Chocolate Bread Pudding For Two

Why has this recipe been sitting around waiting for me to post it? I made this back in AUGUST! I made this for my boyfriend's birthday--he loves bread pudding and I have never been a huge fan (I always want it to taste as magical as stuffing on Thanksgiving, but it's always a little too soggy or a little too crunchy and overall a little too disappointing for me). I decided to try to make it for him and it baked up wonderfully. It was perfectly cooked, tasted even better with ice cream, and this is a 2-person recipe! Okay, halfway through the dessert both of us realized we could probably have just split one it was so dense (could have also been that I cooked him a pretty big dinner).

I might try to make this again but given there are SO MANY bread pudding flavors and ideas and recipes out there, it might be a while.

Chocolate Bread Pudding For Two

Recipe from The Craving Chronicles

2 cups (5-6 slices) 1/2-inch cubed challah bread

2/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 tablespoon Bailey’s Irish Cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Ice Cream or whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, or until toasted.

Combine milk, sugar, cocoa, Irish cream, vanilla, cinnamon and egg in a medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Add toasted bread cubes and toss until coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat the inside of two 7-ounce ramekins with cooking spray. Divide half of the chilled bread mixture evenly between the two ramekins. Top with half of the chopped chocolate. Divide the remaining half of the bread mixture between the ramekins, then top with the remaining chocolate.

Place ramekins in an 8-inch pan and add about an inch of hot water. Bake, uncovered, for about 35 minutes or until set.

Serve warm, topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

Turkey Meatball Spaghetti

Instatips on this recipe: definitely make sure not to mix the turkey etc too much into a mush, make sure to really mince the garlic super tiny, and MAKE THIS.

Adam asked me to make spaghetti and meatballs, and I don't eat beef, so I found this recipe. It was soo good and had just the right amount of spice. I doubled the recipe and it made a TON of meatballs that I ate alone (first time we had spaghetti, then I got lazy and plus it was healthier to just eat the meatballs anyway). So yum. So so yum.

Turkey Meatball Spaghetti
Recipe from Bev Cooks

1 pound spaghetti
1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, whizzed through a food processor until smooth
1 pound ground turkey
1 egg
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 Tbs. finely chopped herbs (basil, oregano, thyme)
6 cloves garlic, minced and divided
1/2 cup breadcrumbs or panko
4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
freshly grated parmesan, for garnish

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, crushed red pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, herbs, panko, a good pinch of salt and pepper, half the minced garlic, and the egg. Mix it all up good with your hands.

Form little balls with your hands and set them aside on a tray. Size doesn’t matter. (sorry) Totally up to you!

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan. Add the remaining garlic and bloom 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes.

In a medium skillet, heat the other 2 Tbs. oil over medium-high. Add the meatballs and sear until brown all over, about 8 minutes total. Transfer meatballs to sauce and continue simmering another 20 minutes.

Cook the pasta until it reaches al dente.

Serve spaghetti with a good helping of meatballs and sauce. Garnish with parmesan and more basil, if desired!

Turkey Spinach Lasagna

Here's a repeat for you. I made this summer 2010 and made it again this year--still so yummy! This time I used noodles that needed to be pre-cooked but that worked out fine. I also (according to the pictures) used more cheese on top. Yum. Still a good recipe!

Wild Rice with Asparagus Marinara

Everything in this was great except it was my first time poaching eggs and they were a little overcooked, and the rice turned out terrible. I didn't know what type of wild rice to get but apparently whichever brand I got did not work (second time I made that rice I added a little chicken stock to it and it tasted a little better). Overall a light meal that could be dressed up to look fancy!

Wild Rice with Asparagus Marinara
Recipe from Foxes Love Lemons

1 cup wild rice blend
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 cup vegetable broth, tomato juice or water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 bunch fresh asparagus, ends trimmed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 large eggs

Prepare rice according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomato and broth; simmer 6 to 8 minutes or until most liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat; stir in basil.

While sauce simmers, preheat oven to 400º. Toss asparagus with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper. Place on rimmed baking pan. Roast 8 minutes or until just tender.

Fill large, high-sided skillet with water. Heat to a slow boil (about 190º). Add vinegar to water. One at a time, crack eggs into small ramekin and use ramekin to slowly slide eggs into water. Cook 4 minutes or until whites are set and yolks are still soft. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to paper towel-lined plate.

To serve, divide asparagus between 4 salad plates. Divide rice over asparagus. Top rice with tomato sauce, and place eggs on top. Serve immediately.

Lemon Chicken

In trying to find a really good lemon chicken recipe for my boyfriend who loved it growing up, I decided to try out this one. It was a little less crispy than ideal--so far the Chinese-style lemon chicken that my mom gave me the recipe for and that I grew up loving has been my favorite. I served this with broccoli and rice.

Lemon Chicken
Recipe from Passports and Pancakes

3 chicken breasts (a little less than a pound, can easily adjust other ingredients based on amount of chicken)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 /2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
2 lemons (1 can be the previously zested lemon :) , halved
Rice and vegetables for serving

Stir together the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Coat each chicken breast completely with the flour mixture. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt oil and butter together. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chicken breasts to the skillet.


Cook for 5-7 minutes and turn the chicken. Add the zest, the juice of both lemons, and all 4 of the lemon halves. Cover the skillet with a lid, turn heat down to medium, and cook until chicken is completely done. This will take another 6-10 minutes, depending on how thick your chicken breasts are. Slice the chicken breasts in the pan, stir to coat with the sauce, and serve over rice with a side of your favorite vegetables.

Bruschetta Chicken

A very simple and yummy recipe. This time I lost track of time and overcooked the breasts a little bit but usually I don't do that...haha...they were still good though. Very healthy! I made this with my roommate Happy for our weekly Wednesday Girl's Night. She made a delicious spinach risotto to go along with it.

Bruschetta Chicken
Recipe from Eat Yourself Skinny

3 or 4 chicken breasts
4 or 5 small tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/8. tsp sea salt
Handful basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (if you choose to bake your chicken rather than grill). Sprinkle some salt and pepper over top, cover and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes (depending on the size of your breasts) until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, combine chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and basil in a bowl. Refrigerate until chicken is ready to be served and spoon over top of the chicken. Enjoy!

Strawberry Greek Yogurt Pancakes

These were super yummy. I love all things breakfast and I love fruit! Pancakes soo yum ahh. I don't have a waffle maker (SAD) but pancakes are super easy. I wanted to make a pancake that was relatively healthy (aka had more protein) so I tried out this recipe and it was pretty good!

Strawberry Greek Yogurt Pancakes
Recipe by Amy Zhang

1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 to 1 cup fresh strawberries
1 tsp sugar (optional)
Butter, for pan

Chop strawberries into small pieces. *Optional: In a small bowl, combine about 1/2 cup of the strawberries with 1 tsp sugar and set aside to macerate.*

In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt, egg, vanilla, and honey. Add in salt, flour, and baking powder, then stir until wet and dry ingredients are mixed. Fold in 1/2 cup of strawberries. In a pan over medium heat, melt a small amount of butter, then add in about 1/4 cup of the batter (it's thick, so you might need to spread it out a little with a spoon). Repeat if you're pan is big enough. When you see bubbles starting to form on the top (after about 3 minutes), flip the pancake(s) and cook another 2-3 minutes.


If you macerated strawberries, use as a delicious, naturally sweet topping!