New Diet

The baby was having digestion problems and as a result I gave up milk last Friday. Today the doc said it's not enough and I have to give up all dairy and anything with whey in it. Then she offered up that most people can't do it and that if I wanted to move to formula she could give me some samples. (Wow! Way to encourage breast feeding Mz. Pediatrician!)

I will admit is was hard last Friday when I opened the refrigerator and found the gourmet Wisconsin cheeses mom just sent me, fruit on the bottom yogurt, cream cheese, french onion dip, ranch dressing, sour cream and milk all off limits, but going to the grocery and looking for things that don't contain whey was even harder. I opted for shopping the parameter of the store and buying fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, knowing the further challenge would be preparing these things. Who has time to peel, chop, mix, cook, steam and concoct while also holding a four month old? It's a difficult thing especially when you're low on sleep, nursing on demand and hungry for sweets most of the time. So, I took it as the best excuse to buy sushi and beef jerky and a few other junky non dairy things for quick eats.

Finally a poem to commemorate the day:

Dear sweet milk,

I miss you the most.

I bought almond milk to replace you,

And it was really gross.

Bread Pudding Almost like We had in New Orleans

This recipe was super fun for me and Ella. She tore the bread and did all the measuring and hand mixing. It was definitely a kid friendly recipe.

1 Cup of cubed french bread
2 Egg yolks
4 Tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 cups of milk (the creamier the better, I used 2%)
1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
Apple
Raisins

Take the crust off of the french bread and tear the bread into cubes making sure to keep them fluffy like clouds.
Soak the bread cubes in the milk for one hour.
Beat egg yolks and add to bread cubes and milk.
Add sugar vanilla, raisins and cinnamon.
Dice very small or julienne 1/4 to 1/2 the apple and add to the mix.
Pour mixture into four custard cups, almost to the top is ok, (they don't rise.)
Set custard cups into a larger cake pan and add water to the cake pan so that the water is at least half way up the outsides of the custard cups.
Bake at 350 until the tops are golden brown and it's holding together (about an hour-ish, you can check it with the toothpick, just like brownies)

Meringue:
Beat with a whisk two remaining egg whites until it holds stiff points.
While beating slowly add 1/4 cup of powered sugar.
Add to the top of the bread pudding and put back in the oven at 350 - about 10-15 minutes until meringue is golden brown.

I'd show you a picture but it didn't last long enough to get a camera out.

Here's how they actually did it at the Commander's Palace, this was the bread pudding that set the precedent for all bread pudding thereafter.