One of my New Year’s resolutions is to eat pudding every day. Like my other resolutions, I’ve already slacked off, but today, I’m getting back on track…at least on the eating pudding part.

I don’t know why anyone would ever bother with pre-packaged pudding. Homemade pudding is easy, delicious, and you most likely have everything you need in your cupboard.

2 cups of milk
3/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of vanilla (or almond extract)
1/2 cup of dark chocolate bar chopped-up (or chocolate chips)
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional, this will make it noticeably spicy, if you only want a hint of spice, just add a pinch)

-Add the milk, cocoa powder, sugar, cayenne pepper, salt and cornstarch to pan.
-Heat over medium heat until it boils (about five minutes). Stir constantly.
-Continue to heat for another minute or two, until it starts to thicken.
-Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and the chocolate bar.
-Pour into four containers. Eat warm or chill. If you chill it, place either plastic wrap or wax paper directly on the surface to keep a skin from forming on it.

This version makes a rich, dark pudding. You can make it more of a milk chocolate pudding by decreasing the cocoa powder to 1/4 cup, increasing the cornstarch to 2 tablespoons and using milk chocolate instead of dark.

If you want something really special, top it with fresh whipped cream. One of my husband’s New Year’s resolutions is to eat more whipped cream…it’s going to be a great year…

Happy New Year!

Granola

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve been seeing granola recipes all over the place. One of my favorite food magazines, EatingWell had one in their October issue. Martha Steward had one in her November issue. My sister and good friends Ellen and Christine have all been making it. Who am I to buck the trend? Especially when it is so darn good.

Granola also makes a nice gift (see a recurring theme here?)...and it's cheap. What more could you want?

My sister makes granola in her crock-pot slow-cooker. Click here for a recipe.

Ellen has a good recipe on her site, Ellen Cooks.

Eating Well has a tasty recipe and includes a pdf gift tag.

Here’s my version. Note, I’m using coconut oil, but if you don’t want to adhere to 19th-century ingredients, you can use canola oil. Canola oil was not used in food until well into the 20th century (1974 in fact).

5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut chips or flakes (Click here for using a fresh coconut, something I highly recommend and isn't as difficult as you'd think)
1/2 cup sliced almonds or other nuts
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup dried fruit
1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 275°F.

2. Combine oats, coconut, almonds, brown sugar, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.

3.Heat coconut oil until melted, combine with maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract and water in a medium bowl. Pour over the oat mixture; stir until well combined. Spread the mixture into a large roasting pan or large rimmed baking sheet.

4. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir, and bake about 35 minutes more until golden brown and it begins to crisp. It will become more crisp as it cools.

5. Stir in dried fruit. Let cool completely before storing.

Crystallized Ginger & Syrup

Here’s another idea for a homemade gift. You can knock out two gifts with one recipe—crystallized ginger and ginger syrup.

Peel one to two medium sized fresh ginger roots.

Slice into pieces about 1/8 inch thick. You should have about a cup of ginger.

Bring three cups of water and two cups of sugar to boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved.

Add the ginger and turn the heat down. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, until the ginger is tender and translucent. Be sure to watch it. If the heat is too high, the syrup can burn quickly.

Drain all but about a tablespoon of the syrup (be sure to keep it!). Return ginger to pan and heat while constantly stirring until all the water evaporates.

Remove from heat and toss with a cup of sugar.

Place ginger on wax paper and let cool. Be sure to separate the pieces or you’ll have a giant ginger blob.

Store in an airtight container and keep at room temperature.

Crystallized ginger is tasty in most baked goods. Epicurious has a slew of recipes.

Keep the syrup refrigerated. Add a splash of it to tea or any beverage you want to spice up.

Ginger martinis anyone?