Author Archives: Rosemary Lynn

Make Your Own Snow

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make your own play snow

Some of our friends had six feet of snow in their backyards during the polar vortex.

Here in Florida, we experienced a gentle misting of ice coating our cars and grass.  Good for me (I didn’t have to abandon my flip flops) but bad for my preschooler, who still remembers romping through the snow during our vacation last winter.

Solution:  make our own snow.

I found the Erupting Snow Recipe at Growing a Jeweled Rose, and I thought it looked like a great idea:  realistic play snow and a science experiment, too!

make your own play snow

It was super simple to make, since it has only two ingredients.  My daughter even helped me mix it.

make your own play snow

You just empty some baking soda into a container (we used an old Tupperware) and mix in some shaving cream until you reach a consistency where it will form snow balls that don’t fall apart.

We used two small boxes of baking soda and what I believe was most of a can of shaving cream.

We mixed it with our hands, which is why my hand looks coated in the stuff in the top photo, but once it’s mixed, it doesn’t stick to your hand too much.

make your own play snow

And we played with it on a disposable, plastic tablecloth, to contain the mess.  And just vacuumed up any that spilled on the carpet.

Oh, and, incidentally, the girls decided that it was best to play in the snow while wearing their dress-up outfits.  Just in case you were wondering about the frilly sleeves and skirts.  :)

make your own play snow

The snow is great for sensory play.  My daughters both loved sinking their hands into it…

make your own play snow

… and their feet.

make your own play snow

And when they were tired of playing with it, I put the cover on the Tupperware and we set it aside for a few days.

Then we pulled it out again to perform our “science experiment.”

Since I often use baking soda and vinegar to clean my house, my girls had seen the fizzle they produce.  But now they were going to use their snow to create it.

make your own play snow

We made little snow balls, using our melon baller to measure them out, and then tossed them into a vat of white vinegar:

make your own play snow

*fizzle, fizzle, bubble, pop*

make your own play snow

It was a lot of fun, and a great way to incorporate discussions of the seasons into our sensory play.

And if you’re looking for more winter activities, you could try out our Crystal Snowmen!

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Leaf Chain Fringe Earrings {Product Review}

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Leaf Chain Fringe Earrings in Antique Gold

I just received these Leaf Chain Fringe Earrings and totally had to share them!

I don’t normally buy long, dangly earrings, but these intrigued me.  Especially the color.  I mean, they’re available in shiny gold and in silver, but when I saw the antique gold I was simply enchanted.

I have other jewelry in a similar color and I love how it goes with so, so many different outfits; how it can be dressed up or dressed down.  Kind of funky, kind of bohemian, kind of feminine.

Anyway, I love how they hang, playfully peaking out of my hair when it’s down and gracefully drawing the eye when it’s up, brushing against my shoulders.

They do make a slight jingle when I move quickly, but it doesn’t bother me.  It’s not annoying.  I actually find it kind of fun, but it may bother some people.

I think they’re comfortable, and, even though I can feel the weight of them enough to know they’re there, I don’t consider them heavy.

Also, for some reason the image above doesn’t show the hook, but it’s worth mentioning that they’re fish hook earrings.

And, finally, yes:  they are called “leaf chain fringe” earrings but they most definitely look like feathers.

Albeit the discrepancy in the description, they’re fun and beautiful, and I’m happy I decided to get them.  Totally my style.

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Heart-Shaped Salt Dough Fingerprint Magnets

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Heart Shaped Salt Dough Fingerprint Magnets

For Grandma’s birthday this year we made little magnets from salt dough that had the impressions of the girls’ fingerprints.

Last year we made a large heart for both of their footprints, and it was a big hit, but this year I wanted to something a little different.

And, admittedly, the little fingerprints don’t really show their fingerprint texture; they’re really more like finger “indents.”  But the girls really liked making them for Grandma and hanging them on the fridge.

We put their initial on their heart so they’d know which was which, and they like that their fingers fit in the imprints.

Heart Shaped Salt Dough Fingerprint Magnets

Salt dough is a pretty standard recipe.  For this project I made half of the recipe, and what we didn’t use, I let the girls play with, since it’s like play dough.

To make the salt dough: 

Combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup salt in a bowl.  Mix in 1/2 cup water.  Knead. 

To make the hearts, I rolled out the dough and used a cookie cutter to cut out the hearts.  The girls pressed in their fingers and I drew in their initials with a toothpick.  Then we baked them at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours, flipped them over and baked for an additional 30 minutes.  Once cool, we painted them.  Once the paint was dry, I attached button magnets to the back.

Heart Shaped Salt Dough Fingerprint Magnets

And, of course, we rolled out the dough on our Jake and the Neverland Pirates Placemat.  I think I love this thing more than my kids.  It’s soooooo easy to clean.  We use it for meals and crafts.  I’m a fan of multi-purposeing.

Oh – and we used the toy play dough rolling pin.  But you could roll it out with whatever you have:  a regular rolling pin, a drinking glass, etc.

Heart Shaped Salt Dough Fingerprint Magnets

I helped my girls press their fingers into the dough so that their two fingerprints would mimic the shape of the heart.

Heart Shaped Salt Dough Fingerprint Magnets

Then I took a toothpick and drew in their initials by pressing the end of the toothpick into the dough.

Heart Shaped Salt Dough Fingerprint Magnets

After baking the shapes (we made a few) and cooling them completely, we painted them.

We used sponge brushes and a metallic pink acrylic paint.  I like the sponge brushes because it’s easy to cover the shape and you can soak up excess paint from the letters with the sponge.

We didn’t seal them with anything, but you could.

I bought button magnets with adhesive so all we had to do was peel off the paper and stick them to the back of the hearts once the paint was dry.  But you could use any type of crafting magnet.

Heart Shaped Salt Dough Fingerprint Magnets

We had a lot of fun making these and the finished product made a great gift for Grandma’s birthday.

What have you used salt dough to make?

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Williams Shakespeare’s … Star Wars?

Posted in books & book reviews, wanderings in the world & web by

William Shakespeare's Star Wars

*gasp*

Shakespeare AND Star Wars???

I … must … own … this … *whimper*

I mean, really:  “These are not the droids for which thou searched … good lad, I prithee, go thy merry way…”

Funny and well written?  Seriously, this guy knows his Shakespeare.  I gotta get me some of this.

Here’s a preview from ThinkGeek:

If you’re as big a geek as me, you really need to check out William Shakespeare’s Star Wars.

This IS the book thou art looking for!

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Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

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Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

When I was five years old my favorite food was macaroni and cheese.

Nothing’s changed.

Seriously, I could eat this stuff every day.  But it IS nice to change up the elbows and cheddar routine.  And one of my favorite ways to do that is with Gouda.

As you’ll see, I also incorporated sausage into this.  You could do that in a variety of ways, but I chose to fry the sausage and cut it into half-slices.  You could also remove the casing and crumble it into the pan to cook, if you think you’d prefer that.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

I also added half a sweet onion for flavor.  As you can tell from the photos, I removed most of the onion before adding the sausage pieces to the macaroni because they’d become a little too dark for my taste.  I didn’t want the taste of the burnt onion pieces in my final dish, but cooking the sausage with the onions gave it a nice depth of flavor.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

This recipe also calls for a basic roux.  Butter, flour, milk, cheese:  voila.

And pepper.  Gotta have my spice.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Also, I used Corkscrew pasta.  I like to change up the shapes of pasta sometimes, but keep in mind that when using a different shape of pasta than what the recipe calls for, you may need to adjust the amount.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

You could easily use regular breadcrumbs, but I like using Panko sometimes.  I used it here.

If you’re not going to bake it right away, wait to add the breadcrumbs until just before baking.  Sometimes I put a little bit of my mac mixture into a small ramekin or two to keep in the fridge to bake another day.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

And, if your breadcrumbs don’t brown as much as you’d like by the time the sauce is bubbling nicely, then just broil it for a couple minutes.

As you can see from my photo, the Panko don’t brown as quickly or evenly as regular breadcrumbs.  But they’re still toasty, even the parts still light in color, so it still adds a nice crunch to the dish.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Sausage and Gouda Mac & Cheese

So, here’s the path to yumminess:

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

2 cups corkscrew pasta
2 to 4 sausage links
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 Tbs olive oil
5 Tbs butter, separated
3 Tbs flour
2 tsp pepper
3 cups whole milk
2 cups (8 oz.) apple smoked Gouda, shredded
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onion and sausage and cook until onions are translucent and sausage is at least mostly cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove sausage from pan and slice into 1/4 or 1/2 inch slices, and cut the slices in half. Return sausage to pan, adding extra olive oil if the pan is too dry, and cook until the pieces are well-browned on all sides. Drain on paper towels, removing any onions that have become too dark (or all of them if you only want the flavor of them in the meat).

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to directions. Also, in a small dish, melt the 2 Tbs butter and mix the panko into it. Set panko aside.

Melt 3 Tbs butter in a saucepot. Sprinkle flour over it and stir well to create a roux. Add pepper and stir for a minute to lessen the taste of the flour. Remove from heat and whisk in milk. Return to heat and cook at medium high, stirring frequently, until just starting to boil. As soon as it starts to bubble, turn heat to low and stir in cheese. Stir until cheese is fully incorporated.

Stir the cooked pasta and sausage into the cheese sauce. Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle the panko over the top.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes more, or until sauce begins to bubble. If desired, you can broil it for 2 minutes to achieve a well-browned crust on the breadcrumb topping.

(Note: Dish can be stored in the fridge or freezer before baking. Let sit at room temp at least 30 mins from fridge before baking and add 10 mins to baking time. Do not add panko until ready to bake.)

*****

Print the FREE PDF of the recipe:  Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Enjoy!

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Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

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Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

These are the most foodgasm-worthy potatoes I’ve ever tried.

No, really:  These.  Are.  The.  Best.  Potatoes.  EVER.

And they were sooooooooo easy to make!  I’d make them more often except that my kids are going through a sudden I-don’t-like-sweet-potato phase (sigh), so I’ll probably make them more for guests.  Although it does make me want to shout, “How can you NOT like something covered in sugar???” but my 3-year-old isn’t really into philosophical discussions unless they involve Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

But I digress.

The main point here is this:  you gotta try these!

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

And I didn’t come up with the idea all on my own.  I received a sample of something similar while shopping at Publix, but I decided that I wanted to change up their Sweet Potato Scoops a little.

Granted, I did like their idea of making them spicy, but I wanted to taste more of the sweetness.  Which means, not only did I cut out the curry powder they called for, I also cooked them longer, and with oil, to caramelize the bottoms.

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

Part of the genius behind these is the scoop.  Taking the center out of the potato allows the butter and seasoning to melt into the potato and stay contained within it.

(Oh – and you can save those little scoops to make yourself a small bowl of mashed sweet potatoes.  Even throw a little butter and sugar and cinnamon into that.)

Once on your plate, you’ll need to slice it into pieces with a knife, but I feel the crunchiness of the skins is such a nice balance to the creamy centers.  Plus you get to soak up all the extra cinnamon-y, buttery goodness that seeps out.  Um… yes, please!

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

And even if you scoop out a little too much from the slices, don’t worry.  You can see from the above photo that I accidentally went too deep on some of them, but that darkness you see at the bottom of the hole isn’t the pan – it’s the caramelization.  The thick, dark, softly crispy, naturally sugary, utterly addicting caramelized greatness.

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

You can see the butter melting so delectably in these photos.

And in case you were considering going easy on the sugar:  don’t.  Abandon your reserve:  coat those babies with flavor!

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

It’s only been a few days, but I can no longer remember what I ate these with.  I think it was steak.  All I know is that these potato slices were the indisputable star of the meal.

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes
6 Tbs butter, cubed
Olive oil
Cinnamon and Sugar Mix

Preheat oven to 475 F (240 C).

Slice sweet potatoes about 1 inch thick.

On a microwave-safe plate, microwave the slices on high for 5 minutes.

Cut a circle about halfway deep into the center of the slices with a melon baller or sharp spoon.  (If one side of the slice feels tough, try the other side, as the side touching the plate may be softer.)

Drizzle olive oil lightly over a baking sheet.  Lay potato slices indent-side up over olive oil.  Cover pan with foil.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until very tender.

When potatoes are done baking, immediately place butter pieces into indents on potato slices and generously sprinkle with the Cinnamon and Sugar Mix.  Serve warm.

*****

And here is the FREE printable PDF:  Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

Enjoy!  And please let me know if you try these!!

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Tropical Almond French Toast

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Tropical Almond French Toast Recipe

First, with the polar vortex turning everyone’s blood to ice, and now with this “bombogenesis” upon us, I decided to metaphysically warm up with a tropical breakfast.

I took my Homemade Bread and turned it into Tropical Almond French Toast, based off of the Coconut-Almond French Toast with Tropical Fruit recipe from a January 2014 issue of Woman’s World, but with a few changes.

Tropical Almond French Toast

Here are some of the ingredients I used, although I forgot to put the coconut in the photo.  Anyway, the french toast gets its amazing almond flavor from the almond milk and almond extract.

The coconut is added before you cook it, and the diced fruit afterwards, as a topping.  I used bananas and mango mixed with some brown sugar and lime juice, but you could add in just about any fruit here that you like, or whatever’s in season.  I found this to be a good combination, especially because the banana and mango were flavorful but still mild enough to allow the almond and coconut flavors to really shine through.

French Toast

Just like my usual french toast, I took day-old bread and dunked it into a mixture of milk and eggs and flavoring.  The bread needs to be crusty and dry to absorb the liquid.  If it’s fresh bread, the liquid will only cover the surface instead of absorbing.  You’ll know for certain it was too fresh if you have a bunch of milk mix left over after soaking all of the bread.  The best way to get the right consistency of bread is to leave it out, with the slices spread out, at least overnight.

coconut on french toast

After letting the bread soak in the milk mixture for a minute, turning it to ensure even coating, gently pull the bread out of the milk.  The bread will be heavy with the milk, so be careful to support it.

Just before placing the bread on a greased griddle, sprinkle it with some sweetened coconut.  Then, lay it coconut-side down on the griddle and sprinkle coconut on the side that’s facing up.  The coconut is an important step because I love the sweet, crispy crust that it forms toast.

Tropical Almond French Toast

Let the french toast brown, then flip and brown on the other side.  Make sure the bread cooks long enough that it cooks all the way through.  At least 3 or 4 minutes, or longer if your bread is thick like mine – you don’t want gooey egg on the inside when you’re eating it.

Tropical Almond French Toast

Once the french toast is done, put it on a plate and top with the fruit mixture.  I suggest a wee bit more fruit than what’s pictured here.  I didn’t want to overload it for the photos, but I added more while eating it.

Also, a slight sprinkle of powdered sugar over the top adds a nice balance of sweetness, as does a drizzle of honey, which also adds a little extra moisture but functions as a substitute for syrup.  You could use maple syrup if you prefer, but I like how the honey blends with the fruit.

Tropical Almond French Toast

If you cut the slices of your bread thick, then one slice should be enough per person.  The leftovers freeze well, but also keep in the refrigerator for awhile.

Enjoy!  Let me know what you think!

Tropical Almond French Toast

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almond milk
6 large eggs
4 Tbsp packed brown sugar, separated
1/2 tsp almond extract
8 to 10 thick slices day-old bread
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 mango, diced
2 bananas, diced
1 Tbsp lime juice
confectionary sugar
honey

Whisk together almond milk, eggs, 2 Tbs. brown sugar, and almond extract in a large, shallow bowl.

Dip bread into mixture for about a minute on each side, allowing bread to absorb the milk. Carefully remove bread from bowl allowing excess liquid to drip back into the bowl (use a fork or spatula to prevent tearing if it’s become too soggy) and sprinkle each side with coconut flakes.

Place bread on a greased, flat skillet or griddle over medium to medium high heat. Cook until browned, about 3 or 4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, mix the mango and banana pieces with the remaining 2 Tbs. brown sugar and the lime juice.

To serve, place French Toast on a plate and top with the fruit mixture. Then sprinkle powdered sugar over top and drizzle with honey.

(Note: you can use just about any combination of fruit you like, in addition to or in substitution of the mango and banana. Also, you can substitute maple syrup for the honey, if you prefer.)

*****

And here is the FREE printable PDF:  Tropical Almond French Toast

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Homemade Bread Recipe

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Homemade Bread Recipe

I love homemade bread.

The smell of the yeast, the feel of the dough in my hands, the baking aroma that floats out of the oven and through the entire house…

Dreamy.  Delicious.  Why don’t I do this more often?

Anyway, I finally decided it had been too long since I’d made bread from scratch, but this time, I made a few changes.

This is based off of a basic Amish recipe for bread that’s slightly sweet and a little dense, but this time I made it with coconut oil.  The end result in appearance, texture, and taste was the same as if I’d made it with vegetable oil, so I’m thrilled.

However, extra virgin coconut oil may add a coconut taste to the bread – but I’ve never used extra virgin for baking, so I’m not really sure.

I also used Organic Natural Cane Sugar, but one with the texture of regular granulated sugar, unlike the consistency of Demerara or Sucanat, which I sometimes put in my coffee.  This way, the weight of the sugar didn’t need to be adjusted for the recipe.  Makes my life easier.  :) 

Homemade Bread Recipe

Anywho, you can see some of the products I mentioned in this photo.  And the only yeast I had on hand was those little packets, instead of the larger jar, so I had to use about one and a half of them, which irked me a little.  The jar is back on my shopping list.

Homemade Bread Recipe

Yeast is one of my favorite smells in the whole world.  I love proofing it.

Here are some tips I’ve picked up over time:  get warm water from the sink because the microwave is tricky and water that’s too hot will kill your yeast, and add sugar to the warm water first, to give the yeast something to get really excited about.

In other words, the first thing you’ll do in this recipe (or any yeast dough) is add some warm water to a measuring cup.  (Forgive me for not photographing this step.)  Run the water from your sink until it is just barely painful to touch, then fill your measuring cup to whatever your recipe calls for.  You can test it with a candy thermometer.  It should be between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put this pre-measured water into the large bowl in which you will create your dough.  Stir in a tablespoon or two of the total amount of sugar from the recipe – don’t add sugar to what’s called for, just use part or all of what you already would to make your dough.  Then add the yeast, sprinkling it over the top of the warm sugar water.  You don’t need to stir it in, but sometimes I do.  Leave it alone for 5 to 10 minutes and you’ll know it’s ready when the top is nicely covered in a frothy, foamy layer of soft, strong-scented yeastiness.  (That’s a word, right??  It should be.)

At this point, you’re ready to make the dough.  For this particular recipe, this would be when you add in the salt and coconut oil.  You need a liquid coconut oil for this, so I find it easiest to stick the solid oil in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt it.  Then you’ll mix in the flour.  I start this with a spoon, but usually end of finishing it with my hands (above photo), and then knead it on a floured surface.

Homemade Bread Recipe

Grease your bowl by rubbing a bit of the coconut oil inside of it, and put your kneaded dough back into the bowl.  Cover lightly with a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour.

It will double in size.  Punch (yes, punch) it down, knead it for a minute again, and then separate it into two halves.  Coat two bread loaf pans with the coconut oil and place loaf-shaped dough into the pans.  I formed the loaf by tucking the dough under itself to create a smooth top.

Homemade Bread Recipe

Let the dough rise one more time, until approximately doubled in size or risen to about an inch over the top of the pan.  This will take between 30 to 60 minutes.

Bake until browned on top.  I prefer mine lightly browned, but you could bake it an extra few minutes for a darker brown – just watch the bread so it doesn’t burn.

Allow the bread to cool in the pans on a cooling rack for awhile.  About a half hour.  Then remove the bread from the pans and allow it to finish cooling on the rack. Keep your bread wrapped in a bread bag or tin foil.

Whatever you’re not planning to eat in the next 2 or 3 days can be easily frozen.  You can slice the bread and freeze it that way, too.

Cinnamon Toast made with Homemade Bread Recipe

I also enjoy making cinnamon toast with the bread (pictured above).  My mom often made this for me when I was growing up, and it’s still one of my favorite dishes.  To make it:  slice a piece of bread that will fit in your toaster.  Toast to a light brown and spread with butter immediately so the butter will be very soft and mostly melted.  Sprinkle with a cinnamon and sugar mixture immediately so that the sugar will absorb into the butter.  Enjoy!

Okay, here’s the good stuff:

Homemade Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water (110 F or 45 C)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 liquid coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
6 cups bread flour

In a large bowl, stir the sugar into the warm water.  Pour the yeast over the water and mix it in, if desired.  Let sit for 10 minutes until yeast develops a thick foam.

Add the salt and oil to the yeast.  Mix in the flour one cup at a time.  Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes, until smooth.  Place dough in a bowl coated with oil, cover with a towel, and allow to rise for one hour.

Punch dough down, then knead for a few minutes.  Divide dough in half.  Form dough into loaf shapes and place in two oiled loaf pans, about 9 by 5 inches each.  Let the dough rise for 30 minutes or until about an inch over the tops of the pans.

Bake at 350 F or 175 C for 30 minutes.

(Note:  I used solid coconut oil to grease the bowl and loaf pans by rubbing on a couple tablespoons with my fingers.)

*****

And now for the FREE printable PDF:  Homemade Bread

Next up will be the awesome Tropical Almond French Toast that I made with my homemade bread:  yum!  :)

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How to Make Cinnamon Sugar

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How to Make Cinnamon Sugar

I recently realized that I use a lot of cinnamon sugar.

It’s something I’ve used forever.  My mom often made me Cinnamon Toast (buttered toast sprinkled with cinnamon sugar) when I was a kid, and I still make it today, both for my daughters and for myself.

And I’ve been using it with various recipes quite a bit, so I decided to go ahead and dedicate a blog post to it.

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar

You can buy ready-made cinnamon sugar in the spice aisle at the supermarket, but I just can’t see the sense in that because it’s so overpriced and so easy to make.

In the above photo you see my tools:  cinnamon, sugar, and a container to hold it.  I also use the knife to mix it, but my mom just shakes the bottle.  Either way works.

But, to make things official, here’s a recipe:

Cinnamon Sugar

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbs ground cinnamon

Pour ingredients into a jar.  Mix with a knife until well combined, or, if your jar has a lid that seals, you can shake to combine.

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar

As I’ve mentioned, I use this on toast.  I also add it to French Toast.  And apples to make cinnamon apples.  And buttered bagels.  And snickerdoodle cookies.  And baked sweet potatoes.

This list could go on for awhile…

And the stuff stays good pretty much forever.

It’s best to store it in a container that has holes on top, where you can shake it onto the food, but also one that has a cover to keep out dust.  Kinda like this.  Or a regular sugar dispenser, if that’s all you have, but those pour too quickly for my needs.

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar

Here’s a pin-worthy pic to help you remember the recipe:

Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Recipe

Enjoy!

And please let me know what kinds of foods you’ve tried with it!

Here are some dishes I’ve used it with:

Honey Cinnamon Apple Pie a la Mode

Homemade Bread (for Cinnamon Toast)

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

Honey and Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream

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15 Minutes to Chocolate Pudding

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Chocolate Pudding

It was late.  I found myself in the mood for chocolate, but not wanting candy or ice cream or, even, (heaven forbid) cookies.

But I needed chocolate.

What could I make?  What would satisfy my craving?  What could be done quickly since it was already nine at night?

I couldn’t decide, so I explored Pinterest.  There were so many, many amazing foods, but nothing quite what I needed… until I came across The Best Chocolate Pudding You’ll Ever Have (in 15 minutes!).

Fifteen minutes?  That’s worth a try for silky smooth dark chocolatey goodness.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any dark chocolate cocoa on hand, so mine was more semi-sweet.  Still awesome, tho.

Chocolate Pudding

It was definitely simple.  Whisk together a few ingredients.

Chocolate Pudding

Boil some milk.  Whisk the rest of the ingredients.  Eat.

Chocolate Pudding

I was pleasantly surprised by how simple and quick the whole process was.  The thing that took the longest was stirring in the chocolate chips (above) and waiting for them to melt.  If I’d had chocolate shavings instead, it would have been even faster.

And there were a few chips that didn’t melt completely, but that didn’t really bother me.

Chocolate Pudding

The problem with taking photos was that I was in a rush to eat it, and my powdered sugar kept melting as soon as I sprinkled it on.  The thick, gooey chocolate was calling my name.

It’s awesome when it’s well-chilled, too.  Of course.  Which I know because I couldn’t eat it all in one sitting.  Which was lucky for my girls.  They got to enjoy it the next day.  :)

So be sure to check out the recipe at A Cup of Jo – and the photos, too, they’re much better than mine!

And then be sure to enjoy some homemade chocolate pudding.  :)

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