Thai Coconut Rice Pudding (Khao Niaow Ma Muang)

I decided to throw a Thai-themed office party at work yesterday, and wanting to be the only person to contribute to said theme, I decided to whip up a traditional Thai dessert of coconut rice pudding. For those of you who have travelled the world, or know anything about the world in general, you know that American pudding is not what people in other countries consider pudding. In most countries, pudding is very, very thick  and custardy, or is more like a cake. This pudding is more like a thick custard.

Let's talk about this little piece of heaven. First of all, it's incredibly easy, but it does require you to wash two pans. Oh my God! I've just lost half of you. It also requires the use of sticky rice (what most of you know as "Chinese restaurant rice"). There goes two-thirds of the remaining half. I ended up scoring my sticky rice from a Chinese coworker because I didn't trust myself to find the right thing at the Asian market. Sue me for not knowing how to read another language. 

My mangoes... and the remnant of my coconut cream can. 

I had a bit of trouble with the coconut milk. The market I went to had lite coconut milk and coconut cream, but not coconut milk. I decided that since the recipe specifically stated that I should use thick coconut milk, I went against my aspirations of a trim waistline and went to for the cream. Now, I want you to be very careful when purchasing liquid coconut products. Cream of coconut is very different from coconut cream. Do not buy cream of coconut. You will ruin your dish. 

Fast forward to the party.... The pudding was a smashing hit! Everyone loved it and was surprised when I told them how easy it was. Many people even came back for seconds! Winning! The recipe below makes about 20 small servings. Obviously, you can cut it in half and serve it as the only dessert and get about 6 servings. 

Ingredients:

2 cup sticky rice

2 ripe mangos, cut into slivers

1/2 cup  brown sugar, divided

1/2 tsp salt

2 cans coconut cream

water (for boiling or steaming the rice)

Method:

1. In a pan, soak the rice in 2 cups of water for about 45 minutes. Do not drain after soaking. 

2. After 45 minutes, add 1 1/2 cups of water to the rice and water. Also add 1/2 can of coconut cream. So what happens with this is what the top of the can is solid, and the bottom contains liquid. Make sure you get some of the liquid out. It doesn't have to be perfect. 

3. Add salt and 2 tbsp brown sugar. 

4. Over medium-low heat, bring the rice to a gentle boil. Put the cover on the pot, an simmer for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off, and let the rice sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes longer. 

5. In the meantime, pour the rest of your coconut cream (1 1/2 cans) and the rest of your brown sugar into a saucepan. Heat the ingredients on low heat until the chunky parts have liquified and the ingredients and mingled nicely. 

6. To serve, divide the rice into serving dishes and pour the sauce over generously. Top with mangoes. 

The recipe I sort of used suggested that I serve this hot, but because I brought it to work, I served this at room temperature, and it was so, so good!! Don't worry, the sauce won't solidify once it's heated the first time. Also, I think Americans are used to eating pudding on the colder side, so don't worry! :)

I also made it two days ahead of time, and it was perfect on serving day. I also put out the leftovers today, and it was still delicious. This is an excellent make-ahead dish. You'll have to keep the sauce, rice, and mangoes in different containers, though.

This is a crappy picture because I took it at work, where there
is bad lighting. The ugly black countertop doesn't exactly
make for an appealing backdrop, either. 

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Award- Winning Lemon Squares

No joke, my friends... these really are award-winning. In fact, when I was a mere Brownie Girl Scout, I entered a bake-off with these little gems, and happened to walk out with a blue ribbon! My seven year old self was so thrilled about this triumph, that I swore that I would never forget the recipe that earned me the right to brag to EVERYONE I know for years to come. I'm happy to report that I have yet to let anyone forget that I am a blue-ribbon baker.

So what's so special about this recipe that it deserves its own space on my blog? Well other than the fact that a panel of experienced judges deemed it to be absolutely divine, it does look rather cute when presented on a platter. What else is awesome about this dessert is that it's a no-bake recipe, which I continue to grow increasingly fond of as the seasonal temperatures steadily rise.

Since the onset of summer, I have developed quite an affinity for no-bake desserts. As someone who thoroughly enjoys baking, this comes as a shock to me, too, but who can resist whipping up something amazing without developing massive stains in the axillary region? Certainly not me.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups Nilla wafer crumbs (this is equal to one box)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 box instant lemon pudding
8 oz cream cheese, brought to room temperature
2 cups whole milk

Method:
1. Make Nilla wafer crumbs by placing whole cookies in either a blender or a food processor. Once you have all of your crumbs, pour them into a bowl of melted butter. As previously stated in the "ingredients" section of this recipe, make sure it's unsalted. If you try to be slick and use salted, please don't tell anyone that you got the recipe from my blog.

2. Press crumbs into a 9 x 13 baking pan. If you have the time (and I strongly recommend that you do), put your crumb-filled pan in the fridge for about an hour.

3. In a large bowl, combine the milk, pudding mix, and cream cheese. A word to the wise: Make sure the cream cheese has been brought to room temperature and therefore softened before attempting to blend into the milk and pudding. Otherwise, your mixture will be rather lumpy regardless of how long you used the hand mixer to whip it into shape.

4. After you have used your hand mixer to blend the ingredients, pour over the chilled cookie crumbs. Smooth evenly with a spatula and make a very fancy design, such as the silhouette of an ancient raptor skeleton. If you don't think it's possible to make pudding art, I challenge you to try.

5. Let your masterpiece kick it old school in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

** You could very easily turn this into a pie... just an idea for those of you who think you're above serving rectangles. Pin It

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have experienced my fair share of chocolate chip cookie disasters, but after years of searching, I finally found (and perfected) one that never, ever fails. For all you die hard Tollhouse fans... forget about it. That "classic recipe" produces cookies that don't always rise,  sometimes spread too far, and get oddly crispy for no apparent reason. My spectacularly delicioso recipe always cranks out flavorful delights that puff up in the oven, and after they've been out of the blasted heat box for about 45 seconds, fall just enough to form sugary-chocolate valleys of goodness. Yum... they're chewy, moist, and have amazing texture.They spread just enough to look normal, but never get flat. You all know what I'm talking about... we've all opened the oven after 8 minutes, expecting to see golden pillows with gorgeous glowing chunks of chocolate, but instead see this ridiculous mess of nearly transparent, paper thin cookie dough with chocolate chips standing fully erect. That's when the tears start flowing and the swear jar begins to overflow with 20's.

NO MORE. The recipe I am about to present will never leave you swearing off baking ever again. In fact, you might even gain a few pounds because you'll be making these SO often. For real. Let's get started.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup white flour (I know... no whole wheat!)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 package instant vanilla pudding (Do not buy sugar free unless you like things that taste disgusting)
1 tbsp vanilla extract (this is not a typo. TBSP)
1 bag chocolate chips (I always use Ghiradelli. Go big or go home, right?)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, NOT melted (I usually use cold butter and mash it with a fork, but you don't have to do that... just don't use melted butter)

Method:
1. Strap on your jazziest apron.

2. Preheat oven to 375'.

3. Combine butter, eggs, vanilla, white sugar, and brown sugar. Mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated.

4. Add pudding mix to sugar-y egg mixture. Now add baking soda. Mix like Hell.

5. Slowly add flour. Once all flour has been mixed in, add chocolate chips.

6. Drop by spoon fulls onto UNGREASED cookie sheets. You should get about four dozen.

7. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

8. Brag to all your friends about how you make a bangin' chocolate chip cookie that puts their beloved Nestle recipe to shame. Pin It

Wicked Easy and Super Delicious Frosting

Step 1. Go to grocery store.

Step 2. Buy can of frosting that is on sale.

JOKING!

So if you're anything like me, your favorite part of a cupcake, or any cake for that matter, is the frosting. I make some UH-MAY-ZING chocolate frosting, but it's not very helpful when you want to serve up pink, blue, or green cupcakes. I've tried many butter cream recipes, and some of them have been pretty good and one has made its way into my recipe box, but they all seem to lack that little something. Yes, even the 5-star recipes on allrecipes.com and the Food Network website just don't make the cut.

The frosting I'm about to introduce to you is slightly sweet and is oh so creamy! Every time I have iced a cake with this, I have been SHOWERED (well maybe not showwwered) with compliments because seriously... it's the best! It pipes really, really nicely out of a bag and holds onto sprinkles and other candy pieces impressively well.

So, I have developed an extremely simple recipe that will replace all other frostings! Ready?

Ingredients:
1 package instant vanilla pudding (not sugar-free... unless your taste buds are completely shot?)
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Method:
1. Pour heavy whipping cream into a cold bowl. I like to pop my bowl in the freezer for a few minutes before making whipped cream.

2. Empty pudding packet into bowl.

3. Get out your hand mixer and mix like hell until you get a nice rich creamy frosting.

4. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring to make this extra special!

Notes:
* I almost always use vanilla pudding, but I'm sure you could play around with different flavors. As you know, I am a huge fan of pistachio, so maybe I'll try that next!

* Make this recipe with chocolate pudding for a quick variation on chocolate mousse. Like the vanilla version, this is slightly sweet and doesn't leave you feeling weighed down. Pin It

Pistachio Coconut Pie

I love pistachio pudding and I owe this to my grandmother, who makes an amazing pistachio nut cake. Seriously, I'd eat pistachio stuff everyday, but I've been told that I need to eat a balanced diet, and I assume that horse cartilage (or whatever is in Jell-o) isn't on the food pyramid. Every now and then, though, I like to add a little bit of nuttiness to my repertoire.

So last night, I decided that I would make a pistachio pie for a cookout that my uncle is having. It's freaking hot here on the East Coast, and is therefore, too hot to bake... and wanting to steer clear of the traditional graham cracker crust (I wanted everyone to know that I had slaved away in the kitchen), I searched high and low for a bangin' crust that would leave everyone's jaw on the floor after consuming the dish.

So I bring to you... the Sort of No-Bake Pistachio Coconut Pie.

Ingredients:
2 packages of instant pistachio pudding (If you get sugar-free, I might cry. For real.)
2 cups 2% milk (I am anti-dairy milk [especially if it is not fat-free] for almost everything, but for this, you must go with 2%, otherwise it won't quite thicken the way it needs to)
1 container whipped topping
1/3 cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups coconut

Method:
1. Set oven to 350'. Arrange coconut evenly in a 9 x 13 cake pan and put in oven once it has finished preheating. "Stir" the coconut every few minutes, about three times, or until the coconut is lightly browned and toasted. Remove from oven and set aside about a teaspoon of the coconut.

2. Melt butter.

3. Add toasted coconut to melted butter and stir until evenly coated. Press into a regular pie plate. It looks like a lot, but if you press all the way up the sides, you shouldn't have any problems with overflow.

4. Put pie shell in freezer for a few minutes.

5. Mix milk and both packages of pudding together with a hand mixer (I use this Kitchenaid Mixer). Let set for about 2 minutes. Measure 1 1/2 cups of the pudding and spread into the pie shell.

6. Fold whipped topping into remaining pudding. Once fully incorporated, spread over the pudding-filled pie shell.

7. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if desired.

8. Chill until ready to serve.

Marvelous. I love this pie and so did everyone at the cookout!

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