Pumpkin Bread Pudding

It's that time of year. The time when I start making pumpkin everything.
I feel kinda embarrassed admitting this, but a couple weeks ago, I bought every last can of pumpkin off the shelf of my local Publix and I will use it all in the next couple of weeks.
I really wanted to make Pumpkin Bread Pudding last year, but never had the right occasion for what I felt, was a really rich dessert.
Then, this year, I ran across a pumpkin bread pudding recipe on smitten kitchen that she made using only whole milk. And a few eggs. One of the things that makes bread pudding so ridiculously rich is the fact that most of the time cream is involved and lots of egg yolks. This recipe made it seem almost healthy. (don't laugh!)

I just happened to have a leftover baguette from when I bought the ingredients for this,
so it just seemed like the perfect time to make the bread pudding.

I toasted my bread cubes in the oven before I threw this thing together, just so the bread would be completely dried out and crisp.
This turned out perfectly. I have made bread pudding before and my husband prefers that I call it something else because he thinks that the word "bread pudding" sounds digusting. So, we call it "French Toast Pie" for his benefit.
We tried a bite as soon as I pulled this out of the oven and it was good. We let it cool a little and added a dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream- really good. We let it rest a little while longer and tasted another bite- delicious. I put the leftovers in the fridge and they were delicious the next day and the day after that. My husband didn't taste it until 2 days later and he loved it cold, straight from the fridge. (with whipped cream)
I had my son reading the ingredients to me and we accidentally added 1 tsp of salt. It didn't matter. This still turned out fabulously.

Perfect.

Recipe for Pumpkin Bread Pudding
* I toasted my bread cubes in the oven at 400 degrees F, for about 8-10 minutes to make sure they were dried out and crispy
* I used only whole milk
* I added close to 1 cup of pumpkin
* this was really good right out if the oven, warm, at room temperature and cold- after sitting in the fridge for a couple days (yes, we tasted it at all those different times)

TWD- 4 Star Chocolate Bread Pudding

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe, 4- Star Chocolate Bread Pudding, was chosen by Lauren. You can find the recipe on her blog- Upper East Side Chronicle. I have to admit that this was one of the recipes that was on my list of things I wanted to choose when it was my turn to pick the recipe. I made bread pudding last year for the first time because I found an interesting recipe in a magazine and we all really liked it. Except my husband thought the name sounded gross, so we called it French Toast Pie instead. Anyway, I knew that I was going to like this recipe.
I used challah bread and made 1/2 of the recipe. My bread was stale, but I toasted it anyway, to make it crisp and ready to soak up the yummy custard. I ended up using 2 eggs in the custard because I didn't feel like halving an egg. I also used skim milk because that is what I had in the fridge and used a little bit extra heavy cream to thicken it up.
I thought this recipe was super easy. I made it in 5 little ramekins.
I liked the chocolate in the custard. I sprinkled raisins on top of some of them and chocolate chips on top of the others. I sprinkled raisins and chocolate chips on one. Daring, I know.

This definitely isn't a pretty dish and it isn't very photogenic, but it tastes good and that is what really matters. My daughter digged into one warm.

I thought they tasted better cold. I didn't serve them with any topping or anything else. Delicious. Go check out the TWD Blogroll to see if everyone else loved it as much as we did!

p.s. I know all my pictures look exactly the same, but they are different angles. I was really trying to get a good looking pic of this one, because it tasted wonderful......

Coming Tomorrow- Asparagus with Chopped Egg and Vinaigrette

Asparagus, Ham, and Fontina Bread Puddings, and Hot Chocolate with Ginger

This is what we had for our Christmas breakfast. I figured we would be eating a little bit later in the morning, so I knew I would have enough time to throw it together. I made it in 8 little ramekins and cooked 6 in the water bath and 2 without the water bath, just to see what the difference was. The water bath definitely makes this more like a bread pudding and without it, it is more like a strata. Either way, it tasted really good. My husband absolutely loved these and that pretty much is a guarantee that anyone will like them.
The hot chocolate was a great way to start off the morning. It was very spicy and I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, but after a few more sips, I was sold. My family was a little divided, half of us really liked it, the other half, not so much. It was a fun breakfast anyway! Happy New Year's Eve- Have fun tonight!

Asparagus, Ham, and Fontina Bread Puddings from Cooking Light

1 pound asparagus

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

Cooking spray

5 (1.4-ounce) slices firm white sandwich bread (such as Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup chopped reduced-fat ham

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded fontina cheese

1 2/3 cups fat-free milk

3/4 cup egg substitute

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 375°.
Cut a 3-inch tip from each asparagus spear, reserving the stalks for another use. Cut asparagus tips into 1/2-inch pieces.
Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add asparagus; cover and cook 4 minutes, stirring once. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Coat 6 (10-ounce) custard cups or ramekins with cooking spray; place in a large baking pan. Place bread cubes evenly into custard cups. Top evenly with asparagus mixture, ham, and cheese. Combine milk and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Pour evenly into custard cups; let stand 20 minutes. Add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Hot Chocolate with Ginger from Cooking Light

1/3 cup chopped peeled fresh ginger

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons water

4 cups 1% reduced-fat milk

1/2 cup fat-free chocolate syrup

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; cook over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and is golden (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently.

Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in milk and syrup; cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a whisk. Heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge of pan, stirring frequently (do not boil). Strain mixture through a sieve; discard solids.

Coming Tomorrow- Pork Chops and Swiss Chard with Balsamic Syrup

Chefs In Training Cooking Class

At our house we have renamed this "French Toast Pie" because some members of my family think that it sounds gross otherwise. It is fun to make and a great dessert!

Whole Wheat Bread Pudding
1 1/2-pound loaf sliced whole wheat bread
4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
2 cups half-and-half or milk
1 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Step 1 Heat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish or 9 1/2-inch round deep-dish pie pan, preferably ceramic or glass. You'll also need a shallow casserole that's large enough for the buttered baking dish to fit into.

Step 2 Trim the crusts from the bread, then cut it into 3/4-inch cubes (you should have about 7 cups of cubes) and spread them on large baking sheets. Place the sheets in the oven for 10 minutes to dry the bread slightly.

Step 3 Pour about 1/2 inch of hot water in the larger casserole, then place the casserole on the middle oven shelf.

Step 4 Whisk the eggs and yolks into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the half-and-half or milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt.

Step 5 Spread half of the bread cubes in the buttered baking dish and scatter the raisins over them. Pour just enough of the egg mixture over the bread to cover it. Let the bread soak for 10 minutes, occasionally pushing it down so it all gets saturated.

Step 6 Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle half of it over the bread. Drizzle on half of the butter.

Step 7 Add the remaining bread to the pan and pour the rest of the egg mixture over it. Wait another 10 minutes, then add the remaining sugar mixture and butter. The dish may be quite full.

Step 8 Place the baking dish in the larger casserole and bake the bread pudding for about 1 hour. When it's done, the top will be well crusted and the entire surface will be puffed up. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 30 to 35 minutes before serving.

Serve with Cool Whip or Vanilla Ice Cream
Makes 8 servings.

This is a family favorite. You can use any vegetables that you want, even though the recipe only calls for zucchini and carrot. Last night I used red pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, carrot, and broccoli. The sauce is mild enough for kids and picky adults.

ZUCCHINI AND CHICKEN STIR FRY

Marinate: 1 pound sliced chicken meat
1 Tbls oil
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbls soy sauce
Halve and slice ½ inch thick: 1 ½ pds zucchini
Thinly slice 1 round onion and 1 large carrot
Finely mince: 1 tsp gingerroot and 1 clove garlic
Sauce: Mix and set aside until needed- 1 Tbls cornstarch, ½ tsp salt, ¼ cup oyster sauce, ¼ cup water

Heat 1 Tbls oil in wok until hot. Stir in half of the chicken and cook until done.Remove chicken and repeat with other half.
Heat 1 Tbls oil in wok and stir in vegetables and flavorings. Stir fry veggies until tender and then add cooked chicken. Stir in sauce mix, stir and cook until thickened.
Serve with hot rice and 1 large wedge of tomato, if desired.

This is one of my husband's absolute favorite dishes. It is supposed to be an appetizer, but if I make these, he will eat 10 or more. He also requests that I don't make them when people come over, because he wants to eat them all himself!

Chicken Pot Stickers
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups finely chopped green cabbage
1/2 cup water
1/2 pound ground chicken or turkey breast
1/3 cup minced green onions
1 tablespoon minced peeled gingerroot
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 egg white
1 garlic clove, crushed
30 won ton wrappers
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 cup water, divided

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage; cook 9 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. While cabbage cooks, add 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to keep cabbage from sticking to pan. Spoon cabbage into a medium bowl; let cool completely.

Add chicken and next 6 ingredients (chicken through garlic) to bowl; stir well. Working with 1 won ton wrapper at a time (cover remaining won ton wrappers to keep them from drying out), spoon about 1 tablespoon chicken mixture into the center of each wrapper.

Moisten edges of wrapper with water, and bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Bring the remaining 2 corners to center, pinching points to seal. Pinch 4 edges together to seal.
Place pot stickers on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch; cover loosely with a towel to keep them from drying out.

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place half of pot stickers in bottom of skillet; cook 3 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Add 1/2 cup water to skillet; cover and cook 3 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Place pot stickers on a serving platter; set aside, and keep warm. Wipe skillet with a paper towel. Repeat procedure with remaining vegetable oil, remaining pot stickers, and remaining water.
Yield - 24-30 appetizers (serving size: 1 pot sticker)