Pudding it together

I've been thinking about pudding a lot these days. American pudding. That stuff from a box that you mix with milk. mmmm. I really like pudding but Tony doesn't so I never make it. I'd eat it all within a two days if someone didn't stop me, and my ass is fat enough without that temptation. Actually, it is easy to ignore those desires because pudding is processed food from a box. And since I don't care for the plastic taste of the pudding cups, I don't get much pudding these days.


The pudding love most likely comes from my childhood. Growing up, it was just Dad, little brother, and me. Dad, though highly educated, knew little of the domestic arts. And I'll bet he never planned on being a single parent so I wont fault him for his lack of expertise in the kitchen -- there was no foodtv back then, after all. It was only natural that I, a faggy little foodie, would be interested in learning to cook at a very early age.


We didn't have any cook books -- although at 8 years old, I'm sure I had never heard of such a thing -- and I had yet to discover Julia so I began learning to cook by helping Dad. It wasn't long before I realized that I too could read and follow directions printed on the back of a box!


The first "dish" I remember ever attempting on my own, with no help from Dad and having never eaten the finished product, was a desert -- it's no surprise my current size. The recipe was found on a box of instant chocolate pudding (I tried to find that recipe on the Jello website, but that site is useless). Basically, the recipe is: make one package of instant chocolate pudding according to the package directions; whisk in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of peanut butter (a couple good spoonfuls); then fold in one can of cherry pie filling; chill and serve. mmmm.


Every so often that recipe calls to me. And by every so often, I mean: every time I go grocery shopping. But as I said, I'll eat the whole thing myself, so I don't buy the ingredients. Well, two weeks ago I did buy the ingredients and I made the pudding and I ate the whole damned thing in two days.


I've craved pudding -- of any sort -- every since then, but I've actively worked to quash those desires. And I've been successful though that success may be short lived because today I came across this pudding recipe on Amy H's blog for chocolate pudding shots! How genius is it to combine pudding with vodka and flavored liqueur and then freeze it until it becomes soft-serve? And now I'm obsessed with the smooth, creamy goodness once again.


Actually, I've hesitated about posting the pudding shot discovery lest you think me an alcoholic. I know I've posted several times in the last month about drinking, but I promise you I have no such addictions. Furthermore, you can all be assured that if ever an intervention is necessary, Emma will contact you with the details. Until then I recommend pudding.



In other news:


This house is such a mess! Tony has been moving in for the past few months and this house just isn't big enough to accommodate two houses worth of furniture and fixtures. This is exactly why we built the shed this summer. Even with the shed, we donate at least one big box of stuff per week to local organizations. And still, this house just gets more and more crowded. Cleaning is pointless -- except for that whole hygiene thing -- because there is no place to put stuff. There are only a few loads left at Tony's old place so hopefully we will have this house in order soon enough.

Here is a rare picture of Ms. Molly Ringworm. She doesn't care if the guest bed is piled with clutter.

The Paperwhites are blooming.

The Christmas Cactus too!

There is not much I can report about the knitting. Holiday knitting makes me want to knit other things.

Well, back to the piles of stuff.

Later,

Eric