Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I know that we've entered December, so maybe no one is still in the mood for pumpkin. BUT if you are like me and still have some in your garage....this might be my MOST favorite dessert EVER.

Bread Pudding

2 cups half and half

15 oz pure pumpkin

1 cup (packed) plus 2 TBS dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I never have this so I used half ginger/half nutmeg)

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

10 cups of 1/2 in cubes of egg bread

(I don't know where to find egg bread. Great Harvest Cinnamon Chip is the best in this recipe, but I have also used a dense loaf of cinnamon swirl bread from my grocery store.)

(And I just cut it up until it mostly fills a 9x12in pan, I've never measured 10 cups)

Caramel Sauce

1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar (I used light last time and it was fine)

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup whipping cream

For bread pudding: Preheat oven to 350*F. Whisk half and half, pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, spices and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Fold in bread cubes. Transfer mixture to a 9x12in glass baking dish. Let stand 15 minutes. Bake pumpkin bread pudding until tester entered into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare caramel sauce: Whisk brown sugar and butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Serve bread pudding warm, spoon caramel sauce over individual servings.

I would say it serves up to 12 people. Pictured above are two left over slices, which we ate cold. It is also delicious cold from the fridge.

Fluffy French Toast

I got this recipe from AllRecipes website and it is the tastiest French Toast I have ever made.  My kids can't get enough of it and I make extra at breakfast so we can pop the left overs in the toaster for lunch.  Super Easy and SOOOOO worth it!

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 pinch salt
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white sugar
12 thick slices bread

Directions
1.Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth.
2.Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat.
3.Soak bread slices in mixture until saturated. Cook bread on each side until golden brown. Serve hot.

Romantic Potatoes

Romantic Potatoes a.k.a. Fleming's Steakhouse Potatoes (from the RecipeZaar)

My husband has made these potatoes for our Valentine's dinner for the last three years. I love it!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, flakes
• 2 teaspoons finely ground white pepper
• 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
• 3 ounces leeks, chopped (white part only)
• 3 cups grated good quality cheddar cheese
• 4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray bottom and sides of a 9x12 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Place cream, half-and-half, salt and pepper in a heavy sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
4. Place jalapeno, leeks and cheese in a large mixing bowl, add cream and mix thoroughly.
5. Add potatoes and mix.
6. Spread potato mixture evenly in prepared baking dish, cover tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes.
7. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes or until browned and potatoes are tender.

Applesauce Muffins

Something about these cold snowy days has made me think of lots of excuses to turn the oven on. Today I decided I wanted to try to new recipe, but I wanted something easy. I found this recipe on Rebecca Cooper's blog and thought it sounded good, Applesauce Muffins. I had all the ingredients on hand already, so no need to run to the store. I thought they were really good.

This is her photo:

Here's her recipe (with a couple of edits):

Applesauce Muffins

1/2 cup room temperature butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cups applesauce
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

topping

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon (I like cinnamon, so I actually used a full tsp.)

Cream butter & sugar. Beat in eggs until fluffy. Add applesauce. Sift in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Scoop batter into 12 muffin papers, or greased muffin tin. Bake at 350f until tops are golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. While muffins are still warm, dip tops in melted butter and then in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Turkey Pom-Poms

This is a recipe that I got at a Relief Society recipe exchange a couple summers ago.  I tried it for the first time last night with left-over Thanksgiving turkey that was in my freezer.  It was pretty easy and my kids really LOVED them (especially my 5 year old son, I lost track of how many he ate).  They certainly aren't fancy. 

The two on the right were rolled in seasoned bread crumbs, the two on the left were not. 

I made a half batch of the recipe below and it made about 25 2" diameter pom-poms.  Also, I ended up adding a lot more cooked rice than it called for in order to be able to form into balls (maybe I didn't let the mixture thicken enough??).  I was thinking that you could probably just put the mixture into a casserole dish with some seasoned bread crumbs on top, a cracker or potato chip topping, or additional cheese and serve it like that, too.

1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1/2 TBS poultry seasoning
1 TBS salt
4 cups broth or water
1 cup dry milk powder
6 cups cooked rice
5 cups diced turkey or chicken
2/3 cup grated cheese

Saute celery and onion in butter until transparent. Blend in flour and seasoning. Remove from heat. Add broth. Sift dry milk slowly into mixture. Beat until smooth. Return to heat. Stir until it thickens. Mix sauce with rice, turkey, and cheese. Form into balls. Can roll in bread crumbs if you like. Cook in greased baking dish for 30 minutes at 425 degrees F. They freeze well.