Croissant Bread Pudding

Warning: Just looking at these pictures may cause your cholesterol levels to go up... However, this bread pudding has a really yummy taste.

I made this for my Recipe Club, as the theme was French, and this recipe got RAVE reviews.

Next time- I'll give the custard longer to set, AND I'll keep the tin-foil on a tad longer, so the tops of the croissants don't burn so easily.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

* 3 extra-large whole eggs
* 8 extra-large egg yolks
* 5 cups half-and-half
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 6 croissants, preferably stale, sliced horizontally
* 1 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Set the custard mixture aside. Slice the croissants in half horizontally. In a 10 by 15 by 2 1/2-inch oval baking dish, distribute the bottoms of the sliced croissants, then add the raisins, then the tops of the croissants (brown side up), being sure the raisins are between the layers of croissants or they will burn while baking. Pour the custard over the croissants and allow to soak for 10 minutes, pressing down gently.

Place the pan in a larger one filled with 1-inch of hot water. Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so it doesn't touch the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 more minutes or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yum!

Found here.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

I made these over they weekend: delish and very rich... so, I modified this recipe a bit and also made them bite-size. They're pretty fun to make:

Ingredients-

For Cookie:

2 C. all purpose flour
3/4 C. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 C. butter, room temperature
1 C. granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 C. milk
1 t. vanilla extract

Middle layer:
1 C. Guittard green mint chips, melted (I found these at Harmons.)

Frosting:
1/2 C. butter, at room temperature
1/2 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 1/2 C. confectioners’ sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
Milk
(Note: I halved this, and still had enough frosting for all cookies.)

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar and mix until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture until well combined.
3. Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until firm. Let cool.
4. Spread a layer of the melted mint chips over the cookies. Put them into the fridge to let them set for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the frosting.
5. Using a mixer, cream the butter. Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa until well combined. Slowly add to the butter. Add the vanilla and a dash of milk at a time until the consistency is thick enough to spread on the cookies. Beat until smooth. Spread the frosting over the mint layer.

Double Chocolate Tiramisu

So... for my recipe exchange this month, I signed-up for Dessert. Rather than bake cookies, which is a recipe that I always defer to, I wanted to do something different.

Jeff and I are obsessed with Tiramisu (by the way, Salt Lake's Stoneground's version is our favorite). So, I opted for a recipe without the alcohol or the coffee.

Thanks to Martha, I stumbled on this recipe.
Truth be told, the recipe looked easy enough, so I started making it, and began layering the ladyfingers when the recipe- the same one I had looked at about five times by now- totally confused me. I wasn't sure which elements she was referring to as the chocolate filling or the cocoa mixture. I was baffled.

But, by this point, I couldn't turn back, I was almost done layering. So, I wasn't sure that this recipe was going to turn out.

I stuck it in the refrigerator overnight, and give it a taste-test the next day- turns out, it wasn't so bad. I added the final element of cocoa powder to the top (Note: do not go crazy with this task. The result can end in inhaling too much of the powder and coughing will commence. Oops.) and cutting them up and placing them on a serving tray.

I was very nervous to take them to Recipe Club, but I did anyway... and, luckily, me fellow recipe-goers reassured me. I think they liked it. They seemed to like it. Thanks for the reassurance friends.

So, all in all, a confusing, yummy, messy recipe... but, still, pretty good. Find it here.

(Photo from Marthastewart.com. I also took pics, but they weren't half as pretty.)

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I got this recipe from Kim a couple of years ago. The recipe is SO easy and really yummy:

Ingredients:
1 Box Spice Cake Mix
1 15 ounce Pure Pumpkin
6 ounces Chocolate Chip Cookies (only Milk Chocolate for me)
Non-stick Cooking Spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with non-cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and canned pumpkins. Mix in chocolate chips. Drop cookie dough onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

And! I think these are a Weight Watchers approved recipe (don't quote me on that), so you won't feel too guilty eating one, or two, or even three.

A Proper Cookie...

I was so bummed to hear about this. These are mine and Jeff's favorite store-bought cookies. On Friday, I went to the grocery store to buy possibly our last package.... we're savoring them.

Served and dunked in hot cocoa- nothin' better.

Seattle Eats

(I've decided this week is all about food on my blog. Guess I'm hungry.)

In Seattle, these were some of my favorite eats... of course! they're all sweets:

1. Crumpet at the Crumpet Shop 2. One of the best donuts I have ever eaten at Top Pot (The peppermint tea was also very delightful.) 3. More donuts at Top Pot (This was the following morning- if we had one of these in SLC, I would be in t-r-o-u-b-l-e!) 4. Fabulous Tiramisu at The Pink Door (Yes, we ate it all gone.)

Cool Southwestern Salad

I made the yummiest salad last night...

The dressing is so lime-y and light. It was perfect with fresh cheese quesadillas. Here's the recipe.

It's definitely a new favorite of ours.

Baking in the Morning

Yesterday morning, I realized just how messy I am while I bake:

However, that's part of why I like it so much. You can throw all of these ingredients around to try and create something delicious.

I also don't think I've ever baked early on a Sunday morning, and I really enjoyed it. (We forgot it was Fast Sunday yesterday.) Jeff and I had an early appointment, so rather than climb back in bed, I made Caroline's blueberry muffins.

They were really yummy. (Jeff would've preferred them without the whole wheat flour- but, this way they're so much healthier for you!)

Are you a messy baker? Don't think you should feel guilty about it. I sure don't.

Pizza Party.

Jeff made three types of pizza this weekend. We tried Rhode's new Pizza dough, and it worked quite well...

(My favorite was the mozarella, and basil- which was straight from our garden. Yum.)

Yummm.

Jeffrey made this Bread Pudding last week for my family's birthday dinner, per my request. It was really good.



Recipe here. And, as for Jeff's variation, no raisins, and he added a fresh raspberry sauce as the topping.

Recipe Exchange: July

I hosted this month's recipe exchange. Note to self: don't make won tons when in a hurry. This causes stress and possible burning.

Everything else turned out amazing.

This is usually how the evening goes...

First, we eat lots of good food.

We then talk about our recipes.

And, we chat... and chat...

Love these nights.

(We're always recruiting more recipe-goers. If you're interested, let me know!)

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Got this recipe from a friend at work and made them tonight for my Recipe Club... Warning: they are so good they're evil.



Since I was in a hurry, I just baked a boxed cupcake mix.

Frosting:

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter at Room Temp
1 8 oz Cream Cheese at Room Temp
1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Milk - Give or Take...

Beat Butter, Cream Cheese, and Peanut Butter on Medium until light and fluffy. Slowly add Powdered Sugar, 1 Cup at a time, continue on Medium until smooth. Add Milk, continue to mix until spreadable.

Wah-lah.

Yum.

Lo Mein

Here's that Lo Mein Jeffrey made me last night. As I've said before, the man can cook! Here's the recipe he (loosely) followed:

Serves 4
Ingredients:
6 ounces vermicelli, uncooked
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5 cups chopped bok choy (a Chinese vegetable with a white stalk and dark green leaves)
1 cup low sodium fat free chicken broth (We substituted this with Vegetable Broth.)
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup coarsely shredded carrot
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup baby corn
Additional low sodium soy sauce


Directions:
Cook pasta according to package. Drain and set aside. Coat a wok or large nonstick skillet cooking spray and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Heat at medium-high temp. (375 degrees) until hot. Stir-fry garlic for 2 minutes. Add bok choy; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, soy sauce and red pepper. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add carrots, green onions, mushrooms and baby corn. Stir-fry for approximately 2 minutes. Add cooked pasta; toss gently. Sprinkle additional soy sauce (you can decide how much) over entire mixture; toss more. Serve and enjoy.

Our variations: no mushrooms, no baby corn, no sesame oil, added broccoli, and substituted Vegetable Broth. We also used fresh pasta.

As for the Plum Sauce, I'm not positive, but I know he used:

2 plums
Sugar
Water
Sesame Seeds

Both were delicious!

Mmmm... cupcakes.

Maeve gave me the sweetest (literally) gift of Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcakes, and I finally made them this weekend for a Bachelorette Party. They were delicious, and so fun to make.

to bake

I have an ongoing battle with chocolate chip cookies... I have yet to find my favorite recipe... But, I refuse to give up.

Do you use butter or Crisco with your recipe? Milk Chocolate or Semi-sweet chocolate? Any other tricks I should know?

From one cookie lover to another, please share if you feel so inclined.

Eclair Cake

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to eat sweets only once a week. (Didn't expect this one to be sooo difficult.) And, to reward myself for almost making it last week (Dang Swedish Fishes and Cinnamon Valentine's Hearts.) , I made one of my favorite Desserts on Sunday.

It's really easy to make, and it's really yummy.



Better yet, click here for the recipe... (Thanks for the head's up, Allison!)

favorite treat

This is my new favorite thing to bake ... they are so yummy, and I've already made many friends taste-test these.

Best to drink them with a nice tall glass of milk.

Coookies

Baked these rich cookies last night:

They're so rich you'll definitely want to wash them down with a tall glass of milk, or soy milk (preferably Vanilla).

Ginger... Snap!

Baked these the other night while sipping on hot cocoa... yum. Something about ginger- feels so cozy. (We dipped the cookies in white and milk chocolate.)

For this Ginger Snap recipe, click here.

Chew on This...

Many of you are aware of my fascination for gum... I even blogged, in-depth, about some of my favorites.

Orbit hasn't stopped there. At Target on Saturday, I picked up 2 new flavors: Raspberry Mint and Mint Mojito.

Raspberry Mint tastes a lot like the Koolerz brand. It's a good pick, if you're in need of something sweet.

Mint Mojito boosts an 'Exotic New Flavor' on the packaging, and it smells quite limey. The flavor is a collection of cilantro-like, mint, and lime tastes... It's not my favorite, but it's not bad. It tastes a lot like Orbit's Lemon-Lime.

With my new job, I'm trying hard to steer away from too many snacks. Hopefully these new treats will keep my sweet-tooth preoccupied! (With my habit, I should probably buy stock in gum... Is that an option?)