Bread Pudding First Attempt

Morning!! 

Bread pudding has always been yummy but my true love for it bloomed while we were in New Orleans. For our anniversary date we went to the Commanders Palace which in it's own right was magical and had their famous bread pudding for dessert. Every bite was a piece of heaven!

 I found an older cook book for the Palace and decided to try their bread pudding recipe. For an amateur baker I believe it turned out rather well but there were a few little problems. Which is why I say that this is my first attempt! Even though I really don't need more delicious pudding around the house. I have absolutely no control when it comes to desserts...I can not be trusted! he he

Pudding Ingredients:

1 cup Sugar 

8 tablespoons Butter; softened 

5 Egg; beaten 

1 pint Heavy cream 

1 dash Cinnamon 

1 tablespoon Vanilla extract 

¼ cup Raisins 

12 slices French bread, fresh or stale; 1" thick 

Rum Sauce:

1 cup Sugar 

2¼ cup Water 

1 Cinnamon stick; OR 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground 

1 tablespoon Butter, sweet 

½ teaspoon Cornstarch 

1 tablespoon Rum, light or dark 

To start I cut up my bread into 12 slices and preheated my oven to 350. 

Then started on the mixture, adding the sugar and butter first then the eggs (beaten), cream, raisins, cinnamon and vanilla.

 In a small pan I added the mixture and placed the bread pieces over the top. I let them soak for 5 mins then flipped them over for another 5 to 10 mins. After the bread has hopefully soaked up a lot of the pudding mixture, push them to the bottom of the pan. 

Place the pan in a larger one with about a few inches of water. Cover the pan with tinfoil and place in the oven.

Cook for 35 mins and then remove the tinfoil and cook for an additional 10 mins.

 I think this might have been where I went wrong, I may have not cooked the pudding long enough. It was still a bit soupy. I tried to cook it for a bit longer and it got a little firmer.

While the dish cooked I made the rum sauce! In a pot I stirred together the sugar, water (2 cups), ground cinnamon and butter, bringing it to a boil. Then added the remaining water and cornstarch, switching to a simmer and stirring. The sauce is supposed to become clear but I couldn't get it that close. Either way it was yummy! Once "clear" I removed the pot from the heat and added the rum.
I spooned out some of the bread pudding into a bowl and added the rum sauce....what resulted after that moment can only be described as pure satisfaction...the look of contentment and joy washed over our faces as we consumed bite after bite. This bread pudding was warm, sweet and hearty. Even though it was not quite Commanders status it was no less scrumptious. I will definitely be giving this a second try!!!

Thanks for readin! -Bunny

All Mixed Up Red Beans and Rice

Howdy!! 

When we visited New Orleans I tried a few different red bean and rice dishes and I loved them...minus the meat he he! They also went great with beignets. So I wanted to make my own and since it's been a while I went straight for my True Blood Cookbook! Oh True Blood how I miss you. I did make this before...but it had been a while! 
Check me out!

Here is an abridged Sam's Red Beans and Rice! YUM! 

First step, soak the beans in a pot with a few inches of water overnight. In the morning drain any left over water. 

Next cut up your onion, celery and bell pepper. Heat the bacon fat in a pot then add in the veggies, pepper and cayenne and stir until they are golden. 

Cut up the sausage and ham then add to your golden veggies. We opted to forgo the salt pork and added a pinch of salt to the mix. Stir until meat is slightly browned and then add in the red beans and water. 

Make sure to add enough water so that the mixture is covered. Let cook for a few hours, stirring occasionally. Of course Jack got a piece too...but what's new ha ha!  Next take a wooden spoon and mash half of the mix to one side, breaking up the beans a bit. While you wait, make your rice to add to the dish! We opted for brown rice this time around. Continue stirring for another 30 mins until beans are soft and then serve.

There you have it...red beans and rice! Delish!

Cheers! Bunny

Mint Chocolate Chip Fudge

Good Morning!! 

Last night I made some yummy Mint Fudge! 

They turned out great so I decided to bring them into work. Mint has always been a favorite of mine so when I saw this simple recipe for fudge I had to try it out. Plus who doesn't love mint chocolate chip....a crazy person that's who!

What you will need: 

3 1/4 cups of white chocolate chips

2 tablespoons of butter

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

2 to 3 teaspoons of mint extract, NOT peppermint

Green food coloring

and 3/4 cups of mini chocolate chips

First you need to line an 8x8 square plan with tinfoil and some cooking spray, next microwave the white chocolate chips and butter for 1 minute. Stir together and make sure that all chips are melted.

Mix in the condensed milk and mint. Add the green food coloring, about three drops. Once mixed completely let the mixture sit and cool off a bit, then fold in half of your mini chips!

Add the fudge to your pan and press evenly. Add the remaining mini chips to the top of the fudge. Refrigerate for about 2 hours then VOILA! 

Mint Chocolate Chip Fudge! Make sure to share he he!

Thanks! Bunny

Halloween Fun!!!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Here is a quick Joker inspired shot to get you in the mood for some Squad fun! We made a small change, from the video, and used a different vodka so the drink turned out green...to please the Joker.

I got the base recipe from http://allmommywants.com/suicide-squad-inspired-cocktail-joker-gone-wild/ called Joker Gone Wild. Thank you Carol! Totally YUM!! A little sour with a rim of sweet...a true Halloween treat!

Here are some clips from our Halloween in New Orleans! It was beyond fun! Of course Craig was my Joker and I love how he got into character. Love this guy!

Cheers!! -Bunny

Suicide Squad Cocktail

Happy Almost Halloween!! 

Cheers to drinks, candy and costumes!!
Playing off of a SSquad shot from http://allmommywants.com/cocktail-the-suicide-squad/ called the Purple Joker I decided to make my own with a blue twist. 

You will need: 
2 oz Blue Curacao
1 oz Peach Schnapps
1/2 oz Rum
1/2 oz Cherry Vodka
1 tsp Grenadine
3 oz Ginger Ale
2 tbs sugar 
3 drops green food coloring
1 tbs Simple Syrup
Mix three drops of green food coloring with your sugar, make sure to crush it together evenly and set aside in a shallow plate. Add the simple syrup to another shallow plate.

Take each ingredient and pour into your bar shaker, ginger ale last. This will add a nice fizz to your cocktail. I always use a bar mixer with the measurements on the side (shhhh don't tell anyone)...might be cheating but I don't want to mess it up! Next, dip the rim of your glass/tumbler in the simple syrup then into the sugar. You can add as much sugar as you'd like he he!! Drop 3 to 4 cubes of ice into your glass and pour your mixture in and voila! A beautiful blue bubbly mix topped with a green rim of sugar! 

This fizzy mix has a kick but the sugar rim definitely softens the blow! Plus some cherry vodka doesn't hurt he he! The ratios were perfect and nothing was too overpowering! I will totally be adding this to my list of cocktails to make again. I think we need to start a bar list!
Cheers, Bunny

Liquified Ghost

Morning, 

Playing off a cocktail mix from a cute site, SmartyhadaParty: http://blog.smartyhadaparty.com/halloween-cocktails/  

I made a yumtastic drink fit for Halloween! So you all must know by now that Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. The gloomy weather fit for sweaters and cocoa, the Gothic decor and around every single corner, pumpkin spice! The perfect time of year for Halloween themed drinks.

Moving away from pumpkin, I made a truly yummy Liquified Ghost! It was very close to a White Russian and sometimes drinks with dairy don't sit well with me but the hint of sparkle and lime agreed with my tummy. For some reason it added a zest or bubble that took away the possible "urk" ha ha!

Here is what you need:

1 part vodka
1 part vanilla simple syrup
1 part cream
1 part lemon lime soda
black licorice wheel garnish (optional)...we had some cute little licorice pieces that we added but they didn't really impact the drink at all. If you are a black licorice fan I definitely recommend adding it to the cocktail, maybe even dipping some in or using it as a straw!

Go ahead and pour ingredients over an ice shaker, shake and strain into a martini glass (I need to get myself a true martini glass...Marshals here I come!) and add the licorice.

For a more devious cocktail, add a red ice skull for a Blood Ghost. We found cute ice cube molds and added food coloring! Spooky!

Ps. Super happy with how my DIY Nightmare Before Christmas Wreath turned out!! Perfect for Halloween!!

Cheers, Bunny

Happy Hippo Lien: Row- Row- Row Your Clog

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