Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding

8 slices bread, cubed
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


Sauce:
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Place bread cubes in greased slow cooker. Beat together egss and milk. Stir in the sugar, butter, raisins, and cinnamon  Pour over bread and stir. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook another 3-4 hours or until thermometer reaches 160 degrees.


Make sauce just before pudding is done baking. Begin by melting butter in saucepan. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add water, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to boil. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve sauce over warm pudding.


If you omit the sauce the sugar level is not as high. My husband prefers his bread pudding dunked in milk.

Caramel Apple Pie

Caramel Apple Pie

1 pastry crust for a deep-dish pie 9-inch (homemade or store-bought)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
6 cups thinly-sliced peeled apples (I use Granny Smith)



1 recipe crumb topping (see below)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup caramel topping


Ingredients for crumb topping:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup butter


Directions for Crumb Topping:
Stir together brown sugar, flour and rolled oats. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until topping is like course crumbs. Set aside.


Directions for pie:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add apple slices and gently toss until coated. Transfer apple mixture to the pie shell. 

Sprinkle crumb topping over apple mixture. (It will seem really high but it all sinks as it cooks. Place pie on a cookie sheet so the drippings don't drop into your oven. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil or pie crust shield.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 25 minutes. Then remove foil and put back in for another 25 to 30 minutes without foil. Remove from oven. Sprinkle pie with chopped pecans then drizzle with caramel on top. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm or at room temperature. We serve with ice cream or Cool Whip.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 pound whole mushrooms (white or baby portabellos are fine)

1/2 cup cooked bacon

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup bread crumbs

dash oregano

dash parsley

dash basil

dash salt

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Clean mushrooms, remove stems from mushrooms, chop stems and set aside. Arrange mushrooms, bottoms up in a baking dish. In medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together chopped mushroom stems, bacon, garlic and bread crumbs. Slowly cook and stir 5 to 7 minutes, or until bread crumbs start to brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little.

Mix cream cheese and parmesan cheese into mushroom stem mixture.

 Stuff into mushroom caps.

Stuff into mushroom caps. Bake stuffed mushrooms in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until stuffing is lightly browned.