The Very Best Breakfast Bread Pudding

Makes: 6ish servings

Ingredients:

• 2-4 T brown sugar, depending on how decadent you’re feeling

• 2 T butter

• ½ a loaf of Cafe Selmarie’s apple-raisin bread, sliced, torn or diced into bite size pieces

• 4 eggs

• 1 ½ cup milk

• 4 oz cream cheese, sort of cubed, room temp

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/4 tsp salt

• cinnamon for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Put brown sugar and butter in the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish. I use an oval Pyrex that’s roughly that size.
2. Heat in the microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the butter is melted and the sugar starts to dissolve. Stir the mixture together until all the sugar is mixed with the syrup and butter.
3. Put the diced or torn bread on top of the sugar mixture in the baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs.
5. Whisk the cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and salt into the eggs.
6. Pour the cream mixture over the bread but do not stir!
7. Press the top of the bread mixture into the egg mixture to get every piece to soak in some of the cream mixture.
8. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and a little more brown sugar if you like.
9. Cover the dish with foil. At this point, you can bake right away or let it sit, overnight, in the fridge.
10. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
11. Bake, covered for 30 minutes. Raise the temp to 400 degrees, remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes. Test with a knife to make sure that the pudding is set in the middle.
12. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Big Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I found the base of this recipe on line. A woman named "PANTHERA" (I know.) modified a recipe from a woman named Beatrice, then I took suggestions from the comments, made those changes, and a couple more of my own. I'm not exactly sure whose recipe it is now. But, I assure you, it's a good one.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Mix, in a stand mixer until very light and fluffy:

3/4 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. Crisco

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

Add, and mix until very pale:

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

Add, and mix until barely mixed:

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. spelt or white wheat flour (or whole wheat or just more all-purpose flour)

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

Scrape down sides and mix in by hand:

3 c. oats (I used half quick cooking and half regular, rolled oats)

1 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Chill dough for at least two hours, the longer the better. Six hours was very good.

Spoon rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets with ample room for spreading. Work quickly and get those cookies in the oven whiles the dough is still cold. Bake for 12-13 minutes. The cookies should be golden around the edge and nice and soft in the middle.  Yields about 40 cookies.

Warning: If you make these on a Sunday then go to Washington, D.C. Monday through Wednesday, you will be disappointed to find these nearly GONE when you return.