It's not your mama's Carmel Apple Bread Pudding

Since its December, the holidays and noone is really caring all that much about healthy foods, most of the recipes we share are going to be those that are a tad more indulgent than what we would normally eat during the year. Like anyone really minds!

This recipes is a conglomeration of several delicious examples of bread pudding I have had over the years. It all started in Hawaii of all places, where a wonderful relief society president made me bread pudding for the first time. In hers, she used apple pie filling. It was so yummy, I have never made it without. This is comfort food at its finest, kicked up a few notches. ENJOY!

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

10-15 slices of day-old bread. I use either a nice challah/egg bread or 2 loaves of the Pepperidge Farms Cinnamon Toast bread. Torn into medium bite size pieces.

4 eggs

3 c of half and half

2/3 c sugar

2 tsp of vanilla

1/2 t of salt (optional)

1/2 t of ground cinnamon

1 can apple pie filling

Heave oven to 350 degeres. Spray bottom of 8 x 13 cake pan with pam. Beat eggs in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Put 1/2 of the torn bread slices into the pan. Take one-half can of the applie pie filling and spread over the bread. Pour 1/2 of the egg mixture on top of the bread/apple mix. Put remaining pieces of bread over the top. Spread the remaining apple pie mix on top of the bread. Pour the remaining egg mix on top. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Serve warm with caramel sauce (See below) and french vanilla ice cream.

Caramel Sauce

2/3 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c light corn syrup

1/2 c half and half

2 T butter.

Heat all the ingredients to boiling in 1 qt sauce pan over medium low heat, stirring constantly. Drizzle over top of bread pudding and ice cream.

Lower calorie/lower fat version: (Again - this is comfort food, so low is all relative). You can substitute the half and half for 1% or 2% milk. No adjustment in amount is necessary.

Small Family: Reduce everything in half and prepare in an 8 x 8 pan.

SUGGESTIONS: As indicated above, I use Pepperidge Farms Cinnamon Swirl Bread (with or without raisins, its your preference). It adds another layer of flavors.

Holiday Frozen Banana Split

This has been a holiday tradition for as long as I can remember Christmas at the Hellers. We would make a run to my grandma's in Columbus and then come back and open presents. There was always a frozen desert there to eat. When I first got married, I remember searching through the stores for peppermint candy cane ice cream in Honolulu Hawaii and was so upset when I couldnt find it. We came up with the idea of just crushing candy canes and folding it into the vanilla ice cream that I had bought instead of what was SUPPOSED to be in the desert. We then added a little peppermint extract. Folded it together and then spread it on top of the bananas. Every year I search for candy cane ice cream after Thanksgiving.

It is the kind of desert you do not feed your children close to bedtime, well, adults too. If you are hypoglycemic, forget the sugar pills, just have a small piece of this. I know its frozen, its ice cream and its winter, but it is so worth it! Besides, you can store it in the garage if you need to (That's if you live in the norther tundra, like we do. California or Florida, I dont know that the garage is a good storage solution!)

One 1/2 gallon of candy cane or peppermint stick ice cream, slightly thawed
1 recipe of Hot Fudge Sauce (see below) completely cooled.
2-3 bananas sliced into about 1/2 inch rounds.
1 bag of oreo cookies, (crumbled in a food processor) combined with 1/2 stick of butter melted.
1 regular size container of cool whip
10-15 candy canes crushed

Assemble the following:
In a 9 x 13 cake pan (I use a glass cake pan) press the oreo cookie crumble/butter mixture.

Place the sliced bananas on top of the cookie crumbs, covering the entire area.

Slice ice cream into 1 inch slices and place over the bananas in an even layer, covering entire area. This works when it is slightly thawed and you can use a cutting knife to slice through.

Spread completely cooled hot fudge sauce over the top of the ice cream.

Spread Cool Whip over the top of the fudge sauce.

Sprinke crushed candy canes on top of the Cool Whip.

FREEZE SOLID.

HOT FUDGE SAUCE RECIPE:
1 c evaporated milk
2 c powdered sugar
1 stick butter
1 c chocolate chips
1 t vanilla

Add all incredients (except vanilla) to a heavy sauce pan. Cook on med-low, stirring constantly. Cook until the sauce if bubbly and thick (about 10 minutes). When it begins to cool, it will thicken. Stir well. You will notice a glossy shine to the sauce.


There are no lower calorie or low calorie versions of this. It totally messes with the devlish purpose of this dessert. If you insist, try using just the dark cookie crumbs or graham cracker crumbs. Replace the butter with margarine. Use a reduced fat ice cream and the lite cool whip, but no matter what you do, its still just not something that you would call healthy, so what the heck, eat and enjoy as is.

For smaller families: This can be made to be any size you want it to be. Just find a container that works for you/your family and layer accordingly.

SUGGESTIONS: The fudge sauce is great by itself warmed and poured over ice cream. Cold, it is thick enough that you can spread between two cookies or on graham crackers.

This dessert can be made at any time of the year, using any fruit that will freeze well, any flavored ice cream and any combination of crumbles on top. Be creative. It is simple, it is fun to make and everyone will love it!

Chicken Divan

This recipe was one of my mom's creations (as were many), born out of "what do I have in the pantry to feed 10 people). This was her leftover, throw together, recipe that now has become a family favorite.

2-3 cups cooked chicken (both white and dark meat)

2-3 cups cooked rice

1 large (family) size pkg of chopped broccoli

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 c mayonnaise or sour cream (I have used both)

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tsp of paprika

1 cup shredded cheddar/colby/ cojack cheese

browned bread crumbs ( I like to use panko bread crumbs)

Blanch broccoli until no longer frozen (it doesnt have to be cooked all the way through). In a large bowel add the broccoli, cooked chicken, cooked rice. soup, mayo, lemon juice, s&p, paprika and shredded cheese. Mix to incorporated. Place into buttered large casserole dish. I use one that is longer and more shallow rather than a deep one. Sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. I serve with a salad.

Lower calorie/lower fat version (note I say LOWER calorie instead of LOW calorie): Use the reduced fat cream of chicken soup and the reduced fat mayonnaise. Eliminate the buttered bread crumbs. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE low-fat cheese. It doesnt have the same melting consistency as regular cheese and ends up being stringy and has a bizzare texture.

Small Family: reduce everything in half.

Really Small Family (for one or two): Make the small family recipe and freeze the other half. You will need to unthaw completely before you bake. The cheese, if well-incorporated into the casserole before freezing, should melt fine.

Suggestions: I use both white and dark meat for the chicken. Usually its the leftover chicken from baked chicken a few nights before. You can use either mayonnaise or sour cream. Either regular or reduced-fat. They both work. I have also replaced the chicken soup with a medium white sauce made with chicken broth or boullion instead of the milk. That helps to reduce the overall fat content as well and adds a layer of flavor that you loose with the canned soups. Also, Panko bread crumbs make a much crispier topping than the regular. They are lighter, not as heavy.