Bread Pudding

I really don't care for bread pudding. But my husband loves it and this recipe proved to be great for him.

8 cinnamon roles (I use Rhodes cinnamon rolls, I cook them, then save one for myself and break the other seven up into small pieces into a greased crock pot.)
4 eggs
2 cups milk (I use skim)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter, or margarine
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter, or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Place bread cubes in greased slow cooker.
2. Beat together eggs and milk. Stir in sugar, butter, and raisins. Pour over bread and stir.
3. Cover and cook on High 1 hour. Reduce heat to Low and cook 3-4 hours.
4. Make sauce just before pudding is done baking. Begin by melting butter in saucepan. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add water, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, or until thickened.
5. Serve sauce over warm bread pudding.



Fun Garden Sandwich
Garden Fresh Cucumber
Rye Bread
8 ounce package of Cream Cheese with dried ranch dressing added.
I also will add tomato slices.
I could eat this every day, especially when the veggies are fresh.

Beef Taquitos

2 (12 ounce) cans Roast Beef (I used left over roast beef from Sunday Dinner)
1 package of Fajita Seasonings
25 lightly Fried Corn Tortillas (We prefer Flour tortillas so that is what I used)
Quick fry the tortillas I use pam in a non stick fry pan and just warm the tortillas. If you don't fry the tortillas first, they will split and not hold together. In a fry pan warm the beef with the seasoning until the beef is shredded and hot. Remove from stove. Spoon in a small amount of beef mixture into each tortilla. These should be small in diameter. Roll and hold together with a toothpick. Fry the taquitos in hot oil until they are crisp and warmed through.
I make sure the tortillas are sprayed with pam and then I bake them in the over at 400 degress for 15 minutes. It gets rid of the problem of hot oil and children and is way less calories. They turned out just as crisp.

When I use left over roast beef I have cooked the roast in a dutch oven covered in dry lipton onion soup mix at 250 degress for about 8 hours. Twenty minutes before I serve the roast I pour a beef broth over the roast. This consists of hot water and beef boullion. This flavors the roast a little more and lets it sit in the juice and makes it very moist. The meat is tender and juicy and perfect for left over sandwhiches or taquitos.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

If you are still getting strawberries at a good price. This is a fun and different recipe to try.

Pastry for a single-crust pie (9 inches) (If you don't make your own, you can buy one or I use Krusteaz Pie Crust Mix, it makes me feel like I make professional pie crust and it never fails)
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup egg substitute (use 2 eggs if you don't have egg substitute)
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup reduced sugar strawberry preserves (or strawberry jam)
Fat-Free whipped topping, optional (I used cool whip)
Roll out pastry to fit a 9-inch pie plate; transfer pastry to plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of plate; flute edges. Prick bottom and sides of crust with fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese , egg substitute or eggs, honey and vanilla until smooth. Pour into the crust. Bake 15-18 minutes longer or until the center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature.
Arrange strawberries over filling. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir in preserves. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Spoon or brush, over the strawberries. Refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting. Garnish with whipped topping if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.
This recipe looks a lot harder than it is. It just takes steps. But the second time you make it will be a breeze.