Fact: You Cannot Cry with Chocolate Pudding in your Mouth

Change makes me cry.

This is a fact that is simply irrefutable.

Change #1:

A week from Monday is my last day with these two beauties:

I keep talking to them about the fact that I am moving away and both promptly shake their heads and say “No.”  It is super cute.  They turned 20 months old on Wednesday–I have known them for all 20 months.  My heart hurts just thinking about not seeing these girls on a weekly basis.

Change #2:

I was officially offered a long term full time position at the graduate school where I work.  While this is a happy change in many respects, it means that I have my first official adult career.  It also means that my computer is my new BFF.  I am ALWAYS grading papers.

Source

Change #3:

Five months ago I accepted (as in signed the contract) an adjuncting job at another university teaching American literature to begin in May.  Five months ago I had no idea I would ALSO have a full time job on top of teaching so I happily signed up to teach not one but TWO courses at the same time.  Right now I am scrambling to read the 400 page textbook and figure out my lesson plans.  I adore teaching American lit but I am TERRIFIED as I have never taught at this university and never taught this curriculum before.

Change #4:

Chase will officially be a doctor in less than 4 weeks.  Yep, after 4 LONG years, this guy is graduating from medical school.

Change #5:

Four, yes FOUR days after Chase graduates, we move to Bethesda, MD.  We bid farewell to Bethlehem and move for the fourth time in 5 years.

In case you are wondering, this means that in May I will be saying goodbye to the twinnies, working my full-time job, teaching two literature courses, celebrating Chase’s graduation (and hosting his entire family), and moving to another state. Guys, I have to be honest–blogging is going to be a bit sparse for the next 6-8 weeks.  I promise that life will eventually calm down and I will once again be a devoted blogger.

Commence crying NOW.

Enter the desperate need for pudding because we all know you can’t cry with chocolate pudding in your mouth.  Especially if it is my practically Paleo, gluten-free, tastes-like-brownie-batter, chocolate pudding.

 

I adapted the brilliant Dorie Greenspan’s recipe from this lovely cooking tome:

(This is the type of cookbook that you read.  It has spectacular anecdotes and a plethora of pictures–LOVE).

The ingredients are incredibly easy and you probably have them in your pantry RIGHT now.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups Coconut Milk (or any other type of milk–however, I recommend a thicker milk = full-fat coconut milk or whole cow’s milk)

7 tbsp sugar

2 heaping tbsp cocoa

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

2 egg yolks

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1) Combine 2 cups milk and 3 tbsp sugar in a pot and gradually bring to a gentle boil stirring occasionally.

 

2) As the milk is heating up, combine the corn starch, cocoa, 2 tbsp cocoa & salt and blend together in a blender or food processor (you need a large full processor).

and

3) After pulsing the dry ingredients until fine.  Add in 1 egg, 2 yolks, and 1/4 cup coconut milk and puree until smooth.

4) After the milk comes to a gentle boil, remove from heat and slowly pour into the chocolate mixture in the blender/processor and puree until smooth and fully combined.

5) Pour mixture back into the pot and heat over medium heat, stirring continually with a whisk until thick (about 3 minutes).

6) Melt chocolate chips in microwave (be sure not to burn them–stir often!)

7) Stir butter and vanilla into the melted chocolate chips and add to the chocolate mixture–return everything to the blender and puree until smooth.

8) Pour into 6-8 ramekins for fancy individual portions (or a larger corning ware if you prefer to just eat spoonfuls every time you pass the fridge) and chill 4 hours.

(FYI: I totally just spooned some into a ramekin for the pretty photo and then spooned it right back into the bowl in the fridge –I am not as fancy as the pictures may lead you to believe).

The pudding will thicken up to an almost pots-de-creme consistency and it truly tastes like brownie-batter–for real.

You need to make this RIGHT NOW.

And I dare you to try to cry with a spoonful of this magic in your mouth.

For me, the next few weeks are going to include MANY spoonfuls of pudding.