So wrong it has to be right. This morning just feels more like summer than it has for….well, all summer. And here it is mid-August (or “Fog-ust” as I’ve come to think of it). I got to thinking about treats, summertime treats. I’ve been making these smoothie-type popsicles for Anna (and, let’s face it, Adam, too, though I myself am less likely to consume them) all summer long (a mixture of plain yogurt and pureed fruit with just a touch of honey) but today, the summer sun, Anna’s early wake up call, and my general mood was a day that screamed out for chocolate. Chocolate….hmm….cold chocolate….chocolate pudding pops! Yes! That’s it!

But not just any chocolate pudding pops.

Homemade. That’s a given. From scratch pudding (also a given). But….I wanted something different, something special.

I definitely have a touch of lactose intolerance. I mostly just avoid milk-based products. But today? I really wanted to have a bite (or two or three, or, to be honest, a whole damn popsicle) myself and I don’t want to deal with the aftereffects of milk. And? I love me some coconut milk. So. Here’s my new recipe for Best Ever Chocolate Banana Coconut Pudding Pops. Yum.

Chocolate Banana Coconut Pudding Pops*

Ingredients:
1/2 c cane sugar
3 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 c cornstarch
just a bit of salt (1/8 tsp?)
2 3/4 c coconut milk (this is a little less than two cans; I’m sure you can find some other use for the rest of the second can like maybe your three year old will try and drink the rest of it up like mine tried)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 overripe bananas

Directions
Combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt in medium saucepan. Add coconut milk and whisk to combine over medium heat. Whisking constantly, bring to a boil and cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pull off heat and add vanilla. Add bananas and puree to your liking with immersion blender (I left some smaller chunks). Make sure it is stirred well, then COOL in the fridge, and THEN pour into popsicle molds(Cautionary tale: Do NOT, as I did, pour into the molds warm because then the stick will pull out of the pop, and you will be forced to use a spoon to dig out the goods within the popsicle mold which, if you ask me, feels like a big fricking waste of time and energy, plus your three year old will not understand why you have to do this and will be pulling on you begging to have one RIGHT NOW PLEASE MOMMY PLEASE PLEASE. Take the extra time to cool in the fridge. Believe me). Twist your three year old’s arm to eat the last of the strawberry popsicles so that you can pour one more chocolate popsicles. Have success in this endeavor (popsicle at 9 am? Yes PLEASE!). Enjoy the remainder warm because ohmygosh this stuff is delicious. Try and wrestle the spatula away from your three year old. Go ahead and try. You won’t win. Place popsicle molds in freezer for several hours (grousing impatiently about the wait) until frozen. Enjoy your own cleverness and the delicious taste of chocolate, banana, and coconut. Yum.

*Yield: This made enough for 5 popsicles for us (I broke the sixth one of these last week, bummer), plus a bowl of pudding to enjoy sometime soon. Maybe would have made 9 or so all together? That’s my guess.

P.S. I’m quite sure that if you wanted to go the regular cow’s milk route that you could just sub an equal amount of milk. Whole milk would make it creamier than low or nonfat. Would probably work just fine with other milk substitutes as well, though rice milk might be a bit thin (?). Oh! Almond milk sounds delicious. Too bad I can’t do that (remember? No nuts here in this house except all us crazies).

To all those intimidated by my bread baking prowess, feel relieved. I’m not so perfect as it appears. This is the bread that almost was. It tastes amazing. It just happened to not detach from the pan as easily as one might have hoped.

Bread Fail

P.S. It still makes delicious toast. Especially when spread with jam.

For several years (I think since Jen started and finished being a vegetarian) I have had this thought or belief that if you are going to eat meat that you should know where it comes from and be willing to kill it yourself. Not too many years ago (one or two generations before us) most of our families raised, fed, slaughtered, and cooked their own animals.

I still think this principle is important. When I talk with Anna about fish, chickens, cows, lambs, pigs, or other tasty creatures I am always very deliberate to talk with her about that animal that this meal came from. While Anna and I have our favorites (she likes beef while I am more of a pork guy) we both find our dinner conversation often relate to the type of animal that the protein portion of the meal came from.

A couple weeks ago I got to go on a trip that best exemplifies this philosophy. I went sport fishing on the vagabond. Captain Mike Lackey runs this boat and is known for finding the fish.

This trip started off with the normal drive to San Diego in the motorhome with some of my fishing buddies, talk with the local hotel chain near the dock and barter for parking, steal a fish cart from up the street so we can load our gear and get on the boat.

After we commandeered a fish cart and got our stuff on the boat we were underway.

First stop was the bait dock to load up on little sardines. Little sardines catch big tuna.

After the trip to the bait dock we spent all night driving on the boat and we woke up early in the AM to start trolling. In the early afternoon the fish started biting and I ended up with this.

Can you say sushi party? Before the trip was finished I had caught eight tuna (7 Albacore and one Blue Fin).

We had the fish cleaned and packaged and then it was back home.

Upon arriving back at home with over 100 pounds of cleaned filets it was time to have a party. So we did what anyone with that much fish would do.

We made spicy tuna rolls, sushi rice, sashimi, nigiri sushi, and lots of it. We went through 2 half loins of tuna, and three bellies. It was some serious sushi fun. About 8Lbs of fish was consumed.

If you are wondering, spicy tuna is really easy to make. You need three ingredients to make the sauce. Mayonnaise, Sirachi Sauce (rooster sauce), and a dot of sesame oil. Start with 1/2 cup of mayo and a couple tablespoons of rooster sauce. Add a dot (seriously a dot) of oil and mix it up. taste it. If it is not spicy enough add more rooster. When it has that nice tang you are set.

chop up some very fresh bluefin or albacore (or other fresh tuna) and mix it in a bowl with a little spicy sauce. Put some sushi rice on some nori, roll it up and slice it with a very sharp wet knife (keep the blade wet and clean so it does not stick).

Sushi Rice:
Measure the amount you think you need for sushi then add some more (people are hungry and want more). Then wash the rice in cold water until it runs clean and the starch is gone. After that cook the rice following the directions on the package (don’t use instant rice). When the rice is done and starts to cool down mix in some rice vinegar and sugar (equal parts). Taste it. It should not be overly sweet or vinegary. A nice hint of vinegar and sugar is all you need. I find mixing the vinegar and sugar together first is really helpful.

When you have the rice made assembly of the sushi rolls is quick and easy. Invest in a rice paddle and a sushi roller. They make life much easier. Here is a quick picture of the finished product. (photos are indoor under low light on an iphone – sorry about the quality)

For many years we have made pizza nearly every Friday. Jen prepares the dough, cuts and chops ingredients and Anna and her discuss what the toppings will consist of. It is one of the very quickest meals that we make at home. I think it also happens to be one of my favorite

The process is simple. fire up the BBQ, throw the dough, cook one side on the bbq, flip it over bring it in the house, top it, cook the other side… And presto, Pizza is ready. The process takes about 15 minutes.

Tonights pizza was a standard Anna favorite. Olives, fresh mozzarella, homemade tomato sauce and a crispy thin crust.

It also featured a salad from the garden and some red wine.

Green Salad with green beans, carrots, and tomatoes

It all started today at 5 pm. No, scratch that. It all started quite a while back (months at least, years?) when Adam started reading up on an ingredient that was making its way onto the menus of many high end restaurants around the world. A rising star in culinary circles, fennel pollen is THE thing to add to elevate a dish from ordinary to sublime.

So.

Today I happened across an article that referenced another article that was about gathering fennel pollen in the wild. My heart lurched. Before I could stop myself, I had turned to Adam and shared this little tidbit.

He tried to feign nonchalance, but I could see right through his attempt at a poker face. He zoomed right to the article (the Internet is never far at our house), cross referenced a couple more sites (to make sure that this local fennel was indeed the same stuff), and then started pulling on his shoes.

Up we went to the park on our covert mission, paper bags and clippers in hand.

At first we weren’t sure of our ability to succeed: the fennel plants were all past an impermeable barrier (a big wall of poison oak–yikes). We pressed on and were rewarded with the field of dreams.

The yield is sure to be low but the reward is high. A culinary luxury item, ours for the picking!

Plus, it isn’t everybody who can say they spent their Friday evening shaking the pollen off of a bunch of plants. We’re weird like that.

After several weeks of talking, negotiating, and general discussion within the house of waffles Jen and I have come to an agreement. I will post occasionally about food. Mostly what we are eating and serving at home. Occasionally there will be a half-ass attempt at a recipe.

Basically a photo filled food porn site. If you don’t like it just filter out my user or skip posts that only contain the food category.

The photo above was Jen’s birthday cake. recipe was from Epi. It was the Coconut Layer Cake from Bon Appetit 1999.
Cake Recipe Link