A new favorite gadget

If you are a regular reader, you may have noticed the little custard desserts on Christmas Eve.  My vanilla custard, which is really my mother's recipe, has always been a favorite with our sons; click here to get the recipe and step-by-step instructions.

Imagine my excitement when I discovered this wonderful gadget that makes the task of filling the mini-dessert glasses ever so much easier!  Here it is . . . Ta da!

It's called a cupcake pen and it's designed to hold batter that can be then injected directly into the cupcake liners with minimal mess . . .

Note to my blogging buddy, Celine:  YOU NEED ONE OF THESE!  Celine bakes all the time and her specialty is cupcakes and muffins.  Celine, I'm telling you, you will love this!  I bought it at Bed, Bath and Beyond, but I've seen them in other stores as well.  And, in addition to working really well with cupcakes (especially mini-cupcakes), it's also excellent for pudding/custard shots!

Tonight I tried a quick variation:  Chocolate/chocolate chip/pistachio pudding shots.  I used instant Jell-O pudding, and, unless you are a pudding snob (er, that would be me, unfortunately . . . ) these are a fun, tasty dessert that will look pretty stunning on a dessert table.  The pudding is not as good as my home-made custard, but they are pretty good.  Let me put it to you another way . . . they did not last long in the refrigerator . . .

Start out with chocolate pudding.  Once you make the pudding, following the package directions, pour it in the cupcake pen and refrigerate for about 10 minutes . . .  The cupcake pen even has a lid . . . isn't that cool?

Fill the shot glasses about ½ full with chocolate pudding . . .

Add a layer of Nestlé's mini-chocolate chips . . .

Then add a layer of pistachio pudding . . .

Aren't they cute?  Here's another shot . . .

Imagine the possibilities . . .  And I love the concept of mini-desserts.  I've never liked large servings of dessert.  I'd rather have a just a little bit of sweetness.  If I want more, I can always go back for seconds, but this way, there's no waste, and no guilt.

I wish all my friends a peaceful, prosperous, healthy new year.  Thank you for letting me into your homes, and for teaching me so much!  See you in 2013!

Good bye, so sad . . . Hello, Emeril!

We've had this pot in our kitchen since 1988.  That's the year Lillian moved in with us.  Lillian was my mother-in-law, and I couldn't have asked for a better one.  She shared her recipes, her stories, and her love with me.

After she suffered a stroke, and it became apparent that she could no longer live on her own, she moved in with us.  Packing up and letting go of her things was very difficult.  With the advantage of time and age, I now have a better understanding of just how hard it really must have been for her. 

As we were packing up her possessions, my sister-in-law, Rina, said to us:  “Oh, you've got to take this pot.  It's the perfect pot for making popcorn.”  How could I refuse?  At that moment, not taking it would have meant rejecting a great deal more than a silly old pot.

And so, this unattractive pot made its way into my kitchen.  Boy, have we ever used it!  We've made countless batches of popcorn, and cooked many, many pounds of spaghetti in it.

Brillo pads have given their lives in sporadic attempts to improve its looks, all to no avail.  But lately, it's gotten even uglier, after my son tried putting it through the dishwasher.  The Brillo pads have finally raised the white flag.  Now the wooden handle is getting loose - too much glucosamine and chondroitin maybe . . .  It's been way past time to retire this old friend, but I hadn't yet found THE ONE . . .

And then, serendipitously, I saw the pot I want to spend the rest of my life with.  Here's the replacement already hard at work.  It's a 4-quart saucepan from Emeril Lagasse's Cookware.

Shiny stainless steel, with a copper-clad bottom, two pouring spouts and awesome handles!  And check out the lid below!

There are holes on opposite sides to drain liquids, and it has a glass top so you can peek at what's cooking without lifting the lid.  By the way, I'm perfectly aware that I'm going on about this pot like some people talk about their cars . . . to each her own . . .

My husband, a very sentimental guy, grumbled a little about getting rid of "a perfectly good pot."  Sometimes, all the logic in the world won't stand a chance against sentimentality.  Now he says I'm probably the oldest thing in our house that connects him to his past.  He has such a way with words.  I reminded him he still had some of his father's tools in the basement - if he could remember where he put them . . .

But we used the new pot today, and I let him drain the pasta.  No complaints were forthcoming (translation:  it's probably better than he expected).  He even washed it after dinner.  Voluntarily.  Without any prompting.  I may just have to go out and get the rest of the set . . .

Look who's back!

Hello, my friend! I've missed you!

Here's a refreshing summer drink . . .

No artificial ingredients . . .

Have I mentioned that I love summer . . . ?