I admit it. I love rain. I love the way it makes the air smell.
In Panama we had rainy and dry seasons. In the rainy season it would rain every day, but at an almost set time so you knew the sun would come out eventually. As a kid it was great. We would don our bathing suits and cover the drains with palm fronds so that the street would flood, like a mini-swimming pool. (No, there was virtually no traffic.) The frogs would lay their eggs in multitude and you could scoop them up and fill tanks and bowls in the house to produce so many little tadpoles and baby frogs. The only downside was riding your bike home from the pool and having the skies open up on you. You could grab a palm frond or other giant leaves to sub as an umbrella. It wasn’t unusual to come home drenched to the bone, but the rain was so warm and happy that it was like taking a shower from heaven.
Now this year in Arkansas we’ve already gone 12 inches over our usual annual rainfall. It has rained for several days straight again and the sun is not peeking out anywhere, thus the problem. I have to have me some sun.
Where are you, Mr. Sun?
My roof is dripping in the bathroom again. And the roof guy told me I don’t need a new one? I’d get up there and see where it’s leaking if it would stop raining long enough. My yard looks like a mud pit again.
I guess I shouldn’t complain. The westcoast is in major drought. If I could only send it that way for a day or two…
When it does stop we get these beautiful scenes for a few hours.
Patience is a virtue (and not one of my strongest qualities- ask my family) but chocolate helps.
The rain is back. Thank goodness it didn’t rain yesterday while we were at Riverfest. Scott’s cousin, Chris, was playing with Nik and Sam and his family sat with us and watched him play. It was so cute to watch Liam- “That’s my daddy!” he said with a big smile. So cute!
I am so wishing I had rain barrels installed. I think we wouldn’t have had to pay for city water for at least six months if we’d had them. I feel like we are in Seattle or London.
So the kids had become obsessed with clips they saw on KidZui of the newer version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Not my favorite movie. Why would they remake the original? Much better music. I love Johnny Depp most of the time, but let’s be real- he was the absolute freakiest in this movie as Willy Wonka. Ick. So, we had to go get the dumb movie for them last night to pacify the obsession and I think it’s backfired. They LOVE it and have already watched it twice. Great. Thus enter the patience… So this rainy morning (more patience) I woke up to Jac asking for chocolate for breakfast. Chocolate pudding to be exact. I thought, well it does have eggs in it so it could be a breakfast food. We can’t do mixes here because of the food dyes (yes, almost ALL pudding mixes have yellow and/or red dyes.) But, this is an easy and inexpensive recipe (and tastes better too!)
I use the Gourmet’s Best Desserts cookbook’s recipe:
Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding
3/4 c sugar 1/4 c cornstarch 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 3/4 c milk (I use whole organic) 2 egg yolks, beaten lightly 3 ozs of chocolate chips 2 Tablespoons butter 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
In saucepan off the heat whisk together first three ingredients. Gradually beat in milk, egg yolks, and chocolate, mixing well. Put over moderate heat and bring to a boil (stirring constantly.) Boil one minute and add butter and vanilla. Pour into buttered ramekins or dishes. Cool and YUM!
