Bread Pudding with Chocolate Chips and Butterscotch Sauce

Pin It My friend and coworker Melissa asked me for a recipe for bread pudding (when she came home from the market and found her loaf of bread smashed). I searched through my arsenal of cookbooks, and I do believe I have found a winner! It is from the Better Homes and Garden Limited 14th Edition New Cookbook (2008), and it is marked as a "Favorite". It is filled with all the good things that make up a wonderful bread pudding! The warm flavors of nutmeg and cinnamon combine with rich vanilla to make a delectable (and practical!) dessert. There isn't anything in this recipe that is unusual, you probably have everything on hand. I added 60% Cocoa chocolate chips in place of the raisins, and it is fabulous! I would recommend not using a 9x13 pan, as the bread pudding will be too thin. I think an 8x8 would work well. Hope you enjoy!

Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

4 cups dried white or cinnamon swirl bread cubes (6-7 slices)
1/3 cup raisins or dried cranberries or chocolate chips (optional)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Butterscotch Sauce (recipe below)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 1 1/2 qt casserole; set aside. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs and raisins (or chocolate chips). In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Stir into bread mixture. Pour into prepared casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 50-55 minutes, or until puffed out and a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool slightly. Serve with Butterscotch Sauce.

Butterscotch Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup half-and-half or light cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, half-and-half and sugars. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes, or until mixture is slightly thickened and just comes to a full boil. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Serve warm over bread pudding.

Five Spice Crock-Pot Roast

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I love Asian food. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Cantonese, Vietnamese... you get the point. I am forever trying to find ways to infuse my cooking with those wonderful flavors. Tonight, I decided to try out a new spice I picked up on whim: Chinese 5 Spice. I found it in the ethnic food department of my local market. The one I picked up is made of cinnamon, star anise, fennel, ginger, cloves, white pepper, and licorice root. (I know that's more than 5 spices, but that's what the jar says!) It is very potent, and recommended to be used sparingly. I hope you will take a journey with me to try out this new recipe!

Five Spice Crock-Pot Roast

Ingredients:

2-3 lb beef roast (I used a rump roast)
3/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Season all sides of roast with salt and pepper. Place roast in crock-pot. In a medium pan, combine vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, water, and Chinese 5 Spice. Bring to a boil, and then lower heat to simmer. Stir often, until brown sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool slightly (5-10 minutes), then pour over roast. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, or on high for 2.5-3 hours. Serve with rice and a green vegetable. Enjoy!!

Beefy Lentil Soup

Pin It I don't recall ever having lentils, but on a whim, I bought a bag. After doing a little bit of research online, I figured out some approximate quantities, and made up a recipe of my own. It is full of veggies, beef, and of course, lentils. It's on the stove right now, smelling incredible!

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups dry lentils, rinsed
1 cup chopped carrots
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 can cream of mushroom soup (10.5 oz)

1 small can tomato paste (6 oz)

3 cups water
3 cups beef broth
3 cups tomato-vegetable juice cocktail
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste 

Preparation:

Brown the ground beef, and drain well. In a large pot, add lentils, vegetables, soup, tomato paste, water, broth, juice, beef, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until lentils are soft. Enjoy!

Served with warm crusty bread

Pinto Beans and Cornbread

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Pinto beans with cornbread is one of those meals that reminds me of my childhood. I remember my mom making it: helping her sort out the rocks from the beans, rinsing and soaking them, and then waiting for what seemed like forever for them to be done. And cornbread. Mmmm cornbread! I don't know if my mom used a box mix, or made it from scratch, but it was good. For some reason the combination of the sweet salty taste of buttery cornbread and the savory richness of the pinto beans is just delectable! I added a little cumin to my beans to give them a kick, and really give it a "south-of-the-border" kind of feel. So, I hope you're hungry!

Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

1 16oz bag of dried pinto beans

Water

4 strips of bacon, chopped into 1" pieces

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin

Preparation:

Sort any foreign objects out of dried beans. Rinse well. Put beans in a large pot, and fill with water until water level is 2" above beans. Add chopped bacon to pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and lower heat to simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Once the beans are soft and the liquid is creamy, add 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp cumin (adjust these to taste as necessary). Leave covered on low heat while you prepare and bake the cornbread.

Cornbread

Ingredients:

1 cup milk (I used evaporated milk)
6 tablespoons butter butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1-2 Tbsp butter, melted (for pan)

Preparation:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Beat milk and egg in a large bowl with a beater. Stir in melted butter and stir into wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Bake in a cast iron skillet or baking dish with extra melted butter in the bottom at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

Cut the cornbread into wedges, and serve with a big bowl of beans. Enjoy!!

Comeback Sauce

Pin It I heard about Comeback Sauce on, you guessed it, Pinterest. Apparently, this sauce is so good, you'll keep "comin' back" for more. It's kind of a dip, kind of a dressing, and all kinds of delicious. It was originally created at a Greek restaurant, called The Rotisserie, in Jackson, MS. I went hunting for an awesome recipe, and found that just about every recipe I found was the same (or darn close to it). The base is mayonnaise and chili sauce with a few extras thrown in. It opens itself up to a bit of experimentation, so if you're feeling creative, try some different spice combos! The recipe that tastes good to me is this one:

Comeback Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise (NOT salad dressing! I used Hellman's Real Mayonnaise)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon Frank's Red Hot sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
juice of one lemon

1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients well and store in refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight. It tastes MUCH better if the flavors can blend together. Use as a dip for veggies, salad dressing, with meat, or with pretty much anything!

I doubled the recipe, and it made 2 full pint jars

Blender Salsa!!

Pin It I enjoy chips and salsa. A lot. Particularly the type of salsa that you get from Mexican restaurants. I have found a recipe that is very similar to that delicious sauce. Find the original recipe here. It is all full of tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos and lime. YUM! And it's nice and smooth, so you can load up your chip without worrying about chunks (I don't like chunky salsa). Mmmm, salsa....

Blender Salsa

Ingredients:

1- 14 oz can diced tomatoes (I actually used roasted fresh tomatoes with olive oil and salt)
1- 10 oz can orginal Rotel
1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded or not (depends on how spicy you like it)
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
small to medium size handful of cilantro, washed
juice of 1 lime

Preparation:

Put all the ingredients in the base of a food processor or good blender and pulse to combine for 30 seconds or so until all the ingredients are finely chopped and salsa is desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste. Serve with chips or over tacos.

I doubled this recipe, and it made 4 pint jars. I stuck one in the fridge, and the other 3 in the freezer for later. 

Dr. Pepper Roast

Pin It I love pop. (Or soda, or coke, depending on what part of the country you hail from) I generally drink diet pop, whether it be Coke, Dr. Pepper, Mt. Dew, or store brand. It doesn't matter to me, as long as it's cold, carbonated, and caffeinated. I have tried different sauces and marinades that are labelled as including some type of pop or another, and they are usually pretty tasty. Something about that propietary blend of flavors just hits the spot. When I was browsing Pinterest (which, if you don't know by now, is easily my favorite website EVER!), I saw someone post a link to Dr. Pepper crock-pot roast. You can see where I found it here. So, of course, I had to try it! Super easy to put together, and you can pretty much forget about it for most of the day! It is in my crock-pot right now, filling my home with delicious smells, while I relax :)

Dr. Pepper Roast

Ingredients:

1 3-5 pound beef roast (I actually used a 2.5 pounder...)
1 can Dr Pepper
2 cups water
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic

Preparation:

Place beef roast in slow cooker.
Add in all other ingredients.
Cook for 7 hours on low or 3 1/2 hours on high.
Drain off juice and serve warm.