Best Bread Pudding Recipe

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During these dreary, cold and rainy and snowy days I always want something warm and mushy and comforting in the evening. Bread pudding is just the ticket. It is comforting and warm and yummy and there are a million recipes online for bread pudding. This is from Paula Deen and is my favorite. Make some of this today and have a little for dessert for tonight. We don’t have long, spring is around the corner…. I can feel it!

Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large beaten eggs
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups cubed Italian bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 cup chopped pecans

For the sauce:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup brandy

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans.

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.

For the sauce:

Mix together the granulated sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until the sugar is melted. Add the brandy, stirring well. Pour over bread pudding. Serve warm or cold.

Almond Joy Pie

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Today is National Pie Day! I have always loved pie! If the truth be told, it comes in second to cake, but I still love it. My grandma Stivey used to make the best pie and I was always amazed at what she could do with some basic ingredients. With the left over pie dough, she would sprinkle some sugar and cinnamon and sometimes put some raisins in them, roll them into a ball and call them “doughdie’s”. I loved them. Warm and doughy and sweet. I wish I could tell her how much I learned from her, and how much I took her words to heart. She was a special lady!

Almond Joy Pie

Pie Filling Ingredients:
4 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp all purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups shredded sweetened coconut
¾ cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (extract will work)

Crust & Topping:
1 (6 oz) Chocolate Oreo Pie Crust
Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate Chips, melted
½ cup whole roasted almonds

Whisk the pie ingredients together: melted butter, egg, flour, sugar, coconut, vanilla paste and milk together.
Spread ¼ cup almonds on the bottom of the pie crust, cover with ½ of the melted milk chocolate.

Place in the freezer for 5 minutes to set up. After the chocolate sets up a little bit, pour in the pie filling.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until set. The top will be golden brown.
Allow to cool.
Scatter remaining ¼ cup almonds on the top of the cooled pie; pour melted chocolate over the almonds. Put in fridge for the chocolate to set up. Enjoy!
Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t? No problem.
To make a Mounds Pie: Leave out the almonds and use dark chocolate instead.

Best served at room temperature! If you’d like to eat it chilled, combine 3 tbsp of room temperature heavy whipping cream to the melted chocolate mixture before filling and topping the pie.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

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Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 10 hours

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
1 loaf day old french bread
12 oz. Neufchatel cheese (aka 1/3 less fat cream cheese)*
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla, divided
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no thawing necessary if frozen)
Zest of 1 lemon**
10 large eggs
2 cups milk
5 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided

Blueberry Syrup
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch (use 2 Tbsp for thicker syrup)
3/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no thawing necessary if frozen)

Directions
Cut 1/2-inch off both ends of bread and discard (or eat). Cut loaf into 1-inch slices then cut each slice into 1-inch cubes (I cut the loaf in half first then kept the cubes from each half separate so it would be easier to determine half). Spread half of the bread cubes into an even layer in a buttered 13 by 9-inch baking dish, set aside remaining bread cubes.
In a small bowl, using an electric hand mixer, blend together Nuefchatel cheese, powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. In a separate bowl stir together lemon zest and 1 Tbsp sugar. Using a rubber spatula and a clean fingertip, spread Nuefchatel cheese mixture over bread cube layer in baking dish. Sprinkle blueberries over Nuefchatel cheese layer then sprinkle lemon zest mixture evenly over blueberry layer. Spread remaining bread cubes into an even layer over top of blueberries.
In a blender, blend together eggs, milk, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and remaining 1 tsp vanilla on low speed until well blended, about 10 seconds. Slowly pour mixture evenly over top of bread cubes in baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
The following morning, remove baking dish from refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees during the last 10 minutes of resting.
Remove plastic wrap. Cover baking dish with aluminium foil and bake in preheated oven 30 minutes, then remove foil and continue to bake 25 – 35 minutes, until golden brown (if it is becoming too golden brown but isn’t cooked through then you can cover with foil again during the last few minutes of baking). Allow to rest 5 minutes, then cut into servings and serve warm topped with blueberry syrup and sweetened whipped cream if desired.
*Regular cream cheese would also work, but I’d recommend likely thinning out the cream cheese mixture with 1 to 2 Tbsp milk to make it a more spreadable consistency.
**After zesting lemon, reserve it in a Ziploc bag to juice the following morning for use in the blueberry syrup.

For the blueberry syrup:
In a medium saucepan, whisk together granulated sugar and cornstarch. Stir in cold water and lemon juice. Mix in blueberries. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat slightly and allow to gently boil for 2 – 3 minutes until thickened and blueberries have burst, while stirring constantly. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from allrecipes.com

Banana Upside Down with Chocolate Chips

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Ingredients
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2-3 ripe bananas (peeled and sliced)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 overripe bananas (mashed)
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a pan along with the brown sugar.
2. Pour the mixture into the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish and spread it out.
3. Cover with a layer of sliced bananas.
4. Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and in a large bowl.
5. Cream the butter and brown sugar in another bowl.
6. Stir the eggs, sour cream and bananas into the butter and sugar.
7. Stir the dry ingredients into the banana mixture.
8. Stir in the chocolate chips.
9. Gently spread the batter over the bananas in the pan
10. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a tooth pick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes.

Savory Saturday… Crab Risotto

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Risotto, to me, somehow seems nurturing. I will admit it, I am a big baby sometimes. Juggling everything I have to juggle in my daily life along with running several businesses beats me up sometimes and I want to come home and “comfort” myself with some nurturing food. If you don’t understand this, who are you? and what planet do you come from? LOL O.k. seriously, I think we can all relate to this, and the crab makes me think I am spoiling myself and the risotto is the comfort part. Get the ingredients in and have everything at your fingertips and when you have one of those days where the world has beaten you up, come home and make this with a glass of wine…. or two and you will be ready to start afresh the next day, I promise

Crab Risotto

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup diced onion

2 tablespoons diced celery

1 teaspoon salt

1 large pinch cayenne

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

the zest of one lemon

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

4 italian canned tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

~4 cups crab stock

1 cup cooked crab

1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives

1 tablespoon whipping cream

freshly ground pepper

the juice of half a lemon

This recipe is designed to go along with the crab stock and as such first you will need to cook the crab. Just in case you are at a loss for this, here is how you would go about it: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1/4 cup of salt. It doesn’t have to be fancy salt but crab likes to be cooked in very salty water. Add the crab and boil for 8 minutes. Drain and allow to cool for 20 minutes so it is cool enough to handle. Once you have picked through the crab and separated the shell from the flesh you can make the stock from the leftover shell and refrigerate the meat until you are ready to make the risotto.

Alternatively this recipe can be made with purchased shelled crab and crab stock.

To make the risotto, set a medium sized heavy saucepan over medium heat and melt the tablespoon of butter. Add the onion and sweat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the celery, cayenne, thyme and a pinch of salt. Sweat for another 3 minutes. Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring so that it won’t brown. Add the rice, and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the white wine and allow to simmer until the wine is reduced by half. Now you should be stirring constantly. Start adding your hot stock one ladelful at a time, making sure there is always so enough that the rice is fully covered. Simmer the risotto, stirring frequently until the rice starts to approach al dente. When this happens, slow the addition of stock to a half ladle at a time and stir in the cooked crab, tomatoes and parsley. Cook until the rice is tender, but still has a tiny bite. Stir in the chives, cream and lemon juice. Taste and add salt as necessary as well as a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, crab likes pepper. Serve hot.

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

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Of all the fancy cookies you can make, I have always been partial to a good chocolate chip cookie. This cake just bumps up the naughtiness a little bit and is delicious, moist and chocolatey! Give it a try you won’t be disappointed. Inspired by love in the oven.

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

TOPPING
•2/3 cup chopped pecans
•1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
•2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 12 cup bundt pan. Mix together the pecans, butter, and sugar with a fork. Evenly distribute the mixture in the bottom of the pan.

CAKE
•2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 cup unsalted butter, softened
•1 cup packed dark brown sugar
•1/2 cup granulated sugar
•1 tablespoon vanilla extract
•4 large eggs
•1 cup buttermilk
•12 ounces semisweet chocolate mini chips
1.Cream butter, both sugars, and vanilla until fluffy. Slowly add in the eggs, one at a time.
2.Mix in your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt), alternating with the buttermilk.
3.Stir in the chocolate chips.
4.Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
5.Cool in pan for ten minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack.