Egg Nog Bread Pudding with Buttered Rum Sauce

This post was sponsored by Nellie’s Eggs. All opinions are mine alone.

This recipe for Egg Nog Bread Pudding with Buttered Rum Sauce is sure to be a hit at your winter celebrations!

Hi guys! Where do y’all stand in the great egg nog debate? Love it? Hate it? Is it a texture thing? I’m just curious. Egg nog is EVERYWHERE this time of year and I’m not mad at it. I love the flavor, but it can be a little thick for me, so I prefer to bake with it. In the past we have tried Egg Nog Cream Pie, Egg Nog Cheesecake, and Egg Nog French Toast. This year I wanted to see if I could pull off a yummy Egg Nog Bread Pudding. Boy, howdy, did I ever! Now, I realize I’m walking a thin line here because one of the few things more loved/loathed than egg nog is bread pudding. Again, it’s the texture. This version is light on the soggy, and heavy on the yum.

You will need a couple loaves of challah bread.  You could use French bread, but I really think the challah makes it – plus it sounds like you’re saying Holla’ every time you say it and I love that joke like the big, old nerd that I am.... You will also need half & half, egg nog, sugar, eggs, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract. The key to this recipe, I think, is to use really good bread and really good eggs.

I highly recommend these free range eggs from Nellie’s. Nellie’s has been in business since the late 1800’s, sustainably sourcing eggs from small family farms. They were the country’s first Certified Humane Free Range Egg Producer. I’ll admit, in the past I have just bought whatever eggs were the cheapest – until I cracked into one of these eggs. They were thick and had beautifully colored yolks– The difference from my regular runny old eggs was obvious.

Begin by cutting your challah into approx. 1-inch cubes and placing it in a large bowl. {Actually, a larger bowl than this one – I ended up using two bowls this size.

In a separate bowl mix half & half, egg nog, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract. Blend together with a whisk.

Pour the liquid over the bread cubes and toss to coat. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours so the bread really soaks up all the yummy liquid. 30 minutes would probably suffice, but I had to take my son to a doctor’s appointment so ours soaked for about 2 hours and it was soooooo gooooood. The longer you let it sit, the more it will break down the bread and give you a creamier texture.

Spoon the mixture into individual ramekins or into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes {45-50 if you use the 9 x 13 pan). Make sure the center is set and the top is golden brown. If the top starts to get too brown, cover with foil for the remaining baking time.

When they come out of the oven they will be all puffed up and delicious. It will shrink a little as it cools. At this point you could serve it with a dollop of whipped cream and call it a day, but I made a quick Buttered Rum Sauce {recipe below} to drizzle over the top, which took it to a whole ‘notha level! The rum flavor in this sauce is mild, but if you aren’t a fan you could swap the rum extract for vanilla extract.

Drizzle the hot buttery rum sauce over the hot bowl of bread pudding. NOW you may add whipped cream (or not) and call it day!

That right there is the stuff winter dreams are made of.

Egg Nog Bread Pudding with Buttered Rum Sauce

2 loaves challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 C. egg nog
1 C. half & half
5 eggs
2/3 C. sugar
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
whipped cream for garnish

For Sauce:
½ C. butter
½ C. sugar
½ C. brown sugar
½ C. egg nog
½ tsp. rum extract

Place cubed brad in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine egg nog, half & half, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Whisk to combine. Pour liquid mixture over the cubed bread and stir to combine. Allow to sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Several hours is better!

When you are ready to bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon the bread mixture into individual ramekins or into a 9 x 13 baking dish. I filled about (12) 7-ounce ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, (45-50 if using a 9 x 13 pan) until center is set and top is golden brown. If the top begins to get too brown, tent with foil for the remainder of baking time. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

While the bread pudding is baking, prepare sauce:  Heat butter, sugars, and egg nog in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow to boil several minutes until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in rum extract.

Drizzle warm sauce over warm bread pudding and a dollop of whipped cream.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy this warm winter treat for dessert or breakfast -- I don't judge!  My family has requested it for Christmas morning breakfast this year.

Happy Holiday Baking, friends!

Amy

Mini Quiche with RITZ Crackers Crust

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayRITZ #CollectiveBias

Hi guys!  Are y'all as excited as I am? Christmas is right around the corner, along with my favorite meal of the year -- Christmas Eve dinner!  In my mind, Christmas Eve and crackers go hand in hand and here's why:  When I was growing up, my mom believed cooking a big, fancy meal two days in a row was not much of a holiday for her, so we had our big meal on Christmas Day and she served crackers and cheese on Christmas Eve.  It was perfect because we were always so excited we could hardly eat anyway.  This is a tradition that my husband and I have carried on in our own family.  Over the years we have expanded the menu a little bit from the traditional summer sausage and cheese tray to include other delicious finger foods, including Mini Quiches with RITZ Crackers Crust.

These mini quiches are made by baking a delicious green chile and pepper jack cheese egg dish, then using a small cookie cutter to cut perfectly sized individual pieces once it has cooled and set up a bit.  RITZ Crackers make a perfect "crust" and add a yummy, buttery crunch. The best part? Everything you need for this casual dinner can be purchased at Walmart while you are out picking up your last-minute stocking stuffers!  Click on the image below to save on your purchase.  

Mini Quiche with RITZ Crackers Crust 

1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

1 C. shredded pepper jack cheese

2 T. flour

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 C. milk

1 small can green chiles

pinch of salt and pepper

non-stick cooking spray

RITZ Crackers

chives (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss shredded cheeses with flour in mixing bowl to coat.  Add eggs, milk, green chiles, salt and pepper to bowl and stir to combine.  Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by spraying well with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour the egg mixture into the prepared dish.

Bake for approx. 30 minutes, or until top is golden and middle is firm and not runny.   Remove from oven and allow to cool until it has set and feels firm.  Use a small round cookie cutter (approx. same size as cracker) to cut out individual pieces of egg, or cut into small squares using a knife.  Carefully remove each piece from the pan using a small spatula and place on top of crackers.  Garnish with chives and serve while warm.

For our family Christmas Eve dinner I set out a tray with a selection of sliced cheeses -- swiss, sharp cheddar, colby jack, havarti -- and provide a fun variety of other cracker toppers to round out the meal.  These are a few of our favorites:

--Ham Salad.  This Herby Ham Salad is my go-to recipe because it is packed with flavor, but you could use your favorite ham or chicken salad recipe.  I like to place a small piece of green leaf lettuce underneath the salad so the cracker stays nice and crisp and doesn't get soggy.  {Plus, it looks pretty, right?!}

-- Salami Roll.  Use thin sliced salami from the deli and 8 oz. of softened cream cheese.  Lay the salami slices out, overlapping edges, to form an approx. 11 x 14 inch rectangle.  Carefully spread softened cream cheese to form an even layer on top of salami.  Beginning on one long end, carefully roll salami and cream cheese to form a log.  Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or over night before cutting into thin slices.

-- Cheese Ribbon Slices.  This recipe has been a BIG hit with everyone who has tried it.  The original recipe calls for nuts, but since my husband doesn't really care for nuts, I omit them and add a few extra dried cranberries. These cheese ribbon slices look super impressive.  No one will believe how easy they actually are.

 -- Cheese Ball.  Homemade or store bought -- whatever your family likes.  I usually pick up a green onion cheese ball from our local store's deli and it is always one of the first things gone!

-- Pepper Jelly.  Just a little smidge of sweet and spicy pepper jelly, plain or with cream cheese, makes a super yummy addition.

--Shrimp with Chili Sauce.  Like the pepper jelly, serve it alone or with a small schmear of cream cheese, and it's delicious on top of crackers!

Every year I over-prepare and we have more food than 5 people could possibly eat.  (What can I say, we like to have a wide variety!)  Wouldn't it be fun to host a "Jingle Mingle" on Christmas Eve and invite friends who don't have family in town to come hang out for a bit and share your crackers and cheese dinner? 

To make your Jingle Mingle extra special, display finger foods and crackers on tiered trays to resemble Christmas Trees.  My tiered display stands were made from white dishes and candlesticks I picked up at the thrift store.   Set up several small snack tables with different food options around the room instead of one central buffet table to encourage mingling and snacking.  This one on my coffee table is perfect for friends to get cozy on the couch and chat while having plenty of yumminess within reach. 

You can even use your empty cracker boxes to make cute 3-dimensional stars like this one to accent your tiered trays.  I'm all about using EVERYTHING I've got on hand!!  

To Make a 3-Dimensional Cardboard Star:

Step 1:  Find a star that you can trace onto and cut out from your cardboard boxes.  I made a bunch of these 3D stars out of scrapbook paper years ago, so I just traced one of those.  If you don't have a star to trace, you could draw your own template by following this tutorial I wrote here.

Step 2:  Use a ball point pen to score your cardboard by drawing a line from each star point to the inverted point directly opposite it using a straight edge.  (I used one of the discarded cracker box edges!)  Fold along each scored line.

Step 3: Push the creases outward on each star tip and inward at the inverted points to create the three dimensional effect.  

Step 4:  Spray paint gold (or any other color that matches your decor) and use hot glue to attach a bamboo skewer to the back.  If you want your star to be double sided, simply make two in the same manner and hot glue them together around the edges with the bamboo skewer sandwiched in between.

This dinner could not be simpler to put together.  Just set up a few cute food stations with crackers, cheese, and finger foods, turn on some festive music, and bring on the guests for a fun and relaxing Christmas Eve get-together!  I even created printable invitations for y'all to use to invite all your friends and family -- one for a Christmas themed Jingle Mingle and one for New Year's Eve Party!

Download the image you like here, upload it in PicMonkey or another photo-editing program you like to add your party details in the blank spaces, and have them printed as 5x7 photos.  

For more delicious recipe ideas, be sure to visit the #HolidayRITZ page. What are your favorite finger foods and cracker toppers?  I would love for you to share your ideas in the comments. Happy holidays, friends!

Amy

A Christ-Centered Twelve Days of Christmas

Hi guys! Can you believe Christmas will be here so soon?! Holiday preparations are in full swing and everywhere you look there are gifts to buy and things to do.  We started decorating our home for Christmas in mid November – for a few reasons. One, as a blogger, I needed to photograph some Christmas projects ahead of time to have them ready to share with y’all.  I also wanted to be able to take my time and make it an enjoyable process rather than rushing through and feeling stressed and guilty about it. Mostly though, I wanted all the “work” of Christmas to be done before December hit, so that I could slow things waaaay down and enjoy some much-needed quiet family time this month.

It can be easy this time of year to get wrapped up in, well, wrapping . . . and putting up pretty decorations, and hosting get-togethers and all the other wonderful things about the holidays. I’m as guilty as anybody! This year I really want to try and simplify my holiday and keep our Christmas focused on Christ. I LOVE that Christmas is on a Sunday this year. That always seems to add a little extra “spiritual oomph” to an already wonderful holiday. Today I’m sharing some things we are doing as a family that will {hopefully} help us keep our holiday Christ-centered.

The Living Christ

A couple years ago our family worked together to memorize The Living Christ during the holiday season. It was a really fun experience, and one I would recommend if you haven’t tried it. It’s long, but it’s really not that hard to memorize, especially if you work on it together. Even if you have memorized it in the past, a little refresher probably wouldn’t hurt. I know we need one! The very last line, “God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son”, really resonates with me. I designed some Christmas tree ornaments with that message for our monthly women’s meeting at church that year. I still love the memories of that special Christmas, and the beautiful message of The Living Christ, every time I see it. 

To make your own Living Christ ornaments, download my free printable images and follow this awesome tutorial at Fyne's Designs.

The Twelve Days of Christ

I love all the Twelve Days of Christmas ideas you see all over the internet this time of year. This year we are going to do our own little countdown and study some of the Names of Christ as a family in the days leading up to Christmas. I designed eight of these Names of Christ study cards for Easter this year, but I thought they were equally appropriate for the Christmas season as well. I’m adding 4 brand new cards to the set so you’ll have one for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas.  

Each card has a hand-lettered word art design on one side that you could frame or hang with ribbon on your Christmas tree, but the back side is where the magic lives. It is chock-full of scripture references and quotes to enhance your understanding, as well as related articles for further study.

All you have to do is download the files here, print them double-sided onto cardstock and cut them out to make a set for each family member. I laminated mine so I could carry them to church every Sunday and have them at the ready for quick reference.  These cards would also make a great stocking stuffer for your Seminary student or missionary!

I hope these simple suggestions give you some ideas about how you can make this Christmas a special, Christ-centered holiday for your family.  Merry Christmas, friends!

Amy

Printable Wrapping Paper Sheets and Tags

Hi guys!  Every year I like to pick a theme for wrapping my Christmas gifts – a single pattern of paper or a couple of coordinates in a cohesive color scheme -- something unique so our presents look pretty and coordinated under the tree.  {I have a teeny tiny bit of OCD and anxiety, just in case you couldn’t tell.   It’s OK, I embrace it.}  This year I decided to try something I have never done before – designing my own gift wrap.  It has been a fun little project and I am excited to share it with y’all!

We decided on a black and white theme for our Christmas decorating this year so I designed a couple of hand-lettered, chalk art inspired designs to begin with and then added a coordinating graphic pattern.  For a little contrast and interest, I added the novelty Happy Holidays print.  Here are all four coordinating designs:

 Then, just because it was fun and I was on a roll, I designed some coordinating printable gift boxes as well!

I wanted to share my designs with you guys to thank you for visiting my little ole’ blog all year!  For wrapping smaller gifts, you can download and print my free gift wrap sheets.  I had them printed on 11x17 paper at Staples, which worked beautifully for wrapping books, dvd’s and other small-ish gifts. 

The gift boxes will be available on Lolly Jane soon.  Head over there to download the files and print onto 11x17 cardstock.  {I'll add the direct link here as soon as they are available.}
 

If you really, really like the designs and you have larger gifts to wrap, you can purchase full 6-foot rolls of the Reindeer Names and Alpine Trees gift wrap from Spoonflower.  It’s a little pricey, I’m not gonna’ lie, but it is the nicest giftwrap I have ever worked with.  It folds and creases like buttah and doesn’t tear on sharp box corners! 
 

I also found this cute plaid paper in the Target Dollar Spot that coordinates perfectly and has a much friendlier price tag of $1:

In fact, any black and white patterned paper would coordinate nicely!  I’m adding a variety of red and white or black and white striped ribbons and twines to decorate my packages.

I also found a six pack of small bottle-brush trees in the Target Dollar Spot which I am using instead of bows on these red car gift boxes.  Super cute, right?! 

There is a set of coordinating hand-lettered gift tags, as well.

All the printable wrapping sheets and tags can be downloaded here for your personal use.

Happy, happy holidays, friends!  

Amy

Licorice Caramel Coal Gift Idea

Hi guys!  Today I'm sharing another fun holiday gift idea on I Heart Naptime for Jamielyn's Crazy Christmas event.  Don't mind me -- I'm just fan-girling over here for a minute.  I've been a long-time follower of Jamielyn's amazing projects and recipes and it is such an honor to be invited! If you're looking for a treat that is a little bit different and kinda' snarky for your friends with a sense of humor, this is your gift idea!

Caramel popcorn balls with a hint of licorice flavoring that look just like coal?  Yes, please!!  I used to always tease my kids that Santa was going to bring them coal for Christmas if they weren't on their best behavior.  If the coal was this delicious they might not have minded at all! 

Head over to I Heart Naptime to score the delicious recipe and the free printable tags that go with it.

Have a great day, friends!!
Amy

Top 5 Tips for Hosting a Simple Holiday Cookie Decorating Party with Krusteaz

This post was sponsored by Krusteaz Cookie Mixes.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Hi guys!! One of my favorite things about the holiday season is making {and eating} Christmas cookies. I swear, I could eat a whole batch of frosted sugar cookies all by myself and not even feel bad about it. Not to mention the snowballs, and peanut blossoms, and snickerdoodles, and chocolate crinkles. I have a crazy sweet tooth this time of year!! Every year I want to make batches of all my favorite cookies, but I do not need to eat that many cookies. Also, baking them all from scratch?! Ain’t nobody got time for that! But I’ll let y’all in on my little secret -- Krusteaz cookie mixes are THE BOMB! Cookie baking was so easy this year we decided to throw the world’s easiest Cookie Decorating party to celebrate and I'm sharing my Top 5 Tips for hosting a simple cookie decorating party!

1. The cookies don't have to be made from scratch.  For reals.

Seriously, you guys. Krusteaz cookies are suuuuper easy and waaaayyyy yummy! All I had to do was add butter and eggs to the mixes and blend it all up in a stand mixer. The dough wasn’t too sticky, so rolling it out was a dream and the cut cookies held their shape really well while baking. I hate it when sugar cookies spread so you almost can’t tell what shape they’re supposed to be. These did not do that, which is awesome. 

I tried my hand at cutting sweater shapes out without a cookie cutter. I just used a small knife and shaped them how I wanted. They’re not perfect, but they looked really cute decorated. I was even able to roll out and cut the shortbread into Christmas tree shapes and they baked up beautifully, too!

2. Start your Cookie Party planning with a great invitation. 

People are 10,000 times more likely to come to your party if the invitation is cute.  I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere . . .  Download my free printable invitation here. Open the file in PicMonkey, Photoshop, or any photo editing program you like and add all the details. If you’re not comfortable with all that, just print the blank version and write in the info by hand. 

3.  The frosting can come from a can.  Seriously.  No one cares as long as you have lots of it.

I used a store-bought cream cheese frosting to simplify things, but you could get fancy with it and make your own from scratch. {You, me, and Sweet Brown know how I feel about that.} We had the frosting in small cups with knives for spreading and in bags with piping tips for decorating and detail work. 

4. When in doubt, use festive paper party cups.

I also provided a fun assortment of sprinkles and food-safe markers. These cute paper cups from the party section of my store worked perfectly to hold the sprinkles, giving us easier access to the good stuff. Give each of your guests a paper plate or piece of parchment paper to work on and get to decoratin’!

We had some really clever and creative cookie decorators! Personally, I’m loving the ugly sweater cookies with the candy Christmas shapes on them. I also like the way the star-shaped cookie got turned into a snowflake. We had a blast sharing our creations and trying to one-up each other in the creativity and skill departments!

5.  Get rid of 'em.

The cookies, not the guests.  Finish off your cookie party by serving cold milk and letting everyone dig into the cookies they just decorated. The most important aspect of this party, for me, was to get the tempting cookies out of my home after I had enjoyed just a few. If this is your goal as well, make sure to have some plates or small boxes on hand to send each of your guests home with their own stash of cookies.

We all thought the Krusteaz cookies tasted pretty much like homemade. If you don’t tell them, your guests will probably be none the wiser. So, there you have it. Don’t let the idea of hosting a cookie decorating party overwhelm you. Just buy the right products, invite a bunch of fun people over, and have a no-stress holiday get-together!

Happy Holidays, friends!
Amy