Indian pudding. Photo courtesy Tammy
Donroe, FoodOnTheFood.com.

Indian pudding, a New England specialty, is a pudding served hot or warm, made of cornmeal, milk, molasses and spices.

It’s a richer, sweetened form of hasty pudding, a porridge of cornmeal cooked in milk or water. (Remember the song, Yankee Doodle: “Father and I went down to camp/Along with Captain Gooding/And there we saw the men and boys/as thick as hasty pudding.”)

If you like hot cereal and molasses, there’s a good chance that you’ll become an Indian pudding fan. We’ve got a recipe from a great American chef and a specialist in the cuisine of New England.

Take a look at our Indian pudding recipe, courtesy of Boston’s Chef Jasper White, as well as the history of Indian Pudding.

If you need to make a dessert for Thanksgiving, there’s nothing more appropriate: Indian pudding was made by the Pilgrims from cornmeal introduced to them by the Native Americans.

If you like coconut and alcohol, pick up a bottle of coconut rum. You can use it to add a bit of coconut flavor to almost any recipe requiring a splash of spirits.

We like Bacardi Coconut Rum. Some rums are flavored with extracts; Bacardi steeps real coconut in the rum to achieve true coconut flavor and aroma.

COCONUT RUM IN A PIÑA COLADA

A regular Piña Colada requires coconut cream. But you can make a Piña Colada “Light” with just coconut rum and pineapple juice. You also save 195 calories worth of coconut cream.

 
 
DESSERTS

You can substitute coconut rum in cakes and other baked goods requiring brandy, rum, tequila, whiskey or liqueurs. Most recipes that don’t call for alcohol can benefit from a tablespoon or two.

 
 
RUM SYRUP

This simple recipe works for any type of beverage, from cocktails to iced tea and coffee to shakes and floats. It’s essentially a flavored simple syrup.

1. BRING 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir constantly until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

2. REMOVE from the heat; stir in 2 tablespoons rum. Cool to room temperature before using.
 
 
MEAT & SEAFOOD

Use coconut rum to deglaze the pan and make a sauce for pork, poultry and seafood.

[1] Excellent coconut rum, made with real coconut, not extract (photo © Bacardi).

[2] Fresh coconut (photo © Tijana Drndarski | Unsplash)..

Kettle corn: a bit salty, a bit sweet. Photo
by River Soma | THE NIBBLE.

If you’re in the latter camp and like sweet popcorn, Angie’s Kettle Corn may be the treat you’re looking for. Made in Minnesota, it’s the official kettle corn of the Minnesota Lynx, Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Twin and the Minnesota Vikings.

Popped in small batches in real kettles, Angie’s has classic kettle corn flavor—a bit of salt, a bit of sugar.

Popcorn contains no cholesterol or trans-fats: just popcorn, corn oil, cane sugar and sea salt. It’s gluten free (Angie’s is produced in an allergen-free environment and is all-natural—no preservatives). And it’s kosher-certified by Blue Ribbon Kosher (BRK) of Minneapolis.

Angie’s also makes Lite Kettle Corn (50% reduced fat but full flavor) and Caramel Kettle Corn for those who want to sweeten their day a bit more.

• Learn more and buy Angie’s online at AngiesKettleCorn.com.
• Find our favorite popcorn and other snacks in our Gourmet Snacks Section.

We’ve done it more than a few times. We’ve also discovered that refreezing the ice cream produces a lot of nasty crystals: crunchy ice cream that’s not enjoyable.

Instead, we repurpose the melted ice cream. Stick the container in the fridge and try these “recipes” in the next day or two:

• Shakes. Melted ice cream makes a delicious shake. If it’s too thick or rich, you can dilute it with some milk.
• Smoothies. Blend with fruit for a rich smoothie.
• Sauce. Instead of pound cake, brownie or pie topped with a scoop of ice cream, use the melted ice cream as a sauce topping. It also can top puddings, fruit and numerous other desserts.
• Dessert Shots. Serve a small glass of cold, melted ice cream with cookies or other dessert.

Find ice cream recipes and more tips in our Ice Cream Section.

Oops, we did it again: We melted the
ice cream. Photo by River Soma | THE NIBBLE.

Our favorite new gem of a kitchen aid.

A welcome new book, How To Repair Food (Third Edition) by Tanya Zeryck, John Bear and Marina Bear, is your go-to source for how to fix whatever food or drink is “overcooked, undercooked, stale, burned, lumpy, salty, bland, too spicy, mushy, too dry, too wet, flat, tough, too thick, too thin, wilted, collapsed, curdled or stuck together.”

The information is alphabetically organized by food—just flip the pages until you get to your food problem, and you’ll find the fix. There are valuable appendices with food storage information, stain removal tips, utensil and appliance problem fixes and much more.

This is one terrific little book—highly recommended for your own kitchen and a valuable gift for anyone who cooks. Not only is it your aid for problems; it’s a delightful read from beginning to end that can teach you how not to create the problem in the first place.

• Buy the book. A great holiday gift, it’s only $11.24 on Amazon.com.