Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce-Printable Recipe Card!

I originally posted this two years ago. I still am asked for this recipe and wanted to add the lovely little printable card function at the bottom. WARNING-This Bread Pudding recipe is NOT healthy, but it IS oh-so good!

This simple dessert can be made ahead of time and is so very delectable. I don’t use that word-“delectable”-lightly, mind you.

Here’s what you’ll need to make Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce.

For the Pudding:
4-5 Cups of Sweet Breads
-toasted and cut into 1″ cubed pieces
-or cut into cubes and dried in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes
1/2 Cup of Raisins or dried fruit of your choice
2 Slightly Beaten Eggs
2 Cups of Milk
1/4 Cup Melted Butter
1/2 Cup + 2 TBS Sugar
1 tsp (heaping) Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Mexican Vanilla (substitute with regular vanilla, if applicable-but add another 1/4 tsp)

For the Butterscotch Sauce:
1/2 Cup of unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Half and Half
1/3 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Mexican Vanilla (substitute with regular vanilla, if applicable-but add another 1/4 tsp)

Combine the cubed bread pieces and raisins in a large mixing bowl.

In another medium mixing bowl, slightly beat the 2 eggs.

Add the 2 Cups of Milk.

Add the melted butter.

Next, add the sugar and stir thoroughly.

Add the 1 tsp Cinnamon.

And the 1/2 tsp of Nutmeg.

Finally, add the 1 1/2 tsp of Mexican Vanilla.

Stir thoroughly until the spices are distributed throughout the liquid.

Add the liquid mixture to the cubed bread and raisins.

Gently fold the liquid mixture in with a spatula.

Pour the bread pudding into a greased 8 x 8 pan.
Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes, or until puffy and a knife comes out of the center clean.

Now-for the Butterscotch Sauce! (Make this right before you serve the bread pudding.)

Combine everything, except for the Mexican Vanilla, in a medium saucepan and cook over a medium/low heat for 5-8 minutes or until slightly thickened. Once the liquid comes to a full boil, immediately remove from heat.
Add the 1 1/2 tsp Mexican Vanilla and stir.

Transfer the desired amount of Bread Pudding onto a plate and pour the hot Butterscotch Sauce on top.

Enjoy!

What do you Fall for?

Good morning! First things first, I must talk about the pink elephant in the white room. I have not been posting as frequently-as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Without going into too much detail, I’ve needed a little reprieve.
But, that reprieve has been had and now it’s time to get back to business. The crisp fall air is upon us and I feel invigorated to sew, cook, create, build and ramble on about the things of God that I’m learning.

Can you handle all the weirdness that is Rebekah? Please scroll down before you answer that.

Probably not. But that’s why we have the buffer of the internet between my weirdness and your purity, dear reader.

Anywho, it’s fall time. A time of harvest, hot coffee and fun wintery-type projects. What are your favorite fall things to do?

At the top of my fall list is leaf watching. I could stare at, walk through, collect and photograph the changing leaves from now until eternity. And since I’ve already cleared it with God that there will be seasons in heaven, this love affair will not end.

Another one of my favorite things to prepare for the cold, fall weather is to make mittens out of old sweaters. I can never seem to find the cuteness factor when shopping for store-made mittens. Plus, store-bought are either too small, too scratchy or don’t match my winter coat. I came up with my own solution and made a pair of mittens and a matching scarf from two old sweaters.

Problem solved, mate.

Like a child, I cannot get enough of a good Maize Maze. The swishing stalks against a pale blue sky takes me back home to Kansas, to wheat fields, to harvest festivals. Plus, a good Maize Maze is always accompanied by horsey rides, apple cider and other fall accoutrements.

What more could you ask for?

Maybe a pumpkin patch? Yes, please. Pumpkin patches are to fall as snow is to Christmas. The grocery store cardboard bins full of pumpkins should be shunned other than for last minute pumpkiny needs, such as decorating your porch when unannounced guests come to visit.

Otherwise, I implore you to drive at least 45 minutes to a pumpkin patch, labor over which has the perfect stem-to-body ratio and finally choose your pumpkin-already knowing which side you will be carving a face into.

Please, for all pumpkins everywhere, do the right thing.

Finally, nothing says fall like all things cinnamony, nutgmegy and spicey. I love to kick off fall by cooking a huge batch of Ginger Snap Cookies, sharing it with the neighbors and nibbling on a few of my own. This pictured version above is a skinny version I created, called “Ginger Puff Cookies“, for those of you watching the waistline.

I also think fall should be accompanied by homemade No Fuss, No Sugar Applesauce, Beautiful Banana Bread andEasy Chili.

What are your favorite fall things to create, bake, sew or enjoy? I’d love to know, dear readers-for you are my inspiration to keep writing and creating things!

Easy Baked Apples

Last night it got down to 58 degrees. Burr…Fall is upon us! I’m ready for scarves and spiced cider and mittens and leaves.

Fall brings to mind comfort foods, hot desserts and turkey. And this is one of my favorite (not so healthy-involves butter, but appears healthy-also involves apples) desserts. Printable recipe card found at the bottom of this post.

Easy Baked Apples are one of my favorite go-to’s when last minute guests arrive. To really push it over the top, add a little french vanilla ice cream. Yum….

Here’s what you’ll need to make these Easy Baked Apples:

4-6 Jonathan Apples
6 TBS butter-room temperature
1/4 C Raisins
1/4 C finely chopped Walnuts or Pecans
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Lemon juice (only needed if you are making these ahead and cooking them later, as I did)
1 TBS sugar (if desired to make the dessert a little sweeter, but can be left out)

By using either an apple corer or a paring knife, remove the center of the apple, including all seeds.

Take a moment to make a face with your cored apples.

Place your apples in a sprayed/greased microwavable baking dish.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the 6 TBS room temperature butter to the 1/4 C of raisins.

Add the 1/4 Walnuts or Pecans.

Next, add the 1/4 tsp of Nutmeg.

And then add the 1/2 tsp of Cinnamon.

If you are making this dessert hours ahead of when you might want to actually consume it, add the 1 tsp of lemon juice. The lemon juice allows the apples to maintain their color and crispness, but gives you the option of cooking the apples several hours or even a day later.

If you enjoy sweeter desserts, add 1 TBS sugar to the bowl. I opted not to do this, allowing the ice cream to sweeten the deal.

Mix everything together using a fork.

Using a baby spoon or a knife, fill the apples completely full and a little overflowing with the mixture.

Tightly saran wrap the top of your baking dish. (If cooking the apples later, place them in the fridge until you are ready.)
Microwave for about 6 minutes, or until the apple skin is pliable and easily cut with a butter knife.

Let the apples cool slightly for 1-2 minutes, leaving the saran wrap on the baking dish.

Transfer to your serving plate and liberally spoon the excess juices over the apples (and over the ice cream, if desired). Serve the apples whole or sliced up for easy eating.

Enjoy!

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

I shared this recipe last year and I have never recycled a post before. But I’ve had so many people asking me how I “made those awesome tomatoes”, that I thought I’d share it with you again with a BONUS feature.

At the bottom of this post, you now have the ability to print off a recipe card, rather than trying to write down all the details on some scrap of paper.

Score!

So, hello there. Don’t you look delicious? Let’s get started on this easy and very pleasing process of roasting cherry tomatoes, shall we?

Here’s all that you’ll need to make Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes:

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking Time: 1-1 1/2 hrs, Skill Level: Easy
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp dried Garlic
Cherry Tomatoes-enough to fill a pan
Cooking Spray
9 x 13 pan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray the 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray and pile in the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle basil and garlic on top, adding more than the 1/2 tsp of each, if necessary.

After about 30-45 minutes, when the tomatoes are becoming soft, carefully turn the tomatoes over once.

Place back in the oven for another 30-45 minutes, or until most tomatoes have turned brown on at least one side.

Garnish crackers with your delicious oven roasted tomatoes and “Laughing Cow” spreadable cheeses. Or use as a pizza or salad topping, on a sandwich or by themselves. They are delicious no matter what you do with them.

From my garden to your brain. I hope you enjoy!