COOKING WITH CLORIS -- CHOCOLATE-CHERRY BREAD PUDDING

Today Cloris offers up a fabulous bread pudding you can serve as a dessert or as a side dish with your Easter ham. -- AP

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY BREAD PUDDING

Ingredients:
non-stick cooking spray
10 cups cubed French bread
4 eggs
1 cup Nutella
2-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cherry preserves

Spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick spray. Place bread in cooker. Place eggs in mixer and whip. Continue whipping as you add Nutella, then milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour over bread. Press down bread to submerge it in the liquid batter. Add spoonfuls of the cherry preserves on top of the bread. Cover and cook on high for 3 hrs. Remove lid and cook an additional 15 minutes.

One of the things I like best about this recipe (besides the fact that it’s unbelievably yummy) is that you don’t need to use the oven. Holidays are always such a juggling act when it comes to all the dishes that need to be baked at varying temps for different amounts of time. Using the slow cooker means one less dish to juggle. 


Readers, don't forget to post a comment to be entered into this week's drawing for a book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP

COOKING WITH CLORIS -- PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING

Don’t want to bother with the mess of stuffing a turkey but don’t want to serve boxed stuffing? Cloris suggests you try pumpkin bread pudding this Thanksgiving. -- AP

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING
(serves 8)

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped onions
2 gloves minced garlic
1 stick unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/4 cup brown sugar
5 lg. eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
5 cups day-old French bread broken into 1” pieces

Sauté the onions and garlic in the butter until golden brown. Set aside to cool. Mix together pumpkin and milk. Beat eggs and sugar. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Combine sautéed onion/garlic mixture, egg mixture, and pumpkin mixture. Place bread in large bowl. Pour pumpkin mixture over bread. Add walnuts. Mix well. Pour into greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees 30-45 minutes until mixture sets.

Thanks, Cloris! This sounds like a great change from traditional stuffing, and I don’t have to shove my hand up that turkey! Readers, do you have a favorite stuffing recipe? Let's hear from you. Post a comment to be entered in this week's book givaway from our Friday Book Club Author.-- AP