough to do.  Should be is key.  Really doing it is something completely different.  This blog is how I will journal and list a few things I am grateful for. 

Let’s keep learning!

Cathy