A Photo A Day [Day 137]

Further cementing my status in the neighborhood as the resident weirdo, I attempted to recreate the heartwarming scene at the end of "The Shining" where Jack Nicholson mercifully freezes to death. I was hoping this would turn out a little creepier, especially considering the frostbite I no doubt suffered in the process, but I'm more or less happy with the results. Life would be a lot easier with a twin so one of me could be behind the camera to set up these shots perfectly.

And let me just say that I really hope I don't usually look this bad. Very unflattering angle!

Theme: movie scene

Oh, and let me apologize for the lack of baking or crafting posts lately. With the new year I've made an effort to spend more time reading and cut back a little on the sweets. Note that I said "a little." I'm not crazy enough to eliminate them entirely! I'm hoping to limit my baking a bit, perhaps just to the weekends. As for the crafting I'm in a bit of a slump and hope to get back in the swing of things soon. I hope you'll stay tuned for that.

A Photo A Day [Day 136]

(Click for larger photo)

This week's theme (movie scene) is a tough one. I feel like it requires a lot of creative thought, planning, and setup, which I usually don't have time for. Today I got a snow day off of work so I did my best at setting up something cinematic. Didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped but it'll do.

With all the snow we've been getting this winter I'm afraid we'll soon get snowed in and have to resort to cannibalism, à la the movie Alive. Why else do you think I've been fattening up my husband with all of those baked goods?

A Photo A Day [Day 135]

Some would throw this blurry photo right into the bin but I kind of like the spooky effect. That and I think I look best when you've got a few drinks under your belt so here I've saved you the trouble and expense of drinking.

A Photo A Day [Day 134]

Abandoning this week's theme to show you my new Yeti calendar proudly displayed on my desk at work. Do you think my bosses and co-workers will catch on to the fact that I'm a little strange or is this too subtle of a hint?

You too can print out your own free Yeti calendar here:
http://curiositygroup.com/calendarofthemonth

A Photo A Day [Day 133]

For yesterday's photo I had a great idea of getting the cats to play with this Christmas garland and capturing a crisp, clear action shot. Not only did the cats refuse to cooperate and only Loofy showed a modicum of interest, but between the horrible lighting in our cave/house and having to wiggle the garland with my free hand I wasn't able to get the shot I wanted. Maybe one day I'll have a photography assistant and cooperative cats, but I won't hold my breath for either of those.

Stollen Bread Pudding

You know that leftover loaf of stollen you've had tucked in the back of the freezer for a year now? No? Is that just me? Oh well. I suppose if you didn't have the foresight to start planning for this recipe a year in advance you can always use the fresh stuff. A pity you'll miss out on the freezer burn, though.

Every year when I buy a batch of Lebkuchen from Germany the collection includes a loaf of the one German treat I dislike: stollen. There's no earthly reason why I shouldn't like it since I'm a fan of all of the individual elements including raisins, nuts, and mixed peel. But when they're baked together the loaf is as abhorrent to me as fruitcake is to most Americans. I stashed last year's loaf in the freezer thinking that at some point I'd get desperate enough for dessert to thaw it out, but that doesn't seem to have happened in an entire year. With a fresh loaf in this Christmas' package I knew I needed to creatively use it all up.


I've had such good luck with bread pudding in cupcake form that I thought I'd hunt down a stollen bread pudding recipe. Fortunately, someone else out there is as weird as I and already had the same idea, so I quickly found a promising-looking recipe. I made a few adjustments, all for the best I'd say, with an extra special flavor coming from my secret ingredient:


That's right. Sugar & Spice Coffee-Mate, which I have an abundance of since I picked up some using a great coupon for only $0.50. Only trouble is I don't actually drink coffee so I've had a hard time using it up. This recipe helped me clear the freezer of that leftover stollen and my Coffee-mate. If you don't want to buy some specifically for this recipe feel free to substitute plain old milk in the recipe below and add a little extra sugar to compensate.

I'm pleased to report that this is one way to get me to happily eat my stollen. I should have guessed that, like most foods, it was improved with the addition of sugar and cream. And now I have a foolproof method to enjoy my stollen in future years. I almost can't wait for next Christmas' box!

Stollen Bread Pudding
Recipe adapted from InMamasKitchen.com

4 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Sugar & Spice Coffee-mate
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 pint (1 cup) heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 17.64-ounce loaves of stollen, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Whisk eggs and sugar until thoroughly combined. When blended, whisk in milk, cream and vanilla. Blend well. Pour one cup into a small saucepan and set aside.

Place stollen cubes into a bowl and pour milk mixture over it. Add chocolate chips and toss to coat. Pour into a baking dish and let sit for ten minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Set the baking dish into a larger pan and create a water bath. Bake in the oven for 60-80 minutes, or until set. Test center with finger, pressing lightly - it should be firm to the touch.

Heat the remaining milk mixture in a saucepan over low to medium-low heat, whisking constantly. When mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon it is finished. Do not increase the heat as there are eggs in the mixture.

When pudding is finished, let cool a little to firm before slicing. Put each slice on a serving plate and pour the sauce over.

A Photo A Day [Day 132]

Another miserable snow day. Is it too early for me to start wishing for winter to be over? At least this week's theme (blue) was a good excuse for me to put on my girliest shoes and frolic in the snow. Right before I went and put on my clunky boots and shoveled the walk.