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.

Something yummy for Friday: Peanut Noodles

How can I not blog about food?  I'm obsessed.  So here goes, every Friday, one favorite recipe, just for you.  And it won't always be easy, healthy, vegan, etc.  But sometimes it will :)

Peanut Butter Noodles

Super duper easy, fast and portable.  11 year olds can make this dish for sure.  

a couple cloves of minced garlic

1/2 cup of pb (or cashew butter)

4 tbsp rice vinegar (or apple cider)

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (if you put this in first, then the honey, the honey slides out of the measuring spoon easier)

hot sauce to taste  (we like Frank's Red Hot)

grated fresh ginger (optional)

Mix all up, add in enough hot water to get it the consistency you like.  For topping rice or dipping tofu or veggie sticks, you might leave it thicker.  For noodles, make it runnier.

Add chopped cukes, broccoli, shredded carrots and cabbage if you like.  Chopped peanuts or cashews or toasted sesame seeds are good on top.

Serve over fried tofu, veggies, noodles or rice.  Or use as a dipping sauce.

This is especially nice to take along, it doesn't need refrigeration.  It's also good for colds (no dairy, lots of raw garlic and ginger).

You can double it and freeze some.

Enjoy!