Leftover Bread Crust Pudding

So I made tea sandwiches the other day for a shower and I had a bunch of leftover crusts from my bread. I decided to try my hand at bread pudding. Sooooooo flippin' good!


- A bunch of bread crusts.
(If you don't have bread crusts, then just use cut up bread).  Enough to fill up an 8x8 baking dish with no gaps.
- 1/2 cup craisins (I used the cherry juice infused)
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 and 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp rum extract
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Fill up your baking dish with your bread.
2. Mix craisins into your bread.
3. In a bowl, beat together eggs, milk, 3/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, run extract and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
4. Pour egg mixture over the bread, and push down the bread to make sure all the bread is soaked in the egg mixture.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when you lightly push it.
6. While pudding cools, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large saucepan. While stirring, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and stir 3 minutes more. Spoon over warm bread pudding.

Chicken and Roasted Veggies!

I am always looking for something easy and relatively quick to make after work. I made this tonight after work and didn't take too long. It is also possible to get this ready the night before and just stick in the oven when you get home!


 INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb (4) chicken thighs (I removed the skin and trimmed fat)
• 1 bunch of asparagus (remove ends and cut in half)
• 2 bell peppers- your favorite color
• 1 cup baby carrots, cut in half
• 2 red onions, chopped in large chunks
• 10 oz whole mushrooms, cut in half
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar ( I used a half packet of Truvia)
• salt and pepper
• 1sprig fresh rosemary, chopped (I just make close cuts with kitchen sheers)
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed (I used the refrigerated garlic)
• 1 tbsp oregano 
• 1 tbsp thyme

Preheat oven to 425°.
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl and mix very well.
Arrange chicken in a pan and the vegetables in a 2nd pan spread out as well as possible.
Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.

I loved, loved, loved the veggies and there were tons. That was great since I am trying to eat healthy.

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Meatloaf

So, you know what I hate? When a recipe calls for just a bit of something. I have heard that you can get tomato paste in a tube, but I am sure it costs more than my $.39 can of it, but how long does paste last? Even in a container? So, I defrosted some ground beef and decided to use a Kraft product that I got for a steal to make meatloaf. Of course, I am not happy with just dumping it in like the back of the container, so I rooted through my fridge and found a few leftovers from other meals and recipes that I dumped in to my meatloaf. My husband had 2 helpings. That's like saying it was from a 5 star restaurant. Especially because he already had one big meal today.
I expect you to root through your fridge and find things to dump in your meatloaf, but if you need some inspiration, here is what I found.

2 lbs Ground Chuck    
2 Large Eggs    
1 package Kraft - Fresh Take- Savory Four Cheese
3/4 can Peeled Diced Tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup chopped Yellow Onion
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce   
2 Tablespoons Spice Supreme - Garlic & Pepper Seasoning

The directions for this are real easy:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Dump all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. (Don't be squeamish, you gotta get your hands in there. Yuck, I know!)
3. Pack into loaf pan evenly.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Take out and pour off some of the grease. (If you are dumping it in the sink, run the water!)
6. Bake an additional 30 minutes.
7. Pour off grease once more and serve!


We put ketchup on it, but we love ketchup.

Bet you can't guess what kind of sandwich my husband is taking to work for lunch tomorrow! ;)

Cheeseburger Pie

I haven't been here in quite a while, but I need to get back to blogging. I have been sharing photos of my food on Facebook, but no recipes. Recipes are the most important part of cooking! People need to read the recipes and say, "I can make that better". Then tweak it and share it with someone. And so on and so on!

On to the reason you are here... FOOD!

Cheeseburger Pie

1 can crescent rolls (apparently, somewhere in the world they sell crescent sheets, but I have never

seen them!)
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped dill pickle slices (still saying, go mini food chopper!)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups shredded American cheese, divided

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Unroll crescent rolls and press into the bottom and up the sides of an 8 inch pie pan.
3. Cook ground beef in a skillet until browned. Drain well.
4. Stir in onion, chopped pickle, ketchup and mustard.
5. Sprinkle with flour and add pickle juice and milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
6. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of shredded cheese.
7. Pour into the prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and top with remaining cup of cheese. Let stand until cheese melts.

Yummy in my tummy :)