I was thinking of you all this Saturday morning, and just had to share this dessert I made last night for 7 of us.
Maureen, our dear friend from high school, was in town and I decided on a Taco Bar to welcome her to Atlanta. I cooked all day (what a luxury to putter around in my swell kitchen) and then promptly forgot to take any photos. That’s how much fun we were having.
But, I would love to share the bread pudding recipe with you. It’s from Paula Deen, so you know it is going to be yummy. The recipe says it feeds 10, but I would say at least 12. It’s huge…and rich. Instead of french bread, I used a loaf of brioche…because, you know, it needed more richness. As if. And I made my own whipped cream to top it with.
It was super yummy. And easy. Easy is important. This would be a fabulous dish to bring to a potluck. Trust me on this one.
Miss Paula's Bread Pudding
Chocolate Bread Pudding courtesy of Miss Paula Deen Ingredients
1 (1-pound) loaf French or Italian bread, cubed
3 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup coffee flavored liqueur
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated
Whipped cream (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and place the bread in the dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, and liqueur. Using another bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa powder and mix well. Add the sugar mixture to the milk mixture and mix well. Add the vanilla and almond extract, and cinnamon to the beaten eggs. Combine the egg mixture to the milk mixture and mix well.
Stir the grated chocolate into the mixture. Pour the mixture over the cubed bread in the pan. Let the mixture stand, stirring occasionally for approximately 20 minutes or until bread absorbs most of the milk mixture. Bake pudding for 1 hour or until set. Check pudding by inserting a knife through the middle and it should come out clean.
Serve the pudding warm, or refrigerate and serve chilled with whipped cream if desired.
Today’s fun find is the Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender (retail $24.95) It’s so cute! And you can blend lots of ice cream drinks right in their containers, without lugging the clunky blender from under the counter or wherever you put it last (where is that thing, anyway?)
Anyhoo, you can blend soups right in the pot, make more ice cream drinks (loving the ice cream drinks in this summer heat), or whip up a batch of whipped cream, you know, to go into your ice cream drinks.
I love how sleek it is, too. Can’t you just picture James Bond using one of these? Well, me neither, but you sure would look swanky using it!
Look How Swanky!
Rushing off to buy one now. But you can click right here and get it from the comfort of your own home and the nice UPS man will bring it right to your door.
Now, if only we could get him to deliver the ice cream…..
We go to a lot of events. Dinner parties we throw, cocktail parties feting fab friends, cookouts and birthday celebrations.
But last night was a first. Eric and I were hosted by not one, but four hostesses, at a dinner party in Decatur.
Let me explain.
Invited by my friend, Elizabeth, who I met through bestie Clint (you all know Clint, right?), to the home of her good friends, Allison and Joel. Oh, their home was dandy – a grand piano, fantastic art created by Joel himself, it was a very elegant setting. Allison even set their lovely table with collected silver and beautiful southern china. Add Victor, a most dapper Image Consultant (I have got to call him) and you have got yourself the recipe for a perfect night.
This weekend, Eric and I had the grand opportunity to just laze about on Sunday. Lazing about has become a rare commodity these days and we relish the times when they arise.
Lazing about almost always includes movies, and this Sunday was no exception. I had been wanting to see “It’s Complicated” and so my darling husband conceded to watching with me.
There is one scene where Meryl Streep walks to the dining room table with a huge bowl of green beans and potatoes covered in pesto. Eric had to have it. I had to make it.
What makes fabulous future hostesses? Practice, practice, practice.
The Ritz-Carlton South Beach is fostering this idea with their Charm Camp for Girls. In June, 13 young ladies attended this day of fun and education. There were workshops on make-up, writing thank you notes, nutrition & menu planning and to top it off, there was a session with the Miami Heat Cheerleaders!
Great hostesses aren’t born, they learn these skills through those around them. Be it their mothers, grandmothers, aunts, teachers or family friends. Instilling the gracious arts is imperative if we want to see the next generation succeed. These 13 girls are on the right course. Let’s take a look at their day as photographed by Melanie Nayer.
You would call Eddie Ross a designer on Bravo’s Top Design, the former Senior Style Editor for Martha Stewart Living, Decorating Editor for House Beautiful, Contributing Editor to Woman’s Day and wildly popular blogger.
I am lucky enough to call him my friend.
When I learned that Eddie and his ultra fabulous beau, Jaithan, were going to be in town in July, they were so kind to set aside some time in their incredibly busy schedules to join us for dinner.
Okay, now that they have agreed to dinner – where do I go from here? This was not to be a wienie cookout with s’mores (though there is nothing wrong with that!), but needed to be warm, inviting and sophisticated – like the two of them.
Warm – check
Inviting – check
Sophisticated – let me work on that
Wow, did we have a crazy fun dinner party last night, so I’m a little slow this morning. But more on that next week.
Let’s talk about you. Want to do a movie night, but can’t decide on the movies? Have I got a treat for you!
Today’s Fun Find Friday is TOQ, or Tired Old Queen At The Movies, Steve Hayes. Steve is a wealth of knowledge on classic movies. And after listening to his reviews on You Tube, you will want to rush out and pick up a bundle of old black & whites for your friends to view. You could build a whole party around these classics, match them with the appropriate menu and have a swell evening of viewing.
Pop on over to You Tube to see all of Steve’s reviews. They are always fascinating and often hilarious.
You might even get your guests to dress up in their black tie best ala Cary Grant to watch, sip bubbly and nibble caviar. Your party will be a huge hit.
Enjoy your weekend, Darlings!
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to Elton John – I’ve Seen That Movie, Too
Today’s post will be a shorty – I am readying a dinner party for my darlings Eddie Ross and Jaithan Kochar tonight (can’t wait!!) But I had to share my lunch last Friday with you.
My Sweeties at Black Tie BBQ have started serving lunch on Fridays! And what a delicious lunch it is! I swung by last week to pick up the Smoked Chicken Sandwich with Pineapple Basil Mayo – oh my goodness it was fantastic! For $8.50, it comes with two scrumptious sides. I chose the mac and cheese & the fresh fresh salad.
Nom, Nom, Nom - Go On And Get You Some!
My Buddy Spencer!
The Lunch Menu - Yours May Vary
So pull on up to their new digs on Dekalb Avenue and say hey to LaToyin, who is back to work after bringing her living doll, Nevada, into the world (and really, LaToyin, how can you look so skinny?), Neil, Spencer and the sweet Allison, who will fix up all your lunch cravings. Tell them I sent you!
The Adorable Miss Nevada!
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to The Grease Soundtrack – Summer Nights
My friend Dana, who is also a mama-to-be, invited me to her sweet home recently for some lunch to catch up. I jumped at the chance to be able to spend some quality time with her before her little one arrives.
Pork Chop and Apple Sauce and Thermos? What’s that all about? Pork Chop and Apple Sauce are the names of Dana and Steve’s dogs. Pork Chop is an english bull and Apple Sauce is a adorable little pug. Thermos is Dana’s friend’s boston terrier she is baby sitting. It was a lively afternoon!
A week or so ago, I received an email from friend Laura Scholz of Scholz Communications, with the news that Fox News Channel was looking for people who had been laid off but were making the best of it. I am the poster child for FunEmployment! So after exchanging emails with Elizabeth Prann of Fox News, a time and date was set for she and her camera man to come by for an interview.
Um, I’ve never been on tv before. What to do? Why, call up my sweetie Eddie Ross and ask for pointers, of course! Eddie had just enough words of wisdom to get me through the willies. Pile on the make up, be yourself. Can anyone really be themselves with a camera in their face? I could certainly try.
The big day came and I whipped up some blueberry cobbler for our guests first thing in the morning. Elizabeth and camera man Tom were right on time.
