Two Holiday Recipes: Pineapple Bread Pudding and Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

So I am already cooking for Christmas gatherings around my house! The first recipe I have for you today is from my friend Noelie who shared with me her Mom's recipe for Pineapple Bread Pudding. It is a family favorite of theirs, and it is to die for. This would be perfect for a big family Christmas gathering because it makes a HUGE pan of bread pudding and you can prepare it the night before and refrigerate it, and then just pop it in the oven before dinner (or just make it the day of, it takes no time!). I added the vanilla sauce and the coconut and it made the recipe divine. I think next time I make the sauce I will try to make a sauce with coconut milk to make it like a pina colada bread pudding.

Noelie’s Mom’s Pineapple Bread Pudding (Big Pan)

2 loaves of French bread, ripped into chunks
5 eggs
3 (12 oz) cans of evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
2 (15 oz) cans crushed pineapple, undrained
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Large box of instant vanilla pudding mix
Toasted coconut (if desired for garnish)
Vanilla Sauce (recipe follows)

Mix eggs, milk, and sugar together in a large bowl (the biggest bowl you can find!!) Then add vanilla, pudding mix, and pineapple and stir. Stir in bread chunks. Pour into a large (turkey roasting size) pan and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour. Serve warm topped with vanilla sauce and toasted coconut if desired.

For a smaller crowd, cut recipe in half and cook in a 9 x 13 inch pan. You can also make the full recipe and divide into two pans if desired. You can prep the night before and store unbaked in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, and bake just before serving.

Vanilla Sauce for Bread Pudding (from Cooks.com)
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter
½ cup of heavy cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla

In a saucepan combine sugars, butter, and cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and comes to a full boil (5-8 minutes). Stir in vanilla. Serve warm drizzled over the bread pudding.

This next recipe I saw in Southern Living magazine and I am a sucker for gingerbread recipes. I love it and have fond memories of eating it as a child when we went to visit Westville, Georgia (does anyone else remember the gingerbread and lemonade besides me?). This recipe has a twist, it is chocolate gingerbread with chocolate chips. I also added a teaspoon of cinnamon, but that is up to you. I just love the combination of cinnamon with chocolate, it gives it a little something extra. In the magazine they made it in a fancy tree-shaped Bundt pan, but I made mine in a plain, ordinary Bundt pan and it turned out just fine!

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake (from Southern Living December 2011 issue)
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 large eggs
¼ cup molasses
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon of confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat 12-cup Bundt pan (can use regular Bundt pan or decorative tree Bundt pan) with nonstick spray (I used Baker’s Joy). Sift together flour, cocoa powder, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Beat in fresh ginger. Reduce speed to medium and beat in eggs, 1 at a time, and then molasses, scraping bowl occasionally with rubber spatula. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until combined, scraping down bowl occasionally with rubber spatula. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour until or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack and cool completely. Before serving, dust with confectioner’s sugar. Is also good warmed up with a dollop of whipped cream!

Breakfast Goodies: Breakfast Casserole and Sweetheart Cherry Cheese Danish

Decided to surprise my crew at work with breakfast one morning when we were having "down-time" on our computer system. These were both yummy and easy to make. The best part is that it can be prepped the night before and the danish can stay in the fridge until time to serve and the casserole can be popped in the oven while you are getting ready in the morning and be done in time for breakfast!

Breakfast Casserole
1 pound breakfast sausage (we like to use "hot")
6 slices of white bread, torn into pieces
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Brown sausage, stirring to crumble. Drain well. Line the bottom of a greased 13x9 baking dish with bread pieces. Sprinkle sausage over bread and top with cheese. Combine milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and dry mustard beating well. Pour over the ingredients in the casserole dish. Can be covered and refrigerated overnight at this point if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Sweetheart Cherry Cheese Danish
2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 cup sugar; plus 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can cherry pie filling (or is equally delicious with blueberry!)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Roll out and press 1 package crescent roll dough into the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan (pinch and seal perforations). In a small mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla. Spread cream cheese mixture over the crescent roll dough in the pan. Spoon pie filling over cream cheese layer evenly. Roll out the other can of crescent roll dough to fit over the top of the layers (pinching and sealing perforations). Combine melted butter, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and almonds in a small bowl and sprinkle over the top of the dish. Bake at 350 degrees for around 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. This is best eaten when cooled to room temperature or out of the fridge (not hot!).

Mama's Birthday Dinner: Marinated Pork Loin, Mac and Cheese, and Peach Crumble Recipes

So...I decided to start a food blog since I like to cook and try new (and old) recipes. I figured this way if anyone was interested they could have them too. So my first post will be about my mom's birthday dinner that I cooked on Sunday night.

Menu
Grilled Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Baked Macaroni and Cheese (Lady and Sons Recipe)
Broccoli Salad (Scooter Store Recipe from Jason Ketchum)
Black Eyed Peas
Peach Crumble

Grilled Marinated Pork Tenderloin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch garlic powder
2 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloins
1 can of ginger ale

Mix all ingredients in large ziploc bag and make sure pork is well covered with marinade. Place in refrigerator and let marinate overnight. If going to marinate a shorter amount of time, omit the ginger ale. Then discard marinade and put tenderloins on grill or roast in oven (350) until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.
Lady's Cheesy Mac
4 cups cooked elbow macaroni
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper, to taste
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350. Place cooked macaroni in a large bowl and add cheese. Combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni and cheese. Pour macaroni and cheese into a greased casserole dish and bake for 30-45 minutes. Can top with additional cheese if desired (add a few minutes before taking out of oven.

Peach Crumble
Crumble:
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely chopped nuts

Pudding Mixture:
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped peaches
(must either use canned peaches or fresh peaches that have been macerated with sugar overnight)

For crumble, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together egg, sugar and nuts and spread out thinly on a buttered cookie sheet (works better if you use parchment paper or a silpat to line the cookie sheet instead of buttering it). Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned and hardened. Take out of over and allow to cool completely. Then, crumble the sheet into chunky pieces and set aside.

For the pudding, mix together vanilla pudding, milk, sour cream, and peaches and allow to set up in the fridge.

For serving: Right before serving, place a layer of crumble in the bottom of a dessert bowl or parfait glass. Top with pudding mixture and then place additional crumble on top. (Makes about 6 individual desserts).

This recipe is very simple but elegant and it is very tasty! Give it a try!!