Tell me all the ways you’re savoring summer.

Tell me what you’re doing now.

Enjoying
the beach
the mountains
your garden
amusement parks
your backyard
a good book on a rainy afternoon
a family reunion
the graduation of a family member or friend
a wedding of someone dear
or if you’re like me, you’re dreaming of a vacation.

My garden is thrilling me with its cucumber production, however, it rained too much in May and early June, which damaged my tomatoes. The okra is loving the summer heat and beginning to take off. Soon, crab stuffed okra poppers will appear on the dinner table. You will find my recipe here: Hot Curries & Cold Beerhttp://hotcurriesandcoldbeer.blogspot.com/2013/04/flavors-of-bayou-crab-stuffed-okra.html
Many thanks to Rashda Khan for hosting me.

In the herb garden, the basil is ready for harvest. Pesto coming up! I freeze it to have all winter.
I’m also drying parsley, thyme, and oregano.

I love to cook–a pinch of this, a spoonful of that. My kitchen is a dream space, however, the only thing I bake is Bread Pudding. Thankfully, my hubby enjoys the precision measuring required in baking. His specialty is sweet potato pecan pie.

Today, I took the time to actually type up my recipe for bread pudding. It lived only in my head and thinking about it proved more challenging than I first anticipated.

The photo you see of the Bread Pudding was made in a 9″ cake pan. (Usually, I make it in a 9 x 13 inch pan.) I made this one round so I could “take it along” to an event. Bread Pudding is one of the special things I savor in summer.

Bread Pudding (I usually double this recipe and put it into a 9 x13 pan, but this calls for an 8inch square pan)

INGREDIENTS:
1 loaf of French Bread. (I let it sit out for a day before using.)
2 TBS melted butter
1 cup raisins
4-5 beaten eggs
2 cups milk (sometimes I use 1 cup milk and 1 cup Half and Half)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup chopped pecans

** I also like to add fresh fruit. Thin sliced apples, or pears, or peaches. I gently fold fruit into the mixture after the pecans and raisins are added.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease pan (I use Pam spray, you can use butter)
3. Break bread into small pieces
4. Put beaten eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt into a mixing bowl and combine until well mixed.
5. Add bread to mixing bowl with liquid. Make sure bread is well coated with liquid. Cover and let soak for about 20 minutes.
6. Add raisins and pecans and mix well.
7. Put soaked bread into lightly greased baking pan.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top
springs back when lightly tapped.

Bourbon sauce:
1 cup superfine granulated sugar
(If I don’t use superfine, I can’t ever get the sugar to melt all the way.)
1 stick butter, melted (Make sure butter is cooled before adding egg so it doesn’t scramble egg.)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup Four Roses Bourbon. (You want to use a very high quality bourbon.)

Mix sugar, egg, and vanilla into melted butter in a sauce pan. Place over medium heat and stir until the sugar is thoroughly melted. Add the bourbon and stir well.

Pour over bread pudding. I like it served warm.

What about you? What are you savoring this summer?
Please feel free to share a recipe.

Smiles,

Linda Joyce
www.linda-joyce.com