Bread pudding is one of my family's favorite desserts, especially when it's cold out.  This is a recipe from one of my mom's old sorority cookbooks, from Diane Howell in Texas.  Scroll to the bottom for some yummy variations.  We love it because it's more custard and less bread.

Custard Bread Pudding

Beat 4 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups milk, 1/2 cup melted butter (cooled), and 1 tsp vanilla.  Stir in 5 chopped up slices of bread.  Pour into a 9 X 13 baking dish, buttered.  Sprinkle w/ a 1/4 cup of sugar mixed w/ a 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown and set.  Serve warm or cold.

*Important note:  most bread pudding recipes, including this one, work best with sturdy firm stale bread.  Too fresh or soft bread just gets mushy.  We like homemade whole wheat, sourdough, ciabatta, or challah bread.  I freeze the last few stale slices from each loaf and save up to use for this treat.

Variations:  sliced bananas and chocolate chips; chopped apples, pears or peaches + nuts; fresh blueberries and cream cheese cut into chunks; caramel or chocolate sauce on top.  Any variation is yummy with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  You can also use half the sugar and it turns out just fine.  Brown sugar gives a nice caramelly flavor.

Gratitude and gifts

Autumn is my favorite time of year.  I love the colors and the clean air, the clear blue sky and putting on a sweater again.  I love the way fall inspires gratitude in my heart.  It must have something to do w/ canning or garden harvesting, or maybe just the beauty of the world around me.

These a few of my favorite fall images - favorites because they recall a beautiful day spent with those I love.

Autumn in Yellowstone Park

2012 at the Gallatin River, September

2010 October at the Gallatin River

Today I continue my 29 Day Giving cycle and I feel more grateful each day for the insights this practice is bringing.  Some meaningful gifts in the past few days - a gift of friendship and reconnection with several women I admire, a workshop that helped me understand my own reactions better and interact with more empathy with all those in my life, some lovely simmering potpourri on the stove making the whole house smell like cinnamon and oranges and cloves, the chance to eat lunch with my daughters today.  When I start thinking deeply about the gifts in my life, it all begins to feel like a gift.