Chocolate Bread Pudding

Arnica — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:45:11 +0000

Ok, so first you have to put on Carla Bruni or some other delectable music. This really makes you feel legitimately self-indulgent.

Buy some awesome chocolate rye bread. We get ours from Okanagan Grocery, who makes this slightly sweet dark rye with a big slab of dark Bernard Callebaut down the centre. IF you can’t find chocolate bread, buy some regular dark rye and some chunks of dark chocolate to sprinkle around.
Chop up bread in inch sized cubes. Cubes is a liberal way of saying bits. Try not to squish it.
Pour 1/4 cup melted butter over the bread and toss. Set into a buttered casserole dish.
Use the same bowl – less dishes! Beat 5 eggs, add 1 tsp sea salt and 1 cup of some kind of sugar – I used a mix of brown and organic raw cane sugar for this batch. Grate an orange’s rind in, and add 2 tsp of vanilla. A little tipple of booze makes a nice substitute for the vanilla. Try it! It doesn’t look pretty, but trust me – it will taste good.
Heat up 3 cups of milk to warm/hot, and slowly add into the eggs while stirring with a whisk. Spice and I are lactose intolerant, so we just whip up a batch of powdered milk whenever we bake, since we don’t have the stuff around the house everyday. (Except when Grandpa is here.)
Pour over your bread and bake for 30 minutes at 350 or so until the custard is hot. Let cool a bit to warm, and sprinkle icing sugar over top for special effect.
Dig in!

Letting Go….

Arnica — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:00:26 +0000

I’ve been blogging for 6 years now… our blog chronicled moves, our family zoo, passing of loved ones, seeing our girls for the first time, traveling to Ethiopia and other locales, and most importantly – 3.5 years of life with our girls. Three weeks ago, the blog imploded and we lost it all.

It shouldn’t be a big deal; but it was. We lost a journal of our family, our friends, and our girls growing up. I tried everything I could for a few weeks to recover it. The memories, the pictures and the thoughts. But it wasn’t to be.

I wasn’t sure if I should still keep blogging. After all, it’s work. Taking pictures, writing, editing. But I enjoy it. So finally I asked my girls. “Sugar” and “Spice” were very sad that I couldn’t get that journal back… they liked knowing that there was a record. But they asked me to keep blogging anyway – to show Nona and the rest of their family what they are doing. And to start that journal anew.

So I’m letting go – of those 6 years. but I’m also looking forward to many more. After all… life is in the moment. Let’s share it.

Rowan Family Tree » ethiopian adoption

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Letting Go….