Wine With Lisa

“Fate chooses your relations, you choose your friends.”
– Jacques Delille  French poet.

Celebration of the Season~Tables lined with
platters of delicious seasonal
Culinary Creations, Sparkling Decorations, Laughter, Reminiscing ,Friends
Family ,Thankfulness…..This is what comes to my mind during the holiday season.

Reconnecting and cherishing friendships……..Deb and Amy

Deb and Dale hosted a lovely Christmas Season Celebration. Thank you for opening your lovely home to us and sharing such a delicious meal,laughter and music.

You both are so gracious,kind and a whole lotta fun!
We have set the bar for our future dinner parties and I know we are all looking forward
to seeing what we can cook up in 2012!

Denise & Bobby

Looking forward to fun with you two in 2012!

So glad to know you! What a lovely couple!

Amy & Brett

I predict 2012 will be the year of dinner parties! I can’t wait to start planning the
Spring Fling!

Diane,looks like we have many dinner parties ahead and even more True Blood Fans! YAY!

The dining table is set in Holiday Style! How beautiful!

Cocktails are chilling…..

Time for the party to begin……

The highlight of the evening was listening to the awesome music by the The PANCAKE TURNER BLUES BAND. We all enjoyed listening to a mix of traditional blues and classic rock.

And,several of the members are from Louisiana. We are looking forward to our spring party
with these guys.
Dale,THANK YOU SO MUCH, for making the evening extra special with live music!

Buck rocked the harmonica!

Candace and Deb enjoying the evening

Dale is putting the finishing touches on the lovely dinner that is about to be served.

 The main course was Succulent and tender Roasted Pork, full of flavor.  Dale slow cooked the pork
in the cast iron dutch oven and it was simply delicious.

Lovely trays of delicious appetizers provided by Denise….DELICIOUS!

Dinner is served!

Sharing a delicious meal,wine and laughter with close friends during the Holiday Season:
It doesn’t get much better than that!

Dancing

Delicious Desserts….

How about this! Old Fashioned New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce topped
with Blue Bell Ice Cream! The recipe is in my previous posting.

Thanks to all of my closest and dearest friends and to my new friends for being a
part of our lives. You make it all worth while.

Looking forward to the next year of fun,laughter,dinner parties,wine pairings and a
Spring Fling!

“Fate chooses your relations, you choose your friends.”
– Jacques Delille French poet.

MERRY,MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Old Fashioned Warm Bread Pudding with Plump Raisins and Praline Pecans soaked in a Warm and Buttery Bourbon Sauce Mmmmmm….Just In Time for the Holidays

Christmas Season is in full-swing in my household.Gifts are wrapped,the tree is decorated and every weekend is booked with Christmas Parties!
I usually get asked to bring an appetizer so when I was asked to whip up a dessert,I
knew just what I wanted to make.

Having grown up in Louisiana,I can’t help but be forever influenced by New Orleans style cuisine and a LOVE for Bread Pudding.There are many recipes and versions of Bread Pudding from all over the South. But for the party tomorrow night,I think this traditional,Old Fashioned Bread Pudding Recipe will be a perfect ending to the special holiday meal that will be shared with dear friends this weekend.

Recipe:

1 pound French or Italian Bread-torn into bite-sized pieces
3 1/4 cup whole milk
3 eggs-lightly beaten
1/2 stick butter-melted
2 teaspoonsful Vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoonful cinnamon*
1/2 cup Kroger Praline Pecans-coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins

I have discovered that a great recipe that stands out above others is all about the quality of ingredients.If you have a container of cinnamon from last Christmas season and you know we all do -throw it out!
Grab a bottle of Saigon Cinnamon. Saigon (Vietnamese )Cinnamon is all about flavor.
Once you incorporate this in your recipes,you’ll never go back to the generic cinnamon
most of us have in our spice cabinets. Saigon Cinnamon is sweet and robustly flavored.
It will take you back to your childhood days with the bold flavor of “red hot candies.”

Praline Pecans from Kroger’s Private Selection variety of nuts are a great find! Do you know about these?
This is such a unique product,I have never found any other glazed or candied nuts like these.
Each bite is just like eating a New Orleans Praline.Oh My! They are delicious!
This is another product that I keep stocked in my pantry.They are perfect in a salad with mixed field greens,fresh strawberries,pears and gorgonzola.

Directions:

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and toss with the bread pieces along with the Praline
Pecans and raisins

Combine eggs,milk,melted butter and vanilla

In a large bowl,mix all of the ingredients together and let bread absorb the milk/egg mixture

Pour into a buttered casserole dish and Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes until set and the top is brown

Warm Bourbon and Buttermilk Sauce

6 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 to 3 Tablespoons Wild Turkey Honey Bourbon
1/2 Teaspoonful Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon White Karo Syrup
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

In a saucepan,

On low to medium heat,melt butter and mix sugar,buttermilk,baking soda,White Karo Syrup
vanilla and Bourbon.

Wild Turkey Honey Bourbon is Wild Turkey Bourbon blended with Honey

Whisk constantly until mixture boils.

Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Serve Warm with the Bread Pudding.

BIG HINT: FOR BEST FLAVOR: MAKE THE BREAD PUDDING AND THE SAUCE THE DAY BEFORE: REFRIGERATE.
BAKE AS DIRECTED and SLOWLY RE-HEAT THE SAUCE possibly using a double boiler.
THE FLAVORS and TEXTURE are at its best if you do it this way! DELICIOUS!

Recipe inspired by my neighbor’s sister Cindy Wells. Thank you Cindy! Love the recipe!

ENJOY!