Confessions of a Dairy Farmer's Daughter

Yes, it is true. I have milked a cow, delivered calves, showed cattle, and even cleaned the barn....I do not profess to be a master of any of that.....but what I do know about is using dairy products in preparing tempting and tasty dishes that my family enjoys.

In high school my favorite class was "Home-ec". I even toyed with that as a major in college....but life took me in another direction. However even in high school and my years in 4-H I learned the value of promoting farm fresh foods especially butter, milk, cheese, buttermilk, and all the variations of products. I use to argue with my teachers that we should be using butter rather than the "other stuff". She accused me of being difficult.....I was.....and eventually she provided the butter for our class.

I still use butter, especially in baking. I do try to cut back when I can to save on calories. I guess I would be considered a butterholic....I have not tried the fried butter at the fair. That might be my limit.

Today's treat is bread pudding with carmel sauce. It is a newer family favorite and it is super yummy. I discovered bread pudding when it was on one of the buffets at Walt Disney World. They served it with a vanilla sauce and another version had bananas....I was hooked. When I find something I like, I try to find the recipe. I did not know that all I had to do was ask the server and she would have given it to me. (restaurants at Walt Disney World will give you the recipe if you ask for it, who knew?) Anyway.....after looking through, and trying a few recipes, this is my favorite version. It  should only be enjoyed occasionally.

Bread Pudding

1 loaf Italian or French bread, torn into pieces
6 cups milk-scalded (heat to almost boiling)
Place the torn bread in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Pour the scalded milk over the bread and let sit for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine beaten eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir egg mixture into the milk and bread. Make sure it is well blended. Bake for 1 hour or until firm. Serve warm with Carmel Sauce and ice cream.

Carmel Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and cream. Bring to boil, string constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and salt. To serve: drizzle over warm bread pudding and ice cream.