Chocolate Pudding Recipe

A friend asked me for my chocolate pudding recipe. I'm sure I got it off the web somewhere, but I didn't mark down the source. (Sorry. If someone finds this who knows the source, let me know and I'll put in an attribution.) I did make two small modifications (half the sugar, orange extract instead of vanilla). My version:

3 squares unsweetened chocolate (3 ounces)
3 cups milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp orange extract

In a saucepan, cook 2 2/3 cups of the milk with chocolate, stirring until chocolate is melted and milk is scalded. Mix cornstarch, sugar and salt; stir in remaining 1/3 cup milk. Add to scalded milk and chocolate mixture and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes to thoroughly cook cornstarch. Cool slightly; stir in orange extract and pour into serving dishes. Chocolate pudding recipe serves 6. (Assuming the 6 have willpower.)

Note: if you're too impatient to let it cool, it's just like the thick hot chocolate they serve in Barcelona. :)

It's been a *long* time since I've made this... I need to remedy that!

Hummus Sans Cumin, Attempt One

Tonight I attempted my first cumin-free (and tahini-free) hummus. I think my regular recipe will get a bit bland without cumin, so I googled to find some different recipes. I based tonight's attempt off of this recipe.

My version:
• 1 19 oz can of organic chick peas
• 4 cloves garlic
• 8 kalamata olives
• 1/2 tsp paprika (I didn't dig around to see if I had red pepper flakes)
• generous drizzle of olive oil
• juice of one lemon (I always use fresh... it comes in convenient, serving-sized stay-fresh packages.)

I coarse-chopped the garlic and olives, and then put both through the press. (Anything that didn't make it through the holes of the press got scraped out into the bowl too.) Then I mashed everything together with a potato masher.

On first taste, it tastes rather strongly of olives. I'll decide tomorrow at lunch whether this is a good or bad thing.

I normally make batches of hummus with two cans of chick peas, but I decided to make smaller batches while I'm experimenting.

Two other recipes that look interesting:
• spinach hummus
• spinach and feta hummus

Miscellany

The last two nights we've had spectacular lightening shows. Last night even came with baseball sized hail in parts of the city. Tonight we're forecast for more of the same. (Lightening and rain, that is... hopefully no more hail! Although the person whose shed burned to the ground would probably prefer no more lightening too.)

I've got a weird, twitchy-congested feeling tonight. I just took some Tylenol, thinking I'm getting a headache... but I think I'll go add a decongestant as well.

Today I went grocery shopping. I only had a partial grocery shopping list (I hadn't planned on going grocery shopping when I visited my folks, but the offer of a car was there, and it was before the after-work crowd would be out), and no deadline, so I wandered the store, looking for other options of what to eat. I've been eating too much of the same stuff, and need to introduce some variety. Since I have a habit of coming up with great "recipes", cooking them for a while, and then forgetting them, I'm going to try to document my successes here... that way, when I need inspiration again, I can use my "recipe" tag.

Tonight's "recipe" is pretty simple. It combines "fresh" pasta ravioli, with a "sauce" technique taught to me by a former boyfriend. Plus some feta that's been in the fridge way too long, but apparently the brine has preserved it.

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Spinach Ravioli with Garlic and Feta
Ingredients:
one 350 g package of Olivieri Spinach and Cheese Ravioli
a generous pour of olive oil
half a *head* of garlic
a scoop of cubed feta

Cook the ravioli according to the directions on the package. Chop the garlic into tiny pieces. (If your garlic has been in the fridge too long, as mine has, remove the sprouted centres... I've heard these can be bitter.) In a small pot, pour in a small pool of olive oil, and add the garlic. Turn the garlic on low. Gradually increase the temperature on the garlic until it starts to get that lovely, nutty smell. At this point, the ravioli should be done. Drain the ravioli, then add the garlic to it. (Add a bit of ravioli to the garlic pan and swirl around to make sure you get all the garlic and oil.) Add the cubed feta. Toss and serve.

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Mmmmm! And I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!! (Unless, of course, it succumbs to a midnight snack...)

In other news, I have *cable* tv! (Did I tell you that already? I let them hook me up when they offered me two months free, plus six months at about $30... after that, I'll either go down a level, or cancel and go back to my antenna. I can cancel whenever I want at no charge.) I can watch in *focus* now! And in *colour*! (I sometimes had trouble getting rid of enough snow to get colour on one of my channels.) I must admit, though... it seems rather freaky, getting so many channels on my TV. It's like I'm at my mom's *and* at home at the same time! ;)

Thursday night I watched two shows on the History Channel. :) Late last night I discovered, however, that I couldn't tape a different channel than what I was watching! Disaster! Friday nights have two shows on at the same time that I like to watch! However, this afternoon I got everything re-hooked up with a little help from tech support. Ahhhh! (Heh... he said that the downside was that I could only tape non-digital channels this way... given that I can tape *way* more than I could off the antenna, I'm not complaining!)

I have the windows open. Leaving the AC on for several days in a row, it gets *really* dry in here. It's cooled off enough outside that it's not too bad with the windows open. (It's rather too humid, but I'm okay with that for now.) If I close the windows, it'll get stuffy in here. It's not hot enough to justify using the AC. What time do you suspect I'll have to get up tonight to close the windows for the rain? Blech. I think I'll try closing them most of the way, and hopefully it won't get too stuffy that way.

I currently have three or four settings on my windows: stick (maximally open), pen (medium opening), wine cork (minimally open), and closed.

I have a great idea for window settings, and have half of what I need (dowels)... but I'm having trouble finding the rest (pieces of wood). Perhaps I'll have to get dad to rip some lumber for me. My idea is to take a piece of wood (about 1" x 1.?" x height), and drill holes along the length, into which I'll insert a 6" piece of dowel at the height I want the window open. That piece of dowel will then be able to support both the inside and outside window panes. (The inside ones are mostly self-supporting, but having the extra length there is easy.)

*yawn*! Time for bed. (Possibly after sneaking a ravioli or two...)

Fiddly-Twitchy

Gah, I am all fiddly-twitchy today, and have been since last night. I think it started last night when I had some fish and then orange juice not long before bed. (I had a craving for some protein, and then a craving for orange juice.) The fish was heavenly-blissful. (My eating habits have been crap lately, so, beyond the fact that I have a great recipe for fish, I think my body was really grateful to have decent nourishment. Part of my problem is laziness (cooking, cleaning dishes, and shopping for ingredients), the other part is lack of ideas... I've been eating the same stuff for long enough that it's time to introduce some new variety, but I haven't yet figured out what the new stuff should be.)

The orange juice could be the culprit, because sugar in the evening can make me jittery... but that would have worn off by now. It could also be accumulated lack of exercise... I guess weeding a bag of dandelions out of the front lawn last night doesn't count as exercise.

The fact that I got my joint-aches last night doesn't help. I blame the cool weather for them, although it wasn't all *that* cool.

I was going to do some gardening and/or house-chores this afternoon, but I guess I should finally get on the bike, and see if that makes a difference. This jittery feeling is really annoying... not only is it in my muscles, but it's making my head and ear pressure feel funky too. It's like I can feel my heartbeat all over.

Anyway, should you wish to make it, here's my recipe for heavenly-blissful fish (originally from the back of a package of on-sale white fish of some variety I had never heard of before... nor can I remember what it was called. I do remember that it was fished off of South Africa, though. What a long way my cheap fish comes from.):

Over medium heat, heat a bit of olive oil (extra virgin, cold pressed) in a cast iron frying pan. When the oil is hot, add two pathetically thin fillets of whatever frozen white fish is cheapest (this probably works with thicker fillets too, but the cheap fish in my grocery store is wafer thin... I think I currently have sole), then add a liberal squeeze of fresh lemon juice from a lemon that has been getting scary looking in the fridge. (I don't get around to cooking fish as often as I intend. As long as it hasn't gone brown inside, it's fine.) *After* the lemon has been added (the "after" is important, as the juice will wash off everything else if it isn't added first), sprinkle on some salt, pepper, parsley, and whatever else in the spice cabinet floats your boat. (Last night it was savory. I've also had success with poultry seasoning (hey, it's a white meat too), and Montreal Steak Spice... but I wouldn't recommend both at the same time.) After the fish has browned, flip it over, and apply lemon juice and seasonings to the other side too. Finally, once the fish is brown on the second side and has cooked all the way through (with the thin fillets, the cooking all the way through probably happened when the first side got brown), transfer the fish to a plate, and squeeze on some more lemon juice if there's any left in the lemon. (With a particularly juicy lemon, sometimes there's even some left after this third application. So as not to waste it, I squeeze it into a little tupperware container I keep in the freezer... I suspect it'll taste as good as fresh should I crave fish when I have no real lemons left.) Eat. Swoon. Consider cooking a vegetable for an afterthought side-dish. (I've never really gotten the hang of cooking so that multiple things ready at the same time, and overcooked vegetables are dreadful.)

Although that recipe typed up long, it's really quite simple if you ignore all the commentary. ;)

Oh... two unrelated items: The first is that "I Capture the Castle" had a quite unexpected ending, but I won't say what it was in case you want to read it. It's not quite how the fairy tale romantic hidden inside me would have liked it to end, but it was a good ending... and open enough that my fairy tale romantic self could choose to add a bit on after where the actual text stops. The second is that I did indeed forget something in my last long post... the bottom of one of my window panes has come off again, but I think I know how the caretaker fixes them now, so I'll try dealing with it myself. (I'd want to deal with the remaining unpacked boxes in my office, and then my not-quite-finished desk in the hall, before I asked the caretaker in. They make the window rather hard to get to.)

Well, the bread is done and cooling, so now I should cut my hair then have my shower so that I can go out and hopefully burn off the twitchies riding my bike.

Tasty Recipes

Temporarily no questions in the help centre (well, few... I had one interruption already), so here's a few recipes that look really yummy:
• oven roasted asparagus
• spicy orange garlic shrimp
Now if only I had the time to cook...

Mushroom Soup

Back on March 15th I made mushroom soup. I found the "mushroom medley" package this recipe called for (...aside... I just went looking for the recipe to link to, and discovered that although I made the one above, I think I meant to make this one... oh well, I'll try that other one another time!), but I couldn't remember the ingredients exactly. It turned out that one package was enough for a half batch, and I had nearly all the ingredients called for. Together with a bit of dry white wine and some rosemary from my folks, I got cooking!

Uh... I used a pot half the size called for in the original recipe, and I'm only cooking a half recipe...:

*phew*, this is better:

heavenly smells... wish I could share:

Mmmmmm!:

Pita Bread Recipe

I just finished typing this up again, so I thought I'd share it here. Recipe as written:

Pita Bread (Arabic Bread)

1 pkg or cake yeast 1 tbsp sugar 6 c flour 2 tsp salt 2 c lukewarm water 1/3 c milk

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Place flour and salt in large bowl, making a depression in centre. Combine milk, remaining water and dissolved yeast. Pour into depression. Mix flour with liquid, making sure all batter on sides of bowl is mixed in. Knead until smooth and sides of bowl are clean (dip hands in water occasionally to give smooth elastic finish). Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until double in size, 2 to 4 hours. Take orange sized balls from edge of dough and form into smooth balls. Cover and let rise on cloth for 30 minutes. Roll into 1/4 inch thick circles. Cover and let rise on cloth for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 475F. Place dough directly on racks. When dough rises into mound, after 2 to 5 minutes, place under broiler for a few seconds until lightly browned; cool. Yields 7 to 9 loaves.

My notes: I use warmer than lukewarm water, but still a temperature you can comfortably put your hands in. I like to do the first rising in the oven with just the oven light on. (It provides enough heat to make a great rising temperature.) When baking, bake until most of the pitas blow up like balloons, but don’t wait for stubborn ones. Then switch to the broiler until it turns red. The pitas will be pretty pale (basically white), but oh-so-good!

Although it looks like a lot of work, most of the time is with the bread rising, which happens while you do other, more fun things, like knit. ;) Kids really enjoy watching the pitas balloon up, and then letting you know when the broiler is red. (I only use times when I’m sadly without a window in my oven.)

Fresh pitas from the oven with butter are heavenly. To keep the fresh taste, freeze once they’ve cooled, and thaw when you want them.

Enjoy!

Overrun With Zucchini?

Here's a recipe from H:

Carrot and Zucchini Chocolate Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each nutmeg, allspice, and salt
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (very fine)
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (very fine)
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate baking chips (I used 1 cup)
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
powdered sugar

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.

Stir in carrots, zucchini, and chocolate chips.

In a small bowl, beat oil to mix with eggs; add to dry mixture and stir to moisten well.

Spread batter in an oiled 9 by 13 baking dish.

Bake at 325 F until toothpick comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes.

Cool on a rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and cut into squares.

Yield: 12 servings.

Notes:
1 large zucchini = 4 cups finely shredded zucchini
1 1/3 recipe = 36 large muffins (325 F for 20 minutes for 2 pans of muffins)
1 recipe = 30 large muffins

I use only zucchini in this recipe --- that is, I substitute zucchini for the carrot and end up using 3 cups of shredded zucchini. And I freeze shredded zucchini in one cup blobs, so I can easily make this recipe at any time of the year.

Mmmmm! Disguise zucchini as chocolate cupcakes, and even I eat it! (I've taste tested this recipe, and it passes with flying colours!)

Unusual Brownies

About a week ago, my folks and I were watching TV, and saw a recipe for brownies that reduced the amount of fat by using mashed beans. Strange! Tasty looking... could this be a low-guilt chocolate fix? Well, mom baked them up yesterday, and they were pretty good! They weren't identical to your regular brownies, but hey... they were low-guilt and tasty!

One slightly odd thing about the brownies was due to the fact that mom used the blender instead of the food processor: there wasn't enough liquid for the blender to mash them all properly, and so the occasional whole bean ended up in the brownies, and there were a number of bean skins that stuck to your teeth. If you make these, I highly recommend making sure the beans are thoroughly mashed! ;)

If you're curious and want to try the recipe for yourself, it's here.

Two other changes mom made: she used romano beans because she didn't have pinto beans (she forgot to write down which beans they called for, misremembered while at the grocery store, and we decided the two were probably close enough), and she used oat flour instead of wheat flour to make them gluten-free.

If you want another recipe to try, this is another gluten-free bean brownie recipe I found. I found it this morning when I forgot the url for the first recipe, and tried googling it. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't comment on it.

Recipe

I was typing in this recipe anyway for a friend with a child with a wheat allergy, so I figured I'd share it here too.

Okay, first I'll type in the recipe as it appears in the Betty Crocker cookbook, then I'll tell you all of the changes my mom makes. ;)

Oatmeal Cookies

1/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts
3 cups quick-cooking oats

Heat oven to 350F. Mix thoroughly shortening, sugars, egg, water and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 1 inch apart onto greased baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until almost no imprint remains when touched with finger. Immediately remove from baking sheet. Store in tightly covered container.

About 5 dozen cookies.

Variation: Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Omit water, increase soda to 1 teaspoon and stir 1 cup mashed banana (2-3 medium) into shortening mixture.

Changes:
- substitute baking margarine for shortening. She uses Imperial Margarine.
- substitute 1 cup oat flour for the 1 cup wheat flour
- leave out the raisins and nuts
- add chocolate chips
- bake on parchment paper instead of greasing cookie sheets... then cut up the parchment paper to keep the cookies separate when storing. (I forgot this, added later.)

The banana version is the *best*!!! But the regular non-banana version is fine too. Oh, and the mashed bananas doesn't need to be exactly 1 cup... just mash 2-3 overripe bananas.

Tip: If you have overripe bananas and no time to cook, toss them in the freezer and use later. I prefer to peel mine first and freeze in the correct amount the recipe calls for (freezing partially mashes them for you), but you can also freeze them with the peels on and just sort of squish them out of the peel. This second method has the advantage of not needing any extra packaging. ;) (I just find it a bit gross!)