I made a new friend...

and an unlikely one at that. His name was bread pudding. He was the most unapealing looking creature a cake hater would dare dip a fork into. But I was so amused by the escalating excitement of the server as he assured me I had not lived until I tried it, well I had to try it. I have to live after all, and he had to wipe the drool off his chin. He picked the perfect piece and told me that I must have it with a bit of vanilla ice cream, another dessert item I'm not particularly excited about.

This was a strange looking square on my plate. It looked like cake only wetter. I even caught myself grimacing as I raised the first forkfull of warm swamp cake to my lips. Fully prepared to be disgusted. I was so wrong. I feel like someone has been keeping a secret from me. What is this bread pudding I've never heard of? It wasn't cake. And it wasn't really soggy either. It definately was not pudding. I don't know where that name came from. It was like warm zucchini bread without the zucchini. I instantly wanted to be sitting beside a fireplace watching the snow fall.

So as a good dork would do I googled bread pudding recipes and found that approximately 8 million versions. There are savory bread puddings, which seem really similar to a strata. And there are banana bread puddings, chocolate bread puddings, pumpkin bread puddings, caramel bread puddings. A Louisiana bread pudding with whiskey sauce - I think I'll stay away from that one for obvious reasons. At some point I will wade through the mountain of bread puddings and return with some viable recipes.

Pumpkin Smoothie

I'm in love with whoever threw this recipe together. I love pumpkin. I've never met anyone else who's uttered those words, which makes me seem a bit strange now that I think about it. It's an odd thing to love, but I love pumpkin so deal with it. I don't however like to get messy, so thank you Libby for making pumpkin available year round and mess free. This is good stuff. Think pumpkin flavored milkshake. I love that you only need 1/2 cup pumpkin which is about the amount I usually have left when I make pumpkin soup (and yes, I make it alot). Here's the recipe...enjoy it by a warm fire while reading a good book. While your at invite me over - you provide the fireplace, I'll provide the smoothie.

1/2 cup canned pumpkin (be sure to use canned pumpkin, not canned pie filling)
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk (can use plain soy milk)
1/2 cup crushed ice
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Nutritional Info: 162 calories | 5 grams protein | 34 grams carbs | 4 grams fiber | 2 grams fat

Tomato Grits from Paula Deen

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. Can't think of any more decriptors. Just YUM. A few notes: I can not even fathom using a stick of butter in anything so I used half. Didn't make it much less offensive to my arteries but it did make me feel better. I omitted the cooking of the green onions. It just seemed like an unnecessary step. I also don't have a clue what a garlic cheese roll is so I used 4 oz of cream cheese. The results were still Yum. I'm not sure what role the eggs play. I saw a version of this recipe on the food network and the garlic roll was replaced with velveeta and garlic powder and the eggs were omitted. Next time I may try it without. Either way, did I mention this was Yum?

Ingredients
2 cups water
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick cooking grits
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup diced green onions
4 ounces kraft garlic cheese roll
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies (suggested: Ro-Tel)
2 eggs lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a saucepan, bring the water and milk to a boil. Add the salt and slowly add the grits and return to a boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. (stirring here is key to correct consistency) Reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. While stirring the grits add the 1/2 cup of butter and stir until butter is melted. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the grits are thick and creamy. Remove from heat and set aside.

Using a skillet, saute the onions in the remaining tablespoon of butter for 1 minute. Add the garlic cheese, 1 1/2 cups cheddar, and onions to grits, and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the tomatoes and egg and mix well. Pour the grits into a greased 8 by 11 by 2-inch casserole and bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese over the casserole for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Roasted Chickpeas

You might find this odd, roasting chickpeas and all. I added a bit of red pepper for a little heat and while I was a bit skeptical at first, was delightfully surprised. It was crunchy and warm and nutty. They were great by themselves. I tossed some on a salad the next day and they were great there too. Call me crazy, but I think I'm a fan of roasted chickpeas.

Ingredients

Makes 2 cups
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) chickpeas
3 tablespoons olive oil, to coat
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon hot or sweet paprika

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drain and rinse chickpeas; pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet; toss with olive oil to coat. Spread in a single layer; roast until deep brown and crispy, tossing occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes.
Sprinkle with salt and paprika; roast 2 to 3 minutes more. Cool completely on a paper-towel-lined plate. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

Panzanella

What can you say about a tomato and grilled bread salad? Just one word - yum. I prefer to salt the tomatoes and cucumbers separately before mixing and I prefer to cut the basil into smaller pieces. It's my house. You can do what you want at yours. Just let me know how it turns out.

1/2 lb country bread cut into 3/4 inch thick slices
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil
3 large tomatoes, cut into a 3/4 inch dice (about 4 cups)
1 cucumber peeled and cut into 3/4 inch dice
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil, but into bit size pieces
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Heat a grill to medium heat. Brush the bread on both sides with 2 tbsp olive oil. Grill until lightly charred on both sides, 3-4 minutes. Let the bread cool slightly and cut into cubes.

In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil. Drizzle with vinegar and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Pasta with Broccoli Sauce

This recipe comes from a cookbook called "Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking". It sounded so odd I couldn't pass up trying it. The sauce is pureed giving it a nice texture. Give it a try - I think you will like it.

1 1/2 lb broccoli, cut into florets and stems trimmed, peeled and sliced
3 strips lemon zest
1/4 cup loosely packed chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup veg broth
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream or plain yogurt
1 lb whole wheat linguine
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring large pot of water to boil. Add broccoli stems, cook 1 minute, then add florets and cook another 2-3 minutes only.

In a food processor pulse the lemon zest until finely ground. Add parsley and process until smooth. Remove the broccoli from the cooking water and transfer to processor. Add veg broth and 1/4 cup olive oil. Pulse to make a coarse puree. Add some broccoli water if you want to make it thinner.

Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in large saucepan over med low heat and cook the onion until translucent. Remove the pan from the heat, pour the onion into processor and pulse a few times. Pour the broccoli sauce from processor into pan. Place over low heat and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Whisk in cream. Simmer 10 minutes.

Bring broccoli water to boil. Add pasta. Drain and divide among individual plates. Ladle sauce onto pasta and sprinkle with lots of parmesan cheeze. Serve immediately.

Curried Carrot Soup

I swiped this recipe from the Martha Stewart website. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the results. The flavor didn't have much depth and seemed kind of boring to me. And it looked like baby food. I think the Curried Pumpkin Soup posted on this blog earlier is much much better. Here's the recipe if anyone wants to try it and/or tweak it.




Curried Carrot Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon curry powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Heat butter in a Dutch oven or large (4- to 5-quart) saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, carrots, and 3 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

In a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth; transfer to a clean saucepan. Add more water to thin to desired consistency. Reheat, if necessary. Stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with cilantro, if desired.