By Popular Demand -or- Suzanne's Killer Easy Chocolate Pudding

We interrupt this program to present a quick recipe, one that is currently in high demand! I shared this recipe with a few facebook friends the other day, and now there are a whole lot of people who want to try it out. There has even been a request or two to put it on my blog!

It seems people really NEED their pudding! It's not a want, it's a need! So rather than wait until I have the time to photograph the entire process, I've decided to just post the recipe and the one picture I took of it last week. That way you can all get started making pudding right this very minute, or at least as soon as you read this entry.

It's super easy, super delicious, and will have your family swooning and begging for more. I promise.


Suzanne's Killer Easy Chocolate Pudding

2/3 cup sugar (I use organic dehydrated cane)

3 Tbsp flour

2 eggs

2 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp butter (optional, but including it makes the pudding super creamy)

6 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate (ghiardelli makes it so decadent)

In a two-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, mix together sugar and flour. Add beaten eggs and milk and stir very well, so there are no lumps and the mixture looks smooth. Heat over a medium flame, stirring constantly with a whisk. Once the mixture starts to heat up, add butter, then chocolate, a piece at a time. Cook until it begins to thicken and bubble. Turn off heat, stir in vanilla, pour into dessert dishes (here's a great opportunity to use pyrex again!) and leave on the counter if you like your pudding room temperature to warm, or chill in the refrigerator if you like it cold.

That's it! Easy as pie. This doubles well, and I have also omitted the chocolate and added banana slices for a great banana pudding. Have yet to try it with lemon zest and/or juice, but would love to make this into lemon pudding, as well. My friend, Abi, wants to try it with white chocolate and almond extract! Hmmmmm....

(Don't forget to lick the pan and whisk after pouring pudding into dishes.)

Make Your Own Yogurt - "It's Better Than Marshmallow Cream, Mom!"

As promised, I am posting my yogurt recipe today. Right off the bat, I'd like to say it helps tremendously to have an oven that can be set to low temperatures, specifically 115 degrees Fahrenheit. I incubate my yogurt in the oven for seven hours at 115F. This is not to say that you can't incubate it in a food dehydrator, a cooler with warm water and towels, or in some other creative way you might come up with. People do that, too, and it works just fine. I'm just posting the easiest way, and the way I use all the time.

First off, here's the recipe:

Suzanne's Better-Than-Marshmallow-Cream Vanilla Yogurt

1 gallon of the best milk you can get

2 TBSP gelatin (that's two little pouches)

1/2 cup cold water

1 and 1/2 cups dehydrated cane juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup yogurt with active culture (can be your old batch)

Alright... let's get started.

First, dissolve the gelatin in the cold water.

This is just regular, unflavored gelatin and plain, cold water, in my case, well water.

If you are vegetarian and don't want to use gelatin, you can skip this step. I just find the gelatin helps the yogurt achieve the consistency we like in our house, so I use it. You can replace it with agar, if you like, but the yogurt doesn't turn out quite as smooth.

Preheat oven to 115 degrees F.

Have your sink ready and waiting with cold water.

Also, have your containers ready. I use five 1-quart mason jars, very clean, and their lids. I always wash them really well, in very hot water, then keep them on a tray, filled with hot water. As you can see, I've devoted some of my older canning jars with chipped rims to making yogurt. That's why they are marked with bright, nail polish "Ys."

I keep the lids in the hot water, too.

There are some people who insist that you have to have everything sterilized for making yogurt. I just make sure to have everything super clean. I also keep the equipment very warm until I use it. Now, if this process doesn't work for you, don't blame it on me! As with anything else, this is a trial and error process. Sometimes the yogurt doesn't set up, for example. That has happened to me just a few times in the four years I've been preparing this recipe. I just keep it in the back of the fridge and use it in recipes calling for buttermilk. No waste. But I've never had any spoiling issues. If you are the type of person who worries about those kinds of details, then by all means, sterilize your jars first.

Now that I have that little disclaimer out of the way, let's move on. Put the milk in a heavy-bottomed stock pot and heat it slowly to 185 degrees F. Whisk it occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot.



Use whatever thermometer you have in your kitchen to watch the temperature of the milk.


I'm kind of kooky, I'll admit it right here and now. Why? Because I have several thermometers that I've obtained from thrift stores or garage sales. I'm not sure which one is the most accurate, so I put all three on the edge of the pot and compare and take averages until I'm satisfied that the temperature reaches 185 degrees Fahrenheit.


Turn off the heat and add the sweetener. I use organic dehydrated cane, but you can use whatever sweetener you prefer. I've tried honey and maple syrup and sucanat. I once even used regular sugar (Gasp!) when I didn't have any healthy alternatives on hand. They all work. I just prefer the dehydrated cane. And you can vary the amount as you prepare this recipe to hone it to your own tastes.


As an aside, let me say that I take every opportunity I can to employ vintage stuff in my kitchen. For example, this lovely bowl, obtained for less than a dollar while thrifting:


Sigh... I love pyrex.

While we're on the subject of thrifting, I like to use more than pyrex... check out this tray, obtained for a mere quarter last fall, while garage-sale-ing in Amish country:

Wow, what a beauty! All my hot jars are waiting for me on that tray. Now, back to work...

Add vanilla:


and the gelatin mixture.

Stir well, with a whisk.

Place the pan in the sink of cold water. Cool the mixture, while stirring occasionally, to 110 to 115 degrees F.

Pour off one cup of the mixture and mix in 1 cup of yogurt.

Blend these together (I shake them up in a jar)

then add back to the pot and whisk again.

Finally, pour into jars:

wipe the rims with a clean, damp paper towel, screw the lids on

and place in the preheated oven for 7 hours.

I use a post-it note on the outside of my oven, to remind me to take the yogurt out. It also reminds me NOT to preheat the oven for some other project later in the day. I've done that before. Those jars are kind of outta-sight-outta-mind during day. "Oh, I think I'll make cornbread to go with dinner! I'll preheat the oven to 375..." You get the picture. What a mess that would be!

You can begin to taste the yogurt after 5 hours to see if it is firm enough, or tart enough. I, personally, have found that 7 hours is the trick for my family. Eight hours definitely produces a tarter yogurt, and any earlier than 7 hours, the texture isn't firm enough.

My recipe makes about 4 or 5 quarts of yogurt. This variable has to do with whether or not there is any cream in the house. Sometimes I have half-and-half or cream in the fridge. Rarely, but sometimes. I occasionally add some to the milk mixture to make the yogurt almost sinful. It even develops a tiny bit of cream on top, like those super fancy brands in the store.

You can easily halve this recipe if it makes too much for your family.

To make plain yogurt, just omit the sweetener and vanilla.

It keeps three or four weeks in the fridge, but never lasts that long.

And that, my friends, is my yogurt recipe. Please let me know if you try it, and how it turns out for you.

My Favorite Pantry Staple -- Granola!!

Well, I'm feeling a little out of touch, but I'm still here. And I'm still thinking about oats. In fact, I made a huge batch of Mama's Bullet-Proof Waffles this morning! They turned out great... golden, crisp, and yummy.

But today, I'm thinking about granola. There are many mornings my breakfast consists of two simple, homemade, food items: granola and yogurt. The secret to making my granola is very unpredictable. Are you ready? It's not something you'd ever guess... I use my crockpot! Otherwise known as a slow-cooker. Most kitchens are equipped with one. I know I bought mine for the sole purpose of birthing my babies at home. The midwives wanted a crockpot with warm cloths and water, ready for... well... ready for all the things one needs wet, warm cloths for during a birth.

Anyhow, these days, I use my slow-cooker for making granola! Without further delay or introduction, I give you....


There's no fancy or clever name for this recipe. It's just granola, after all. First, get out a big slow-cooker (mine's a 6-quart), sans lid, and lightly oil the crock Next, dump all the dry ingredients into the crock:



Give them a healthy stir to mix them all up:



Then, get out your favorite measuring utensil for finicky liquids (I use a very old "metric wonder cup" from Pampered Chef). Okay... I confess, I got mine at a garage sale and have been using it for 10 years, now! So much so that the markings are gone and I use it upside down most of the time. That said, here is the first link that came up when I googled "Metric Wonder Cup." Obviously, I have no affiliation here, just giving you a source if you want one. Measure all of the liquid ingredients into the cup. Mine's a two-cup measure, so I can do the oil, vanilla, and rice syrup at the same time!



Now, add the liquids to the crock and give everything a very good stir. In other words, combine all these ingredients with a nice, large, wooden spoon.



It should look something like the following picture:


Cook on "High" for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally. I stir about every 20 minutes. This usually isn't a problem, since I'm almost always making yogurt and some other staple at the same time. Meaning I'm in the kitchen a LOT. We seem to run out of these items all at the same time! Make sure you do NOT use a lid! It sweats and the granola would never get dry enough.

After the initial 1.5 hours on "High," switch to "Low" and cook for an additional 2 hours, still stirring occasionally. After the cooking is over, pour the granola out onto a big cookie sheet or tray and let it cool. Store for up to two weeks (it won't last that long...) in an airtight container. Here it is on my tray:



And here's a close-up of the granola, so appetizing, I'll bet you want to take a bite right now!



Enjoy! Next time..... Energy Bars! I hope you'll tune in!

Mama's Bullet-Proof Waffles

When I asked my family what they thought a good name for my waffles would be, my husband came up with the best answer: Bullet-Proof Waffles. They are delicious, good for you, and I always feel nourished after eating them. I'm happy to offer these for breakfast, along with fresh fruit and pure maple syrup. I've never served them to anyone who didn't like them, and I'm pretty sure you'll like them, too. Without further ado, I give you

Mama's Bullet-Proof Waffles

Above is the recipe, so you can follow along. If you click on it, it will get larger.

Start off by dumping 4 cups of rolled oats into a big bowl. Then pour 5 cups of your choice of milk - I use soy - on top of them and let them soak for 15 or 20 minutes.

Then add a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil.



Next, crack 6 to 8 eggs into a smaller bowl and scramble them.

Pour them into the bowl along with the oats, milk, and oil.



Now's a good time to get our your waffle iron, plug it in to preheat, spray on a bit of oil if yours needs it.




After a brief stir to combine all the wet stuff, add the rest of the ingredients:

4 Cups flour
2 Tbsp. agave nectar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Mix it all up, just well enough to combine. Over mixing makes for tough waffles, and we can't have that!

This is a good time to show you the salt I use. It's Himalayan Sea Salt, and is fabulous! Old, full of minerals, tasty, AND beautiful. I got it from my friend who offers it in her store.



By now, your iron should be hot and ready to go. Pour a cup to a cup and a half of batter into the center of the waffle iron and spread it out a bit.

Then close the lid and go work on...

the dishes... ugh.
Take a glance at your waffle iron and you will see a thing of great beauty, and a good subject for home school chemistry:

Ahhh, look at those babies rising and lifting the heavy lid of the waffle iron! Hmmmm... I can smell them already!



This is about the time my kids start listening for the "twee twee twee!" sound of my waffle iron. It sounds just like the noise they make right before Anthony Perkins is about to use his knife in the shower scenes of "Psycho." Oh it's not THAT bad... just kind of reminiscent, actually.

Lift the lid, remove with the assistance of a fork, and you have 4 beautiful, golden brown, waffles, steaming and ready for butter and maple syrup.

We use local maple syrup, to help support our neighbors, and because it's one of Mother Earth's nectars. If we eat it from local sources it feeds us better than, say, maple syrup from Vermont.

Enjoy! And please let me know how you like them!

Next time... granola!