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This time of the year, there is so much ado about what to do with leftover turkey! I didn’t do too much cooking on Thanksgiving, hence NO leftovers though I did end up with some baked sweet potatoes which were just right for something delectable! I decided to smash those leftover sweeties and put them into a most righteous bread pudding along with mashed up, too ripe bananas that I had frozen a few days earlier. As bananas age, they bring forth a natural liqueur which deepens the flavor of one of my variations on this dessert that has so many varieties, it seems like the only common denominators are bread and eggs.

Depending on the proportions and type of ingredients, putting together a bread pudding can be quite simple and quick with richly decadent results in flavor and mouth feel (at least the way I make them!). So if you want to lick your lips, preheat the oven to 325 degrees and spray a 9” x 12” baking pan with butter flavored Pam. In a big bowl, break into small pieces a long loaf of bread (your choice of white or wheat, the inexpensive store brand is fine). Cut up three very ripe bananas over the bread and mash them. Add ½ cup of raisins and no more than a cup of mashed sweet potatoes and stir together with bread and bananas using a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed and gooey. In another bowl beat 6 large eggs; add 2 ½ cups of half & half OR heavy cream; ½ cup dark brown sugar; ¼ cup sugar; 2 -3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract; and liberal amounts of both ground cinnamon and nutmeg. Beat with hand whisk until fully blended. Add rum and/or bourbon to taste (for those who don’t drink, use rum and brandy extract generously). Pour liquid over bread mixture and stir until completely mixed; should be thick but should also easily pour into the pan. Use more cream if needed but do not make it runny. Sprinkle top with raw sugar and bake 1 hour or until knife comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for an hour or more before cutting. Store covered in the refrigerator.

This type of bread pudding is very moist, cuts into clean pieces, which is the way I prefer the dessert, can be served warm or cold, and goes a long way at a holiday party when cut into small bite sized cubes. Ah…a spontaneous bright idea for a gathering...use less sugar when the bread pudding is made and plan to dip the cubes into warm melted caramel like fondue…yum!

My recipe allows for all kinds of creativity. See what's left around your kitchen that might be just right for a sweet or savory delight. BTW…I hadn't thought about the latter, so while I'm looking into the prospects, hope you too will...

keep your peepers open!®