Pudding Cake

Dessert. Old school.

A lot of the "pudding" that I ate as a kid was not the typical custardy stuff that most people think of. Pudding is a bit of an all purpose word for dessert in some parts of the world, and most of the ones I ate were usually baked, and looked kinda like big sweet dumplings served with a caramel-like sauce.

And then there was the chocolate version. 

Granted, my mom was a fan of all things boxed and so hers was a little more instant than this one. Hers also advertised that no bowl was needed. The packets were emptied and mixed right in the baking dish.

No dishes! I'm in.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Cake

• 1 c flour
• 5 tbsp cocoa
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/2  butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla

Pudding

• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 5 tbsp cocoa
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1-1/2 c boiling water
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven. Do it now. 350 degrees. (yes, I forgot this time)

Since we're doing this with no bowls, get out a baking pan. My mom used to make the boxed stuff in a corningware casserole dish, so that's what I'm doing. A glass pan would also work nicely.

Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and cinnamon.

Sifting removes lumps not only from cocoa,

but also from baking powder.

Now, the sugar.

Mix, mix, mix.

Okay, so far, I've used the baking pan, and one dry measure, and a measuring spoon. Things used to measure dry stuff can be rinsed and put away and therefore don't count as dishes.

Measure out half a cup of milk, and then drop in blobs of butter until the liquid level rises to 1 cup. This means you've added half a cup of butter.

Microwave this for about 30 seconds until the butter is just about melted. It should finish melting as you stir it. You want it warm, but not hot, since you're going to add the egg to this. And the vanilla.

I actually measured this time.

Beat the liquid until the egg is nicely mixed in, then pour it into the dry stuff.

Stir, stir, stir.

You'll have a lovely dark, glossy, brownie-like batter.

Okay, so since we mixed the liquid in the measuring cup, you're going to have to either get a bowl or wash the cup. I washed the cup, because all that's going into it now is dry stuff, which means I can just rinse it and put it away, and therefore it is washed only once and counts only as one dish.

You have no idea how often I rationalize shit like this.

Now, for the pudding part. More brown sugar, more cocoa, and more cinnamon. Mixed all together in the measuring cup

and then sprinkled over top of the batter.

DO NOT MIX.

A cup and a half of boiling water, with a teaspoon of vanilla in it (wait, does this mean I have to wash it again?? dammit) gets poured over the back of the mixing spoon.

This does two things: one, it removes momentum from the flow of the water so that it sprinkles gently over the batter and topping, and two, it rinses the spoon off.

DO NOT MIX.

I know it looks weird, and I know you want to mix it, and I know you don't believe me that this is going to work.

Ha, totally did.

30 minutes later it comes out of the oven looking like a pan of rich, dark brownies, with hot fudge sauce bubbling all around them.

Freaky.

Tasty.

Chocolatey.

Do you think I should try the caramel version?

I'm in!

Yes, in fact, I did say that.

The move is complete and I now live in an apartment with interior walls. Bedrooms are wonderful things. Square footage is too. My new kitchen is the size of my previous bachelor pad.

It's not the ideal kitchen, particularly since it was holy fucking filthy when I got it, but it's shittonnes better than my previous one.

However, I haven't managed to go grocery shopping yet. I've been too busy cleaning my bathroom six times; it still needs 2 or 3 more. Breakfast is much easier to make than dinner. And you can eat it for dinner. No, this isn't a post about cereal.

Mushroom Omelet

What you need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp low fat milk or water
• a handfull of mushrooms
• half an onion
• some cheese
• an herb

What you gotta do:

Omelets don't have to be filled with much. Fresh things can be used, like cherry tomatoes, herbs, or avocado. Leftovers can too! Omelets are a great way to use leftover asparagus and other greens.

Me, I had mushrooms, so that's what I made.

Slice the onion and mushrooms. I sauteed mine in bacon fat over medium high heat, but butter would work too. Once the onions are nice and browned, set them aside for a bit.

Motion shot! Tough to flip veggies in a pan and take a picture at the same time.

If there are bits of caramelized stuff left in the pan, wipe them out. You want to start with a smooth, clean pan. You also want the heat just below medium, so if you just sauteed something give the pan a few minutes to cool down.

While the pan is cooling or heating, crack the eggs into a deep bowl.

Orange was not the best choice for this, but they were the bowls I'd already unpacked. Also, egg yolks should be bright orange, not pale yellow. Add the milk or water. Don't use cream or a high fat milk. The fat seems to weigh the eggs down. Weird, I know, but it does. Beat the eggs and liquid until they're nice and foamy.

Drop about half a teaspoon of butter into the pan over heat that is about 3/4 the way to medium and let it get nice and foamy too.

Slowly pour in the eggs. Gently push the eggs toward the centre of the pan and tip the pan to fill in the empty space.

When the eggs are set enough that you can't get them to run freely into the open space, spread them evenly and cover them.

Yes, I know this is not the traditional french omelet way, but I don't like to have runny egg in the middle of my omelet. Covering them cooks them.

Once they're set completely, or still slightly snotty if you prefer them that way, spread the filling on most of one side. Cheese, herbs, whatever you've got. Bacon works. Mozzarella and marinara is interesting. Mushrooms and cheddar are what I used.

Now, the flip. If you spread your filling all the way to the middle, you aren't going to get a complete fold over. But, there is a certain aesthetic appeal to having some of the filling exposed.

If you had the time and patience (and potatoes) to make hashbrowns, they make a great side. If not, refried beans work.

What's your favourite breakfast for dinner?