TWD: Chocolate Bread Pudding

I am in love with this recipe. It was so easy to throw together and tastes so good. I love the creamy texture of bread pudding and this one is perfect.

I ended up halving this recipe and just making an 8 inch pan. I think I could have added a little more chocolate but otherwise this had an awesome chocolate flavor.
I will definitely be making this recipe again, it's so good!

Lauren of Upper East Side Chronicle picked this weeks recipe. Check out her blog and all the TWD members to see how they handled this awesome recipe.

Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, pages 410 and 411.

Product Rave: Soy Dream Ice Cream

So I've never raved about a product on here before but I decided I had to with this. About 2 years ago it became apparent that I can't eat ice cream or drink milk (thankfully I can still eat cheese and things that are baked or cooked with milk in them, strange right?). But luckily I haven't missed ice cream too much, I considered it a blessing for my diet (always look on the bright side of life you know).

But then Dairy Queen started running commercials for their new chocolate truffle blizzards... well, I used to love Blizzards (Doug and I would go get them a lot on weekends when we were dating and just eat them and talk about our weeks), and I love chocolate ice cream, and I adore chocolate truffles. The first time I saw the commercial I looked at Doug and said "wow, that's the first time I've missed ice cream." Sad, right?

So yesterday we were at the grocery store and Doug decided to get some ice cream. I'm standing there and decide to look at the Popsicles (my replacement for the creamy awesomeness of ice cream) when I happen to look up and see a shelf of Soy Dream ice cream products. I stood there for a moment in shock. I know there are brands of soy and lactose free ice cream products, but I've never been able to find them here.

Doug came over and told me I should try it, but I was nervous. I've tried soy milk and wasn't a huge fan so I was a little worried about buying it and then not liking it. But the ice cream on the labels just looked so good! So I decided to get some, but then the tough question was what kind? Ice cream sandwich or traditional ice cream? Hmm, decisions decisions. Then I saw this:

And my decision was made for me.

I tried this last night and it is so good. Rich, creamy, chocolaty, with nice sized chunks of brownies. It tastes just like regular ice cream. Even Doug tried a bite and said it was good. I definitely recommend this to anyone else who can't eat regular ice cream (or just chooses not to eat dairy products). I really think you won't be disappointed. Just wanted to share.

TWD: Banana Cream Pie

I have to admit, when I first saw this recipe I was both excited and nervous. I was excited because I love banana cream pie, well anything banana, and I've never made one. But I was nervous because I've never made any type of cream pie before and was worried about the custard turning out.
I was amazed when the custard actually turned out really well. I thought for a brief minute that I had messed it up when my custard started to start to clump up, but I kept whisking like crazy and it turned out really good. I used a graham cracker crust for this instead of the regular pie crust and bought whipped cream instead of trying to make it. I knew I'd be flustered by the custard and didn't want to get overwhelmed. I will definitely try making my own whipped cream soon though.
This recipe was picked by Amy of Sing for Your Supper, check out her blog for the recipe. And check out all the TWD bakers to see how they tackled this recipe.
Banana Cream Pie from Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan, pages 342 and 343.

Graham Cracker Crust

This recipe will come in to play tomorrow when the new Tuesdays With Dorie recipe is posted but I figured I'd go ahead and post it now. I love graham cracker crusts, they make everything better in my opinion. So when I offered Doug the choice of graham cracker crust or traditional pie crust the other day I was really happy when he picked graham cracker.

It's very simple to make your own graham cracker crust, you just need to make sure it ends up the right consistency.

Graham Cracker Crust

Based off Southern Food Recipe

1 Packet of Graham Crackers (1 bag from a regular size box)

1/4 Cup Sugar

5 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

Melted the butter. Smash the graham crackers up into small pieces and crumbs, dump into bowl. Add sugar and mix. Add in butter and combine until the crumbs are damp. Press into 9" pie plate, including up the sides. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool before filling.