Baking to avoid work!

People do various things to avoid work - some go for a drive, some go shopping, some to a movie, some clean their homes and vehicles. Me? I bake. Continue reading how I avoided writing this week's column and for a cheese scone recipe.

What do you do to avoid work?

Click here for the scone recipe.

Lately, I've been making a lot of bread pudding and with good results minus the eggs. I've just been using milk, sugar and various spice combos and you can use various dried fruits - raisins, cranberries, apricots (chopped fine) etc. Or, put in some rum-soaked fruits. Whether it is cardamom, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg or vanilla, you really can't fail with the flavour. The key to a good bread pudding is the time allowed for the bread to really soak up the liquid. An overnight soaking works wonders.

The following is not an exact recipe so work based on your own taste and willingness to experiment.

1. You'll need some day-old bread (cubed), whole milk, sugar, ground spice or spices of your choice and dried fruit. I generally eye-ball the amount of milk depending on how much bread there is. A 1:1 ratio should work just fine.
2. Dissolve the sugar in milk (taste and adjust accordingly).
3. Stir in the spices.
4. Add the bread and stir to mix.
5. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. Before baking, take out the mixture, stir in the fruits and bring the pudding to room temperature.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean and the top is nicely browned.
9. Let cool on a wire rack.
10. Serve warm or at room temperature - as is, with ice cream or amaretto liqueur

THIS WEEK ON ABOUT.COM Make these easy Cheese Straw Wafers for your next party, tea or coffee gathering or to just snack on. They are addictive so be sure to make them when you have company! Get the recipe here.