Doughnut Pudding with a Whiskey Ice Cream Sauce

I am living out of boxes right now and it stinks...but...we're moving...YAY!...so it's worth it! We're moving to a new place and we're finally getting more space. The kitchen is so much bigger and brighter and I can't wait to get in there and make a mess. There is no better way to realize you may have hoarding tendencies than having to pack up all your crap. So because the other half is awesome and packed up all the kitchen stuff I have been forced to eat out more often and that includes breakfast. I was craving a doughnut and I felt if I get a doughnut for myself I should bring enough for the rest of the class so I got enough for the office. Too much in fact...but don't worry...no wasting sweets here.

Don't know what to do with those left over doughnuts from work this morning? Don't throw them away, save them and make some doughnut pudding, it's like bread pudding made with doughnuts instead. So much prettier too..especially if you include some sprinkle topped ones and jelly filled...so colorful.

Just take some old doughnuts.

Tear them up

Then pour a sweet custard over them...bake...and voila...Doughnut Pudding!

Better than bread

Doughnut Pudding with Whiskey Ice Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
6 day old doughnuts, torn into chunks
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 sugar
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13x9 baking dish.

2.  Place torn doughnuts in a greased 13x9 baking dish and sprinkle chopped pecans over the top.

3.  In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk,vanilla, sugar, and melted butter that has cooled.

4.  Pour the wet mixture over the doughnuts and let soak in about 10 minutes.

5.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

6.  For the whiskey ice cream sauce just melt 1 cup of your favorite vanilla ice cream with a tbsp of whiskey and you're all set.

Mini Amaretto Peach Pecan Honey Butter Cheesecake

Hello hello :) So the other half and I recently took a trip to Seattle and Portland and I loved it there. I could totally see us moving there and hopefully we will someday. It's such a beautiful part of the country and it wasn't really as rainy as I thought it would be. We ate and drank our way through both cities trying to explore as much as we could. When we vacation we walk and ride public transportation to get around the city trying to find the local spots, and for the most part avoiding the touristy places. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Here are a few photos from our little adventure.

Moving right along to the cheesecake. I had a few ingredients that I had been wanting to use and finally brought them together. First, I had a jar of Amaretto Peach Pecan Honey Butter that my girlfriend had given me because she knows I love that sort of thing and I have been trying to come up with the perfect treat to use it in. Then I also decided to go with a shortbread cookie as a crust because the other half sucks at picking out girl scout cookies. They have been sitting around the house since "girl scout cookie season" (you guys know what I mean) unopened and they just had to be put to good use. His excuse for acquiring said girl scout cookies...he believes that the girl scout cookie selling operation is like the mafia. You see they put these cute little girls in pigtails as a front. They smile sweetly and ask if you'd like to buy some cookies, when it's really the mom's that are behind it. Their icy stare, judging you (like how dare you say no to a little girl), with the look in their eyes that say, (you better buy some cookies or I'll break your freakin legs.) My technique is to not make eye contact, but the other half, he just doesn't have it down yet. So while feeling coerced into buying cookies he goes and picks the most plain, boring cookie they've got. (No offence to you shortbread cookie lovers) I think they go great with a creamy, rich cheesecake though.

Amaretto Peach Pecan Honey Butter Cheesecake

Ingredients: 
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 heavy cream
1/2 cup Amaretto Peach Pecan Honey Butter
Pinch of salt
12 shortbread cookies for crust

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 325° and line a muffin tin with liners and then place one shortbread cookie in the bottom of each tin.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, brown sugar and flour until smooth.

3.  Then add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated.

4.  Then stir in the amaretto peach pecan honey butter, heavy cream, and vanilla. Pour into tins.

5.  Bake for 25 minutes. (I place a pyrex baking dish full of hot water underneath the muffin tin; I do this for all of my cheesecakes instead of a water bath) Turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven with the door closed for 30 minutes.

6.  Remove from oven. Let cool. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.