Milk Toast
Every single teacher has a plan. Not just the school’s plan, the one you practice together. Their own PERSONAL plan they run through again and again every time this happens. We‘ve all imagined over and over what we’d do — how we’d try to save our babies if the final moments came.
I have a plan. I have contingency plans: what would I do if a kid were hurt? Stuck out in the hall? If one of my kids one day, God forbid, were the shooter? I have all those plans.
I’m sick of planning and preparing for murder. The act of planning and preparing traumatizes kids, traumatizes me even if the event never comes to pass. The system is working how it was designed, so it’s time to change the system.
To me this means smart evidence-based gun control, absolutely (which, by the way, requires research into our current mass shooting epidemic, which is currently not allowed). It also means changing how we do school — attending to kids’ social and emotional needs on a much more personal level. We must address toxic masculinity, white supremacy, and intervene for students’ mental health. We must make school restorative. Kids need holistic education and loving support, not just content skills.
Vote out politicians who act like there’s nothing we can do to protect children. There’s no more time to waste.
* * *
Hard topics, softer comfort food. Milk toast is a recipe I’ve known as long as I can remember: we used to make it on cold winter days. Some folks around the interwebs have apparently been force-fed something when they were sick called milk toast that’s just bread soaked in milk and this is definitely not that. This is a warm, thick vanilla pudding with a hint of cinnamon spooned over buttered toast and it’s emphatically comforting and delicious.
One year ago: Coconut Cream Sugar Cookie Bars
Two years ago: Coconut Tres Leches Skillet Cake with Whipped Icing
Three years ago: Lemon Cheesecake Braid
Four years ago: Gooey Turtle Brownie Sticky Buns
Five years ago: Buttery Coconut Almond Pull-Apart Bread (with Heavenly Coconut Cream Glaze)
Six years ago: Clementine Mousse Cheesecake
Seven years ago: Fresh Blueberry Pie
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for serving
- bread and butter
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the flour. Add the milk and return to the heat. Add the sugar and cook, whisking, until the mixture boils. Whisk constantly and continue cooking the mixture for about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and cinnamon. Allow to cool for around 10 minutes. In the meantime, toast slices of bread and butter them. Pour the warm pudding mixture over the bread, sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve.
Tame
February 19, 2018 at 11:04 pm (7 years ago)everything about this post I love and agree with; the recipes are also wonderful!
Julie Ruble
February 20, 2018 at 1:28 am (7 years ago)Thank you, Tame!
Wanda Goodall
February 20, 2018 at 5:53 am (7 years ago)Laura made this one morning.. It was good. I grew up eating a milk gravy but it was not sweet. My Mother would use the drippings from the sausage she had cooked along with flour, milk, salt and pepper. I still make this occasionally.
Julie Ruble
February 20, 2018 at 11:19 am (7 years ago)Mmmm, that sounds so good, Wanda! Now I want that for breakfast <3
sharon smedley
March 22, 2020 at 11:39 am (5 years ago)i still make it.
Marilyn
May 17, 2021 at 9:02 am (4 years ago)Now you are getting closer to southern style biscuits with sausage gravy which I learned about and started eating when I moved from New England to Texas. My kids love it!
Sarah
February 23, 2018 at 7:02 pm (7 years ago)Thank you for caring for your kids x
RudereLePalme
February 27, 2018 at 11:25 am (7 years ago)Thank you, I really appreciate that!
Anna
April 18, 2018 at 1:24 am (7 years ago)This is great for breakfast…
june Crockett
March 26, 2019 at 9:24 pm (6 years ago)You know, I just want to find a good recipe or learn a new cooking recipe…not listen to your thoughts about toxic masculinity! It was nice reading your recipes but goodbye
Julie Ruble
March 26, 2019 at 10:31 pm (6 years ago)Eh, D+ flounce. Not entertaining.
CookieMomster
February 2, 2022 at 12:49 am (3 years ago)I myself quite enjoyed your thoughts about toxic masculinity and the correlation to school violence. I look for yummy recipes online because I care about my family. And looking for solutions to end the violence is another way to show that I care. Thanks for the pinch of cinnamon and the dash of truth!
Julie Ruble
February 2, 2022 at 2:13 am (3 years ago)Thank you friend! So glad you’re here.
Vicky S Deboyd
August 26, 2019 at 2:11 am (5 years ago)My mama used to take 2 to 4 pieces of bread butter on it put in pan you need to have the oven ready then take your milk salt and pepper can’t really day how much milk but bake in oven till it bubbles in the middle a little dried out in the range don’t sound real good but I love it pull out or rat in pan salt and pepper to your tasting enjoy I love it I think I’ll fix it when I get up in the morning it’s especially good when you don’t feel well the same with just plain potato soup potatoes milk water butter salt and pepper old fashioned recpides
boo
August 27, 2023 at 2:56 pm (1 year ago)I mean I agree with all you said before the recipe… but it was so random and unrelated that it just cracked me up 😂💀 I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but laugh, it was just so random. School shootings and milk toast! This is hilarious
Julie Ruble
August 27, 2023 at 4:38 pm (1 year ago)Yeah blogs used to be personal blogs before SEO made them a long list of aggregated facts about like bread and dish storage options and such. I miss people’s actual writing but it can seem weird to come across it now.
hotline mia
November 3, 2024 at 6:34 am (2 months ago)starving kid here, thanks for the recipe and your thoughts. i was shocked when i saw the older comments. it’s a shame your commentary is still relevant today. totally agree with it all, it’s crazy that this is even an issue.