Cocoa Rice Pudding

Cocoa Rice Pudding

¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup brown sugar
1/8 t salt
1 ¼ cups milk
½ t vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 cups cooked rice
½ cup craisins or dried cherries, or cranberries (optional).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cocoa, sugar, salt in a mixing bowl. Add a splash of milk about ¼ cup and whisk until smooth. Crack eggs into mixing bowl, add vanilla and rest of milk. Whisk to combine. Then stir in rice and craisins or dried fruit. Transfer to baking dish or ramekins.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Smaller dishes bake faster.
Remove when the middle is jiggly when shaking the dish. Cool for 5 minutes.

If you use this as a dessert you can add vanilla ice cream or whipping cream! YUM!

Typo

My blog wont let me correct any post that has already been published. Then of course I see a typo. In the hot fudge it is 14 oz can of condensed milk.

I hope that helps!

Some new recipes

I have some new recipes to post - super easy and yummy - so of course they are both chocolate. I will post one today and the other later (I have to type it out).

I had a lot of visitors this past month and we discovered Poppy's - a frozen yogurt place that is awesome. One part of it is the hot fudge they serve. I have a weakness for that stuff. Hot and gooey and aah so, so, yummy. My sister had a easy recipe so I tried to copy it and this is what I made.

Hot Fudge

14 oz can if condensed milk (the thick one)

2 cups semi-chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Melt chips in a medium size pan. When melted add the milk and the vanilla stir for 4-5 minutes.

Enjoy it on ice cream, cheesecake, or just eating it out of the pan (that is what my kids did and okay me too) So easy and oh so good. Refrigerate the left overs - if there are any!

Cookies - New York Time's chocolate chip

I have been baking way to much lately - I go to the gym so I can eat my cookies! It is hard when I have so many visitors and they demand cookies- well okay I demand that they eat my cookies! But this recipe for chocolate chip cookies is so good and you have to have patience (that is hard when I have cookie dough in my fridge calling my name) but it will be worth it!

They do make big cookies so one will be enough (if you have the will power!)


New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour (I did use all-purpose)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter (I didn't have unsalted and used salted)
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks, at least 60 percent cacao content (I used dark, semi and mint chocolate chips)
Sea salt

Directions:
1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

more..pics..enjoy!

We took some family pictures this month..here are a few...

Here are some non-edited and some edited. I have so many I can't choose. The wind was our biggest issue. IT BLEW AND BLEW. Not model (blowing with a fan) wind, but tornado wind! Our photographer did amazing with what she had to deal with. For me - picture day is so stressful - Hair, clothes, smiles, sweat, nose boogies, sucking it in, etc. - I needed a nap when I was done!

I had my sis and bro-in-law for 3 days..here is a few things we did...

My BFF sis and her hubby came to visit us for a few days. We had such a nice time but it was to short! I was so depressed when she left. She is a darling person. So caring, loving, and thoughtful. I am so grateful she is my sister and we are a forever family! Here are a few pictures of our activities.


Matthew waving to a diver cleaning the Silverton's salt water tank.


The Bass Pro Shop (bro-in-law's choice to see) had a special truck with all sorts of deer trophy's - not my cup of tea, but the kids thought the truck ramp was cool.

Izzie got a new hair bow - dang I could just eat her up!

We ate some YUMMY frozen yogurt at Poppy's (highly recommend-Blue Diamond and Cimmeron) and the kids loved the yogurt and well as the little tables - as you can see they had to have the boy table and the girl table.

My sis, Jennifer and bro-in-law, Steve (sorry bad picture) they have been married 21 years and have 5 kids. I LOVE THEM!

Matthew and Uncle Steve after looking at the guns at Bass Pro. Matthew thought that was cool and he loves his uncle Steve.

Dang what a cute kid - Glad he is mine!

Looking at some boats. Nope, none came home with us-darn it!

My sis -Jennifer and I. We are both going blonde - can you guess who is older? I used to be really bugged when someone asked me that. Especially since I was single and she was carting around 3 kids at the time. I don't care now anymore. I am now trying to look like her!

My mom told me when I was young and my older sibling (Jen, Bryan and Andrea) went to school I would be sad and wait by the door for them to return home. When I saw them return, I would run to them. I don't remember that, but I love hearing stories like that when I was young.

I love this woman! Jennifer you are amazing!!!! (and the kids at the bottom of the picture are pretty great too!)