I saw this Caramel Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding recipe on the Southern Living Website and I knew that I was making it. I am, as you know, on a bourbon and pumpkin kick right now..so I added bourbon. You can certainly leave it out..but it is SO good with it.

Soaking the pudding overnight allows the flavors to blend before baking. This was an extremely moist, flavorful bread pudding, which by the way isn’t usually one of my favorites. I am thinking a steaming plate of this …a good cognac and a fire in the fireplace would be a great end …read more

First of all, I had the coolest email. Totally unexpected; BonAppetit blog asked me to participate in their Blog Envy contest this year. Bloggers will submit their best holiday recipe and readers will vote. The top recipes will be made in the test kitchens of Bon Appetit and the prize is a trip for two to NY and dinner at Le Bernardin restaurant with Editor-in-Chief Barbara Fairchild and the BA Foodist himself, Restaurant Editor Andrew Knowlton.

Would I like to win?
Uh…YEAH.

Can this recipe win?

Mmm…pumpkin recipes…are you looking for moist? How about earthy-spicy? How about something to make your house smell like the Yankee Candle Company? How about if I throw in easy as well?
Yeah. You want this cake.

Now that you know how easy it is to roast your own pumpkin you can create magic in the kitchen with this recipe.  And…did you know…Pumpkin and vanilla are supposed to be very…VERY attractive scents to men…you must keep that in mind and use this recipe responsibly.

I will get back to you with all of the information about this today BUT the Ace of Cakes has partnered with Jakks to create creative baking kits for girls eight and up. They have sent me one to try with my girls and I will give you all the cool details later…
For right now, check out how popular it was when it came out of the box.

Here is a better picture of the product…

image:marye audet

I hope that each of you had an awesome Christmas.  Ours was rather quiet but nice.  Kyrie pulled her new Ken doll out of her socking and her eyes went wide “CHRIS!” she screamed, “LOOK MAMA! Santa gave me Chris!”
Chris is our oldest son, currently serving in Iraq.  He has been turning heads since he was 2.  I have to admit that the Ken doll looks alot like him.   I like to think that Christopher is not quite so shallow as Ken..and I think that his smile is better…
Kyrie misses Chris a lot, more than I can really understand since …read more

I love making Christmas cookies but get tired of making the same ones year after year. My family likes tradition and by the time they are two most of my kids can tell you what should be on the cookie plate for each holiday, what dishes should be on the table, and if I forget or try to do something different, you can bet I hear about it.
I can add to the basic stuff but never, never take away and do something different.

 
The skies are gray today and a brisk wind is pulling at the siding of my house.  I am comfy in my bed, watching the fire in the bedroom fireplace and listening to the kids downstairs.  If you don’t mind I think it is a little chilly for surfing…so perhaps skating or skiing is in order?
Lots of very cool stuff from the blog-o-sphere today…

Tomorrow is the Annual Audet Gingerbread House Party…it is also Sean’s 10th birthday.  So, if you have been wondering at the lack of Christmas festivity here at Baking Delights, wonder no more.  It isn’t Christmas until Sean’s birthday is over!

We had a great Christmas, and I hope you did as well. So many of the pictures we got of the kids were great but there was one in particular that I wanted to share.
Chef Kyrie got a set of metal play pans. I had meant to get her a wooden stove/oven combo but finances just wouldn’t allow it so I hoped that she would be pleased with the pans and imaginary stove.

Apparently she was. Of all my kids I think this one is a born foodie.

One of the fun things about Christmas is to tour other people’s homes and see their decorations. So, here is a quick, not so great image wise, tour of our house-from the inside. I haven’t gone out to get pictures of the outside yet..but it is very simply done in keeping with the age and style of our home..just some greenery and wreaths.
As you come in the door the reception parlor and hearth is to your right-

and our formal Christmas tree is to your left-only this picture is taken FACING the door, rather than away from it…never mind.

The tree is …read more