Cassie-b

Three and a half day weekend!

I’ll be taking a 1/2 day vacation today, and our company is closed on Monday for the holiday.

This U.S. holiday is celebrated in February to honor two of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. The holiday is celebrated in the United States on the third Monday in February.

Bread Pudding with sauce
1/4 cup melted butter
1 (10-ounce) French baguette, cut into one inch slices
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup Irish whiskey (or apple juice)
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 can evaporated milk (I didn’t use this, I used regular milk instead)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
---------------------------------------
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Brush butter on one side of the bread slices, and place bread, buttered sides up, on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes til lightly toasted. Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes.  Set aside.
Combine raisins and whiskey or apple juice, cover and let stand about 10 minutes (don’t drain).
Combine milk and next 4 ingredients; stir with a whisk. Add bread and raisins, let stand 15 minutes. Spoon into a 9x13” buttered pan.

Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes until set.

Sauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup butter
2 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup Irish whiskey
1/4 cup milk
Combine sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan (I used a medium sized cast iron skillet) over medium-high; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Cook an additional 15 minutes or until golden (do not stir). Remove from heat. Add butter and cream cheese, stirring constantly with a whisk (mixture will be hot and bubble vigorously). Cool slightly, and stir in whiskey and milk.

I’ll be sure to make it again.

James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, our 39th president, was born at the Wise Clinic in Plains, Ga. on October 1, 1924, making him the first U.S. president to be born in a hospital.