Homemade Vanilla Pudding

"It has been said that frugality is a hallmark of a good cook. Some of the most talented practitioners I know are nearly fanatical about never wasting a morsel - chunks of stale bread are used for bread crumbs or bread pudding ... and vegetable trimmings invariably find their way into stock. This does not reflect a penurious bent so much as a love of and respect for food and its preparation. Cooking economically is part of the challenge of cooking well."--Pierre Franey

This morning as I was getting ready for breakfast, I noticed that the milk was going a little sour again. Why does that keep happening to us? I guess we need to drink it faster. Anyway, rather than just throw it out, I chose to use this milk on its last legs to make something yummy! Last time that happened I made it into yogurt. But this time there were only a couple cups of milk that needed to be used right away. So I decided it would be fun to make pudding for breakfast.


This recipe comes from allrecipes.com, and is very delicious! It utilizes cornstarch as a thickener instead of egg. So it's cheaper, and I actually think I prefer the flavor of this pudding as opposed to an egg-thickened pudding; the cornstarch allowed the vanilla flavor to come through a bit more.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding
2 cups milk
1/2 cup white sugar (can be reduced if desired)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter

In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat milk until bubbles form at edges. In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into hot milk, a little at a time, stirring to dissolve (typically you don't add cornstarch to hot liquid. But I trusted the recipe and did it this way. As long as you add it very gradually [like, a teaspoon or two at a time], and whisk continuously, there shouldn't be any problems with clumping). Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Do not boil. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter. Pour into serving dishes. Chill before serving.

Actually, I served the pudding warm this morning, because I didn't think the kids would be patient enough to wait for it to chill. I sliced banana into the kids' bowls of pudding, but I ate mine plain. It would also be good sprinkled with cinnamon or nutmeg.

Breaking Down Barriers

I was going to try to make this post kind of election-themed, but it didn't really fit so I won't worry about it.

My husband is one of those people who are decidedly un-picky when it comes to food. He has his preferences of course, but there are few things he just won't eat. One of those foods was fruitcake. He has always sworn up and down that fruitcake is one of the worst flavors he has ever had, and he will never learn to like it. Other people seem to have the same prejudices against this concoction. Here is a quote I found from Johnny Carson: "The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other." Even my mom, who advocates the "clean-your-plate" policy and does not allow picky eating, considers fruitcake to be one of those foods that you are totally allowed to avoid. Obviously, fruitcake is not universally liked.

But as for myself, I had never tried fruitcake. Since Mom didn't like it, I wasn't ever exposed to it and never had the opportunity to try it for myself. A couple years ago I realized that I actually like the way that fruitcake sounded - a heavy cake studded with candied fruits and nuts. Doesn't that sound good? I thought it did. But Jeff was adamant - I wouldn't like it, it's awful, all that stuff.

Well, today I actually convinced him that I was serious - I wanted to try a fruitcake, gosh darnit! There were several of those little one-pounders on the clearance rack at Wal-Mart and I wanted to try one. He hemmed and hawed a bit, then gave in and we put it in the cart.

We got out to the car after purchasing and I eagerly tore open the package. I took a small bite. Hmm. I took another bite. Huh. I took another and another, the bites getting larger and larger - it was actually yummy! I actually liked the fruitcake! I passed bits of fruit and nuts to the kids in their car seats, and they liked it too.

But the clincher came when Jeff requested a tiny bit, just to verify that it was, indeed, as horrible as he remembered. I gave him a little piece and he cautiously tried it. He admitted that perhaps it wasn't quite as terrible as he had thought. He tried another bite, and another, and finally decided that except for the orange peel, he actually liked the fruitcake. We both had a good laugh, and continued snacking all the way home.


And we all lived happily ever after.

Time to Go Shopping

"Sigh. Got to go buy some food. A mouse hung itself in my fridge and left a note 'can't live like this'."

— Ustas.

I thought this was a humorously appropriate quote. Tomorrow is the day we normally go shopping for groceries.

Another Great Food Quote

I pray that death may strike me in the middle of a large meal. I wish to be buried under the tablecloth between four large dishes.
~Marc Desuagiers

Quote #2

"Because of media hype and woefully inadequate information, too many people nowadays are deathly afraid of their food, and what does fear of food do to the digestive system? ... I, for one, would much rather swoon over a few thin slices of prime beefsteak, or one small serving of chocolate mousse, or a sliver of foie gras than indulge to the full on such nonentities as fat-free gelatin puddings."
~Julia Child

A Julia Child Quote

I was foodie-blog surfing, and came across this wonderful quote that just says it all:

It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it. ~Julia Child