Cream Cheese Bread Pudding

How many ways can you serve up leftover bread?

Ingredients
cooking spray
Bread like french loaf, tear off into small 1" pieces
cream cheese (I used pumpkin flavored for this one)
1/2 cup cranberries
4 eggs
2-1/2 cups non-fat milk
3/4 cup Splenda
1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray small glass dish.
3. Spread cream cheese on bread slices.
4. Place bread single layer with cream cheese side up in bottom of dish.
5. Sprinkle with cranberries.
6. Mix together eggs, milk, Splenda, and cinnamon.
7. Pour mix on top of bread and cranberries.
8. Bake about 50 - 60 minutes. The bread pudding is ready when you can stick a fork or toothpick in and it comes out clean.
8. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Variations
Monte Cristo bread pudding: Same as above, only no Splenda, regular cream cheese and slices of ham and turkey.

Apple Bread Pudding

Easy & healthy. And perfect for using up stale bread.

Ingredients
cooking spray
1 apple, cut into thin slices
Bread like french loaf, tear off into small 1" pieces
4 eggs
2-1/2 cups non-fat milk
3/4 cup Splenda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
non-fat vanilla yogurt

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray pan and saute apple about 5 minutes for apples to get soft.
3. Spray small glass dish.
4. Place bread in bottom of dish and top with apples.
5. Mix together eggs, milk, Splenda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
6. Pour mix on top of bread and apples.
7. Bake about 50 - 60 minutes. The bread pudding is ready when you can stick a fork or toothpick in and it comes out clean.
8. Let cool for 5 minutes and then serve with cold non-fat vanilla yogurt.

Pizza Bread Pudding

I tried this recipe once before and FAILED. When I say failed I mean Marc, my husband who had eaten every one of my creations up to this recipe, even made a face when I put this one in front of him. Granted, I made the mistake of adding roasted garlics to the already garlicy-rolls. But I swore to him if there hadn't been so much garlic it would have tasted wonderful.

Well as luck would have it, we had Stinking Rose (the garlic restaurant) for lunch at work today, and as such an opportunity presented itself. And there's always Plan B for dinner tonight if this ones fail (leftover pizza).

Here's the recipe:

8 Garlic Rolls
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups non-fat milk
2 diced tomatoes
low-fat mozerella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Tear rolls into smaller pieces. Combine eggs, milk and tomatoes. Add bread and soak for a couple of minutes. Pour into a small greased baking dish and sprinkle top with mozerella cheese. Should be done after 60 minutes.

Ok, I'm now writing this after we have gone back for seconds and can vouch this recipe is a saver!

Comfort Corn Pudding

This past Friday Marc (my dear husband) stocked up our fridge, inlcuding fresh corn on the cob. On Sunday I took a spill while biking. Okay more like crash landed on my face chipping a tooth, biting my tongue and getting stitches to my upper lip. With said mentioned injury, biting down on bbq'd corn wasn't an option. So as the resourceful cook that I am, and having now reached Friday and becoming BORED with my bed rest, I came up with a corn alternative.

Ingredients:
3 beaten eggs
3 tbsp Splenda
2 cups non-fat milk
pinch of salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 cups fresh corn (exactly 2 cobs of corn)
slightly old, cubed bread*

Steps:
1. preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 13 baking dish
2. mix eggs, sugar, milk, salt and pepper
3. add corn
4. place cubed bread in baking dish and pour over mixture
5. bake about an hour; done when center is set and top is golden brown

*Challah was supplied by my sister who also bombarded our fridge with food.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

This is the simplest, healthiest and according to my husband one of the best puddings yet. As you can see from the ingredients, this desert is for the diet-conscious. And because the ingredients are good for you, you won't feel guilty getting seconds.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups non-fat milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup Splenda
1 tsp cinammon
15 oz pumpkin mix
loaf of whole wheat french bread
1/2 cup orange cranberries (you can also use raisins)
non-fat vanilla yogurt

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a medium-size baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add in the milk, sugar and pumpkin.
3. Tear bread into cubes and add to mix. Make sure bread soaks up the liquid.
4. Spread 1/2 the bread into baking dish, add most of the cranberries, then add the remaining bread and remaining cranberries.
5. Give the top another dusting of cinammon and pop in the oven for about 60 minutes.
6. Serve warm, topped with the yogurt.