{ Traditional English Bread and Butter Pudding }

I'd like to give a big thank you to TLC for posting this recipe and hosting "The Take Hom Chef" show, and to Netflix for streaming it, so I could find this delicious dessert. It's wonderful.


Ingredients
3 1/2 C milk
3 C cream
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla
9 whole large eggs
9 egg yolks
1 C raisins
6 croissants (each torn into 8-10 pieces)


1) Preheat the oven to 275°F.  Stir the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the milk mixture is warm, about 10 minutes.

2) Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Whisk the whole eggs and the yolks together in a large bowl, then gradually whisk into the warm milk mixture. Place the croissant pieces in a 13x9-inch baking dish.

3) Pour the custard over the croissant pieces and sprinkle the raisins over. Press gently to submerge the croissants and raisins. Let stand for 20 minutes to allow the croissants to absorb some of the custard.  Place the baking dish in a large roasting pan. Set the roasting pan on the oven shelf. Add enough warm water to the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

4) Bake until the pudding is firm to the touch, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Serve warm.

You can add an even more delicious and extravagant touch by melting some white chocolate and pouring it over the top as a sauce.


"Traditional English Bread-and-Butter Pudding"  30 June 2010.  HowStuffWorks.com.  03 May 2011.

{ Tex Mex Slow Cooker Soup }

I've been checking out a different cook book from the library each time I go and boy have I been finding some delicious recipes. This is my latest concoction based off a recipe from a slowcooker book. It was easy to substitute and like all good slow cooker recipes you just toss in the ingredients and leave it, unless you feel like giving it a good stir occasionally. Oh and slow cooking always makes your house smell delicious all day!


Ingredients:

1 onion (I didn't have an onion for once in my life so I just used onion powder and liked just as much.)
2 chicken breasts (Cubed and cooked or slow cooked then shredded. BTW the soup would be equally good without any chicken.)
16 oz of salsa (I didn't have this much salsa so I put what I had in and added some leftover tomato paste that I had in the fridge.)
1 heaping spoonful of minced garlic (I don't measure out cloves thanks to my Cost Co can of minced garlic.I'm under the impression that the more garlic the better in pretty much any recipe.)
8 oz Velveeta cubed  or 1 C cheddar
3 or 4 shredded potatoes or a bag of hash browns
1 can of chicken broth
1 package country gravy mix
2 C milk
Tortilla chips
Cilantro

Directions
Stir up gravy mix with 2 cups milk in a separate bowl. Combine the mixture, with everything else, in the slow cooker except the Velveeta, tortilla chips and cilantro. Cook on low for 4 hours if the chicken is already cooked. If not just cook longer 8-10 hours and make sure the chicken is no longer pink and the potatoes are cooked. Add the Velveeta in about 3/4 of the way through just so it can melt. Serve warm with tortilla chips, and cilantro. Enjoy!

{ Pina Colada Dressing }

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup pina colada drink mix
1/3 cup apple cider or rice vinegar
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil.

Blend all ingredients except oil. Wait till the end and add slowly while blending. Enjoy on any green salad, particularly ones with pineapple, mandarin oranges, coconut and macadamia nuts. Mmmmm!

{ S' More Cookie Bars }

We found this recipe on the back of the butter package and it is a sure-fire winner!  I am a s'more addict so this was an amazing find. It's a super quick dessert that harnesses the finest of campfire flavors and brings it indoors. Please add anything you want...Peanut butter is delicious, white chocolate could be good, you could use a variety of other candy chips. Yum, yum, yum!

Ingredients
3/4 C butter
3 C graham crackers
1 package semi-sweet or milk chocolate chocolate chips
1 C butterscotch chips
1 C mini marshmallows
1/2 C coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Melt butter and crush the graham crackers In 13x9 inch baking pan, combine melted butter with crushed grahams and press into the pan to form an even crust layer. Evenly sprinkle with chocolate chips, then butterscotch chips, then mini marshmallows. Pour condensed milk evenly over mixture. bake 25 minutes or until bubbly. On wire rack, let cool completely. For easier cutting, refridgerate for 1 hour. Enjoy!

{ Key Lime Pie }

My husband believes that there should be AT LEAST two pies for every person at the Thanksgiving holiday. I don't want to cook four pies so I said we could each make one. This is his favorite kind. I am having him make it, all by himself, from scratch, crust and all. He surprisingly has been talking about how excited he is to try it all week. Wish him luck with the hand juicer and the itty-bitty limes. I think I will make myself a cherry pie.

Ingredients

Filling
3 C sweetened condensed milk
1/2 C sour cream
3/4 C fresh key lime juice
1 Tbsp grated lime zest
Crust
1 1/2 C crushed graham crackers
1/4 C sugar
1/3 C melted butter


Directions 
1. Pre-heat oven to 350.  Start by making the crust. In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar; add butter and blend well. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate.
2. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before filling, or bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool while assembling filling.
3.  In a medium bowl combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice and lime zest. Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust. Bake for 5-8 minutes until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of the pie. Do not brown!  Chill thoroughly before serving. Serve with whip cream and lime slices for a garnish.

{ Sweet Potato Souffle }

This is one of the most delicious Thanksgiving recipes I have ever had. As with all of the most delicious recipes it is loaded with butter and sugar. Two of my very favorite cooking items. But that's what the Thanksgiving holiday is for right? Gluttony. Yum.

Ingredients

Souffle

3 C sugar or honey
3 C mashed sweet potatoes or yams (Boil yams until tender, not mushy, then mash)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 lb margarine
1 egg
1/2 C milk
1 tsp vanilla

Topping

1/3 C flour

1 C chopped pecans or walnuts

3/4 C brown sugar

1/3 stick of margarine

1 C marshmallows (optional)
 
Directions

1) Pre-heat oven to350°. Mix souffle ingredients with a beater. Put mixture in a greased 9/13 baking dish.

2) Mix all topping ingredients, except marshmallows together into little balls or a crumbly mixture. Spoon the topping on top of sweet potato mixture. Top with marshmallows if desired.

3) Bake for 35 minutes.

{ Frozen Cranberry Salad }

I am thankful for this Thanksgiving treat and my beautiful Mother who makes it especially for me every year (no one else in the family craves it like I do). This year however I will not be seeing her so I have to make it myself. I'll post a new Thanksgiving recipe on here every day until Turkey day so stay tuned. 

Mix together:
     2-3 oz pkg cream cheese
     2 Tbsp sugar
     2 Tbsp salad dressing (like Mayo)
Add:
     1-9 oz can crushed pineapple
     1-1 lb can jellied cranberry sauce
     1/2 c nuts (I have usually used walnuts)
Fold in 1/2 pint whipped whip cream

Put in a 9x13 pan and freeze overnight...yes it is that simple.