Hot Dogs, April 6, 2016

I usually make a pot of soup and some kind of sweet for our women's Red Tent gatherings. This month, things went awry and the spinach & artichoke soup I made was inedible, as were the brownies. I made more brownies later, though, so you get that recipe, my modification of a Ree Drummond recipe. They were yummy! The women who had gathered for "being time" brought snacks, luckily, from their homes and cars and we had some good munchies. My contribution was a bag of gluten-free pretzels covered with salted caramel coating and a box of Blue Diamond Pecan Thins (fantastically delicious gluten-free crackers). So, we had a snack potluck---or, as I joked, "stone soup."

When I got home, Jeannene had already gone to bed, but she had left me some hot dogs, so I had those for my supper.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

5 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 sticks butter, room temperature

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 1/4 c. flour

A pinch of salt

2 tbsp. vanilla

14 oz. dulce de leche

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt chocolate (I do this in the microwave, in 30 seconds increments, stirring between heatings). Allow to cool at least 15 minutes. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. The color is stunningly lovely. With the mixer on low, slowly drizzle in the chocolate, followed by the flour, salt, and vanilla. Spread in a greased 13x9 baking pan. Warm the dulce de leche (I use the microwave, in 30 second increments, until it's more liquid) and drop large dollops of it on top of the batter. Swirl with the tip of a knife. Bake 35-45 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before cutting. Makes 16-20.

Chocolate Caramel Bread Pudding

How many of you will complain if I tell you to eat the whole dessert in one day? I thought not many. Seriously, you wouldn't have to eat it all, but it does get a little weepy when left overnight, so it's a great dessert to make when you're having company to dinner. My wife loves bread pudding, but is always disappointed in restaurants, where there are invariably raisins in it. Of those, she is not a fan. So, I like to try different versions of it on her. This one is yummy and definitely different. I got the recipe from my friend, Kristal, who uses cinnamon chips in her version. I was unable to find those when I was getting ready to make this, so I subbed caramel chips and a new dish was born.

Chocolate Caramel Bread Pudding

8 oz. French bread, crust cut off

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1/2 c. caramel chips

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 3/4 c. milk

1 c. half & half

50 Hershey Kisses

2 eggs, beaten

1 c. caramel chips

1/2 c. half & half

1 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2 qt. baking dish. Cube enough of the bread to make 6 cups. Toss with butter. Mix sugar and cocoa together. Toss with bread cubes. Add 1/2 c. caramel chips. Put in baking dish. Heat milk and 1 c. half and half just until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat. Add Hershey Kisses and stir until melted and incorporated into a smooth mixture. Gradually add to eggs (if you add it too quickly, it will give you chocolate scrambled eggs). Pour over bread cubes in pan. Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about an hour. Melt 1 c. caramel chips with 1/2 c. half & half. Add powdered sugar, stirring to incorporate completely. Serve warm with bread pudding. Serves 10-12.