Today is clean out the refrigerator/pantry of odds and ends while I put off doing my tax returns day.

I have a few hard dinner rolls from several weeks ago, a new recipe I tried out but was not impressed, plus a cup of leftover sugar/cinnamon/raisin/pecans mixture from my blackberry rugelach, plus 3 cups of leftover streusel from my peach/mango crisp…so what the heck, instead of a french toast breakfast casserole, I’m going to add a wee bit of cognac and make a creamy bread pudding instead.  This is called a ‘fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” bread pudding.  I’m going to throw in the last dregs of blackberry jam from the rugelach, and dot the middle with the last of the Nutella spread from when I baked those fudgy Nutella chocolate chip cookies.  And as a nod toward nutrition, I’ll add the last 1/2 cup of quick cooking oatmeal so I can toss the oatmeal box.

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to not let leftovers sit around until thrown out. Hence this will be the first of my efforts to keep this New Year’s resolution…”Everything But The Kitchen Sink Bread Pudding”…after all, how bad can it be with cognac in it?   Hmmmm…now I wish I had saved some of that 1/2 cup of whipped cream I used up to top my warm peach mango crisp…<sigh>

Everything But The Kitchen Sink Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic whole milk
• 1/2 cup organic half & half
• 1/2 cup cognac
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• ~3 cups cubed stale bread
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal
• 2 or 3 cups leftover crisp streusel (from Peach Mango Crisp)
• 1 cup leftover blackberry rugelach filling (cinnamon/sugar/raisins/pecans)
• few tablespoons blackberry jam
• few tablespoons Nutella spread

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the custard of:  milk, cream, cognac, sugar, eggs, salt and vanilla.  Add the stale bread and oatmeal and stir to submerge and coat.  Let sit in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a casserole dish.  Scoop half of the soaked custard/bread mixture into the bottom of the casserole.  Sprinkle the rugelach filling mixture over the surface.  Dot with Nutella. Scoop remaining custard/bread mixture over evenly.  Dot with dregs of the blackberry jam.  Top with a generous layer of crisp topping.

Bake 45 to 60 minutes, depending on how you like your bread pudding…less if you like it creamy and soft inside…or longer if you like a crisp exterior with a firmer interior.

If you serve this for breakfast or brunch, drizzle with warm maple syrup.  If you serve this warm as a dessert, top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Whichever way you serve this comfort dish…enjoy feeling righteous about using up so many leftovers in such a scrumptious way!!!!