Crock Pot Bread Pudding, Recipe and Ramble

These are leftovers, because I forgot to snap a picture during the original eating

The following is part recipe and part confession.  The recipe part is super easy and yields delicious bread pudding.  The confession aspect is more complicated…see, it turns out I am a total nana.  Technically, I’m only nana-like, but if I started a promiscuous line or lived back in, say, Tudor England, I’m technically old enough to be an actual nana.  Like, the sort of nana with grandchildren – the real sort.  In actuality, I have two houseplants (one dead) and neither child nor grandchild.  Scattered throughout this process were moments akin to what a grandmother might do, for which I (cringingly) awarded myself “nana points.”

I’m not exactly sure what compelled me to make bread pudding, but the need was strong.  I’m not even a huge fan of bread pudding and I lack any emotional attachment to it.  Growing up, we rarely had it as my mother classified it as soggy, old bread.  That is a true statement, except you then cook – or crock – the soggy, old bread.  Conveniently, I had a little over one-third of a baguette left over from earlier in the week.  Completely stale, bread pudding or bread crumbs were probably the only practical purposes for it.  If you are keeping track, that’s two nana points: one for bread pudding and one for salvaging old bread.

Hot Chocolate

Yum.  I a convert of making my own hot chocolate.  My friend SB recently blogged about how “it’s basically as easy/quick, yet much tastier” to make one’s own hot chocolate.  I’ll agree with her on the second point, but not the first.  However, while it is significantly more involved and time consuming to make cocoa from scratch, it’s still super easy and super fast…and super worth it.

As per my usual, I didn’t actually measure anything.  Thus, I can’t comment on her exact recipe.  I CAN (and will!) say that it is a great guide.  I really liked the kick from the cinnamon; it was NOT too much.   Try it.  You’ll love us both.  Recipe is here . 

This would probably work well in a crockpot, for a larger group or thirsty/cold friends.  I would probably melt the chocolate in a saucepan, for faster results.  It would require an extra pan, but I think that is worth it to avoid melting chocolate in a crock.

Warning: This is super rich and makes Swiss Miss look/taste/smell like dirty water.

Warning #2: NO RUM FOR KIDS.

Five Good Things

I’ve been traveling a lot, albeit not to any super exciting or thrilling destination – e.g. I just got back from New Jersey.  Thankfully, good things happen all over. Here are five:

1.) I raced all last weekend. My team did really well and we won loads, which always makes things more enjoyable.

2.) I’m on staycation this week.  My plans are heavily in the “stay” and less in the “cation” but I’m okay with that.

3.) I have a new favorite blueberry muffin recipe that I barely change.  I would share how I change it, but I’m not consistent with my changes.

4.) Although I still have central air, I do not need to run it at present. I also have heat and do not need to run that either.

5.) Garden is doing amazingly, and due to staycation, I have time to harvest and try new recipes.

Shameless Plug

Like most people, I have friends whose writings are enjoyable to read.  One of them, Sliced Bread, is (back) in the blogosphere and I’m pretty pumped up about it.   She’s a total foodie, by both hobby and profession.  I highly recommend checking out her blog if you are ever hungry and/or bored.  Check out her blog by clicking on her handle above or on my blogroll in the sidebar.

Canine Candidate for Mensa

Along with most of my friends (and a heck of a lot of strangers) I read Hyperbole and a Half.  A couple of days ago the blogger posted regarding some concerns she had about her dog’s, um, intellectual abilities.  She made me laugh – hard. 

Today I visited Not-My-Dog (but wish he was and hope to borrow him again soon) and told my buddy/his owner about some tests to determine dog intelligence.  Obviously we had to test Pup’s capabilities.  Beingst that he (Pup) was THE STAR of Petco Puppy Preschool, we were pretty confident that he’d rock out.  

I wanted to post the video here directly, but that’s $60/year, so yeah…

You can view the brilliance here

A Penny Saved…Wait, Can I Even Get a Gumball With That?

Another blog I read recently featured a post about saving money. The blogger, who seems pretty awesome, asked readers to share their tips for saving money. I started to reply in the comments, but um, I was going on a little long, so opted instead to just head over here and post myself.

WAYS I AM SAVING MONEY:

1.) I rock the crock (pot). Crock pots are great for saving time and money. Momtrolfreak says she doesn’t cook, but some CP recipes are pretty hard to mess up. One of my favorite CP recipes is also one of the cheapest to make; it’s almost always made out of produce I already bought, but wouldn’t get a chance to finish before they spoil. You can find the recipe at the bottom of this post. As a bonus, it freezes really well for things like packed lunches down the road. Six quarts of something cheap is still six quarts. Crock pots are remarkably energy efficient little buggers, so you won’t lose your savings to energy costs.

2.) I clip coupons. I get my coupons from the Sunday paper, store circulars, the mail, and the internet – one of my grocery stores also allows me to “clip” coupons on their website and add them to my store loyalty card. I also look through the ads for sales on products I buy most. I don’t have the space to stockpile for Armageddon and I abhor clutter, but I do have some storage/closet space and I try to use it wisely. I also know what a “good” price is for the products that I use most and try to combine the best prices with coupons.

3.) Weather, time, and geography permitting; I walk, bike, or take public transit. Parking and gas are both expensive. Since I do not buy a monthly pass, public transit is not always cheaper than driving for me.  I hold an expectation that it ought to be and I want it to be, but sometimes I have to stop to think. “Stopping to think” is often a great way to save money.

School Composting

This post about school composting fascinated and amazed me.

I’ve been reading Mrs. Q’s blog for awhile, and it’s pretty much solidified that school lunch options will be a consideration for me when I explore school options for my eventual kids.  I generally turned my cute little nose up at hot lunch when I was in elementary school, and that was back in the day when lunches were cooked on site in kitchens and fresh fruit was at every meal. While this blog normally horrifies me, today it inspired me.

Happy Earth Day!