Comfort Food (Candy Apple Bread Pudding recipe)

I have been on a big comfort food binge the past week or so. Macaroni and cheese, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, chili... If it's comfort food for me, I've eaten it. I need to get back on my food plan before I put back on some of these 20 pounds I've lost. So tonight, my last comfort food recipe before I start to be "good" again: Candy Apple Bread Pudding. Yum! As if the case with me a lot of the time, I made it to use up leftover bread and an apple that was getting a little soft. I only like crispy apples and unstale bread. But how can you complain when those things past their prime can become something as wonderful and comforting as warm bread pudding with caramel sauce.

CANDY APPLE BREAD PUDDING
INGREDIENTS

 half a loaf of stale, crusty bread, diced
1 apple, cored and diced
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs
1 cup milk
Generous 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Caramel Sauce:
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cubed
1/2 cup heavy cream
The caramel sauce is the trickiest part of this recipe. If you want to make it a lot easier, use caramel sauce in a jar.

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a small, deep baking dish with cooking spray. Place a 9x13 baking dish of hot water in the oven for a water bath for the bread pudding.
2) Dice bread and apples to about the same size and mix together in the baking dish.
3) Pour melted butter over the bread and apples.

4) Whisk the remaining bread pudding ingredients together. Pour over the bread and apples. Press the bread into the liquid so it is all covered and absorbs the egg mixture.

5) Place the small baking dish carefully into the hot water bath in the oven. Be careful not to touch the water; it will be HOT. Bake at 375 degrees for 60-75 minutes depending on how deep the ingredients are in the dish. The bread pudding in done when the liquid is set in the center.

6) When the pudding comes out of the oven, set aside to cool and prepare the caramel sauce.

Caramel sauce:
7) Get all of the stuff ready for the caramel sauce before you start. The process will go quickly.
8) Put 1 cup of sugar in a medium sized, heavy bottom sauce pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Do not leave the caramel sauce unattended. Stir the sugar around continuously until it just starts to melt. 
9) When the sugar begins to melt, turn the heat down to medium and do not stir anymore; the caramel will crystallize. Swish the pan around occasionally to keep the heat and melting evenly distributed.
10) As soon as the sugar is melted (or moments before), turn off the heat and whisk in the cubes of butter.
11) When the butter has completely melted remove from the stove. Whisk in the cream. Blend well until smooth.

Serve over the bread pudding. Sooo rich! If it's too much, maybe a little vanilla ice cream will help with the sweetness.

Devils on Horseback and Eddie Izzard (with recipe)

The Boy and I are big fans of Comedian Eddie Izzard. We can quote whole sections of his comedy routines. Little key phrases pepper conversations: "Cake or death... But do you have a flag?... I've got bread."

Last weekend, we saw him in live performance for the second time. We made a whole night of it. We met at a fancy tapas restaurant and had a fabulous meal. I love to go out to eat nice food. The tapas were superb. We had Japanese ceviche, crab fritters, stuffed dates, braised porkbelly, and roasted beets. And I had a citrus and spice cocktail. Lovely. Just the kind of fancy dinner I enjoy.

So the stuffed dates got me wanting to try them at home. They are really simple. Three little ingredients. It's one of those beginning cook recipes anyone could make. But of course, it took a high-end tapas bar to inspire me into action.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates (a.k.a. Devils on Horseback)

INGREDIENTS

8 Medjool dates

1-2 oz goat cheese

4 slices of bacon (I used thick sliced)

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2) Slice open the dates. Remove the pits. Stuff each date with goat cheese enough so it can be folded back closed.

3) Wrap each date with a half slice of bacon. 

4) Poke a toothpick through each one to hold it closed. Arrange on a foil lined baking sheet.

5) Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and crispy. Let cool for 10-15 minutes so as not to burn your mouth. Sever.

Oh and can't forget... Eddie Izzard was hilarious. 

End of the garden

Last night we had our first frost of the season. Frost kills tomato and zucchini plants. Here's my last harvest of the year.

So of course, tonight is stuffed zucchini for dinner. I've posted the recipe before. Tonight's variation has a filling of ground turkey, onion, celery, green bell pepper cooked in tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beer, balsamic vinegar, and hot sauce. Oh so good.

Kabocha (Pumpkin and Shrimp Curry recipe)

I have a new favorite word, "Kabocha" (a Japanese pumpkin). One day I need an orange cat so I can name it Kabocha. Right now, I have my fill of pets as it is. I'm all about rescuing animals and giving them a good home. But I think one should never be outnumbered. That's why I have three. The math works... Stack the three of them end on end and they might equal me.

Abigail

Maxwell

MooCow

So Kabocha the cat will have to wait. But kabocha with shrimp in Thai red curry is here today.

Kabocha and Shrimp Curry

INGREDIENTS

14 oz light coconut milk 

1 T Thai red curry paste

1 T fish sauce

1 T sugar

2 T crushed lemongrass

1 bouillon cube

1/2 cup water

2 cups diced pumpkin, peeled and seeded

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 cup canned petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup basil, sliced into shreds

1) Mix white liquid on the top of the can of coconut milk with the Thai red curry. Stir together over medium heat for three minutes.

2) Stir in fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, bouillon cube, and water. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

3) Add pumpkin to the liquid and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.

4) Add frozen peas, tomatoes, and shrimp. Heat through for 1 or 2 minutes. 

5) Turn off heat. Add basil. 

6) Serve alone or over rice.

The joy of a long weekend... (Banana Nut Bread recipe)

I would be a much better food blogger if I didn't have to work. After a ten to twelve hour day of paperwork;  behavior management; overseeing work, programs, and the daily workings of a school district; I'm exhausted. Mentally and physically. I've even taken to instant meals on weeknights such a frozen entrees or pre-packaged meals. Aaa! The horror! I didn't think I would resort to that when I pictured my first empty nest year, but sadly it is true. It's just not as fun to cook for myself without anyone else to share it with.

Okay, enough whining. No one wants to read that.

So my alternate plan has been to cook a couple of delicious meals on the weekends and eat leftovers throughout the week. Lucky me, I have a wonderful three-day weekend all to myself with absolutely no plans. Sounds like heaven to me. And since no one is home to share it with, I will share it with the world wide web.

First on the list of foods I am longing to cook, warm, comforting banana nut bread with whipped cream cheese. Oh so good. I can eat a whole loaf by myself.

 Healthy Banana Nut Bread
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose white flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T nonfat Greek yogurt
2 T egg whites
3 very ripe bananas
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (I happened to use pear sauce)
1/3 cup chopped pecans

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a non-stick baking dish with cooking spray.
2) Mix the first four ingredients together and set aside.

3) Mix the brown sugar, yogurt, and egg whites with a hand mixer.
4) Add the bananas (peeled, of course), vanilla, and apple (or pear) sauce.
5) Use the hand mixer to blend the ingredients together. Leave the bananas kind of chunky.

6) Add the dry ingredients into the wet along with the pecans. Fold together gently until just mixed.

 7) Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until baked through. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Turn out onto a cutting board, slice, and serve with light whipped cream cheese.