Coconut Mango Stick Rice Pudding Pops!!!! No, Really. I'm Not Screwing With You

Did you know that you can take one of the most awesome desserts of all time and make it in PUDDING POP FORM???? Oh, you didn't? Well, you can and all thanks to our good friends over at The Kitchn. They had posted the recipe for these awesomely tasty treats and I had to make them otherwise I'm fairly sure the boyfriend never talk to me again (it's his favorite dessert hands down). So I set about attempting the impossibly tasty.

Here's what you'll need: 
One 15-ounce can coconut milk, shaken
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise - Didn't use one. Just added more extract.
1 cup short-grain or arborio rice - I picked up some authentic Thai sticky rice. Worth it.
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large ripe mangos 

Tip: Did you know that its easier to peel a mango with a veggie peeler? I didn't until I got supremely frustrated with having to figure out how to take the skin off the mango without losing that precious fruit. At first it was a little frustrating since the skin of the mango is slicker than your average veggie. You have to dig in a little with the blade, but once you get going it's awesome. You come out with the nicest peeled mango ever. You can see that beautiful mango above. So naked. So meaty. Get your mind out of the gutter.

In a decent sized pan (preferably a bit deep), mix the coconut milk and the whole milk together. If you're a purist, here is where you would put your halved vanilla bean in, but if you're mean and too lazy to find a vanilla bean, here is where you add a cap full of extract. Stir in the rice and bring the concoction to a simmer. Turn the burner down low and let this cook for about 25 - 35 minutes. I kept the lid on my pan and it seemed to work well.

After you notice that the rice is tender, go ahead and mix in the condensed milk, water, vanilla extract, salt, and the cubed mango (you did cube it after you peeled it, right?). Put the mixture into your popsicle mold of choice. I unfortunately had missed the sale of nifty popsicle trays by about a week. Apparently the end of summer is the second week of August here. I don't think they go outside much because it's still 1 MILLION FREAKIN DEGREES! Oh well. I made due with some decorative paper cups, a cupcake pan, and some wood sticks from Michael's. Looks pretty spiffy eh?

I put the tray in the freezer for about an hour to let the mixture thicken up a bit before I went ahead and put in the wood sticks. If I had tried to put them in right away, it would have been a disaster. 

Leave the popsicles in for about 4 hours before you attempt to eat them. The great thing about the paper cups was that could easily peel off and throw away the container. No fussing with attempting to gently draw a popsicle out of a non disposal vessel. Easy peasy.

These were quite a tasty treat on such a hot day and also so easy to make. I've never made popsicles on my own (vague recollection of doing it with my Mom once when we were young) so I got a real kick out of this. I'm thinking maybe some blueberry cream next time. What do you think?

Home Ownership and Your (Lack of) Sanity

It's been pretty much beaten into me that home ownership is the pinnacle of your adult career. When you've purchased your first house, you've essentially "made it". I guess this all ties into the American dream: 2.5 kids (who has a half a kid?), a dog, white picket fence, and a little piece of land to call your own. But don't you think this has changed a little especially with the current state of the economy? Hasn't the American dream been modified to mean a roof over your head, a job that won't let you go, and a steady stream of Ramen?

I've been fortunate enough to move to a state where owning a home is actually economically feasible. If I still lived in CA there is no way I could have ever owned a home in a neighborhood that wasn't located in the 909 and wasn't a shoebox. I'd have opted for a nice apartment and reconciling with the fact that home ownership was for those who lived in states that had less than desirable ocean access. So, here I am in a state with less than desirable ocean access and affordable housing and I have gone ahead and decided to start the process of buying a home. Shoot me now.

This has to be one of the most insane things I have ever done. Not only do I have loan people (used car salesmen) combing through my financial history, I also have to prepare myself for the serious money gouging exercises you have to go through even before you plop down the down payment and acquire all the crap that goes along with owning a house. Did you know that you have to pay an inspector, loan insurance, home owners insurance, home owners warranty, title people, title insurance, and other various crapola? It's hard to keep everything straight when you're in the thick of things. I can't even imagine those people that buy houses to flip them. They do this all the time!

Oh, and the waiting. The waiting KILLS. It's like going on a date and waiting for the guy to call you. You submit an offer and you wait. You wait to see if the seller likes you and wants to do business with you. Even though we are in a super craptacular economy, the human directive to negotiate the best deal is still strong. 

It's hard to keep my sanity just as hard as it is to keep all these fees and requirements straight. Do any of you have any good tips for first time home buyers? Maybe some online tools to help one keep track of all this junk?