Yeah, I can hear the yawns already. Whoppee doo! Okay, ignore this scratch recipe, no sweat off my back. After all, I know how good this recipe is, and I never turn my nose up to it. Besides, this basic recipe can easily be adapted to lemon, coconut, chocolate chip, butterscotch, you name it, simply by adding the extra ingredient(s). But the plain pudding is fine enough for me.

     This is not a lite version, but the real thing, so I'll give my warnings.

     Still interested? Then you have more taste buds than caution. Okay, I know the feeling well. Read on. This is a party recipe, a typical 4x that for normal household consumption. Adjustments are all linear.

Ingredients:

3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
8 cups milk
4 eggs, whole, well beaten (peaking)
1/4 lb butter
5 tsp vanilla extract
4 drops yellow food color

any optional ingredients, about 8-10 oz for solid items like chocolate chips or coconut

Equipment:

10 qt or larger pot, preferably one that distributes heat well
metal spatula
dull knife and paper towels (to clean spatula of anything scraped off of the bottom of the pot while stirring)
small (1 qt) metal mixing bowl
electric mixer
metal measuring cup (1 cup)

     Sift sugar and cornstarch in pot, stir well to assure an even mix, breaking up any clumps of cornstarch. Don't shortcut this, or lumps will surely result. Add milk slowly and stir well to assure that no lumps of cornstarch form. Cook over moderate heat. Heat may be run a bit hot while the milk is still cold, but as it heats, the temperature must be moderated to prevent caking of the mix to the bottom of the pan. Be patient and don't hurry the cooking by raising temperature. It often takes a few times to calibrate a stove burner to get just the right setting for fastest cooking without sticking. Scrape the bottom of the pot with the spatula often to determine if the mix is cooking at too hot a setting.
     While the mix cooks, beat the eggs in a separate metal mixing bowl at high speed until they peak. This is best done in stages in order to stir and test cooking temperature of the pot. When the mix on the stove begins to boil, reduce heat and add one cup of the cooking mix to the eggs. Beat again until thoroughly mixed. Once the eggs and mix are blended, add to the main pot and stir continuously, blending the eggs into the mix. They have a slight tendency to separate, so stay with the stirring. Bring to a boil again and cook an additional two minutes, again being careful not to cook at too hot a temperature.
     Remove the mix from the heat, add the butter and blend thoroughly. Then add vanilla and food coloring and blend thoroughly. Add any extra ingredients and mix to even consistency. Chocolate chips should be stirred quickly to prevent a uniform melting throughout the pudding. Get them mixed quickly so that they form tiny pockets of melted chocolate.

     Pudding may be served hot when cooled enough to prevent scalding of the mouth, especially good in winter. Typically, and especially in hot weather, it is cooled in the refrigerator after being allowed to cool to near room temperature. This can be done in separate serving containers to speed the process, or it can be done in a single large bowl if there is no major hurry. (At a party? Yeah, right.) To speed room cooling' place the pot in cool water and stir, replacing the water several times to dissipate the heat.
      The plain vanilla recipe can be augmented with chocolate syrup, or my favorite, strawberry glaze.

     The strawberry glaze is simple to make. Core strawberries (2 quarts for this recipe), rinse, and puree in a blender, sweeten to taste with granulated sugar. Chill in the refrigerator until thickened. (May be made in advance and frozen. I generally do this in mass quantities in the spring and use a pint here and there throughout the year on pound cake, short bread, vanilla ice cream, etc.) Spoon the glaze atop the chilled pudding before serving.

     This is not an expensive recipe, but it is rather labor intensive. But like any recipe that takes work, it's worth the effort. Otherwise, the recipe would get tossed and not get passed around. It's a great way to use up a half gallon of milk before it spoils. To make a chocolate version, withold the vanilla and add 1/4 cup powdered cocoa. However you dress it up, or even plain, it generally doesn't last very long.