I know what you’re thinking…
We just got through Thanksgiving, there are bowls of leftovers crammed in the fridge and now we have to plan for and work through more holiday crap?
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
We’ve done it before. We can do it again.
The bills for the last holiday are going to be on the statement coming in the next few days and it ain’t gonna be pretty.
Time to cut corners where we can.
Bread puddings are a great two-fer, when it comes to desserts.
They use up the bread that’s hard enough to dent walls and the rest of the ingredients are usually on hand.
If anybody starts pining for a fancy cake, give him THE LOOK, and start yelling about all you have to do to get all the Christmas chores done.
We’ve done it before. We can do it again.
Hints:
About the Bread and Butter Pudding #2…
This recipe is excellent for using leftover breads. Try rolls, raisin bread or biscuits.
Want to add raisins or chocolate chips? Add 1/4 Cup to the egg mixture.
You can use a larger pan and double the recipe.
Brown sugar instead of white is also good.
About the Bread Pudding with Banana-Pecan Rum Sauce…
This works best with bread that is a few days old.
If you want to add 1/4 Cup dried currants, separate them so that there won’t be clumps. Pour the bread mixture into the casserole in three batches, sprinkling a third of the currants over each.
Refrigerate the pudding for at least 3 hours to serve chilled with whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup.
It's also delicious at room temperature and served with vanilla custard sauce.
About the Tres Leches Bread Pudding…
For a bit of variety you can add banana slices, marshmallows or raisins.
If you prefer a crusty top remove pudding from the oven 10 minutes before it is done, and sprinkle over the top a mixture of
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Cup oatmeal
Return to oven to complete baking.
Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Lightly grease a deep 2-quart baking dish.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Cube enough to make 4 Cups
white bread
Place cubes in baking dish.
Place in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
While cubes are browning, place in medium pot
2 Cups milk
1/4 Cup butter, cubed
Place over medium heat and stir until butter is melted.
Remove pan of bread from oven and pour milk / butter mixture over cubes.
Sprinkle over the cubes
1⁄2 Cup raisins
Let sit 10 minutes.
Stir in
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1⁄2 Cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
Blend well to combine thoroughly.
Cover and bake for 50 minutes.
While the pudding is baking prepare the Vanilla Sauce
Place in a medium saucepan
1⁄2 Cup butter
1⁄2 Cup sugar
1⁄2 Cup brown sugar
1⁄2 Cup heavy cream
Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat 10 minutes, or until thickened.
Remove saucepan from heat and stir in
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Let pudding stand at least 10 minutes before serving with sauce.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Bread and Butter Pudding
Grease well a 9 x 9 baking pan.
Have on hand
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 Cup raisins
Remove the crusts from
8 slices of bread
Butter the slices, using a total of about 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter.
Cut each slice in half to form two triangles.
Place 8 of the bread triangles with the butter side up in the prepared pan.
Sprinkle half of the cinnamon and the raisins over the bread layer.
Place another layer of bread slices on top.
Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon and the raisins over the bread layer.
Place in a medium bowl
2 large eggs
1/4 Cup sugar
Stir together and set aside.
Place in a small pot
1 1⁄2 Cups milk
1/4 Cup heavy cream
Over medium heat, stir together until combined.
Add about 1/4 Cup to the egg mixture and stir well.
Pour the warmed egg mixture into the milk mixture, remove from heat and stir to combine well.
Pour the custard mixture over the bread and let rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven, let cool, sprinkle with sugar to garnish and serve.
Bread and Butter Pudding #2
Grease well a 1 1/2-quart casserole.
Place in a small pot
2 1/2 Cups milk
Scald, remove from heat, set aside and allow to cool.
Have on hand
8 slices of French bread, each 1/2 inch thick
Butter one side of each slice, using a total of about 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter.
Place the bread slices, buttered sides up, in the prepared casserole.
Sprinkle with
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Place in a medium bowl
3 large eggs
Slightly beat, then add
2/3 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
Stir together, then add the cooled scalded milk.
Pour over bread.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Place casserole in a large pan.
Add enough very hot water to the pan to go up the sides about 1 inch.
Cover casserole loosely with aluminum foil.
Bake 20 minutes, then remove foil.
Continue baking 40 minutes longer, until a knife inserted 1 inch from edge of casserole comes out clean. (Cover with foil if top is getting too brown.)
Take pan out of the oven and remove the casserole.
Sprinkle pudding with confectioner’s sugar (optional)
Serve warm.
Store leftovers, covered, in refrigerator.
Bread Pudding with Banana-Pecan Rum Sauce
Grease well a 2 1/2-quart casserole.
Combine in a small bowl
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Have
8 ounces of sliced white bread
Butter one side of each slice, using about a teaspoon unsalted butter on each.
Sprinkle the sugar / cinnamon evenly over the buttered bread.
Stack the bread and cut into cubes, 16 squares per slice.
Place in a large bowl
4 large eggs
1/3 Cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Cups milk
4 teaspoons rum (or 2 teaspoons extract)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Stir together to combine.
Add buttered bread cubes, mixing gently.
Pour mixture into the prepared casserole and let stand for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Bake for 45 minutes, until golden and a knife inserted in centre comes out clean.
Place dish on rack and cool 20 minutes to serve with either ice cream or sauce.
While the pudding is baking prepare the Banana-Pecan Rum Sauce
Slice into 1/4-inch rounds
2 medium bananas
Set aside.
Place in a small skillet
1/2 Cup chopped pecans
Stirring constantly over low heat, toast the pecans for a few minutes.
Remove nuts to a small bowl.
Add to the skillet
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Melt over medium heat.
Add
1/4 Cup dark brown sugar
Cook, stirring, for about a minute.
Add
2 to 4 Tablespoons rum (or 1 to 2 Tablespoons extract)
1/16 teaspoon salt
the sliced bananas
Stirring occasionally, simmer for 2 minutes.
Spoon over warm bread pudding.
Custardy Bread Pudding
Grease well a 1 1/2-quart casserole.
Place in a small pot
2 Cups milk
Scald, remove from heat, set aside and allow to cool.
Cube enough to make
2 Cups
white bread
Place cubes in prepared baking dish.
Place in a large bowl
3 large eggs
Beat well, then add
the cooled scalded milk
1/2 Cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 to 1/2 Cup raisins (optional)
Stir together to combine.
Pour mixture over the bread cubes and combine lightly.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Place casserole in a large pan.
Add enough very hot water to the pan to go up the sides about 1 to 2 inches.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until a knife inserted into the centre of casserole comes out clean.
Serve warm.
Tres Leches Bread Pudding
Grease well a 9x13 inch (3-quart) glass baking pan.
Cut into 1-inch cubes
1 loaf (12 oz) French bread
Place in a large bowl
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 Cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 egg yolks
Beat with wire whisk.
Stir in bread cubes.
Pour mixture into baking dish.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and centre is set.
Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.
Sprinkle with chocolate shavings (optional)
~~~~
Back in 2004 I wrote this for the CKUW radio show ‘2000 & Counting’.
Christmas stress and chores haven’t changed. Darn!!
Whenever I wonder if God is a man or a woman - which I admit isn't often - all I have to do is remember the ho-ho-ho good time women have during the holidays.
Yep.. God is a man.
He sits there and just expects holidays to happen. They happened last year, right? No problem. He just sat and wallah! Christmas.
Okay, ladies, we know it takes more than sitting. Remember that cheery little commercial in which we heard Nat King Cole singing about Mrs. Santa Claus? We saw a woman frantically throwing toys into a cart with one hand, keeping a toddler from jumping out of the cart with another hand and clutching a preschooler with another hand. Of course she had three hands. She was a Mom.
Admit it. We don't have holidays because we like them. They're part of our culture, our tradition, our civilization. Yeah. So's cleaning the toilet. There are books with sentimental nonsense, like:
Evenings when blustery winds howled were cozy times, perfect for sorting recipes. The children were helping Mama at the oak table chopping fruit and raisins. Papa was happily crushing nuts and fresh spices in the grinder.
Yeah. Those people had cabin fever. Sorting recipes? Didn't they have any favourites? Children chopping raisins? Sure. Yank a gameboy out of a kid's hands, give him a big sharp knife and you'll both end up on the 6 o'clock news. Papa crushing his nuts in a what? I don't think so.
Remember how we thought technology would make life easier? How we'd have four day work weeks and loads of leisure? Uh huh. Technology means that even if you're in a public washroom, you - and a dozen other women who had to answer nature's call - can't escape your cellphone playing Up a Lazy River. Work is feast or famine - either you've nailed three part time jobs into a raft which you hope will carry you to your golden years when your ship will come in (if the pension plan doesn't go belly up) or you've been downsized. Again.
And now the holidays are back.
Okay, grab a pen and paper, sit down and think this through. Why are you doing this? Some say Jesus is the reason for the season. Okay, that's a start. If He's the only reason you're doing The Season it should be a lot less hectic. Remember God became human. Humans can't become God. So get rid of the crap that’s crept into the creche.
What's important to you and your family? Not to the neighbours, not to Granny and definitely not to the stores. If you want to create pleasant memories set your own priorities. Don't let urgent things like making fancy decorations keep you from important things like spending time together. If anyone tries to talk you into doing something a little extra, just say no.
Back to those memoirs. Maybe chopping and crushing was their idea of a crackerjack good time. But if your kids are going to make a beeline for the Oreoes, why stay up till midnight making sugar cookies in strange shapes that can't be dunked into a glass of milk? I know. It's tradition. So, delegate. Bang open some tubes of cookie dough and let the kids get creative while you take pictures. They'll actually eat those cookies.
Invited someone who thinks store bought food is just not fit for the holidays? Stock up now, destroy the wrappings, toss your cookies into bread bags and freeze them. Remember how in the 60s we distressed furniture? When it's 'show time' pop the cookies into the oven for nice burnt edges. Muck up the cake's icing so it'll look like you really tried. The snob will respect your efforts and eat, none the wiser. Just make things look like they weren't made by a professional.
Speaking of professional, avoid The Stewart. If you must watch Martha, remember: It's TV. She's paid to be a pain. You've seen blooper shows. Trust me. Martha bloopers. She bakes 20 cakes and shows the best one. Look at the credits. She has an army doing the work. She isn't trying to make all this crap when she's bone tired after putting in a 12 hour day and everyone's asleep. When you watch one of those autopsy shows like CSI do you get an urge to carve up a cadaver, too?
Do you have a friend who's another Martha? Whoopee for her. Like Mama done told you, if your friend jumped off a bridge would you do it, too? There has to be something your friend hates to do. Now's a good time to swap your expertise for hers. Yes, you are good at something. She bakes, you wrap. See?
Ever feel that if you don't do everything the family's been doing since the Dark Ages, the holidays will be ruined forever, it will be all your fault and the family will never recover? According to Doctor Bush, a psychologist, Guilt feelings are a messy mixture of insecurity, self-doubt, self-condemnation, self-judgment, anxiety and fear. It's a whole mishmash of stuff.
Dump the guilt. Make a list of all the things you think you have to do, including making that mystery relish that's been in the family since the Black Death. After dinner, before everyone runs off, read the list. If something gets big smiles, it's a keeper. If you say 'Relish' and people make barfing sounds, scratch it. If your family's too polite or you've invited out of town relatives just think about the past year. If you were still trying to unload that relish with the Easter ham, lose the recipe.
Office Parties were dandy back when men held the same job for decades, 'The Wives' were drooling to dress up and 'Meet those exciting people you work with' and the kids could be packed off to Granny's. Now both spouses have parties - guess what, they're always on the same night - 'The Wives' and 'The Husbands' don't want to meet The Idiots you're always complaining about, Granny's on a cruise and the Goth babysitter looks like Dracula. You see your co-workers enough. They'll save you a copy of the secretary's xeroxed butt.
Cards used to be nice and simple. They had pretty pictures and a cheery message. All you had to do was sign and send. Then some fool got creative and started printing up long bragging letters. Do your friends a favour. Don't write The Letter.
Being tempted by seeing everybody in the flyers looking wildly happy? Want your family to go nuts, too? Guess what. The folks in the flyers are models who were paid big bucks to grin like idiots and jump around like that. Stores want you to buy stuff. That's their only goal. Helping you have a nice holiday is not their problem. If they had their way you'd replace everything every year.
Remember how the best presents were items that showed someone knew what you really liked? Maybe somebody hunted down a book by your favourite author. Those gimmicky things that looked impressive seem downright strange on December 26th. Do your family a favour and toss those flyers.
Do get yourself some little treats. I have a friend who picks up a few bags of pfeffernusse cookies every November. Whenever she feels like all she's doing is giving, giving, giving, she pops a pfeffernusse and gives herself an old time Christmas. It doesn't take much.
God bless us, everyone.
