Monday, November 8, 2010

2 Missions, 1 Success!

This weekend was full of great weather and fun but I had two things (missions) I really wanted to get to! One was to create a Gluten Free dish for Mission Makeover (aka Mission Mondays). This is where I tweak a recipe to make it healthier and gluten free and then Bre (aka the Celiac triathlete) tries it out for herself up in Canada. I think this is our 4th or 5th recipe to makeover.
The second mission was for a family outing (and when I say family I mean the hubs and pup). This would be no ordinary outing though. It was for the GYPSY TRAILER PICNIC FESTIVAL! Lots of trailer bites to eat, live music, and dog friendly! I’ll get to that in a minute….
Back to Mission Makeover. Bre had never tried Bread pudding before and being that it was a childhood favorite of mine, I was on a MISSION to make the best GLUTEN FREE puddin’ out there. I decided to go with a savory “dinner” bread pudding. I found one or two recipes that got my creative juices rolling and then voila………..

Savory Bread Pudding with Persimmon,

Spinach, & Sage Sausage

Ingredients
  • 1 cup Egg Beaters
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other milk of choice)
Seasonings
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • handful each of fresh basil or 1 frozen basil cube
  • 1/4 teaspoon of garlic
Bread & filling
  • 4 Large Gluten Free bread slices cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2-3 cups fresh spinach
  • 1 persimmon- diced ( you can also use apple or pear)
  • 3/4 cup diced cooked chicken sausage (I used Apple Gate Farms chicken and sage sausage)
Topping
  • 1.5 ounces raw white cheddar cheese or other dairy free cheese (cut in strips or shredded)
Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat an 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish or casserole dish with cooking spray.
  2. To prepare custard: Whisk egg beaters and almond milk in a medium bowl. Add mustard, salt, pepper and thawed basil: whisk to combine.
  3. Toss bread, spinach, persimmon, and sausage in a large bowl. Add the egg and seasoning mixture and mix well, coating all the bread. Transfer to your baking dish and push down to even out and until the mixture hits all 4 corners evenly.
  4. Bake for about 10- 15 minutes, remove and add your cheese on top. Then bake for another 10 minutes until the egg mixture looks almost fully cooked and the cheese is almost melted. Broil the last 3-4 minutes in order to get the cheese browned and corners crispy! 

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NOTE: Oven temps may vary so make sure you watch the dish carefully.

The hubs was pretty keen on this dish. In fact, the whole dish was gone within 24 hours. It made for some pretty delicious brunch the next day as well!
Moving onto Mission 2….GYPSY Trailer Picnic Food Festival. Lets just say we learned a few things from this so called Mission.

DSCF0363LESSONS LEARNED:
1. Check what other festivals are going on downtown. If there are 3 or more within walking distance, um….DON’T GO!! Crowds and lack of parking are not our forte!
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2. If bringing the pups, bring extra doggy poop bags in case there are NO MORE in the park. EEK!!
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3. If each line wraps around the park twice, don’t bother waiting in line for food because by the time you get there, they will be sold out of EVERYTHING!

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4. And finally, just suck it up and enjoy the day! At least you are in good company and enjoying fabulous weather!
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The Cotter Boys on the right (bro in law and the hubs) enjoying the only tacos left! haha!
I know a lot of you all had big Missions this past weekend……Ironman and marathon racing, Food Blogger Events and Festivals, Long runs and Training rides, etc. Biggest Lessons learned??
Cheers,
LC
p.s.
Stayed tuned for Bre’s recipe feedback sometime next week.

35 comments:

Melissa said...

We saw the gypsy picnic thing when we took our dog to Auditorium Shores Sunday morning. We left before it had been completely set up though. The weather was beautiful! But you're right, parking was ridiculous down there - so irritating!

Anonymous said...

That bread pudding looks fantastic! I love persimmons so much!

My biggest lesson learned this weekend was a good one... the Swedish massage routine is very vigorous for the massage giver... I am in massage therapy school right now and practiced on three people yesterday and I'm sore like I had a good workout, score!! :)

-Christin L.

The Hungry Runner Girl said...

HOLY Deliciousness!! That bread pudding looks so good! It would have been gone in 10 hours at our house:) I am loving the mission mondays... you are so good at healthifying things please continue to teach me your ways!
Lame about the festival! I hate waiting in lines, especially if it is for food! I have no patience! Your dog is so cute, I am jealous!
Oh, I still am up for the trade if you are:)

Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen said...

You know I am loving the persimmons in that puddin'!

Oh my goll, the Gypsy Picnic! My lesson learned: get there 15 minutes BEFORE it opens. :)

(Also, if you offer to tell everyone in line what they are out of, sometimes you get free food when they restock!)

Dorry said...

I hear ya about festivals and parking and lines - it can be exhausting! But I'm glad you enjoyed the sunshine with good company. :)

I learned that you can get in and out of IKEA in 20 minutes if you run and use the self check-out. Haha. :)

Kristina @ spabettie said...

okay, never mind coming up here for my pasta... I'm coming down there for this bread pudding!! :) this is another thing I've been wanting and meaning to make since going gluten free - and I've never made a savory one before - sounds amazing!

CUTE PUP !! Basil has us trained to always bring baggies... *sigh*

Janetha @ meals + moves said...

I love savory bread puddings! I made a mushroom one last Thanksgiving. Yours looks absolutely fantastic. Love the pup photos :) Missed you while I was gone!

Unknown said...

ooh! love the persimmon addition to your bread pudding :) and i'm jealous of all that sun...

Anonymous said...

Oh my, that bread pudding looks delicious! It's a favorite childhood recipe of mine too, but I never had it in a savory version. Must try asap!

Unfortunately there was no exciting festival or picnics for us this weekend (the weather here is FAR from picnic-y,haha!) but I still had a great weekend. So lesson learned? The most "ordinary" (and cold) days can still be fun, it's up to you to make the most of them!

Viviane said...

The last comment is from Viviane!

Nichole said...

OMG after being at a chili festival this weekend I sympathize with the crowds.

I cannot get over your cooking!

Heather (Where's the Beach) said...

I don't do good with big crowds like that - but at least the company and weather made up for it right?! This weekend I learned that fueling mid-run is key for me to not feel sick after a long run. Lesson learned, message well received!

Maggie @ Flour Child said...

The savory bread pudding looks fantastic. I will have to try it!

Those are some good lessons learned. We have been in the same predicament. The doggy bags situation is awkward.

My lesson learned this weekend is to spend more time training the puppy. She's driving my husband crazy. Crazy husband = not good! ;)

Bre said...

Cooking it up tomorrow night! :) I'll get ya the Canadian version asap!
Love the pics of the food festival & the sunshine! Looks like it was a good day with the fam regardless!
Lesson learned this weekend--Lobster gloves= amazing! however limit bike handling skills severely!! warm hands but I look like I"ve never ridden a bike! ;)

Anonymous said...

That bread pudding is so creative.
I never would have thought to make it savory. I like the addition of the persimmon to sweeten it up just a little.

Abby said...

The picnic sounds like a ton of fun! The crowds...not so much!! I need to come to Austin.. I don't know when we're going to make it down there now that we're buying a house..which wasn't in the plan! Oh, well. I like this new plan, too!

Eden said...

O I'm just getting back to visiting my favorite blogs! wow, that festival looks awesome! and you know gluten free bread pudding is right up my alley! what kind is your favorite bread to use?

Kelsey Ann said...

holy CRAP thats insane!!! it looks like a chicken casserole meets lasagna meets pudding meets cheesy love meets yum... i mean thats just what comes to mind lol. NICE <3

valen said...

That looks like a delicious dish, I ought to try that sometime vegetarian style.

Natalie @ cinnamonbums said...

thanks for the lovely comment despite my longgg hiatus from the blog world!!!!

that savory bread pudding is so creative! what a lovely combination.

oh man, i cannot do festivals with lots of crowds! i feel claustrophobic! but i guess sometimes its worth it right?! looks like you had tons of fun!

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

Seriously - I need make that dish asap!! YUMMO!

The Hungry Runner Girl said...

I get sad when I get on your blog and there isn't an update. Creepy, but then I just re-read your latest post and I feel happy again! Hope you had a great day!

Joanna Sutter (Fitness & Spice) said...

My biggest lesson? STRETCH after running a hilly off-road race if you are not a runner and you want to resume walking two-three days later.

Anonymous said...

**This has nothing to do with this post**

I NEED the recipe for the cupcake/muffin creation on your page!!!! Pleaseandthankyou!

xo
Mindy
http://fisilis.wordpress.com/

Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen said...

The bread pudding looks so good! I can't imagine that would last long here either. I hate going to horribly crowded places with the boys. It just becomes such a mess!

Anonymous said...

Awww awesome pictures! Looks like you had fun :) The bread pudding looks gooooood

allieksmith said...

Awww awesome pictures! Looks like you had fun :) The bread pudding looks gooooood

Abby said...

The picnic sounds like a ton of fun! The crowds...not so much!! I need to come to Austin.. I don't know when we're going to make it down there now that we're buying a house..which wasn't in the plan! Oh, well. I like this new plan, too!

Maggie @ Flour Child said...

The savory bread pudding looks fantastic. I will have to try it!

Those are some good lessons learned. We have been in the same predicament. The doggy bags situation is awkward.

My lesson learned this weekend is to spend more time training the puppy. She's driving my husband crazy. Crazy husband = not good! ;)

Heather (Where's the Beach) said...

I don't do good with big crowds like that - but at least the company and weather made up for it right?! This weekend I learned that fueling mid-run is key for me to not feel sick after a long run. Lesson learned, message well received!

Nichole said...

OMG after being at a chili festival this weekend I sympathize with the crowds.

I cannot get over your cooking!

Shannon said...

ooh! love the persimmon addition to your bread pudding :) and i'm jealous of all that sun...

Dorry said...

I hear ya about festivals and parking and lines - it can be exhausting! But I'm glad you enjoyed the sunshine with good company. :)

I learned that you can get in and out of IKEA in 20 minutes if you run and use the self check-out. Haha. :)

The Hungry Runner Girl said...

HOLY Deliciousness!! That bread pudding looks so good! It would have been gone in 10 hours at our house:) I am loving the mission mondays... you are so good at healthifying things please continue to teach me your ways!
Lame about the festival! I hate waiting in lines, especially if it is for food! I have no patience! Your dog is so cute, I am jealous!
Oh, I still am up for the trade if you are:)

Janetha said...

I love savory bread puddings! I made a mushroom one last Thanksgiving. Yours looks absolutely fantastic. Love the pup photos :) Missed you while I was gone!