Mother's Day and a Special Dessert

My mom was born in the mid 1920's. The economy was very tight when she was a child. She was one in a family of seven children. I remember hearing stories that were told over and again about the struggles the family faced. I have heard some "Good Time" stories and some "Bad Time" stories, but no matter which story was told, there was always a Mother and a Father trying their best to care for and raise the seven children to be upstanding citizens. Mom and her siblings were taught right from wrong and the consequences that came with wrong doings.

There were many stories that involved favorite holidays, good food (my grandma was an excellent cook, family fun, and luscious desserts made from whatever could be scraped up around the kitchen. One of my mom's favorite desserts was Bread Pudding. Grandma would save all of the bread scraps until she had enough to make Bread Pudding. It didn't take much to make, it was easy to make, and it was a treat.

I recall trying Bread Pudding once when I was a child and thought it was absolutely awful. I'd much rather have cake or pie any day, I thought to myself.
This was not something I would consider a delicious dessert.

Last Mother's Day, I cooked a nice meal for my mother (of course all of my children and grandchildren were here too) to honor her for all the wonderful things she has done for me throughout my life. While planning the meal, I tried to think of a dessert that my mom would like; one that would perhaps remind her of her mother and her childhood. After thinking long and hard, I pulled out my grandma's old cookbook and shuffled through the stained up pages looking for a special dessert. There were handwritten recipes on scraps of paper with no title or directions written. They just listed ingredients. There were recipes written on old doctor's statements (can you believe that a gall bladder surgery and follow up only cost $78.00?). There were recipes written on the front and back cover of the old cookbook, too. There were recipes for pies, cakes, candy, and cookies all scrawled out in grandma's handwriting, mostly in her own particular type of shorthand. Finally, I came to a recipe for Bread Pudding. BINGO!!!! This is it; the special dessert. This would surely bring back some very pleasant childhood memories for my Mother.

I began looking at the recipe and decided that I wanted to make this old dessert better, since the Bread Pudding I remember tasting was not very yummy. You know, I had to improve it a bit. I began with a Fresh loaf of French Bread. I pulled it apart and tore it into very small pieces. I put the French bread pieces in a 13 X 9 X 1 inch glass baking dish that had been sprayed with Pam. After this,using my electric mixer, I beat 6 eggs. Then I added a cup of sugar and one stick of Butter (the real stuff) and beat this together until well mixed. Now, I decided to add a secret ingredient to make my Bread Pudding extra special. I added one can of Condensed Milk (not evaporated) and beat that until it was well mixed. I added a tablespoon of Cinnamon and 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla. Once all of these ingredients were well mixed, I poured the mixture over the crumbled French bread. I let is sit for about 20 minutes before baking it. This gave the beaten mixture time to soak into the crumbled bread. After the bread had become soggy, I drizzled some honey over the entire top of the mixture and placed it in a 350 degree preheated oven. It baked until golden brown, making sure it didn't dry out too much. I wanted it to be soft and fluffy not hard and dry. I made a pecan praline sauce to be spooned over the Bread Pudding when served.

All of the family sat down to dinner and we prayed the"Grace" and thanked God for My wonderful, generous, kindhearted mother; and all of us present who were mothers. Mom loved the dinner and was very happy to be the Guest of Honor. After clearing away the dishes from the dining room, I brought in the Special Dessert. I wondered if mom would remember this dessert from her childhood, but I didn't have to ask! Mom looked at the dessert and remarked; "This was the best dessert we ever had when I was a child". She did remember! I was so pleased to see her enjoy the Bread Pudding. She said that she hadn't eaten any since she was a young woman.

Mom thanked me over and over again for the bread pudding and the memories that it brought back for her. Oh yes, she loved my pecan praline sauce too. Come to think of it, you would probably like that sauce too. You'll have to ask for it with you want it!!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, young and old. Enjoy this mother's day and try to bring in a few memories from the past for someone you love.