Holidays Fast Approaching!

Is it cheating to share a recipe for a blog? I'm so very tired of all the election mud-slinging and lies that have flooded the nation that I'm ready for a total change of pace. I love the holidays because of all the special foods we prepare, consume, and share. I always make mounds and mounds of caramel corn and deliver it to friends and neighbors, and sweet breads, cakes and cookies. Recipes we never seem to take time to make during the rest of the year are brought out, dusted off and whipped up with family standing by the oven eagerly awaiting the familiar taste treat. My English grandmother was an incredible cook. All her older brothers and sisters were born in England, but she was fortunate to be born in America after her parents came to the "promised land." She spent hours in our kitchen on holidays preparing all the wonderful treats her family had enjoyed in Derbyshire. She was famous for her bread pudding and it became one of my favorite treats. I love eating at a buffet to this day because they usually serve it as one of the dessert options. But I just found a recipe that is a must-try this Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Bread Pudding. I'll share it here before I send it along to my son-in-law who shares my love of that tasty delicacy. He served his mission in England so apparently developed a taste there for this easy to make dessert. Pumpkin Bread Pudding 4 cups white bread, cut into cubes l cup granulated sugar 4 eggs 3 egg yolks 1 1/2 cups milk 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1 Tbsp rum or brandy flavoring 3/4 cups canned pumpkin puree 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp cloves, ground 1 TBSP butter; cold, cut into pieces Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Dry bread cubes on cookie sheet in oven 10 to 15 minutes. Place bread cubes in pan. In large mixing bowl, whisk together all pudding ingredients except butter. Pour mixture over bread cubes. Let sit 10 minutes until bread is fully soaked. Dab butter over top. Bake 40 to 50 min. Pudding should be set in center, but not dry. Bon Appetit! And don't forget to vote tomorrow!!