Category: GUEST POSTS

Pina Colada Bread Pudding ala My Year on the Grill

Hello foodies! Pina Colada Bread Pudding… It just sounds rich and decadent doesn’t it!

Oh, BTW, Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. The resident cook in training that you may recognize from OUR KRAZY KITCHEN. Today is an exciting day for me, and Tamy has agreed to let me do a guest spot on her blog in honor of my special day. You see, the suburbs of Kansas City is hip and happening in a far out way, last night, my neighborhood celebrated “Mardi Gras in the Cul de Sac”! Counting drinks, 13 menu items, to feed 10 people… Laissez les bons temps rouler indeed! I got to spend the day cooking, have fun with my friends, and my proposal to take part in the 24,24,24 FOODBUZZ challenge was accepted. I want to thank Tamy for letting me make an extra post to her readers to tell you all about an amazing CAJUN inspired dessert, perfect for your Mardi Gras party, or if the gods are in alignment, perfect for your Superbowl party featuring the New Orleans SAINTS (as I write this, the Saints are one game away from a birth in the big game)!

I have been in love with all things Cajun, and the food of New Orleans for a very long time. This year, my wife and I vacationed in New Orleans, and we took full advantage of an amazing business there…

THE NEW ORLEANS SCHOOL OF COOKING is the best bargain in town. For three hours, you learn the history of the city, you get fed lunch and you learn to cook a complete three course Cajun/Creole meal. We were in town for 5 days, and we took three classes, each day learning different menus. Every one’s favorite was bread pudding.

At the school, we were given a basic bread pudding recipe. We were also given some suggestions about what you could add to make it your own…

Here’s what I did.

First, assemble your ingredients…

This took just a bit of advance planning. Stale bread works best for bread pudding. the more moisture in the bread, the less it is able to absorb the liquid ingredients. The more the bread absorbs the liquid, the more custard like your pudding will be. So, 4 days ago, I baked a loaf of french bread, just so I could leave it out to get stale. You can read about my bread baking experience by clicking HERE.

The ingredients you need are…

  • 1 loaf stale french bread, shredded (6-8 cups)
  • 4 cups buttermilk
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 stick (8 TBS) butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 TSP vanilla
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup whole pecans
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips

Combine all the ingredients in a greased 9X12 casserole dish. Mixture should be very moist, but not soupy.

Bake at 350 degree oven for @1 hour 15 minutes until top is golden brown. Serve warm with whiskey sauce.

WHISKEY SAUCE
(can be made “virgin” by leaving out the whiskey)


Ingredients:

  • 8 TBS butter (one stick
  • 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup bourbon

Cream butter and sugar over medium heat til all the butter is absorbed. Remove from heat and blend in egg yolk. Add bourbon to your taste, stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Pour this over the bread pudding and serve everything warm.

If you should be lucky enough to have any leftovers, pop a slice into the microwave for about 30 seconds and it is even better the next day!


We also served a Cream Cheese King Cake for the party, but that’s a story for another posting.

The cake was just as good as it sounds. Sweet, filled with custard and different textures, from the crusty bread on the top, the soft custard bread inside and the crunchy pecans, with hints of pineapple, coconut and white chocolate in every bite. And the whiskey sauce doesn’t hurt either!

So, thanks Tamy for letting me hangout with your friends today. Start planning your Superbowl party or Mardi Gras event today. This Pudding Cake will be welcome at either!

BTW, if you would like to learn more about the NO School of Cooking, you can read my blog post about the school by clicking HERE.

Come take a look at my site today. I will have plenty to post about all the different foods… Everything that worked great (and maybe a couple that I need to revisit later). And see you all Thursday over at OUR KRAZY KITCHEN!

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. ..

aprons 3

The Revival of Common Courtesy ~ written by Forgetfulone this week

Professional and Public Manners
courtesy of Diana this week – thanks Diana
I’m down with a bad case of the flu so thankfully Diana has covered all the bases

What are Professional and Public Manners?

Professional manners are those etiquette rules that govern your behavior when you are associating with professionals (as in a Doctor’s office or place of business) or when you are working with colleagues in a professional manner.

  • One should observe the hierarchy in one’s business, study it, and emulate it.
  • Typically, a lower ranking person is introduced to the higher ranking person.
  • Stand when meeting someone, and stand for a higher ranking associate, male or female.
  • Professional courtesy usually calls for a handshake upon meeting a new client or colleague.
  • If offered a business card, it is best to acknowledge some information from the card while making eye contact with the giver.
  • Dressing as a professional is common courtesy in most places of business.
  • Avoid gossip and back-stabbing.
  • Keep emails in a professional tone, and keep personal email to a minimum (if your boss approves) or to none. Just because email is so much easier to use than the telephone doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve the same attention to detail and professional courtesy that a face-to-face conversation would receive.
  • Keep professional conversations short, and leave out personal information unless specifically asked.
  • Don’t complain about your boss or your workplace while you are in the workplace.
  • You can create a professional image with just these few reminders!
Public manners are those that are always on display when you are in public.
  • Out in public, it is best to keep your cell phone calls private.
  • Other rules you may follow to display courteous manners include saying “Excuse Me” or “Thank You” if the situation calls for it.
  • Another rule of etiquette to remember when you are out in public is to be patient.
  • You may also consider it proper common courtesy not to spit, litter, or curse in public.
  • It’s easy to present a positive image in public by following a few, simple rules of etiquette.
In both professional and public situations, treat others with consideration. For me, that boils down to the three P’s.
  • Be Prompt
  • Be Prepared
  • Be Polite
(These are the same rules I have in my classroom, and they pretty much cover everything.)
“Manners are the happy ways of doing things. If they are superficial, so are the dewdrops which give such a depth to the morning meadow.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

final blog signature. ♥