yumminess in a can

today we're going to head over to my dad's for dinner, which is nice for a number of reasons. first is that i don't have to really cook. second is that i get to spend some time with my dad and mom, and maybe even my sister, which is always fun. and third is that i get to make the dessert!

yeah, i know, i make desserts all the time. but whenever i get to take it someplace, it just seems more special. like if i bake brownies or something, and then eat them right out of the pan without even letting them cool, so they're still all gooey and warm, that's something i can do every day. not that i do that every day, though now i kind of want brownies. but if i make something to take somewhere, i put more thought in it. if i'm sharing it with others, i want it to be something different and awesome, something they don't get everyday.

so knowing that i'm in charge of the dessert tonight had me searching through my recipe collection. i wanted something yummy (of course), but still something easy. it also needed to be something that would travel well and didn't need to be refrigerated, because we'll be in the car for awhile running errands before we get where we're going. it also had to be something i could make with things i had on hand, because i really didn't feel like going to the store today. which isn't a big deal, because though we sometimes run out of basics for dinner (like meat), i will always have a well stocked baking pantry.

going through recipes and looking at my shelves had me thinking about ingredients that i just couldn't live without. things that will always be stocked on my shelves. of course there will always be brown sugar and white sugar, and flour, baking soda, and baking powder. and in the spice cupboard will be vanilla and cinnamon, cloves and ginger and cocoa powder. and always sweetened condensed milk.

yes, that creamy, gloopy stuff in a can. how i love it.

sweetened condensed milk, it is my guilty pleasure, my favorite secret treat. i could eat it by the spoonful, and have. i have drizzled it on plain rice with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, for a very lazy version of rice pudding. i have drizzled it on ice cream. and on crushed iced. and on fruit. and when the all-too-small can is empty, i pour hot coffee in it for a special treat, a trick i learned from "old man and the sea." and of course, if you melt chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together in the microwave, it's the easiest fudge around.

so of course, for tonight's dessert, i found a super easy recipe that uses sweetened condensed milk. and chocolate chips and cake mix and butter. it's going to be awesome. a well stocked pantry really is the key to a happy tummy.