Beat the Heat: Pudding Pops

Pudding Pops are about the easiest thing to make.  If you have not made them in a while it give it a try. Super fun to make with the kids and delicious to eat.

1 small package pudding
2 cups cold milk
Add ins of your choice:  We chose freeze dried strawberries and bananas

In a large bowl,  whisk pudding and milk.  Let sit for a few minutes.  Place add ins in clean Popsicle molds. Pour pudding into molds.  Freeze until solid, about 5 hours.  Enjoy

**the molds I used are commonly available at Wal-Mart and everywhere else. They contain 4 Popsicle and one set of molds holds 1/2 a batch of pudding, so buy two.

Rainbow Pudding-Perfect for Saint Patrick's Day

Every March I get a craving for Irish food.  I love to eat new potatoes, corned beef and cabage.  Sadly my famiy does not. This year I am trying to start some new Saint Patricks Day traditions, with food my family will eat.  I started with the desert. Are you suprised? 

A few months ago I saw online a very cute cupcake made into rainbow stripes by dividing the batter into seperate bowls and then adding food coloring to each to made a different stripe in the rainbow.  I loved the idea and made a rainbow cake with my daughter.  It was a hit.  So I decided to try it with pudding.  It worked great.  A couple of tips. 

1. To make the stripes stand out you need a significant amount of pudding for each color.  I used 2 packets of instant pudding and it made 5 LARGE servings.  
2. The type of food coloring you use matters.  I have found that the GEL food coloring works the best.  I found it at the local Grocery Store.  I used Betty Crocker Classic Gel Food Colors, and they worked great. (thanks to BettyCrocker.com for the photo)
3. I found that having 7 bowls to wash when I was finished did not make me happy, so when I make this I use large paper cups to mix the pudding and the food coloring together in. 

Rainbow Pudding Recipe:  (This is so easy I feel kind of silly posting it)
2 boxes vanilla or other white instant pudding mix
milk, the amount called for on the box of pudding
Gel Food Coloring
Paper Cups

1.  In large mixing bowl combine instant pudding mix and milk, following the manufacturers instructions to make pudding. 
2.  Diving pudding evenly into seven large paper cups
3.  In each cup place a different color of food coloring. Red, yellow, orange (yellow + red) , green (yellow + blue), blue, and purple (red + blue).  Stir well.  Adjust food coloring as necessary.
4. Spoon into clear cups or serving dishes in reverse rainbow order.
5. Chill and serve.

Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce-Made with Powdered Eggs

I was recently introduced to bread pudding, and I really like it. In case you have never had bread pudding, it is a dessert found in many cultures, including English, French, Mexican, as well as in the Southern United States.  It is made using stale (usually left-over) bread, butter (or some other kind of fat), egg, sugar, spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, mace or vanilla, and dried fruit. The bread is soaked in an egg mixture and then baked, forming a custard like dessert.  It may be served with a sweet sauce of some sort, such carmel, but is typically sprinkled with sugar and eaten cold in squares or slices (we like it warm).


Microwave Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
16 think slices high quality bread cubed (try french, whole wheat, cinnamon rolls is what I used this time)
½ cup white sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup butter
5 tablespoons whole eggs powder, re-hydrated with ⅔ cup water, stir until there are NO lumps
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Line a microwave-safe 2 quart bunt pan or baking dish with bread sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Set aside
2. Place milk and butter in a 1 quart glass measuring and microwave on medium for 5 minutes or until butter is melted and milk is scalded. Quickly stir in eggs. ½ cup sugar, and vanilla.  Pour over bread cubes.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 17 minutes. allow pudding to sit for 5 minutes in microwave with out opening the door after cooking time has finished.
4. Serve warm with vanilla sauce.

Vanilla Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup cream
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Spoon over bread pudding.