Bread Pudding and Whiskey Sauce

Hey y'all!

It's been a while.

But I come bearing gifts. Buttery, nom-a-licious gifts.

I learned this recipe while on my New Orleans trip last year thanks to Brittni's amazing idea to take me to an authentic New Orleans cooking class.

Life shall never be the same again.

I've modified the recipe a bit, but that's what you're supposed to do. If there's one thing I took away from that class, it was cook with feeling. Do you feel like adding raisins? Do you feel like adding extra booze? Then DO IT.

I made this recipe for my in-laws and friends at a small get together we had at our house, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I hope you all get to have as much fun experimenting with this as I did!

NOLA Bread Pudding

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

6-8 cups cubed, stale French bread

2 c sugar

8 Tbs melted butter

3 eggs (break yolks, but don't whip)

2 tsp vanilla

1 c shredded coconut

1 c chopped pecans

1 c raisins (I didn't add these because I married a raisin-hater)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Dash of whiskey for kicks

milk (add at end)

Sweet Treat

Procedure:

1. Mix all ingredients except milk thoroughly (I used my clean hands). Add the milk to get the desired consistency: the mixture should be moist, but not soupy.

2. Pour mixture into a greased (with butter, crisco or cooking spray) 9"x13" baking dish. Sprinkle with Sweet Treat if you have it. Place into a non-preheated oven. Bake at 350F for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.

Serve with Whiskey Sauce, or eat plain when no one is looking...

Whiskey Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 c butter

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 c powdered sugar

1/3 c whiskey (or as much as you prefer)

Procedure:

1. Cream the butter and sugar over medium heat until uniform in consistency.

2. Remove from heat, and blend in the egg yolks.

3. Add the whiskey to your taste, constantly stirring.

Serve warm with warm bread pudding!

Raw Chocolate Date Bars

Sorry again for the absence. You can read all about it here.

I learned this easy recipe from a friend of mine who brought it for dessert to yoga night. She made the mistake of leaving the leftovers with me, and a million calories later, here we are. Tummy ache.

Actually, this dessert isn't inherently bad for you, as long as you enjoy it in moderation.

Feel free to experiment--don't like dates? Used dried papaya and white chocolate for a more tropical rendition.

The possibilities are endless!

Raw Chocolate Date Bars

Serves 10-12 (or 3 Lisa sized portions...)

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 large dark chocolate bar

1 8 oz portion of pitted dates (you can also use the chopped dates, I just couldn't find any without any extra sugar)

1 cup unsweetened coconut

Procedure:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

2. Grease an 8x8 serving pan LIGHTLY with some cooking spray. Wipe off excess with a paper towel. Press the contents of the food processor into the pan firmly. Refrigerate, cut into squares and enjoy!

Some 'naner chips

I bought a dehydrator recently.

I am such a sucker for kitchen gadgets, it's really not even funny. Basically, they gadget just uses low heat to dehydrate food over a certain amount of time (these chips took about 1 day).

First, I made some banana chips. They were DELICIOUS. I only used 2 large bananas, and I got a quart sized ZipLoc bag full of banana chips for the week.

I put them in my morning oatmeal with some cinnamon and sugar substitute. Next up: strawberries!

Chana Masala

I love Indian food.

I have a pal who goes to eat delicious Indian food with me at least once a month. My favorite dish to get is called Chana Masala, which is a spiced garbanzo (chick pea) and tomato dish with the consistency of a hearty stew or chili.

Actually, I marketed this to Tones as "Indian Chili". He liked it! I think the real name would have scared him off from trying it.

Be warned, this dish is SPICY. There are, however, ways you can reduce the spice. For example, don't use the membrane and seeds of the chili pepper used, and reduce the amount of cayenne pepper by half (or more).

I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Smitten Kitchen, and only tweaked it a little bit. It's an outstandingly easy dish to prepare, particularly now that Uncle Ben's Rice has a 90 second microwavable Basmati rice product!

Chana Masala

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Serrano chili (or any other chili), diced

1 inch of fresh ginger, diced

1 Tbs ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp garam masala

1 can whole tomatoes, diced, juices reserved

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 c water

Juice from 1 lemon

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Heat about 1 Tbs oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, chili pepper and ginger. Sautee for about 5 minutes, or until tender and onions are translucent.

2. Add the spices, and stir to incorporate. STEP BACK. When the cayenne pepper is heated it can cause irritation to mucus membranes (i.e. it makes me cough). Just be careful :). Cook another 2 minutes or so on medium heat.

3. Add tomatoes and juices, garbanzo beans and water. Stir well, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste.

Serve with flatbread, naan, or basmati rice.