Heavenly...

I love bread pudding. It doesn't get much simpler than that. One of the first things I itch to make when the weather turns is bread pudding. What I don't know, is why I love bread pudding so. I actually don't care so much for pudding itself, although my fondness for pudding cake is well-known around here as well. And to my recollection, my Mom never made bread pudding. So where it came from, I can't really tell you. The only memory I have of eating bread pudding is at restaurant buffets- which were seldomly attended growing up with four other siblings. But very few things stir my taste buds like bread pudding.

Earlier this week, I'd experimented with a whole grain white bread. I wasn't happy with it. So I had a loaf of bread just sitting around, and it called to me. It clearly said, "make bread pudding!" I didn't need to be told twice. With an over-abundance of eggs right now, bread pudding would utilize two things that were wasting away. And while I do have a bread pudding from Joy of Cooking that I adore, I thought I'd search out something a little different. Oh, did I find something. The second I saw the title, I knew I was making it. Caramel Bread Pudding did not disappoint. Incredibly easy to throw together, it was pure decadence. I relished every luxurious bite as slow as I possibly could. It really was spectacular. I served it up slightly warm with a tiny drizzle of milk. An instant hit, do check it out on Recipezaar. You won't be disappointed.

This morning as Abigail was looking over her lunch contents, I decided it was blog-worthy. She was so excited, and told me that she couldn't wait for lunch today. So fun that something simple could bring such delight from her. So here you see to the right some cheese cubes and ham on toothpicks. I also packed an orange that I cut, some yogurt covered pretzels, and a banana chocolate chip muffin that I made yesterday. On the very far right is one lonely Tootsie Roll for her sweet tooth. The banana muffin I found on Sweetnicks yesterday, and 10 minutes later I had a batch in the oven. They are very good, and Abigail ate two of them after school, so I knew one would be appreciated in her lunch. I am curious as to whether any of my readers have the laptop lunchbox system. Overall, I'm really pleased with it, but I am having a hard time with sandwiches. No matter how thin the bread is, I cannot manage to get a whole sandwich in here for Abigail. So I am giving her just a half a sandwich. Which is okay most days, but there are some sandwiches (like tuna) that she'd gobble up every scrap I gave her. Then again, maybe she only needs half a sandwich. As long as I fill all the containers with good food, maybe she'll thrive on the halvsies for awhile.