Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

made w/ soft pretzels - YUM! recipe to come... :)

FINALLY - (ok almost finally)

At long last I finished knitting my daughter's blanket! And long before she went a way to college, heck well before she got out of 8th grade (she's in 4th). Yeah there were times when I wondered if it would EHver be done. And now it almost is. Still have to weave in some ends, but that won't take to long. She loves it - yay!!

More Egg Muffins...(never gets old...)

Ok so they might get old at SOME point, but not yet. And this time I tried something new - broccoli, ham & cheese. Yum! Stole the idea from a friend of mine. To be honest, the thought of broccoli and egg was a tad on the unsettling side... but clearly I got over it - and good thing. TASTY!

I typically just do a dozen. But last time, they went like hotcakes! So, I considered doing double...but reconsidered since I was doing the new and wasn't sure we'd like them...but then ended up with double the 'filling' and they were delicious so I guess it all worked out. So below is the recipe for what ended up being exactly 23 muffins. If you've got a touch of OCD (I too have such moments) and need it to be 24, just use a li'l less filling and it'll get there.

What you need...
2 7 or 8oz (can't recall) ham steaks, fried up a bit and diced
about 2 cups of raw broccoli floretts (or so) boiled, roughly chopped
shredded cheese (how much and what kinds of course are totally up to you :) )
15 large eggs
milk - enough to make 3 3/4c egg batter
pepper, onion powder, and/or any other seasonings you desire (b/c of the ham and cheese, they don't particularly need salt)


What to do with it...
Preheat oven to 375.

FILLING

• Ham - I fried it up a bit, not much, enough to eat it through and give it some color, give it that fried, look, feel, taste and then diced it up.
• Broccoli - Boiled it a bit. Could also steam it, but I didn't think of that til later. Again, just a bit. I didn't drain/shock it right away so it's a little doner than I'd planned but it still worked well.Then I roughly chopped it.
• Throw it all in a bowl with shredded cheese and mix well.
• Spray the tins with cooking spray. I've found that regular works best.
• I used an 1/8c measuring cup to fill the tins and it's a great amount. You could use more or less. It'd impact how eggy they are and how many muffins you end up with. 
• If you want to add more cheese now's the time. Put it on top of the filling - not after you've added the egg batter. No clue why, but it just didn't work as well for me. 
• Sit the tins aside.

EGG BATTER

• Break the eggs into a large bowl, add your desired seasonings and beat well.
• Add milk... I actually have no clue how much. all I know is that when I do a dozen I magically end up with exactly 2c every time. So, knowing I wasn't quite doubling it, I added some milk, and then poured the mixture into a 4c measuring cup and added milk to get it to about 3 3/4cup of liquid.
• Distribute batter evenly into all cups. The batter should ideally cover the filling but not fill the cup to the rim. 

BAKE at 375 for 25 minutes and let cool for a bit.
Typically they pop right out, if not, take a knife around the edge to loosen them.
They freeze well, reheat well in a microwave or a toaster oven. They're the perfect size to put on a biscuit or slice a couple in half and put them on bread for a sandwich. They're easy to take to work. Eat em w/ a fork or a hand (the latter being my 2 year old's preference, lol).

Notes for next time: I think I'll dice the ham first and add onions. I also think I'll add cheese and broccoli to get me to the full double dozen. :)

Note to self: Glaze

Powdered sugar & cream... like sugar ganache! Yum... sometimes simple is best. Can't wait to put that on... my  next bundt cake... yum. Saw that on Unique Sweets last night and just thought of it and thought I should "write it down" so I don't forget.