Bread and Butter Pudding

It's been simply AGES since I posted a recipe on here; in the old days, I would document a lot of my cooking, but I've fallen out of the habit of it. So, to shake things up a bit, here's the recipe for my very favourite bread and butter pudding. It's actually from Paula Deen, but I've tweaked it a little bit to customize it. I made one for Thanksgiving, and it was a big hit.

Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe

5 slices of good white bread, crusts removed
2 tbs. softened butter
4 cups whole milk (do NOT use diet "milk" or non-fat anything)
6 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Cinnamon and nutmeg

Remove the crusts from the bread, and let it sit out on the counter for several hours or overnight to harden it up a bit. Preheat oven to 325. Next, lightly butter a 9X13 glass baking dish. Butter one side of the bread pieces, and place them butter side up in the dish. Scald the milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until bubbles appear; be careful not to burn it. Slightly beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl, and then whisk in the vanilla and sugar. Very slowly whisk in the hot milk, and then pour the mixture over the bread in the baking dish. Let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the top, then put the baking dish in a large pan of hot water, with the water rising to slightly below the rim of the baking dish. Bake for around 40 minutes, or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. You can serve this hot or cold, but I actually prefer it cold.

Below, you can see the buttered bread in the baking dish, waiting for the milk and egg mixture.


















The finished product, below. This is easy to make, and good comfort food.

Thoughts On A Winter's Evening

I've not posted on here in a bit, so thought I should write a brief update. It's been an odd few weeks in my part of the world. Sadly, my grandmother passed away yesterday morning after a long illness. I'd gone to see her on Saturday (she was being cared for at home) and it was clear then that the end was near. Even though, in a way, it's a blessing that she is no longer ill, it's still always hard when somebody dies. I don't think, even with advance warning, you can ever really be ready for something like that. I've burned a candle for her, and said my prayer for the dead, and I am sure she's found her way now into the next world.

Because of that and other events, I've not been doing much Christmas/Yule related stuff. My sister and I finally bought a tree for my mother last night, and decorated it today. We've always had a live tree, and we didn't want this year to be the exception. I'm going to be doing a lot of baking this weekend, as I always give cookies for gifts, but I've not quite decided on what. On the Witch-related end, I've been pondering opening a small internet shop where I could retail my magical goods and wares; I've started making oils and ointments more and more, and have been considering whether or not I could sell some of the ones I have large amounts of. It's something I'm thinking about, I just need to see how much of an initial investment I'd have to make.

Finally, I rather belatedly ordered, and got, the November issue of "The Cauldron." It had some WONDERFUL articles in it, including pieces about the Witches of ancient Greece and their herbal knowledge, the Black Faced God in in Traditional Witchcraft, and about Aunt Caroline Dye. In addition, I've also learned that there's now a revised and updated version of Gemma Gary's classic "Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways" which has been getting phenomenal reviews. I am a huge fan of the first edition, which I have, and fully plan on purchasing the new edition just as soon as some money comes in.

I do hope everybody is well, and having a good Holiday season.