cookies & creme chocolate pudding pops

It seems I have secret blog readers that just might want a recipe for the pudding pops that Little A has been praying for, for well… months now.  It certainly has been a hiatus of sorts since the last post.  Yes, well having a baby and sustaining life to said baby is actually quite a lot of work.  Throw in some 3 year old preschooler attitude and the days are long and exhausting lately. 

Ms. Preschooler Teacher is my new found heroine and I really can’t wait till school starts again for Little A.  Three cheers for September and routine and structure and cooler days!  Until then, these delicious and oh-so-easy pudding pops will tide you over in the last hazy, lazy days of summer.  (and I can’t take recipe credit.  It’s all Kraft  people.  Kraft rocks).

 

cookies & creme chocolate pudding pops

prep time: 10 mins plus freezing

makes 9 servings, 1/3 cup each

1 pkg. (4 serving size) jello chocolate instant pudding

2 cups cold milk

6 oreos cookies

1/ 2  cup cool whip  topping

1. beat pudding mix and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 minutes.

2. place cookies in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. use rolling pin to crush cookies.

3. add cookies and cool whip to pudding; stir just until blended.

4. spoon into 9 small paper or plastic cups. (or i use a plastic popsicle mold picked up from dept.store).

5. insert wooden pop stick or plastic spoon into each for handle.  freeze 5 hours or until firm.

**other variations:

butterscotch pudding with crushed teddy grahams crackers. 

banana cream pudding with actual frozen banana chunks.

vanilla pudding with oreo cookies and smartie bits.

pistachio pudding with skor bits.

enjoy!

to better things,

steph

a little girl’s prayer.

 

little A praying in earnest that the pudding popsicle’s (that we made that afternoon) will be ready to eat in time for dessert.

waiting for the cookies.

toddlergirl and her stuffed bunny wait for the cookies to bake.

5 things i’m loving right now: christmas edition.

1.  DRINKING (the hot variety):  celestial seasonings candy cane lane tea.  the name sounds a little over the top, but this tea is so good!  (and i’m a true coffee drinker).  peppermint, vanilla, orange peel, cinnamon, and hints of  blackberry- you can’t go wrong.   my mother was on a quest to stock up with this tea a couple of years ago (just after christmas) and i thought, “how good can it be really?”  if you’re a peppermint fan, it’s that good; really.

2.  more DRINKING (the cold beverage):  POM pomegranate juice.  if you like tart drinks- this stuff is delicious.  and being pregnant and all- the wine intake is very limited- so i’ve taken to drinking this with all sort of mocktail concoctions.  my favourite is pomegranate juice, pineapple juice, orange juice and a bit of gingerale.  this stuff is loaded with potassium and antioxidants- so it’s good for you too.

3.  LISTENING:  enya; and winter came.  her music is hauntingly beautiful.  “o come, o come emmanuel,”  is top of my playlist lately.

4.  EATING:  nonni’s biscotti.  specifically the “caramel latte” version.  goes especially well with above mentioned tea.

5.  DECORATING:  our nine foot christmas tree!  seriously… nine feet.  our ceilings are vaulted- and it was incrediblehusband’s goal to have this feat of tree-dom.  a photo to come soon. 

 

to better things,

steph

5 things i’m loving right now.

1.  starbucks winter blend.  available at costco for a reasonable price.  it’s in the dark blue packaging with snowflakes adorned on the outside of the bag.  i’m slowly getting back into coffee.  i think the morning sickness is slightly abating and i crave the occasional cup again.  this coffee is hands down fantastic- it’s earthy, and spicy, and just the thing for a crisp morning.

2.  my new slippers.  they’re totally old lady slippers- isotoner brand with soft lining and a leather sole- but they are the best thing to put on these ice cube feet of mine.  london drugs.  $10.00. 

3.  christmas music.  i must explain myself.  toddlergirl is completely and utterly freaked out by halloween.  i like halloween.  i would love to take her trick or treating just to show off her cuteness and accquire some candy loot -  but she is adamantly set against it.  so- we skip halloween around here and look straight on forward to the next holiday: christmas.  therefore the christmas music has been dug out of the crawl space and toddlergirl is already singing with vigor.

4.  baby names.  we’re starting to peruse baby names.  we’ve got awhile to go, but names are so fascinating to me.  the origin, the meanings, the syllables, initials…

as usual, we will remain top secret with the names until the baby is born.  but until then- it is great fun to see what names we like.

5.  friends.  i’m always thankful for friends, but as of late we’ve done a lot of catching up.  we’ve had a chance to meet new friends, old friends- high school friends, college friends.  we’ve spent the last couple of weekends in some serious social happenings and it’s been a blast.

to better things,

steph

my baking helper

 

 

sunday love

on our way home from sunday errands… fresh peonies from a roadside stand and field strawberries sweet and delicate.  this is some of the best of where we live.  sunday love.

 

mango salsa

 

i picked up this recipe somewhere along the way and it’s a summertime favourite at our home.

mango salsa

3 ripe mangos

1 red, 1 green,  yellow pepper

1 bunch cilantro

1 green onion

1 red onion

crushed garlic

lime juice – of approximately 3 limes (don’t use the fake stuff!)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

dice up mangoes and peppers- place in a bowl.  add torn cilantro leaves, chopped onions and garlic.  juice the limes and add to bowl, along with red wine vinegar.  chill for a few hours- serve with nacho chips or grilled chicken.

flavourful and good for you!

let me know if you make the recipe and how you like it.

 to better things,

steph

chocolate chip cookies.

on a cold and rainy west coast morning, i bring to you a little warmth.  my chocolate chip cookie recipe.  i originally found this version in my mother’s tattered and falling a part, hardbound edition of good housekeeping recipes.  you know, the recipe book that she got as a wedding present light years ago and it’s lost it’s book jacket and what’s left is a boring manila colored book but really it contains all the secrets to culinary goodness.  i’ve adjusted the recipe over the years and this is my version of what i make. 

steph’s chocolate chip cookies

• 2/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup margarine or butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cup chocolate chips (or i use the whole package!)

other optional add-ins for the cookie batter:

• 1 cup chopped nuts OR
• plain m&m’s (seriously, who measures these? just add lots) OR
• dried cranberries, white chocolate chips and crushed walnuts OR
• peanut butter chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375F degrees.  Cream oil, margarine, and sugars together.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  (For a softer, rounder cookie, add an additional 1/2 cup of flour).

Drop dough by spoon onto an UNgreased baking sheet.  Bake for 7-9 minutes or until light brown around the edges.  Cool slightly before removing from baking sheet.

 

Makes approximately 3-4 dozen cookies.

 

  *

the trick to these is to make sure not to over bake them.  they are more of a softer, chewier chocolate chip cookie.  if you do make some- leave and comment and let me know!

enjoy.

to better (and yummier) things,

steph