Homemade Vanilla Pudding

I love pudding. I love doing everything homemade. Even though boxes are often easy and quick and are convenient, I want to know exactly what’s in it, how its done etc. Plus I know if I make it homemade it doesn’t have extra preservatives and colorings to increase aesthetics and shelf life. I feel GOOD about serving even the simplest things from scratch. Pudding is one of them. Brownies are another. Really, the homemade version may take one minute longer then the boxed version. It’s insanely easy. So why pay for preservatives? How “convenient” to your body is that?

Homemade Vanilla Pudding
From allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
½ cup white sugar
3 tbs corn starch
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs butter

Directions:
In a sauce pan, heat milk until bubbling on the edges. In a bowl, combine sugar, corn starch and salt. Pour sugar mixture into sugar 1/3 at a time, whisking until dissolved. Once mixture is smooth and thickens to coat the back of the spoon, remove from heat. (do not boil). Stir in vanilla and butter. Chill before serving (or spooning into cupcakes).

Camera to Computer Problems

So all those pictures of my garden and recipes I've been promising? Yea, we are having camera to computer problems. As in the computer will not read the camera.

You would think, being married to a computer nerd guru, this would be fixed immediately. Not so much. He's too busy with classes and studying programming stuff to bother with my pitiful little camera issues. (Kind of like how he's good at electrical stuff but it's been almost four years without a light in my master closet because he never has the time to fix it? Yea, one of those things.)

So until he takes a break (either for himself or a semester break) I'm at a loss to get my pictures to you. So please bare with me. Rather than take a blog hiatus I am going to continue to post the recipes and garden updates sans pictures. When we get this technical issue fixed, I will let you know so if you are interested in going back to look at pictures you can!

Thanks so much!

Say: Grilled Cheese

There are a million ways to make grilled cheese grown up and still be that wonderful comfort food. Sometimes though, you want that memory of childhood to shine through. Sometimes you just want something quick, quirky or fun.

I think this grilled cheese is a nice blend of grown up, childhood and quick. It's fun and easy with a very adult taste and perfectly compliments the Tomato Soup.

Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
4 thin flakes of Parmesian Reggiano (about an inch square)
2 thin slices of Gruyere
1 tbs shredded mozzerella
1 tbs shredded cheddar
1 slice Kraft Deluxe American cheese
2 tbs butter
2 slices of bread

Directions:
Thinly spread butter on insides of both pieces of bread. Layer all of the cheese on. Close sandwich and gently spread butter on outsides of bread. Place in heated/greased sandwich maker or pannini press. Cook for approx. 4 minutes or until bread is toasty brown and cheese is melted.

Easy Flaky Pie Crust

I admit to taking the easy way out...a lot! When it came to pie crusts I mostly just did Pillsbury roll out. Easy, tasty. Yum. In my new quest for health I decided to go the unpreserved route and finally conquer my own. So I turned to my trusty "Joy of Cooking" book and applied their basic recipe to the method I've seen on the food channel, because well, I'm still lazy. LOL It worked GREAT! Not complicated, flaky and delicious. I'll probably never go back to ready made again.

Easy Flaky Pie Crust
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups Self-Rising Flour
1 tsp white sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (very cold and in small pieces-slice down center and chop at tbs marks)
1/3 cup plus 1 tbs ice water

Directions:
In food processor, combine flour, sugar and butter and pulse until butter is covered and in pea size pieces. As you continue to blend on low, add icecold water. When balls start to firm it will only take a few seconds before you get one big dough ball.

Roll dough ball out onto floured surface. Gently smooth the ball and wrap in plastic. Place in fridge for atleast thirty minutes to make sure it is nice and cold. Roll out gently (don't mash it) and place in pie shell. Trim extra and place back in fridge to chill until you need it!

Embarrassing Food Explorations

Have you ever had one of those extremely embarrassing moments that in hindsight really wasn't that bad?

I had one of those yesterday. I was tired, I didn't want to go to the grocery store but I did it anyway. I hopped over to Aldi's directly after work with the plan to grab what I could and pop into the ever-hated and dreaded Walmart afterwards. ( I despise Walmart but sometimes its a necessary evil to stay within budget for a few items if they aren't on sale elsewhere).

Aldi's was PACKED. I finally got everything I needed. Stood in line for 15 minutes, unloaded my cart, get to the cash register only to realize, I can't find my debit card. I'm tearing everything out of my purse, which at this point looks like a medicine bag with my emergency inhaler, EPI pen, allergy meds, liquid benedryl, IBProfen etc. I seriously hate meds and only carry these out of necessity but only take the allergy pills on a daily basis. Swearsies.

I look at the cashier desperately with pleading in my eyes and whisper, "do you take checks?" She glares at me and says "Cash or debit ONLY." very loudly. I glance behind me at the long line of crossed arms and scowling stares. Shove everything back into my purse, and squeak out "I'm so sorry, I must have left my debit card in my jeans."

I flee with my head down as people are shaking their heads. I wanted to scream: " I can afford my frozen peas, olive oil and mozzerella people. Haven't you EVER forgotten your debit card before?!" But I didn't. I slunk home. Almost in tears, I called my husband and asked him to search his car for the debit card since I took his vehicle to get gas for the tiller which is the last place I remember having the card.

It wasn't there. So disheartened and embarrassed I changed into pajamas and started cleaning my house. I could NOT remember what pair of pants I had worn to church (which is what I had on when I went to get the gas). I finally remembered and checked the pocket. SUCCESS! It was like a ray of sunlight shining into my closet and a choir of angels broke into song! My dignity was saved. I could buy groceries!

Despite knowing it was more embarrassing then it should have been in reality, I still couldn't muster the energy to change clothes and go back to the stores. So I threw together dinner from the freezer and continued cleaning.

Am I overly dramatic and silly? Probably. You can't tell me that it hasn't happened to you though. What was your most embarrassing food shopping experience? Do people judge what's in your cart and comment? Did you break a jar of pickled peaches in the aisle? Do share.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow

As I sit here updating my blog pictures from this weekend, I am still staring out my office window at a melting world of blinding white, clear blue skies and bright sunshine.

I will be venturing forth shortly to go grocery shopping for my holiday week supplies but I thought I would take a moment and share the magic of snow at my home in NC.

Once part of my horse pasture and future home to my 2010 large garden (taken while it was still snowing).


Tedda guarding the cleared porch path.


It's hard to tell but the side of my house is completely glazed in ice.

Christmas Dishes

I am probably one of the last remaining Southern Wives who does not own a set of dishes for every season/ holiday. I have two sets of dishes. A large magnolia set and a four piece green set that I got from one of those homesales groups. I used to think this was adequate but I have since learned it is indeed not.

I've officially become obsessed with all things dishes and servingplatters. I intend to correct my lack of holiday dishes the day after christmas by hitting up the sales. Wish my luck!

Until then I did stumble across the most adorable dishes at Hobby Lobby 50% off last week. They did not have many left so I settled for a tea setting for two which are perfect for my husband and I but may be lacking when we expand the family.

Board? ME TOO!!

So I got a new cutting board. Not just ANY cutting board but a fabulous piece of solid surface counter top scrap that was lovingly cut and sealed by my darling husband (who works for a countertop place). It's fabulous. It's large, and heavy and doesn't dull my knives or show scratches.

I 'lurve' it. Now if only he had enough scraps to do my entire kitchen. HMMM. Le sigh. I love my kitchen with its custom built high counters but the 80's fake butcherblock laminate can go...seriously...I'm ready to upgrade. It's on the to do list and distant budget. Until then, I will be using my fabulous new cutting board and blocking out the counter top around it (like in a dream, where everything but the hot hunk with rippling muscles is out of focus? oh what? don't pretend you don't dream like that).

B is for Barbeque

Living in the South, only 30 minutes from the Famous Barbeque city of Lexington, you would think I would know how to make barbeque. Up until recent years, however, I was not actually a fan of barbeque (the pulled pork variety). Necessity may be the mother of invention, but leftovers are cause for creativity. Stephen does not like having leftovers for some reason. They are fine for lunches but he does not like having the same dinner every night. So far this has not effected our budget much as we eat them for lunch so we do not have to buy lunch type foods (i.e sandwich meat, frozen meals, etc.) although I do try to keep 1 lb of deli meat and a loaf of bread on hand (and some Ramen noodles for him) for those days we do not end up with leftovers. During the recent meal planning stage I noticed that Harris Teeter had pork butt roasts on sale so I had planned a roast into the menu...when I got there, they were fairly large so I knew I would have leftovers. Last night we had a traditional seasoned roast but I decided to try my hand at a quick bbq recipe tonight. Normally, you would think someone in this predicament would look up a recipe but that is just too predictable and logical for me so I winged it. I pulled the leftover roasted meat from the bones, removed the fat, and shredded it with a fork (for a more even consistency you may want to use a food chopper). I placed the meat in a large pot on the stove and added about 3/4 cup Hickory smoked bbq sauce, 3/4 cup white vinegar, and 3/4 cup water with 3 tbs of Lord Byron's Butt Rub seasonings thrown in for good measure. I slapped a roll of Pillsbury French Loaf dough in the oven and what we got was a really good BBQ sub. The meat was not over powered by the sauce at all (one of my chief complaints with Southern bbq). There was not an overpowering vinegar taste (my other complaint with Lexington style bbq) and it was not too sweet either. I think I may try this again in a crockpot to infuse the flavor more and possibly add a dash of Texas Pete to spice it up a tad as well but for winging something I have never tried, not bad at all. I'm going to take some to my Dad and let him try it as he has a great love for BBQ and see what he thinks. I will also try to remember to take a picture of it.....my husbands recent complaint is that he never gets to eat anything without having it's picture made first! LOL..sorry honey but atleast he's a good sport about some of my "experiments!"