I don't know where you live, but I am from Houston and now live in Austin and 60 degrees requires a turtleneck, scarf, a jacket, and boots. This week, temperatures have reached the teens and last night snow fell. I now sit in my bed wearing 2 shirts, a jacket, 2 layers of pants, and socks, all while being packed under 4 blankets, one that even generates heat. Besides a nice bowl of Texas chili and warm cornbread, I could really go for a warming dessert. Unfortunately, kitchens are not readily available in college dorms...who knew. So, I will let you in on a "to die for" dessert.
I first made this recipe for my dad. He is a HUGE lover of bread pudding. He was convinced the best bread pudding was at a popular Houston restaurant, Post Oak Grill. Then, he came home to a kitchen filled with the aroma of butter, cream, and sugar. As we ate dinner, the mystery dessert baked. When the timer rang, it was a mad-dash to the oven to finally find out what had been tormenting our noses. As I revealed the warm, golden brown dessert, my dad resorted to taking pictures of it with his iPhone. We dished it out IMMEDIATELY and added a nice dollop of whip cream. Then, we died in peace. But seriously, we enjoyed every bite and I know you will too. It is a must.
Bread Pudding. 
My first reaction: Ew, soggy bread. Ina Garten's approach on bread pudding: croissants. Divine. Buttery, dense croissants, soaked in creamy milk, stuffed with raisins (or berries) and baked to golden perfection. Yes my friends, it will warm up any weather blues. Please check out this simple dessert and eat some in my honor (even though you have no idea who I am).
I have always thought it would be kinda cool to lead a double life. Ya know. One thing by day, another thing by night. Well, in college that is really easy to do. Hard working student by day- party animal by night. Well, I am not one who typically enjoys frattin it up, so I had to come up with a different plan.
Blogging. It is perfect. You can write about whatever you want and no one ever has to know. Some people might stumble upon it and if they like it, great, but it doesn't really matter. So (as of yesterday) I decided I would make a blog. A food blog. Write about recipes and restaurants and whatever else I want.
It was going along great. I had officially become a closet blogger. Until lunch. I made it a whole 24 hours and then I slipped. You see, I have a friend named Liza. She is like the perfect girl. Every boy loves her and every girl wants to be her. At lunch, she says she finished her homework and her blog. What? Liza, THE Liza, the most popular girl in the state of Texas says she finished her blog. Within seconds my mind starts having a million connections. If Liza is cool, and Liza blogs, then blogging is cool. So I blurt out, I have a blog too. Come to find out, Liza's blog was a homework assignment. Dang it. I should have known she was talking about homework. Do I recant my statement? Do I defend blogs? Do I ignore it altogether? No. I get red in the face. Now, the whole table tunes in. They come to the conclusion that blogging can in fact be funny and entertaining. HOWEVER, I NEVER disclosed the name of my blog.
So, for now, I remain in the closet. I keep my double life. But, I inspired one my friends, best known as E.Lynch, to start a blog. It is a must read. But, I will continue to keep my blog a secret, for the sake of dignity. I will continue to write and will wait for the day when one of my friends comes across it and finds that I in fact blog as if I am a 30 year old, stay at home, soccer mom...sorry about it.
I woke up this morning to a room temperature of 50 and an outside temperature of 20. Thankfully, my mom had brought me a thermal blanket, but getting out of bed was not easy. I go to University of Texas at Austin and one of the main reasons I stayed in Texas was to avoid cold weather. So, that is how this blog was created. In my cozy bed, in my fear of hypothermia, in my tireless effort to read every food blog created (Pioneer Woman, How Sweet it Is, She Wears Many Hats, Sprinkled with Flour, The Splendid Kitchen...) the list is endless. I now have my own blog. I don't get to bake often due to this little commitment they call college. But, I hope to share all my great finds and post my own creations when I can.
