As you know, the Oklahoma City bombing took place back in April of 1995. I was working my first full-time job at the time, and the folks I worked with felt quite helpless about the whole situation. We wanted to do something to help, but the company wouldn’t match any sort of financial contribution, and the money that WAS raised didn’t seem to really amount to anything and blech. It sort of sucked. We sent off a check, and still felt as if we hadn’t done enough.
And then one of the employees made a huge card for all of us to sign. (And by huge, I mean it was nearly forty eight inches tall. You know those stupid big cards that no one really wants to receive? Yeah. It was one of those. Made out of flimsy paper pulled off of a roll.)
Please know that I’m all for cards and well-wishes and heartfelt sentiments and whatnot. With that said, when the card got to me, I really hesitated before signing it. Why did I hesitate? Because, at the time, I was working with people who were actually writing things like, “Turn your scars into stars, Oklahoma! Love, Judy!” and “I once visited that building on my vacation! Get well soon, Oklahoma!”
Okay. Let’s fast forward nearly fourteen years to yesterday afternoon. As you know, I had a pretty sucky day. (And please know that my suckiest of days don’t even come close to the suckiness behind the Oklahoma bombing. That’s NOT what I’m saying. Gheez. I’m not even sure why I brought it up other than to tell you about that ridiculous Scars into Stars thing. Please know that the card also sported quite a few smiley faces with tears coming out of the eyes. I’m hoping they were all drawn by the same person, because if several people went in the crying smiley face direction, well, that’s sort of weird, right?) Anyway. Yesterday. All it took was me quickly muttering the term Bread Pudding, and the e-mails and comments started pouring in.
To summarize: You guys LOVE bread pudding! And so do I! Also, you guys are ALL having sort of sucky days lately! SO, let’s turn our scars into stars, people! Let’s all go to the grocery store and gear up for the First Annual Fluid Pudding BreadPuddingAlong!
What you need to do: Sometime this weekend, make a bread pudding. (I just might go with this one.) THEN, send a photo my way via e-mail or a link or whatever. If you don’t want to deal with a photograph, just tell me about your pudding! Write a stinkin’ poem about your pudding! And eat your pudding! And maybe make an extra for that friend or neighbor who seems to be a bit on the crying smiley face side of the fence! It’s the First Annual Fluid Pudding BreadPuddingAlong!
Tell your friends.
(I’ll contact Hallmark.)
Who’s in?
(Cue the crickets.)
39 responses so far ↓
1 Kara // Mar 18, 2009 at 4:08 pm
I love bread pudding. I love this idea.
I wonder if I can find a healthy-ish but still delicious bread pudding recipe. I’m on a mission now. :)
2 JP // Mar 18, 2009 at 4:32 pm
I will be joining in…if only for the fact that I never have made bread pudding. Now would be an excellent time to change that and be all “remember that one time I made bread pudding? It cheered me right the hell up!”
3 twomittens // Mar 18, 2009 at 5:56 pm
I swear I was JUST LOOKING at a bread pudding recipe. And a stale bag of buns waiting to be whipped up into a pan of heaven. AND THEN I came here and read all about it.
Must be kismet.
I think it would cheer me up too.
4 marianne // Mar 18, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Mmmmmmm. My favorite is pumpkin bread pudding–basically you make the pumpkin pie filling and pour it over the stale bread. Bake. Now I’ll have to make it this weekend!
5 pharmgirl // Mar 18, 2009 at 6:24 pm
chocolate bread pudding or peach bread pudding with nutmeg sauce…
either way, I win.
My hind end, however; loses.
6 rahree // Mar 18, 2009 at 6:50 pm
i’m so in. the world would be a better place with more bread pudding. my ass may be a larger place, but my soul will be bigger as well.
i may go with a classic cinnamon raisin. or i may get alll crazy. pictures soon!
7 Mzell // Mar 18, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I’m in if I can remember for that long (I have pregnancy brain). I have a new Paula Deen cookbook with a chocolate bread pudding recipe!!
8 Hotch Potchery // Mar 18, 2009 at 8:12 pm
I am currently doing Weight Watchers and there is NO way I could make a bread pudding and eat a reasonable portion. I look forward to reading posts about it though.
Sorry things are sucky.
9 haus // Mar 18, 2009 at 11:02 pm
I’m in!
10 Caloden // Mar 19, 2009 at 12:03 am
All right. It still scares me but I’m in!
11 patois // Mar 19, 2009 at 12:47 am
If I could somehow put a smiley face with tears coming out of it into this comment box, I so would.
:)
.
.
.
.
Close enough for someone on her side, crying, with tears falling out?
I’m in.
12 Isabella Golightly // Mar 19, 2009 at 4:21 am
And just when I was going to suggest you put a recipe for Bread Pudding on your blog, darn it, you beat me to it! I’ll be going with the ‘Good Housekeeping’s Cookery Compendium’, first published in 1952, before any of us was born, which uses currants, and is delicious. I must confess to upgrading mine to use cream, rather than milk, but hey, they were still on rationing in 1952!
Pictures, I will send pictures!
13 You can call me, 'Sir' // Mar 19, 2009 at 8:42 am
I was thinking to myself last night that I haven’t made anything that could be accurately be referred to as a dessert in quite awhile. Now I’m going to bake the living shit out of a bread pudding.
It’s on like Donkey Kong.
14 Amy in KC // Mar 19, 2009 at 8:53 am
If Marianne posts her Stale Bread With Pumpkin Poured Over It Recipe, then I will make that.
Otherwise I will purchase some – does that count? I have an overscheduled weekend coming up. It involves in-laws. *sigh*
15 The Coffee Lady // Mar 19, 2009 at 9:57 am
two things – that woman on the link scares me. The other is when did bread pudding have chocolate and all kinds of stuff in it? why isn’t it the meagre affair of my youth?
16 BaBa Pudding // Mar 19, 2009 at 11:20 am
There’s no way I would miss out on this offer! Bread pudding is 2nd on the list (behind Gooey Butter cake) for “bestest” dessert ever. I remember my first bread pudding, my mom made it for the family right after the hogs ate my little sister (your would’a been “Aunt Linda”). It cheered us up, big time! Have fun.
17 susan // Mar 19, 2009 at 11:34 am
I’m with Hotch Potchery, my diet won’t allow it so I’ll be with you all in spirit and at the same time drooling all over my key board after seeing your photos and reading your descriptions.
18 Somer // Mar 19, 2009 at 11:57 am
Bread pudding? An an occasion where I can make it for a reason other than the joy of stuffing my face? I’m in, baby!
19 elsimom // Mar 19, 2009 at 12:19 pm
There is an awesome coconut mango bread pudding recipe on the FoodTV website. We made it for a Caribbean Party one time. I have never before, or since, had a party at which every single person wanted SECONDS on dessert (and they got them!)
I will actually go to a different restaurant for dessert in order to get a good breadpudding.
My next one to try: corn bread/peach. One of the best I’ve had “fruits of the forest” with mixed berries and apples. Yum!
20 Mariane // Mar 19, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Pumpkin Bread Pudding:
Well, I started out with the recipe from here:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/10/pumpkin-bread-pudding/
However, after reading the comments for the recipe and making it once I agreed that there wasn’t enough custard for the bread, and then of course I don’t keep heavy cream on hand, and it seemed kind of scary to double the recipe and use 1 1/2 c of butter, and then I noticed that what I was left with was awfully like the recipe on the back of a can of Libby’s pumpkin (a 16 oz can) for pie, so now I just mix that up and toss in some bread (probably about 6 cups worth). It’s still delicious. Especially for breakfast, hot or cold, with maple syrup on it.
What can I say? That’s the kind of cook I am, I start somewhere and end somewhere completely different. Two of my other bread pudding experiments didn’t turn out so well, however. I tried tossing chocolate chips into one, but they seemed to all sink to the bottom, and since I’m happy eating the leftovers straight from the fridge cold the weirdly shaped hard chocolate chunks were unpleasant. And then there was the time I used some rosemary bread thinking it would be interesting with some golden raisins (I have a good rosemary-raisin bread recipe, so why not?) and then I tossed in some brie. I’ll say it was “good” in an abstract way and I ate it, but I’m not sure that I really liked it, it was kind of like eating “essence of Christmas tree and old socks, with raisins”. Does that make sense?
I think I’m moving back towards a more “meager” pudding like “The Coffee Lady” there mentions–I’m starting to think that add-ins are just asking for trouble.
21 cursingmama // Mar 19, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I just checked my calendar & I believe “Make Bread Pudding” fits in nicely. It also does a darn good job of screwing up the diet – but after dealing with Jillian for 15 days I have earned Break Pudding!
22 Joie at Canned Laughter // Mar 19, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Bourbon Bread Pudding coming up!
23 Lori // Mar 19, 2009 at 5:32 pm
I’m in! woo! The Boy left half a loaf of french bread in my kitchen yesterday so I guess I’m done shopping already.
Now i’m hungry.
24 Suebob // Mar 19, 2009 at 10:43 pm
You know, I don’t really need a whole lot of encouragement to make a bread pudding. It is one of my all time most favorite things, as long as you make it so there is a crispy layer on top.
And given that this is just a fraction of the fun I have had so far this year: http://redstapler23.blogspot.com/2009/03/all-about-my-face.html
I think it is about d*mn time for some bread pudding
25 April // Mar 20, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Woah. I was just eyeing my stale baguette and looking up bread pudding recipes. I’m in.
26 whitney // Mar 20, 2009 at 4:49 pm
An excuse to make what is possibly one of my favorite desserts? I am SO IN.
27 Donna // Mar 20, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Never made bread pudding or even ever had any. But I do like a challenge.
To Mariane; I cannot understand, “the weirdly shaped hard chocolate chunks were unpleasant.”
28 Robin // Mar 20, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I’ve had two shitastic days in a row. Count me in.
29 Alli // Mar 21, 2009 at 6:28 am
I’m not a fan of bread pudding, plus I have a terrible stomach virus right now. But do enjoy your pudding and post some pics for me. I’m just enjoying some easy weight loss right now.
30 Suebob // Mar 21, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Here you go: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11302994@N00/3373950525
31 TheQueen // Mar 22, 2009 at 3:11 am
Here’s my half-eaten photo:
http://mocklog.typepad.com/photos/muster2/photo5.jpg
And the full Acero dinner:
http://mocklog.typepad.com/queen_mediocretia/2009/03/birthday-dinner.html
32 TheQueen // Mar 22, 2009 at 8:43 pm
It occurs to me I didn’t actually MAKE my bread pudding. I did assemble actual bites of bread pudding, syrup, and ice cream, so I’m counting that.
33 Brinski // Mar 23, 2009 at 9:12 am
Oh, I may regret this but I dont really like bread pudding. I know, I know, I’m such a cad. I did get my Harley running this weekend and took a long ride with my daughter, so if the desired outcome is a blissed-out feeling that all is right with the world…mission accomplished.
34 Mariane // Mar 23, 2009 at 11:33 am
For Donna on the unpleasantness of the chocolate chunks: I found that the chocolate chips melted into strange shapes and when I ate the bread pudding leftovers cold (typical of me), they were hard and strange in the soft texture of the pudding. But I don’t like chocolate chunks in ice cream either, I feel like it’s a waste of good chocolate to make it too cold to melt and therefore taste.
35 Orange Rum Bread Pudding // Mar 23, 2009 at 12:21 pm
[...] had a brilliant idea. It’s the First Annual Fluid Pudding BreadPuddingAlong! The idea is simple. A lot of us get the Spring Blues (myself included) and we crave comfort food. [...]
36 Joie at Canned Laughter // Mar 23, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Here’s my photo along with confessions from a boozehound. http://bit.ly/113Wd
It’s been several years since I’ve made a bread pudding, and Spouse and boy were over the moon. Second batch goes to my mom who’s feeling the blues this week. Thanks for a great idea!
37 Bridget // Mar 23, 2009 at 1:38 pm
This is a kickass savory bread pudding that we served as a main course for our vegetarian Easter dinner last year. No one missed the ham…
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Savory-Bread-Pudding-with-Asparagus-Gruyere-and-Fines-Herbes-107057
38 FafPuhBuhPah! It’s catchy! (And it smells good.) // Mar 23, 2009 at 1:56 pm
[...] RSS ← It’s the First Annual Fluid Pudding BreadPuddingAlong! [...]
39 arkay // Mar 23, 2009 at 5:40 pm
well i was one weekend early, but i made a chocolate bread pudding with a coconut creme anglaise last weekend. it was insanely good and fairly easy. it also had a dark chocolate ganache cooked into it for good measure. and damn what a good measure it was!!!
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