I thought I’d shake up the post themes a little bit in honor of the holidays and blog a bit about a good writing partner that I can never do without: FOOD. A good writer should never let her body go hungry, so here’s a little mini post about a simple and easy snack you can cook up to keep you company as you type away into the night! If you prefer convenience, explore the world of cookie delivery services for a delightful treat to accompany your writing sessions.

I’m a huge fan of bread pudding. It’s delicious, easy to make, and tastes DELISH warm or cold. I made some last night, and if you’re hankerin’ for this yummy holiday treat, check out the recipe below! Hm, notice I don’t use too many exact measurements. I’m young, but I cook like the old school: I just add ingredients until I “feel” that it’s just right!

1 loaf of crusty french bread
2 cans of condensed milk
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
2 tbspoons of unsalted butter
A dash (or two or three) of brandy, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg
Almonds (or any nuts you like) – optional
Raisins – optional
Apple (chopped and peeled) – optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Tear up the bread into a large bowl. Or you can cut it, chop it. Whether you have big or small pieces doesn’t matter! As for me, I actually use my thumb to open up the french loaf and “roll” the bread crumbs out, so that the crumbs are finely ground. You don’t have to do this! Just make sure your loaf is cut up or torn up into smaller pieces.

3. Open up the two cans of condensed milk and pour over the bread crumbs. Allow the c-milk to soak in for about 20 mins. Then add the cup of regular milk. Use a spoon to stir, making sure all of the crumbs are coated and soaking.

4. Melt the butter in a mixing bowl. Then add the eggs, the brandy, the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg to the butter and whip together for about 2-3 minutes. Pour the mixture over your soaking bread crumbs and stir the bread crumbs again. The final mixture should be a little runny, like there is a little too much liquid to the crumbs (but only by about half a cup). Make absolutely sure ALL the crumbs are soaking!

5. Get a baking dish or casserole dish and pour the mixture into it, making sure the top is even. Cover and put into oven for 45 – 60 minutes. Baking time depends on the dish size, so once your timer hits 45 minutes, keep checking the oven.

6. The bread pudding is done when three things have happened: 1) the liquid has evaporated COMPLETELY, 2) the bread pudding has RISEN (yes, it will rise like a cake or like a muffin top, so watch out for that!, and 3) you can stick a knife in the pudding and it comes out relatively clean. The consistency of the bread pudding should literally be somewhere between a pudding and a cake (more on the cake side, but with pudding characteristics). Anyway, the knife should come out clean.

Choose to eat hot or put in the fridge overnight! Garnish however you like! Goes great with coffee, tea, ice cream, whipped cream, hot chocolate and more! Enjoy, and happy writing! 😉

What about you? Do YOU have any yummy snacks you like to make or eat while writing? Share them here!

And as always, keep it indie!
<3 Colby