Recipe: Bread Pudding

Haven't tried making anything like this before, but I had milk and eggs that would otherwise go bad if I left them in the fridge while I'm on vacation. It's worth a try, since I've also got some stale bread around.



Bread Pudding
2 cups milk*
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar*
3 eggs*
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract -- skipped because I didn't have any
3 cups bread, torn into small pieces (French bread is recommended, but anything will do)
1/2 cup raisins or berries

*If you're trying to be healthy, I substituted soy milk, Splenda and Egg Beaters without a problem.

In medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat milk just until film forms over top. Combine butter and milk, stirring until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm.

Combine sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add milk mixture. Note: I don't seem to have an electric mixer, so I'm beating this by hand with a wire whisk. It came out just fine.

Place bread in a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.

Sprinkle with raisins or berries if desired. Pour batter on top of bread.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Serve warm.

Verdict: It came out really nicely. It was actually pretty well done at 40 minutes and was a bit overdone in a few more minutes, so just watch it once it's in the oven.

[Recipe adapted from MomsWhoThink.com]

Recipe Round-Up

Things have been a little hectic here the last few days, so I haven't been cooking as much. But here's a sampling of some of the recipes that got my attention.

From A Year of CrockPotting:
Pecan-Topped Baked Sweet Potatoes
Sweet And Sour Chicken with Mango Lettuce Wraps

Stephanie the CrockPot Lady also has a list of ways to save money using your crockpot.

From other places:
Maple Scallop Salad
Baked Potato Chowder
Summer Clam Pot
Shrimp and Cucumber Stuffed Avocados
Ten Minute Couscous Soup
Aparagus and White Bean Pesto Tart <--- I so wanted to make these!

And something completely random:
Make your own soap from bacon grease

I'm not sure how much actual cooking I'll be getting done for a while. I'm heading out of town next week and pretty much stocked up on things that won't go back in my pantry, like rice, beans, and ramen. Either way, I'll be getting right back to cooking when I get home, and in the meantime, I'll be scoping out new recipes.

Recipe: Cyclops Eyeballs

Here's a twist on biscuits and eggs from BoxTops4Education.com. Frankly, I think it's cute, though I'm sure some might disagree.

Cyclops Eyeballs using Pillsbury refrigerated biscuit dough.

Don't forget to check out past recipes using refrigerated dough! It's something that you can easily find coupons for (check the coupons.com widget from the sidebar) and stock up when it's on sale.

Egg and Cheese Stuffed Croissants
Easy Mini Pizzas

Recipe: Egg And Cheese Stuffed Croissants

I love those filled croissants that you get at the bakery or coffee shops, but they tend to be pretty pricey. Today, I got a little bored with my lunch options and decided to whip up something similar with ingredients I had on hand.

Egg and Cheese Stuffed Croissants
1 package Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Roll Dough
2 eggs
1 slice Muenster cheese, or any shredded cheese that melts easily

Preheat oven according to package directions (usually 375° F). Open package and separate the crescent roll dough. You should get 8 triangle-shaped pieces. In a bowl, beat two eggs and about a tablespoon of water. Add egg mixture to a heated pan and scramble eggs until they are just barely cooked (remember, they will be going in the oven). Divide up the scrambled eggs and spoon onto the fullest part of each dough triangle. Tear cheese slice into small pieces and place on top of scrambled eggs. Shredded cheese is also an option here, though I didn't have any on hand.

Carefully roll up dough around egg and cheese mixture, pinching dough together at ends to keep contents inside. Bake at 375° F for 11-13 minutes or follow package directions. Remove when done and serve while still warm.

The results? 8 flaky buttery croissants-like rolls filled with scrambled eggs and cheese.

Recipe: Pizza Quesadillas

I love this recipe because it's a way to use up leftovers, like extra tortillas, but with a little bit of a twist.

Pizza Quesadillas
4 tortillas
1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pasta or pizza sauce
6 slices vegetarian pepperoni, cut into thin strips (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place tortillas on a flat surface. Divide 3/4 cup of the cheese between the tortillas, sprinkling it on one half of each. Top cheese with pasta sauce and pepperoni, then divide remaining 1/2 cup cheese between tortillas, sprinkling it on top of the pepperoni. Fold tortillas over, pressing down lightly. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Arrange 2 tortillas in skillet and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Repeat process with remaining tortillas. Allow quesadillas to cool slightly, then cut each into triangles and serve.

I'm not a fan of pepperoni, so I'll substitute cooked chicken strips instead, or add whatever veggies I have on hand. I like using things like broccoli florets or slices of tomato.

[Adapted from wholefoodsmarket.com]

Recipe: Easy Thai Red Curry

My sister usually insists on take-out from her favorite Thai restaurant every time she comes to visit. This time, I decided to try and recreate her favorite red curry with Thai Kitchen's Red Curry Simmer Sauce. There are recipes out there to make your own sauce with red curry paste, but I opted for the easy route, and it still came in under $4 per serving. I also opted for canned vegetables from Whole Food's 365 Everyday Value line, which were only $0.99 apiece.

This version did turn out to be a lot milder than I expected, so I prefer to add some type of chili pepper or hot sauce to turn the heat up. Also, since my sister is vegetarian, we used tofu. You can definitely substitute any other protein.

Easy Vegetarian Thai Red Curry
1 jar Thai Kitchen Red Curry Simmer Sauce
1 can baby corn, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 can bamboo shoots
1 can water chestnuts
1 chopped green pepper (optional, for color)
2 packages extra-firm tofu, marinated in peanut sauce in advance
hot sauce to taste

Put tofu in a bowl and cover with peanut sauce with an optional dash of hot sauce, then set aside in advance. Saute vegetables with a little bit of oil in a large saucepan, then add sauce and bring to a simmer. Dice tofu blocks into bite-size pieces and add once vegetables are about halfway cooked. Continue to simmer until vegetables are done. Serve with rice.

Recipe: Vegetable Tortilla Soup

This one is super-easy to make and a good way to take advantage of leftover ingredients you might have on hand. Don't feel obligated to follow the recipe exactly, as you can substitute the veggies with what you have available. I started making a vegetarian version of this since my sister doesn't eat meat, but an added bonus is that the vegetable broth seems more savory than chicken broth.

Easy Vegetable Tortilla Soup
4 cups vegetable stock
2-3 cloves of chopped garlic (depending on your tolerance!)
1 small onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, or substitute salsa
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped and with seeds removed (depending on your tolerance)
approximately 5-8 tortillas, preferably a bit dried out
1 tbsp olive oil

Brush tortillas with olive oil or spray with cooking spray, then cut into strips and place on baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes, then set aside to cool. Heat oil in large saucepan and add garlic, peppers and chilies. Saute for a few minutes, then add diced tomatoes or salsa. Mix together, then add stock. Add tortilla strips to to saucepan, reserving about a third. Bring liquid to a boil, then simmer on medium-high heat until vegetables are fully cooked. Before serving, top with remaining tortilla strips.

I also like to top each serving bowl with warmed tortilla strips and a little bit of shredded cheese that melts easily, similar to how you would serve french onion soup. A lot of recipes also call for fresh avocado on top, which I'll use if I have it. You can also take extra tortilla, cut them into wedges before baking with the strips, and serve as fresh tortilla chips. They're better than anything store-bought!

Go ahead and see what you have in the pantry that you can use up with this soup! I've seen fire-roasted canned tomatoes with chilies, and I sometimes like to throw in fresh salsa that would otherwise go bad. If the salsa is hot enough, then you don't need the jalapeno!

[Adapted from this recipe]

Recipe: Pomegranate Soup

Check out this awesome recipe for pomegranate soup! Those who have tested it already say that it tastes wonderful. I'd give it a try tonight, except the only thing I don't have are the pomegranates and green onions.

I am starting to think that I should be keeping onion on hand for any possible soups, along with vegetable broth and rice.

Recipe: Figs in Pancetta Appetizers

Similar to something I've seen served in tapas restaurants. Tyler Florence has a similar recipe at foodnetwork.com using prosciutto. I opted for pancetta because it's similar in flavor, but more moist and less salty, not to mention avoiding bad memories of trying to slice prosciutto when I worked in a supermarket deli. When this appetizer comes out of the oven, you have a nice contrast between the sweet taste of figs and the chewy, salty taste of the pancetta. My other tip with this one is to use a jelly roll pan with sides instead of a baking sheet that doesn't have them. When I pulled this one out of the oven, the excess liquid from the figs was running all over the place, and it was HOT! I'm tempted to try making this in a glass baking dish next time.

Figs in Pancetta Appetizers
10 fresh figs, washed with stems removed 10 slices of pancetta toothpicks to secure fig rolls pepper and honey to taste Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Wrap each fig in a slice of pancetta (as best you can, considering that the slices are round). Use toothpicks to secure the pancetta and fig together. Place fig bundles on pan and bake for 12-15 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with pepper and honey.

Recipe: Easy Mini Pizzas

There's no need to order out for pizza! Save your money and make these at home.

Easy Mini Pizzas
Non-stick cooking spray
1 can refrigerated biscuit dough (I used Pillsbury)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
2 large pieces fresh mozzarella
1 can tomatoes
Basil and garlic to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350° F and spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Chop fresh mozzarella into small pieces. Chop tomatoes, garlic and basil. If you're lucky, you can get Italian-style canned tomatoes that already have the basil and garlic added. Separate dough into 8 pieces and flatten each piece between the palms of your hands. Lay out each piece on the baking sheet, then add tomato mixture on top. Top with fresh mozzarella and shredded mozzarella. Bake for 10 minutes at 350° F or until dough is cooked through.

I had biscuit dough that I bought on sale plus canned Italian-style tomatoes that I bought with a coupon from the Whole Foods newsletter, so I decided to give these a try over the weekend. I tried making half with fresh mozzarella and fresh tomatoes, and the rest with the canned tomatoes and shredded mozzarella. The canned tomatoes actually worked a lot better and there was more than enough in the can for a second batch.

[Recipe adapted from FreeQuickRecipes.com]

Easy One-Pot Noodles For One

Well... I did say that creativity made me forget I was eating ramen every night.

Easy One-Pot Noodles For One
1 package Maruchan ramen noodles
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 chicken breast, diced
1 tsp olive oil

Prepare frozen vegetables according to package directions, usually in the microwave. Add olive oil to saucepan and stir-fry chicken until fully cooked. Remove and place in soup bowl, adding cooked vegetables. Prepare noodle soup according to package directions, and then add on top of vegetables and chicken. Stir and serve. Makes 1-2 servings.

The beauty of this is that you can make substitutions for the vegetables and chicken. Instead of peas and corn, use whatever vegetable medley you have on hand. Skip the chicken and use whatever meat you want. I've even done it with tofu.

Who Says Whole Foods Has To Be Expensive?

Check out the contest they just ran on the Whole Foods blog. They had readers submit a meal idea for 4 people that cost $4 or less per serving. I may have to give some of those recipes a try.

Recipes: Easy Banana Vineagrette

One of my favorite restaurant serves a salad with a banana-ginger vinaigrette that I just love. Unfortunately, as my job situation changed, I had to accept that I just couldn't eat out as often as I use to. When I discovered organic banana vinegar by Kopali Organics at my local Whole Foods, I thought I'd take a shot at making it at home. The amounts are approximate. I usually eyeball it when making it at home.

Kopali does not add any sweetener to their organic vinegars, so while it smells delicious, the taste is somewhat bitter. For my salad dressing, I'll usually add Splenda since I live with diabetics and it's more accessible than other sweeteners. Also, I recently discovered walnut oil from The Olive Tap and sometimes substitute it for the extra virgin olive oil.


Easy Banana Vinaigrette
1/4 cup banana vinegar
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Sugar (or substitute honey or Splenda, depending on your needs)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional: I added garlic sea salt and found that it gave it a bit more kick

Combine all ingredients and whisk until well blended. Toss with salad and serve.

For the salad itself, I like to do shredded cabbage tossed with wonton noodles or slivered almonds.

Recipe: Easy Cabbage and Sausage Soup

Necessity is the mother of invention. In this case, I came up with this soup recipe when I was stuck at home waiting for a contractor and trying to cook with only the ingredients I had on hand.

Easy Cabbage and Sausage Soup
1 package heat-and-serve sausage (I used Andouille, which gave it a nice flavor)
Approximately 1/4 to 1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded
1 package chicken stock
6 slices of Pancetta
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

You can probably add whatever vegetables you have on hand. I didn't have any at the time.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and add the sausage. Cook about half-way according to the package instructions, then remove from saucepan and slice. Return to saucepan and add shredded cabbage and just enough chicken stock to cover. Add the pancetta, salt and pepper and simmer until the liquid reduces and the sausage is fully cooked.

I would have liked it to thicken up a bit more, but I didn't realize until after I added the chicken broth that the cabbage gives off some water as it cooks, thinning the soup out. Potatoes or rice would have been a great addition if I had them.