Happy Holidays from Theatrical Outfit

A TABLE OF PLENTY
Today the T.O. staff celebrated the holidays with all the usual trimmings: a festive feast and gift-giving around the conference room table. A very full staff returned to their desks after this potluck meal of sausage casseroles, deviled eggs and caesar salad.

AN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
The White Elephant gift exchange didn't get heated till the end, when the gift-swapping and wrapping-ripping resulted in a laugh-out-loud revolving round of wants. From "As Seen On TV" Bottle Tops to boxes of Ghiradelli chocolates,the staff went back to work with their lottery tickets and cocktail bibles, sure to have received their strangest and most surprising gifts of the season.

Happy Holidays from T.O.,
We wish you all the sock monkey wine covers, Bear Paws for carving meat, and Cuisinart hamburger patty-cutters you could ever need.

As an extra holiday treat, I give you the recipe that Daniel Schroeder often brings to office events: bread pudding with bourbon sauce. He keeps bringing it, and we keep eating it -- there seems no end of this saccharine circle in sight.

Happy holidays to you and yours,
Hally Joseph

Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Recipe courtesy of the Southern Living Cookbook, with tweaks and instructions (and what his mother recommends) by Daniel Schroeder.

1 (1-pound) loaf of soft french bread
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup raisins
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 apples (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Set oven to 325 degrees.

Tear bread into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Add
half-and-half and milk to bowl; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir mixture with a wooden spoon (I don't think the woodenness matters
too much). Add eggs and next 5 ingredients. (This is where I add the
apples as well. They should be chopped, and not too chunky. They add a
nice crunch and flavor, but aren't necessary. Just what my mother and
I recommend.)

Pour butter into a 13x9 inch pan; coat pan evenly. Spoon mixture into
pan. Bake, uncovered, for 55 to 60 minutes or until pudding is firm.
Remove from oven; cool.

Serve with bourbon sauce.

Bourbon Sauce Recipe

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons bourbon

Combine first 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat
until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5
minutes. Remove from heat; cool. Add bourbon.