Somehow over the past 2 years of being in law enforcement, Ulysses has managed to work every single holiday. All of them. There’s no seniority or anything like that when it comes to the schedule, it’s just whichever platoon’s work days fall on the holiday, has to work it. I know eventually this will mean he’ll get all the holidays off too like the other platoon has been enjoying for the past 2 years but right now it’s hard to see any of it as fair.

Yesterday was supposed to be his first holiday off.

He hadn’t seen our new niece since she was a day old and we were all supposed to go to my parents’ house for a day of stuffing our faces full of roasted lamb, Easter bread, pastiera pie and 2 month old baby Ava kisses.

And then, at 7:30am while sipping our coffee on the couch Easter morning, we get a text from our tenants: “hot water and heat aren’t working”.

All winter, not a single problem had come up with the hot water or heat (despite the fact that NY was pretending to be Antarctica) and then on Easter morning, the ONLY holiday he has off, it decides to break.

This is the point where Ulysses calmly puts on his work clothes, grabs his tools from the garage and pulls out of the driveway in his truck to go assess the situation like a calm human being while I pace around the house like a lunatic losing my ish about how our holiday is now ruined.

It’s at this point (now 8:15am on Easter morning) that I decide the coconut caramel coffee pudding I made to add to our Easter face stuffing celebrations is now as good as any “woe is me” comfort food and stand in the middle of the kitchen with a spoon frantically eating it while attempting to calm myself down and be thankful that at least Home Depot is open on holidays.

More pudding recipes to try:
Baked Amaranth Pudding
Dirty Chai Tapioca Pudding with Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Crumble
Gluten Free Chocolate Strawberry Bread Pudding
Dairy Free Gingerbread Pudding

I recently tried the caramelizio pods from Nespresso and just love the light roast with hints of vanilla and caramelized sugar. After drinking a few cups straight up, I knew it would make a delicious addition to a whole range of desserts.

I now have plans for breads, muffins and cakes but first up was this coconut caramel pudding.

And while its Easter dessert table debut got sidelined by a broken hot water heater and boiler, it still tasted just as good eaten in a type-A panic attack in the middle of my kitchen.

Other coffee flavored treats to enjoy:
Blended Chocolate Coconut Iced Coffee
Coconut Coffee Ice Cream
Chocolate Coffee Peanut Butter Muffins