Debi's Kitchen

Pumpkin Bread Pudding, breakfast of champions! lol
Here is the recipe:
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
4 Cups white bread, cubed
4 Eggs
3 Egg yolks
1 1/2 Cups milk
1 1/2 Cups heavy cream
3/4 Cup canned pumpkin puree
1 Cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tblsp. rum or brandy (I used pumpkin liqueur)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 Tblsp. butter; cold, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 x 13" baking pan. Dry bread cubes on cookie sheet in oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Place bread cubes in pan. In large mixing bowl, whisk together all pudding ingredients except butter. Pour mixture over bread cubes. Let sit until bread is fully soaked. Dab butter over top. Bake 40 -50 minutes, until set in center.
I didn't have any ground cloves at the time I made this recipe and it was fine without it. I'm sure it would have given it some better flavor though. Next time....

Broccoli and cheese soup in a bread bowl. Recipe from Pioneer Woman, turned out pretty good!

Broccoli Cheese Soup
5 Tblsp. butter
1 Small onion, finely minced
4 Tblsp. flour
2 Cups whole milk
1 Cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste
2 heads broccoli, cut into florets
1 Cup chicken broth
2 Cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Small bread bowl loaves

Steam broccoli florets until crisp tender and set aside. In large pot over medium heat melt butter then add onion. Stir and cook 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle flour on top of onion. Use whisk to work in flour, cook mixture 2-3 minutes. Add milk and half and half whisking constantly until combined. Sprinkle in salt and pepper. Add broccoli and stir. Cover pot and reduce heat to low and simmer 20-25 minutes until soup is thickened and florets are totally soft. Stir in chicken broth and check consistency. The soup should be thick but if it seems too thick splash in a little more broth. Add cheese and stir until melted. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve in bread bowl and top with some more cheese.
Note: For a smoother soup use an immersion blender to puree the soup before adding cheese.
**I may tweak this recipe the next time I make it using beer instead of chicken broth.....**

It's been a while since I've posted from The Kitchen.....
hmmmm, looking through my recipes here and I think tonight it's going to be Baked Macaroni and Cheese!

Gonna bake me an apple pie :-)