Pizza Crust Bread Pudding

If your family is anything like mine, a pizza dinner always ends in a big ol' pile of pizza crusts. Unless the crust is stuffed with cheese or incredibly yummy a few pieces might get eaten with dipping sauce, but that's about it. So I did something about it. Save the pizza crust!

Salvage those pizza crusts and make this fabulous Pizza Crust Bread Pudding!

I turned those sad and lonely, unwanted pizza crusts into a pizza crust bread pudding. It turned out fabulous! I went with a pizza flavor profile. It is pizza crust, after all.

Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding

I hope all of you having a true winter are reveling in it. I'm so jealous. Over here in California life is pretty moderate. Even though it's gotten colder this last week, a light sweater will do during the day (sigh). Not my favorite, to say the least. But, carry on we must. I'm still cooking and baking up my favorite cold weather favorites in spite of the lack of a real winter. Maybe even in defiance to it.

Get your chocolate fix in a comforting bowl of Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding. So yum!

This Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding is comforting and satisfying whether you're enjoying a true winter or just pretending to, like me.

This Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding is the best way to use up leftover cupcakes.

I actually baked this pudding with grain free chocolate cupcakes that I made from a recipe over at Living Healthy with Chocolate, but any chocolate cupcakes will do. Just make sure they're unfrosted. If they are frosted, just push off the frosting (I'm wincing as I say that) and use the cake part only.




Start by breaking up 10 to 12 chocolate cupcakes into a buttered dish. Sprinkle on a handful of chocolate chips and pour your custard mixture over the top.

Just look at that chocolaty goodness swimming in a sea of luscious custard. Oh baby!

Be sure to push the goodies down into the custard.




Bake 45 to 55 minutes until center is set, but still jiggly. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before digging in.

I serve this Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and chocolate sprinkles.

I serve this pudding with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and chocolate sprinkles. It is a cupcake pudding after all. Nuts would be totally awesome, too. 😉

Chocolate Cupcake Bread Pudding

INGREDIENTS
butter for greasing your dish
10 to 12 unfrosted or de-frosted cupcakes
1/2 cup chocolate chips
4 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and chocolate sprinkles for serving

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 3 quart casserole dish.
2. Break the cupcakes up into your dish.
3. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips.
4. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
5. Add the milk, vanilla, and sugar, and whisk to combine.
6. Pour over the cupcakes and push all of the goodies down into the custard mixture.
7. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the center is set, but still jiggly.
8. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before digging in.
9. Serve with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and chocolate sprinkles.

Creamy Turkey and Mushroom Soup with Mushroom Ravioli

Thanksgiving leftovers are the best! They're already comfort food. They're also absolutely fabulous thrown into soups, stews, casseroles, and pies. Most years I make a big ol' pot of turkey, or creamy turkey, noodle soup. This year I thought I'd mushroom it up a little - okay, a lot. So I made a pot of Creamy Turkey and Mushroom Soup with Mushroom Ravioli.

This soup is packed with mushroom and roasted turkey flavor. A little bit of rendered bacon, some cream, and a sprinkling of Herbes de Provence don't hurt anything either. 😉




The mushroom triple threat in this luxurious soup comes from baby portobellos cooked down with the mirepiox, a can of cream of mushroom soup stirred into the broth, and mushroom stuffed ravioli cooked in at the end. De-lish!




Start by rendering two slices of bacon.




Then, cook the mirepiox in the bacon grease.




Add in the mushrooms and cook until most of the liquid is gone. This concentrates that lovely mushroom flavor.




Turkey broth, cream of mushroom soup, roasted turkey, and seasonings get added to the pot and simmered for 15 minutes. The flavors meld together in a glorious symphony of mushroom and roasted turkey awesomeness.

After that, the ravioli gets stirred in, and then the cream. Lastly, a slurry of cornstarch and broth gets added in to thicken up the soup a bit.

I served this soup with Fluffy Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls. Recipe coming soon!

Enjoy those leftovers everyone!

Creamy Turkey & Mushroom Soup with Mushroom Ravioli

INGREDIENTS
2 strips of bacon, diced
4 cups chopped mirepiox (onions, carrots & celery)
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz sliced baby portobello mushrooms
2 cups roasted turkey or chicken, chopped
1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
8 cups turkey or chicken broth
2 9 oz packages mushroom ravioli
1 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp corn starch

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large dutch oven or soup pot, cook bacon over medium high heat until rendered and crispy.
2. Add mirepiox and cook until veggies are starting to brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
3. Add in the mushrooms and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Add in the broth, cream of mushroom soup, turkey, herbs, and 1 tsp of the salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Add ravioli and cook for 4 minutes.
6. Stir in the cream.
7. Taste the soup and add up to 1/2 tsp more salt, or to taste.
8. Make a slurry by whisking together 1 Tbsp cornstarch and a little broth from the soup. Stir the slurry into the soup and bring to a boil. Then cook for 2 or 3 minutes until soup thickens a little.

Leftover Brisket Two Ways

So, I made the Pioneer Woman's braised brisket this week. It slowly braises in the oven in a sea of flavor for the good of all mankind. 😉 So. So. Good.

I turned my tasty leftovers into football food - 'cause I'm all about the football. You know me, football fanatic and all. I jest. But I do love football food. Football food is my true team. "Go, football food!"

Smokey Chipotle BBQ Brisket Sheet Pan Nachos.

I had to make nachos. I couldn't not make nachos, right? These Smokey Chipotle BBQ Brisket Sheet Pan Nachos are smothered in sharp cheddar, hickory smoked BBQ sauce, and chipotle cream.

As if a tray full of fabulous nachos wasn't enough, I put the rest of the brisket into delicious Buttery Baked Brisket Sandwiches.

Buttery Baked Brisket Sandwiches on sourdough rolls with horseradish mayo, swiss, and smoked provolone.

These Buttery Baked Brisket Sandwiches are loaded with flavor packed brisket, horseradish mayo, swiss and smoked provolone cheese. Uh, yeah!

This is why I love football season. Come on, game day!

If you don't have time to braise a brisket, pick up one of those precooked packages from the deli section to whip up these easy and delectable game day yummies.

Smokey Brisket Sheet Pan Nachos

INGREDIENTS
1 7 to 10 oz bag corn tortilla chips
1 8 oz bag shredded sharp cheddar
2 cups chopped or shredded brisket, warmed in its braising liquid
1/2 cup hickory smoked BBQ sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/3 cup sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS
1. Blend sour cream with 1 or 2 chipotle peppers (I used an immersion blender).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Lay down a layer of chips on your baking sheet and top with all of the cheese.
4. Bake for about 7 minutes until cheese is melted and chips are toasty.
5. Use a slotted spoon to spoon brisket over nachos.
6. Squirt BBQ sauce all over nachos.
7. Drizzle on the chipotle cream.
8. Sprinkle the green onions on top.

Buttery Baked Brisket Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup mayo
1 tsp horseradish or 2 tsp prepared horseradish or to taste
12 sourdough rolls
6 to 8 oz swiss cheese
6 to 8 oz smoked provolone
2 or 3 cups thinly sliced brisket, warmed in its braising liquid
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
2 tsp dried onion
2 tsp brisket braising liquid
1 tsp prepared horseradish
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or pan with oil spray.
2. Mix mayo with horseradish according to your taste.
3. Cut rolls in half and spread with horseradish mayo.
4. Divide cheese evenly amongst rolls.
5. Distribute brisket evenly with a slotted spoon.
6. Close sandwiches and stuff into prepared dish.
7. Whisk together melted butter with the rest of the ingredients and pour over sandwiches.
8. Cover with foil and let rest 10 minutes.
9. Then, bake for 20 minutes.
10. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.