Challah Bread Pudding with Chocolate and Raisins

My goodness, it's been way too long since I wrote in my blog! Where did all the time go? Not that I really mind 2009 coming to an end, but I feel like the last few months have just flown by! With 2010 right around the corner and New Year's resolutions popping up, I felt it time to get back on the ball and start writing again. And, I have the perfect recipe for it! Dave Lieberman's Challah Bread Pudding. This is one of my all-time favorite recipes and it's really super easy. In fact, I not only made it once, but twice over the weekend! The first time was for Christmas at our friend Suella's house and the second was for Joey's reunion party. I am pleased to say that both times it was a hit. That's really saying a lot for anything put up against Suella's food!

When I was preparing this, I made it two ways. One with the bread sliced in 1 1/2 inch slices, which is what the recipe calls for (pictured above); and, one with the bread in 1 1/2 inch cubes (pictured below). While the taste is the same, I prefer the bread cubed, which is great because it actually was a mistake on my part. I love it when mistakes turn into happy accidents!

This is a dish everyone should try. It's so creamy and delicious and honestly is not all that hard to make.

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted in microwave
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 6 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 loaf challah bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch slices or cubed
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Combine warmed milk and melted butter with the sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until incorporated and smooth.
3. Line a large baking dish with two-thirds of the challah slices. Sprinkle with half the chocolate chips and half the raisins. Top with remaining challah slices, layering them one on top of the other, and then remaining chocolate chips and raisins, making sure the chips and raisins get inside the layers created by the challah slices.
4. Pour milk mixture slowly over the top of everything and let stand until the bread has absorbed almost all of the liquid, 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Wrap the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and cook 10 to 15 minutes longer until set in the middle and lightly browned on top.
6. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

Notes

Try to use as deep a baking dish as possible as this tends to really puff up and spill while cooking making a huge mess of your oven. I learned this the hard way.

Clams In White Wine With Garlic

I got it in my head the other day that I wanted to have tapas - those wonderful little Spanish dishes that are packed with flavor. I decided I would make Croquettes and Steamed Clams. The Croquettes were one big chore to make so I will blog about them later. The clams, however, were not hard at all and they were surprisingly delicious.

Our favorite place to get steamed clams in at Anchor in Castro. This little place truly has the best and I really wanted to replicate that. I found a recipe in a cook book I have: Tapas: Sensational Small Plates from Spain by Joyce Goldstein. This recipe came quite close to Anchor and was fantastic. This meal was also really cheap. The clams only cost me about $8.00. I served them with a loaf of homemade bread from our new breadmaker. YUM!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds small clams
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Dash of sherry vinegar (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Instructions

1. If clams are not cleaned, scrub them under cold water. If you have time you can soak them for 1 hour or so in cold salted water in a covered container in your refrigerator.
2. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and bread crumbs and saute for a few minutes
4. Add the clams and then add the wine.
5. Cover and cook until the clams open (about 3 - 6 minutes) shaking the pan occasionally.
6. Remove from heat and discard any clams that have not opened.
7. Add vinegar, if using, and transfer to a serving dish.
8. Sprinkle with parsley.
9. Serve immediately with bread.

Apple Pie

I can't believe it's already November! Time just seems to be zipping by these days and it's hard to keep up with everything. Now with the holidays coming up full swing it's time to get organized and get with the program.

I have been cooking a lot lately and trying new things. One thing I have been doing is baking. I really am NOT a baker so this it completely new to me. It all started when Joey brought home a huge bag of apples from his mother's tree. I stared at that bag and thought, "What the heck am I going to do with those?" They are small little apples, but have a great taste and texture. The first thing I tried was Apple Strudel. This is all I am going to say about it - phyllo dough is NOT fun to work with. I kind of ended up with an apple burrito! It tasted okay, but it just wasn't all that great.

So, what next? Ah! Apple pie! I had never made one before and it seemed to be the easiest thing I could do. The recipe I used is super simple and I did not make my own crust. I know that is cheating, but after the phyllo dough I just wanted to test this out. I used the frozen pie crusts and they worked perfectly. Actually, the pies were a huge success and I have made a lot of them! I even made one for Joey's mom! I think the secret is using the mandolin to slice the apples really thinly. Of course the hard tart apples also made the pie.

Below is my super simple recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 frozen pie crusts
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 to 7 cups apples cut into thin slices
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove two frozen crusts from package.
• Remove first crust from pan while frozen and set aside on waxed paper.
• Let crusts thaw about 15 minutes while you are preparing the filling.
• Place second crust on baking sheet.
• Core, peel and slice the apples in to very thing slices
• In a medium bowl combine the apples, with the brown and white sugar.
• Add flour, cinnamon and continue mixing until they are well coated.
• Pour the filling into the shell on the baking sheet.
• Press first crust gently to flatten; repair any cracks.
• Lift waxed paper with crust and carefully turn over; centering crust over filling.
• Gently peel off waxed paper.
• Press edges of crusts together firmly with tines of fork to seal.
• Sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon over the pie.
• Cut several slits in top crust.
• Bake for approximately 55 minutes.

Notes

If that pie crust for the top is all in pieces don't worry. Just place them on top of the filling like a puzzle. In the end it will all work out and look beautiful!

Put A Little Love In Your Lunch

Once in awhile my inner Martha Stewart kicks in. Not often, but sometimes. One Martha thing I do is put little scrolls along with Joey's treats in his lunches. It's pretty easy and makes us both feel good.

Awhile back we started listening to Louise Hay and were really inspired by her positive affirmations. So much so that I thought it would be fun to add them to Joey's lunch. Every week I pick five affirmations and make little scrolls for him. Now I am not artist, I use a super simple program to make them, but it's really the thought that counts. Along with each scrool I include a sweet snack and a savory snack. I try to find something healthy and on sale. Last week, I made little bags of Japanese crackers along with yogurt bars. I put them together and tie them up. It's a great way to give encouragement, send love and show you care. You can download a sample of our affirmations here.

So, put a little love in your lunch! Even a small hand-written note would mean the world to your special someone. Your inspiration can come from any place, as long as it comes from your heart.

Oven Baked Onion Rings

Joey and I are always looking for something that is naughty but at the same time figure-friendly. (Yes, our "naughty" factor pretty much applies just to food.) The other day Ellie Krieger had an episode entitled, "Day at the Diner" where she presented many of our favorite diner foods made in a healthier manner. While these are not as figure-friendly as carrot sticks, they do satisfy that craving for onion rings. The fact that they are oven baked makes you feel all the better about them. I want to say these are super easy to make, but I am having a bit of a challenge with the crumbs clumping together after dipping a few rings in them. I think the key is to grind up the chips very finely, but am not sure yet.

These are a great alternative to deep frying and work really well with burgers, hot dogs, or grilled cheese like we did. (All healthy alternatives, of course!) Check this out and if you master the dipping process please tell me your secret!!!!

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 4 cups baked potato chips
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or milder spice of your choice - see notes)
• 1 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 large Vidalia onion, peeled

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450° F
2. Spray a baking sheet slightly with oil and set aside.
3. Place potato chips in the bowl of a food processor and process into crumbs, about 20 seconds.
4. Transfer to a shallow bowl, add cayenne (or spice of your choice), and set aside.
5. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of flour, saltand pepper and set aside.
6. Slice onions into 1/2-inch circles and separate into rings, keeping only large, whole rings. (Save the rest of onions for other uses. I chopped mine up for the hot dogs.) You should come out with about 12 to 14 rings.
7. Place the remaining flour in a sealable plastic bag, then add onions, and shake to coat.
8. Dip onions 1 at a time into the buttermilk mixture, then dip into potato chip crumbs and place on baking sheet.
9. Spray cooking oil evenly over rings and bake for 20 minutes, or until coating is crisp.
10. Season with salt, to taste, and serve immediately.

Notes

I have made these twice and liked them both times. I will say though, the first time I followed the recipe and used cayenne and it was WAY spicy. If you have kids or don't like spicy it's a huge no-no. The second time I used smoked paprika and really liked it. I think with this recipe you might want to try it first with a very mild spice or none at all then experiment with spices you like. I kind of want to try Italian spices and serve them with a pasta sauce.

Oven Fried Chicken and Butterscotch Baby Carrots

Goodness, I am so, so behind on my blog and have so many recipes to post, but today's recipe just pushed all the other ones aside and I had to post it.

We are always looking for quick, simple, delicious and figure-friendly recipes. While many recipes claim to be all those things, more often than not they are off the mark in one area or another. I think the hardest combination is figure-friendly and delicious. Those two just don't seem to go together very often. How surprised was I to find the whole kit and kaboodle in a Paula Dean recipe?! Don't get me wrong, I love Paula Dean. She is one of the most charming and delightful chefs on the Food Network. We watch her all the time, not for her recipes, just for her. Something about the twinkle in her eye when she adds another stick of butter, the way she gets away with the naughtiest things, just the way she does what she does with no apologies. However, when we are trying to lose weight it's pretty hard to justify Deep Fried Mac and Cheese Bacon Bites. Even when Paula is making it she knows it's naughty. (Watch the video.)

Anyway, we were watching her the other day and to our surprise she made a figure-friendly recipe. Maybe it was because he son was on, or maybe she just forgot the butter, but this dinner combination is all the things we were looking for - quick, simple, delicious and figure-friendly. When I made this I thought of all my mom friends that need to whip up dinner along with all their other tasks. Honeys, this is your recipe! It was super easy and so yummy that it made it to out top ten list. It also reheats well, which is always a bonus.

Oven Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons freshly minced thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 -inch thickness

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
3. Place a cooling rack over pan and spray rack with nonstick cooking spray.
4. In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, cheese, 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, to taste.
5. In a separate shallow dish, combine mustard, water, salt and pepper, to taste, and remaining olive oil.
6. Coat each chicken breast with mustard mixture; dredge each in bread crumb mixture.
7. Place on prepared rack in pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown.
8. Serve immediately.

Butterscotch and Black Pepper Baby Carrots
Recipe courtesy The Deen Brothers (Y'all, pg. 37)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound baby carrots, halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a medium skillet, heat the butter, sugar, and salt over medium-high heat, stirring until smooth.
2. Add the carrots and toss to coat.
3. Cover and reduce the heat to medium.
4. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender and glazed.
5. Top with black pepper.
6. Serve hot or warm.

Notes

There are a few things I want to share about this:

First off, after I pounded each chicken breast I cut them in half making eight servings rather than four. This was plenty for us.

My chicken wasn't as browned as I would have liked, but I read a post that said they put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes and I will try that next time.

The best thing, we did NOT miss the carbs in this meal. It is very satisfying.

My Cup Runneth Over

The other night I took a spill. No, I didn't spill the milk or my cake mix. I had a fall. I tripped on my carpet in the bedroom and hit my head pretty hard on the chest near my bed. To make this all worse, I had been feeling flu-like so I had taken an ambian so that I could sleep and be rarin' to go the next day.

Well, this turned out to be a pretty big fall and I hit my head pretty badly and had to go the the emergency room. All is good and this isn't what I am writing about. What I am writing about is what happened the next day. I was ANGRY! Not about the fall, but about everything.

I don't know when it exactly happened but at some point along the way I turned into one of those half-full people. I used to hate those people, but there I was a Half-Fuller. Why wasn't Joey there when I fell? What would have happened if I hadn't gotten up from the fall? Why don't I own my own home? Why did my mom go? Why am I always home alone? Why can't I take great pictures for my blog? Why was my life half over and I hadn't done all the things I always thought I would? My goodness, the list goes on and on. Let me tell you Pity-Me-Patty hadn't just paid a visit, she was throwing a party and I was right there partying along with her.

I got up today and thought, what was the big deal? Okay, I kind of know. I have an unusual fear of falling in the shower and no one noticing. Then I thought about it more. Yes, I did fall. Yes, it was pretty ugly. But you know what? When it happened I called my friend, Marc, and he showed up to my house in like a minute. No joke, he must be magic because he was there, took me to the hospital and stayed the there with me. What a blessing and that is sure not a "half-full." The next day Karolyn listened to me whine on the phone all the day. She was right there just like she always is. Another not "half-full." And, Joey, as always is was right there for me and showing me so much love it's crazy. None of these are "half-fulls." Sure, would I like Karolyn to live right down the street; for my mom to still pick up the phone; for Joey to be here 24 hours a day? You bet I would. Realistic? NO. Whiny? YES!

So, here's what I came up with. My cup isn't half empty. My cup runneth over. When I think about it I have so so so many things that I am thankful for. I just forget to be thankful for them. And while my cup does runneth over, it's messy. Just like life. It's a good mess, though.

Once again, I have told Pity-Me-Patty to take a hike. I am sure she will be back, but maybe next time I can just serve her some chips and dip and she will be on her way.


I have one more little thing to post here. I expect a whole lot from Joey and he sure does give me a whole lot. I am certainly a handful. Since he is my little "Island Boy" I wanted to share this video with him and everyone.