I seriously feel like I was just celebrating New Years 2014, and in a bit over two days we will be celebrating New Years 2015! It just absolutely astounds me how quickly a year can pass, and how everything just rushes by in a cacophony of memories and noises and experiences.
This is the time of the year where, if we are lucky, we have family or friends over to help celebrate the season with us. It often means that we have a lot of things to do: shopping, cleaning, traveling, hosting, and, of course, cooking. It can be ridiculously stressful to be balancing all of these things at once, which is so opposite of the point of having everyone over (or going over, if you are that lucky one who is going to someone else's house). Maybe there are kids running around, or animals tearing up some random piece of furniture (or climbing the tree, knocking over the Menorah, eating all the sugar cookies...), or people who you haven't seen in forever and have changed. It can be overwhelming. But among all the stresses of this season, we need to remember how to value and savor each and every moment.
For me, that means not worrying about what I am going to cook, because that's such a silly distraction from the things that really matter: people, memories, laughter. (If you're in my family, also tears every time the Muppet Christmas Album comes on because gosh darn it, Kermit the frog somehow makes us all emotional in seconds). I make a lot of cook-ahead dishes that I can just shove in the fridge overnight, because the last thing I want to do in the morning before I've had my coffee is actually make something for a group of hungry people. Not happening. Not without caffeine. So I do things like french toast or quiches, or the bread pudding recipe I'm sharing today (because who doesn't love chocolate for breakfast, right??)
Slightly related side note: Does anyone else go through "phases" of breakfast? I feel like I have a weird habit of eating the exact same thing for breakfast for months, until all of a sudden BAM-- I switch to something new or I add in a new element. For example, when I was a kid it was totally pancakes. Pancakes were the bomb, as the kids say (am I getting my hip lingo right? I'm a mess). And then when I was in elementary school (when I started to take cooking super seriously) I switched to mushrooms sauteed in butter over scrambled cheddar eggs (sounds fancier than it was, I promise). Then I went through an overnight oatmeal stage (with plenty of sugar and yogurt), and for the past few months I've just been eating bagels with peanut butter because I am a college student and have no sense of what time is. With coffee.
Always with coffee.
Anyways. So that's the mode I've been in for a while now, and making stuff ahead just was not in my mind. But here come the holidays and I actually have time and people to cook things for, and it's marvelous! So here comes the bread pudding. Bread pudding with chocolate.
So we need to have a serious discussion about this bread pudding. Because it is kind of (aka most definitely) ah-may-zing. Amazing. First, the photo above is from before it was cooked because as soon as it came out of the oven it magically disappeared. Maybe into some tummies. But, no photo happened. Sooo... Trust me when I say it gets all golden and melty and perfect, ok? It's rich but not too rich because it's the holidays and we need room for all those other sweet, delicious dishes, right? But this is basically an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast-- which obviously isn't a thing we should do all the time BUT it's also important to actually live your life and not be obsessive about food and to let yourself enjoy a treat. Which this is. It's a breakfast treat. Who wouldn't want to dig into cubes of whole wheat French bread that have been soaked in a vanilla custard, baked until creamy on the inside and with a nice crust of sugary-cinnamonness (not a word, but it is now) on the outside, with chunks of chocolate scattered throughout? Like... what? Holy fudge muffin, yum.
Plus, plus-- this is actually a lighter version of the original bread pudding. If I hadn't made the recipe myself, I would never have believed it was healthier for you. I didn't tell anyone, and no one knew or guessed. The huge pan was demolished by happy, hungry, and (unknowingly) kinda-healthy people. So the basic consensus is that bread pudding for breakfast equals yes. Everything in moderation, yeah? This serves twelve and so you get a perfectly-sized piece that is a great way to start out a sleepy morning, and coffee may be required because it is coffee.
But for real: this bread pudding is decadent and the perfect way to make your morning a little more indulgent. Plus stops you from needing to worry about basically anything but preheating the oven in the morning in order to bake it. Aka please enjoy more time with those around you, because that is what matters. And if you don't have people around you currently, then go out and explore! Enjoy the season! Look online at some cute cat videos via YouTube! Wear fuzzy socks! And eat Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding.
Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding
Inspired by Cooking Light
Serves 12
Ingredients:
- 1 pound whole wheat French bread loaf, left out 2 days, crust on, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 (12oz can) evaporated (not condensed-- very different things) fat free milk
- 2c. skim milk
- 2/3c sugar OR splenda*
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2tsp cinnamon
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 2 large egg whites, beaten
- 1/4c. mini chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Meanwhile, coat a rectangular glass baking pan (I used 13x9x2) with cooking spray. Put the bread cubes into the pan; set aside.
- Thoroughly whisk together the evaporated milk, the skim milk, splenda, vanilla, cinnamon, and eggs together in a large bowl (about 4 minutes). Pour the custard mixture over the top of the bread, pushing down cubes to make sure that they are all covered. Let sit for 20 minutes to overnight, allowing the bread to absorb the custard. Occasionally press down on the bread to ensure saturation, and if needed feel free to gently rotate some top pieces to the bottom of the pan to make sure they sake up well.
- Bake for 35 minutes at 350F. Remove the pan from the oven and evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Return to oven and bake another 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out almost clean (a tad of moisture isn't bad-- its part of the creaminess).
- Allow to cool slightly (this tastes wonderful after refrigerated, too) and serve.
Sodium: 248mg
Total Fat: 4g
Saturated: 1g
Trans:0g
Sugar: 30g
Protein: 9g
Calories: 259
Nutrition Information (With Splenda):
Sodium: 248mg
Total Fat: 4g
Saturated: 1g
Trans:0g
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 9g
Calories: 173
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