Orange pudding

Finding a new blog gets me super excited - I will gleefully sit for hours, reading previous post after previous post as I get to know it.

My recent find is a great one. As I have mentioned before I am currently putting in an effort to be more positive and to fill each day with some happiness (it's a work in progress but I feel it's coming along nicely). So, as you can imagine, my delight at finding this aptly named blog - The Happiness Project - was like finding the perfect clutch to go with my little optimistic dress. And like any great find I shared it with my closest peeps - my mother was so inspired she decided to start her own happiness project and finally pursue her talent; writing. I couldn't be happier for her :).

Whilst browsing some of the posts I came along Tips...to improve the morning, and lo-and-behold, the number one item was something I just recently put into practice myself: Tidy up the house before bed.
Now, I actually tidy as I go along during the day but there was one particular chore I would leave undone each and every night and each and every time I would HATE doing it in the morning. In case you do this as well, let me tell you how life-improving it is to:

Wash the dishes before you go to bed. 
You may feel like putting those dishes in the sink off until the morning, but there is just something so freeing and energising about getting up at sunup, walking barefoot into your kitchen and not having to do a single thing. Mornings should be chore-free pre-breakfast.
I find that the way I start my morning sets the tone for my entire day. A relaxed, stress-less morning creates a relaxed stress-free day; because being elbow deep in greasy pans and dirty dishes first thing never puts me in a good mood, and bad moods birth bad days. This habit alone of not leaving the dishes until day break has brought serenity to my mornings, allowing me to toil at my own pace in the bathroom and to happily have breakfast with my husband - and that makes it worth the pre-bed washing up.

A clean kitchen is also great for encouraging some bakin'. Weekends always call for a lavish leisurely lunch - dessert included :).

ease: 4.5/5.
prep time: 15mins - beat eggs whilst you prep the ramekins.
cooking time: 40mins.
total: 55mins.

taste: 4.5/5. These are ZEST-licious.

The first taste you get is of the bitter, deep marmalade syrup flecked with sunset-coloured zest, then the juicy, vibrant fresh orange swirls around your mouth, cleansing your palate in preparation for the moist, buttery pudding that leaves you with a warming sweetness. The orange allows this pudding to be comforting without slipping into the -too rich for another mouthful- stage, allowing you to eat spoonful after spoonful.

I would add an extra 1tbs of marmalade to the bottom of the ramekins as I would have loved the pudding to be lavishly drenched in the syrup..

would I make it again: Yes.

recipe: Orange puddings