Rando Tuesdays: Fake Frugality Continued – Wild Berry Betty & Vanilla Custard

With the exception of Famous Dave’s bread pudding, this recipe might be the best possible solution to the fact that you have yet another half loaf of bread in your bread box getting staler by the minute.

I did use a can of blueberry pie filling, but I topped it with a few wild berries for interest. They were frozen. It still worked out.

And have I mentioned custard to you yet? Despite rarely eating it while in England, I found myself getting a little homesick for it, so I whipped a batch together for the topping. You know, as a break from all the whipped cream/regular cream/hard sauce/icing I have been topping my fruit desserts with recently. It’s likely that many of you are thinking, “Why would you wreck the natural sweetness of a fruit dessert with such exorbitant richness??” And I say again to you, “There is nothing too rich for me.”

Sweetically yours,

L

Wild Berry Betty

Adapted from All Things Frugal

2 cups berries, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup granulated sugar

juice of 1 lemon

4 cups bread cubes, about 1/2 inch square

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, white sugar and lemon  juice.  In another bowl, combine the bread cubes, brown sugar, and  cinnamon.  Fill an 8- or 9-inch square metal baking pan by alternating the  two mixtures, starting with half the blueberries, then half the bread cubes, and  so on.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Vanilla Custard

Adapted from eHow.com

2 cups milk

3 large eggs

1/3 cup sugar

Heat the milk for 2 or 3 minutes in the microwave. Whisk the eggs until smooth and add them to the milk.

Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir that into the milk and egg mixture until dissolved.

Run the whole mixture through a strainer and stir again. Serve as desired.

Pipe Dream #126: To Bake Savory – Truffled Barley Asparagus Stuffed Peppers

Hey, you know how I usually post sweet recipes? I actually do ingest salt occasionally. Today is another entry in the annals of my truffle love story. If you don’t have truffle oil, by all means use regular olive oil. I guess. If you live in Siberia. But otherwise you should just buy some. It’s a game-changer.

Bonus, these peppers are really healthy. Lots of protein from the barley, lots of veg, lots of flavor. My “vegetarian” sister even liked it.

Double bonus, they are pretty colors.

Triple bonus, they are topped with cheese.

Today is just a triple-bonus kind of day. Those only come along err so often, so eat it up friends, eat it up.

L

Truffled Barley Asparagus Stuffed Peppers

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
8 asparagus spears, grated
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 truffle oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup pearled barley, cooked
3 sweet bell peppers (red or yellow)

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Cook the barley according to package directions, removing from the heat just before the barley is fully cooked. Combine the tomatoes, asparagus, cheese, oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix in the cooked barley.

Cut off the tops of the peppers as well as a small slice from the bottom to stabilize the peppers in the baking dish. Remove seeds. Place peppers in a shallow baking dish. Stuff the peppers with the barley mixture, then pour the chicken broth into the dish. Cover tightly with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle each pepper with cheese, then bake for another 15 minutes. The peppers should be tender and the cheese browned. If you hit 10 minutes and find that the cheese is not browning, flip your oven to broil to finish ‘er off.

Remove peppers to a serving platter. Eat while hot.

Favorite Shots: Sheep Red-Handed

I just have too many happy sheep shots, including this one. I caught him red-handed. Look at the guilt in his eyes!

Sorry. I just figure that if you don’t pipe up about anything negative, I’ll just keep ’em coming. :]

L