Now, this wouldn't be the first time I blogged about chia seeds, but it is my first taste of this calcium-rich pudding made with sesame seed milk. Usually, I opt to use a nut milk, banana puree or other muddled fruit to activate my chia; it just never occurred to me to use sesame seeds. Thanks to Joanna, my pudding is brand new again.And, thanks to my mother-in-law, it is also a cherry vanilla pudding (it even has vanilla bean seeds in it to really make it special). Lucky for me, she picked up some cherries from the grocery store for us the other day. Nothing beats a cherry on top :-)
The cherries weren't my only customization to the recipe. I also tweaked it a bit by swapping out the agave for dates (I'm trying to cut back on my consumption of the sweet nectar) and thickening it up with twice the called for chia (hey, it's good for you; do ya think it will thicken up Hayden's lack of locks?).
In the new year, I look to my fellow blogger friends for inspiration to keep my menu fresh. Of course, you've already seen what I made from Joanna's blog, but I have also had some dishes similar to Tina's spiral creation (I've been loving beets lately) and Heather's incredibly photogenic salad (I would've taken a photo of mine, if hers hadn't been so much better looking; besides, you've already seen why I don't snap as many shots at night).Speaking of Heather, that explains the pet part of the today's post title. No, I'm not referring to her as a pet; I'm talking about her kitty cat featured on her Kombucha Chic blog. After seeing his Christmas attire, it reminded me of my mom's cat, who proudly modeled her Santa suit for us (you may recall her Halloween costume, as well). Despite her less than enthusiastic expression in this pic, she really does like her outfit :-)
