Baby Day, Everyday - Why Not Pudding Day?

No long-winded stories today, dear readers. Ramadan has obliterated my attempts to focus. It's over now, and Eid went by in a blur, but it will still take a few more days to get my act together. So in this post, it will just be some musings and observations about my funny Baby B.

The kid is obsessed with tags. Give him a brand new soft toy, and he goes straight for the tag sticking out from the leg. He will examine it closely for days, and then some. Future quality inspector, maybe?!

When I was a kid, waking up in the mornings for school was the worst part of the day. "Five more mins, Mom" was the norm, and what usually got me out of bed was my Dad spraying cold water down my neck. These days I'm singing almost the same tune; only now it's "Five more mins, Bashaar" and what gets me up is when Baby B starts whining and kicking me in the bladder. Hard.

I think I've changed Baby B's poopy diapers in almost every public washroom in my neighborhood. From grocery stores, to restaurants, to car dealerships (sorry to the nice people at the fancy Acura showroom!). And I still get grossed out.

It looks like Kelly (from Live with Regis and Kelly) is his first crush, because the way he lights up when I turn that program on in the morning is ridiculous. Great. Already he's into skinny blondes. Pffft, typical. Well, I'm assuming it's Kelly he's into, and not Regis, because that would be too weird and I wouldn't know what to do about it.

If I could generate some kind of power from all the drool that pours out of Baby B, I would have no need to pay utility bills. I could start my own hydro-power plant. After all, baby saliva is mostly water. Only stickier. The money I save could be used to buy a life-time supply of bibs, because that kid goes through 10 a day!

He sleeps in my bed, snuggled up close, with my big hand held in both of his little ones. *sigh* ... Gets me every time. Right here *pointing to heart*. I don't think I've ever been so in love before. DH probably feels the same way.

Now that Ramadan has come to a close, I can go back to baking desserts again. If you recall, I mentioned in my previous post about how the super-long days were really throwing off my cooking schedule. Desserts took a back seat for a month, and I lost a few pounds thanks to that. But that was just temporary, because butter is this girl's best friend, and I've been itching to get back to baking. Here's something I cooked up just before Ramadan, and I may re-visit it again.

Summer peaches from Michigan are the best - incredibly ripe and juicy. They perfume the whole house.

Speaking of perfume ... dear readers, meet Lemon Thyme. She is my new BFF.

And when it comes to looks, my Golden Sage always takes the crown.

Thyme and Sage Peach Pudding
Serves 6-9

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced peaches
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup boiling water
Sprinkling of fresh lemon-thyme and sage (or use your choice of fragrant herbs or spices - like rosemary. Or cinnamon. Cardamom would be fantastic too!)

For the topping: 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt

Method:
1. Arrange peaches in a 8" or 9" baking pan. Sprinkle chopped herbs on top. Keep aside.

2. Mix remaining pudding ingredients, except water, and pour over the peaches.
3. Mix the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the batter.

4. Pour boiling water over it all. Bake for 50 mins in a preheated 350 F oven.

5. Serve with whipped cream or ice-cream.

Verdict: Moist and warm and comforting. The herbs lend an added intensity and depth to every bite. Puddings like these are so easy to throw together, and really exemplify the feeling of summer. Of course, autumn peaches would be perfect here too, so don't let the season stop you from giving this a shot!

As you can see, I used my own herbs for this dessert, and am rather proud of how well they performed here. I've been giving them lots of love, and so far they're all surviving and flourishing. DH's creepy, carnivorous, venus fly-trap plant did not survive though. See? Good really does triumph over evil in the end!