Pumpkin Coconut Tapioca

Are you sick of pumpkin yet?

Hope not.  (After this one, I still have another pumpkin recipe up my sleeve!)

My friend Natalie tried the original recipe for this pudding and loved it.  And she knows how much I enjoy coconut, so she was kind enough to share the link.

Not surprisingly, Mr. Vittles didn't like this (he's not a fan of the texture of tapioca), but he was getting quite a kick out of my attempts to photograph it.

I admit, it doesn't look all that appetizing.

But if you enjoy pumpkin and coconut, I'm pretty confident you will love this pudding.

If you are unsure of the spice, feel free to leave the cinnamon out (the original recipe did not have it).  I just thought it added a little something... reminds me of rice pudding!

Pumpkin Coconut Tapioca

• 1 1/2 C. milk
• 1/3 C. + 1 T. sugar
• 1/3 C. small pearl tapioca (also called tapioca seeds - not quick-cook)
• 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk
• 1/2 C. canned organic pumpkin
• 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon

Bring the milk and sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Add the tapioca and stir continuously for the first 5 minutes to prevent clumping. (Turn down heat if mixture starts to boil over).

Continue cooking, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until the tapioca pearls are almost completely translucent and the mixture is very thick, 10-15 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and turn down the heat to low. Continue cooking until the tapioca pearls are completely translucent.

When the tapioca is done, stir in the canned pumpkin, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Chill until firm.

Recipe Adapted from Marc Matsumoto, as seen on PBS.org

Easy Chocolate Pudding

Last week was Grammy Vittles' 80th birthday!

My grandmother is just adorable.  I love her to death. 

Let me tell you a little about her...

She is super stylish and loves to shop (but at good stores, like J.Crew and Anthropologie- not 'old lady' stores).

Her favorite hobby is hooking rugs, and over the years she has made so many amazing keepsakes for everyone in our family.

She spoils her grandchildren rotten, and her nickname for us is "Pumpkin" (except she says it like "punkin.")

She calls grilled cheese sandwiches "toasted cheese sandwiches." 

On the first day of the month, she tells people "Hello Rabbit" because it's supposed to be good luck.

She got a computer just so she could play Mahjong Solitaire on it.

She gave me the cutest ruffled polka dot apron for my birthday last year, and suggested "You can surprise [Mr. Vittles] one night and wear it with nothing underneath." 

!!

(In case you were wondering- no, I have not done that)

She makes a fierce grilled skirt steak and potato salad.

Whenever she spills on herself, or if something goes 'down the wrong pipe' when she's eating, she says "Don't mind me- I'm just learning."

And... she keeps her bourbon under the kitchen sink, where it's "more easily accessible."

How cute is she?

Grammy, October 2009

Although Grammy does not really go on the internet, she's been very supportive of Vittles and Bits.  She even gave me one of her recipe boxes, as well as the recipe box that belonged to her mother.

I never knew my great-grandmother on her side, in fact not even my mom did - she passed away in 1954, not long after after my mother was born.

So to see her recipes (many of them written in her own hand) was extremely special. 

I couldn't help but notice she had a ton of recipes with orange- orange pound cake, orange sherbert, orange ice, orange icebox cake...etc, etc.  And Grammy conceded that she did enjoy citrus desserts!

But one that I picked to try first was this recipe for chocolate pudding.  "For utmost deliciousness," it said, "serve with whipped cream.

Utmost deliciousness?  Apparently, being adorable runs in the family.

Easy Chocolate Pudding

• 2 C. milk
• 5 T. cornstarch
• 1/3 C. cocoa powder (dutch processed)
• 1/3 C. + 1 T. granulated sugar

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa with 1/2 C. milk.  Heat remaining 1 1/2 C. milk in small saucepan over med-low heat until steaming.  Add cocoa mixture to pan, and heat until thickened, stirring constantly (2-3 minutes).  Increase heat slightly if necessary to thicken.  Transfer to bowl or individual ramekins, and sprinkle tops with sugar to prevent skin from forming on pudding.  Cover and refrigerate until chilled.  Serve plain or with whipped cream (for "utmost deliciousness" ;)) Serves 2-3.

Recipe Origin Unknown


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