Saturday, December 19, 2009

Twas the week before Christmas

Last week was fairly productive, even though I barely scratched the surface of my "things to do."

Some of the time was for Christmas-related tasks/events:

  • Decorated the Christmas tree. Fought with the lights...and won!
  • Sent out over twenty cards. Realized that I don't know people's mailing addresses anymore.
  • Assembled 35 Andes mints gift treats. Gave them to many of my former co-workers.
  • Enjoyed a Christmas dinner with some former co-workers. It was really good to see them again.
  • Purchased several gifts for my husband.

Some were business-related:
  • Analyzed a potential market base. Making a database of possible clients. It's looking hopeful so far.
  • Re-evaluating my web site. I constantly get ideas that will make it better. Now, I just need to implement them.

I had some trouble with my back this week, so I couldn't do the exercises that I had hoped to do. I'm hoping that this week, I'll at least be able to go for long walks.

This week, I plan to work on some of those end-of-the-year evaluations. I'll probably start with mileage calculations. I had a pretty good system going; now I just need to spend the time working on it.

Oh, I almost forgot! I tried a new recipe. I've always been curious about Bread Pudding. People seem to love it or hate it. I found a recipe that looked simple enough for me to try. The only extra thing I had to buy was cinnamon bread and eggs. I made it in a round glass pie plate. It came out fantastic! And it looks really pretty. Next time I make it, I'll use less sugar, because there already is sugar in the bread. I've been eating some everyday - it's hard to resist. This could easily become my signature dessert dish. Here is the recipe.

BREAD PUDDING
6 slices cinnamon-raisin bread
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Break or slice bread into bite-sized pieces (about 1/2" x 1/2" x 1") into an 8 inch square baking pan or pie pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.


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