Chocolate Pudding Cups

Ahhhh, Summer.  That time of year when you stay up a little later, the dinner hour is rolled back to a more suitable time of the day, and you can sleep in a little longer because your not forced to catch that 8am school bell. You are invited to picnics and swim parties and things just somehow miraculously slow down.  

I tend to slow down in the kitchen as well - oh don't get me wrong, I'm still creating, just not with a hot oven. Instead, I tend to switch gears to quick and easy. Deserts tend to be cool, refrigerated treats or freezer ready cool and tasty.  Dinners are either cooked on the grill or joined up with plenty of fresh local produce. Summer is about taking it easy so I tend to do the same in the kitchen as well... I'm jus' sayin'!

Chocolate Pudding Cake Cups
A couple days ago I was asked to swing on over to a friend's house to go swimming. Thinking on my toes to find a quick portable treat, I went back in my recipe memory to one of the very first fancy cake cooking classes I took over 20 years ago.  The class was taught by a former pastry chef and some of the best things I learned from her were the secret things they did in the bakery to use up scraps.  That's where this recipe came from. 

 I first used this recipe in a bakery years ago. When you are leveling your cakes you tend to have that "crumb lid" that gets shaved off. You could eat it, but after a while you may find yourself with your own "lid" around your hips. Instead, we froze those scraps and later created desserts very similar to this one. I had a flop recently in cupcake testing, leaving me with a batch of cupcakes that tasted fine but looked pretty bad.  Instead of throwing them out, I placed them in a freezer bag and tucked them away in the back of my freezer, waiting for an opportunity to use them.

This is all approximate...

In 12 6oz plastic cups layer the following ingredients. (This can also be made in an 8 X 13 inch casserole dish and cut into squares)

Crumble baked cake of your choice (I used chocolate) into the bottom of cups so that each cup is half full of cake. Make your favorite "cooked" pudding (using the large box size that call for 3 cups of milk).  This is the secret - it has to be cooked as cold instant pudding will not meld into the cake as well. 

Pour the cooled, cooked pudding over the cake.  Note that if you are using the little plastic cups, it's important that your pudding is cool so that it won't do this...

If you are using a glass 13x9 inch casserole it does not matter if your pudding is hot. Just pour it all over and spread into the cracks.

At this point you can use freshly whipped cream or if you are in a hurry you can even grab some frozen whipped topping from the freezer section of the grocer. I used a french vanilla flavored topping as I wanted the stability of non-dairy in my delivery. Sprinkle with some chocolate on top and put back into the fridge for an hour or so until you are ready to leave. This is also great for potlucks. You can change up the pudding and cake flavors too. I have used lemon cake and lemon curd with crushed lemon drops on top Mmmmm! Kind of like a trifle but a bit simpler.

“Summer, after all, is a time when wonderful things can happen to quiet people. For those few months, you’re not required to be who everyone thinks you are, and that cut-grass smell in the air and the chance to dive into the deep end of a pool give you a courage you don’t have the rest of the year.  You can be grateful and easy, with no eyes on you, and no past. Summer just opens the door and lets you out.” 
                          ― Deb Caletti, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart

Summer Hydration!

  

Sometimes too much to drink is barely enough.

 ~Mark Twain

The temperature alone will bring you running to the nearest watering hole. Why not have some fun with your hydration? Whether you add spirits to your glass or just enjoy an icy cold glass of H2O you can still make it festive.  Staying cool in the summer is what it's all about so if you like it straight up, on ice, with fruit or fizz, do it with pizazz... I'm jus' sayin'! 

This Delicious Frozen Sangria is courtesy of Hilah Cooking
You can find the recipe here at this link.

A Busy Week for a Food Lover

Summer is generally the time you should be able to sit back, relax and not be so busy. As nice as that may sound, I look at it a bit differently. Summer is a great time to get out and do things and for me, many of those things are food-related! So for this post, I've decided to journal for one week about how I revolve around food, or more appropriately, how it revolves around me. If you've been following this blog for very long, you know that I'm not a restaurant critic or compensated to specifically endorse new foods or products and I usually stay home doing much of my "food exploring" in my own kitchen. Even with that, I occasionally get invited to cool food events going on around town, many of them put on by one of the many food-bloggers that call Austin home. As I have noted in past posts, food bloggers are some of the coolest, hippest people I know and I love that we all share an interest in learning and sharing our passion for food. Below are a week's worth of photos noting some of the cool places I went and fun things I did. Maybe after I finish this post I can then sit back, relax and re-read that book How did I get so Busy?. I'm jus' sayin'!



Sunday
Took fruit from my backyard and the farmer's market and got to canning some items for my new favorite social treat - the Austin Food Swappers, which is put on by two lovely friends that write the blogs Hip Girls Guide to Home Making and Stetted.

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Monday
I was getting ready for a meeting and wanted to bring a sweet treat. I have been working really hard at trying to make a recipe for a friend that is yeast and soy free. I took this yummy recipe and switched all the ingredients so that the dessert would be gluten free. it came out pretty good.

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Tuesday
Was super excited when another food blogger friend invited me to a media event at the newly opened Hanks Garage. Not only were we treated to an off-the-hook tasting menu, but it also introduced me to some amazing beers I'd never had before. They say that to get a true opinion of a restaurant, you need to eat there at least three times. Well, lets just say I will have no problem going back two more times.

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Wednesday
This was my one day to stay home and get some projects done around the house and to hang out with my amazing daughter (did I mention the hubs was on a business trip this week?). When we are home alone, my daughter and I usually eat light and pasta purses with fresh baby peas seemed like the perfect meal for this triple-digit Texas weather.

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Thursday
My sweet friend Kathryn asked me if I was interested in celebrating Bastille Day with her and some lovely local food purveyors at House Wine. I was glad to go visit House Wine because I will be back there in a few weeks for our AFBA Pie-Luck event which includes a pie contest. I am super excited about the event because it will be a benefit for SafePlace for woman. Besides, does anyone ever need an excuse to eat pie, especially if it's baked locally by the beautiful ladies of The Pie Society. Their pies, tarts and crimps were so delicious that I almost forgot about the hot weather outside. I also got to meet up with another local blogger who had helped me in the past on the "culinary handcuffs" project. Martha from Not That Martha has created a veggie burger that rivals any that I have had in the past. She now offers these burgers at Whole Foods and Wheatsville Co-op. No surprise that these burgers are called "Hot Dang" grain burgers as the name just about captures what was going on in my head when I bit into the little slider she offered. Feel free to purchase some and you can thank me later.

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Friday
This day started off with me meeting two lovely lady friends from Buda for lunch at the Buda Drug Store where we stepped back in time and enjoyed a counter cafe lunch of chicken salad on wheat. The old fashioned soda fountain was a treat and the company was just as sweet as the Blue Bell ice cream we had for dessert. Later that evening we got invited to a truly unique birthday celebration. Our friend Addie invited us to celebrate her birthday at a trendy downtown park. I brought cookie bars for a dessert that I quickly made out of some ingredients in my pantry. I think I will call them my "Austin Mash-Up Bars". Here's the cool thing - instead of bringing gifts, we were asked to "pay it forward" by inviting another friend over for a nice dinner in the near future. My daughter had a blast and she decided she would "pay it forward" by taking a few of her friends out for ice cream. I still need to do my part to pay it forward - any takers for dinner ?

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Saturday
The hubs is coming home so a nice home cooked meal is on the menu. Before I pick him up at the airport, I need to head over to my local farmer's market to pick up some yummy pickled blueberries and tomato confit from Confituras. A loaf of crusty french bread and some grilled steaks with corn will bring this week of food to an end. Wait... whats that I hear? Oh, my daughter is getting ready to make homemade mint chip ice cream. I guess I spoke too soon...

Summertime!

As George Gershwin would say, "Summertime, and the livin' is easy. Fish are jumping, and the cotton is high."

One of the beautiful things about being born and raised in California was that the summers were ultimately free of schedules for my brothers and I. Without much notice, Mom would load us all up in the back of the station wagon with a picnic lunch and drive us to the beach which for us was only 30 minutes away. We would spend the day there exploring tide pools, collecting seashells and building moats for our sand castles. No internet whatsoever. If we managed to not argue a whole lot and gave my Mom a sense of peace for the day, we would be rewarded with a stop for an ice cream cone on the way home. Occasionally, we would get a week at our church summer camp and every year my Mom planned our annual road trip to Washington to see the relatives, but for the most part, we were free to do what we wanted. Some of the best memories I have of summer had to do with picking sweet fruit from local orchards, making zucchini bread with the mega-loads we grew in our garden, staying out after dark and playing "kick the can" in the neighborhood, ice cold lemonade, and homemade ice cream that we had to crank forever (I'm convinced now that was all part of making it taste so good).

Moving to Texas 10 years ago gave me a chance to give some of those same childhood memories to my own kids and whether it was blowing bubbles into a warm breeze, taking a dip in Barton Springs Pool or enjoying a bowl of homemade ice cream, I think the memories they hold onto will be just as special to them as mine are to me. I'm jus' sayin'!



Fresh Strawberries rinsed and awaiting to become shortcake



Fresh Peaches ripening in the Texas sun in our backyard


Canned goodness from the garden


Icy cold lemonade on the back porch


Watching your feet move in the wet sand


Finding a quiet place in the back yard with a good book


Fresh melons from the vine

Bidding Sweet Farewell

Summer is slowly coming to an end and for some, this can be sheer devastation because it means that all those relaxing moments by the lake and lazy evenings with friends will be replaced with scheduled weeks and commitments. I, on the other hand, welcome Fall and every little detail of it. I love all seasons but my heart is most likely to lean more strongly towards Fall. It's the season that my five senses come alive. Whether it's comfort food bubbling from the kitchen or leaves falling from the trees in hues of orange, auburn and gold, it mesmerizes me into a whole new world of warmth in my soul. But since my die-hard summer friends are holding on to every last moment, this recipe is for you. Take something sweet and cool and delicious from summer and give it a flavor that evokes Fall. Pumpkin ice cream is usually something I won't have until I visit our local pumpkin patch in mid-to-late October but I guess today I was feeling particularly in the mood to bring on Fall... but alas, I live in Texas, so I will learn to compromise for the time being. I'm jus' sayin'!

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream



Mix the following in a large glass measuring bowl:

1 Can of Pumpkin Puree
1 Cup Sugar
3 Cups Cream
1 1/2 Cups Milk
1 Tbs. Vanilla
1 Tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pour into ice cream machine and follow manufacturers directions.



Pumpkin Pie Bars



Crust:
1 Pkg. White Cake Mix (less 1 cup)
1/2 C. Melted Butter
1 egg

Mix the above and press into a 13x9 inch pan


Filling:
1 Pound Can of Pumpkin
2 Large Eggs
2/3 C. Milk
1 Tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 C. Sugar

Mix the above until blended and pour over crust


Topping:
1 C. Cake Mix
1/4 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Butter (softened)
1 Tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

Combine and crumble over filling
Bake 40 min approx. at 350. Cool and cut into squares

Here's the Scoop!

Yes, Summer is here. Maybe not officially - per the calendar - but if you live in the beautiful state of Texas then you know that Summer pretty much begins the moment the kids get released on the last day of school. Around here, that's when it all slows down a bit. Dinner is pushed back to 7:30 and long nights of playing out past dark evoke games of hide-n-seek and kick-the-can. For us, when it's sizzling outside, we like to cool off with some cool and creamy treats. My family never seems to turn down ice cream and during the summer months my ice cream maker gets more use than you can imagine. You can usually find simple vanilla in our freezer but since ice cream comes in so many flavors, I am constantly playing around to find something unique. Today I stayed traditional, making my daughter's favorite - some cool refreshing mint chip ice cream. Even though I have plenty of fresh mint in my yard, I have to tell you that when your in the moment and craving something cool and creamy, it makes me pretty thankful I have an ice cream machine and a bottle of mint extract at my disposal. This way, I can save the fresh mint for garnish - or better yet, a mojito! I'm jus' sayin'!


Easy Mint Chip Ice Cream (no cook)

In a large bowl combine the following:

1 1/2 cups of milk (I use 1%)
1 1/8 cup of granulated sugar
3 cups of heavy cream
1 tbsp of mint extract
1 tsp. green food color (optional)
3/4 cup of (mini) chocolate chips

Combine all and follow ice cream machine directions

Simply Pure Vanilla Ice Cream (no cook)

1 1/2 cups of milk
1 1/8 Cup of sugar
3 Cups of heavy cream
1 1/2 TBSP of vanilla extract

Combine all until sugar is dissolved. Then follow manufactures directions for the ice cream maker.

Southern Living's Buttermilk-Lime Ice Cream (One of my Mom's favorites)

1 Cup of water
1 Cup of sugar

Combine in a pan and bring to a boil until all is dissolved. Then chill in fridge for 25 minutes.

Then Combine the simple syrup with the following:

2 Cups buttermilk
1 Tsp. grated lime zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. corn syrup

Once thoroughly mixed, pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufactures instructions.