Here's one I made on Thursday, everyone liked it. I added the vanilla sauce on top. Eggnog Bread Pudding Serves 8. 1 loaf stale French bread ----- betting cinnamon raisin bread would do great (it does!) 1 quart eggnog 3 eggs 2 tablespoons vanilla 1 cup raisins 1/2 cup sugar 1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13x2-inch pan. 2. In a large mixing bowl, crumble the bread and pour the eggnog over it, letting it sit until bread is soft, at least 20 minutes and even overnight. 3. In a smaller bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla and stir into the bread and eggnog mixture. Add the raisins and mix well. 4. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until knife comes out clean. Let cool before cutting. 5. Serve with a little whipped cream, or powdered sugar on top if desired. Vanilla Sauce Recipe (1 CUP) This sauce is perfect with the Bread Pudding 1 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 pinch salt 1.Bring water to boil in a small sauce pan. 2.Combine sugar and cornstarch. 3.Stir well. 4.Add sugar mixture to boiling water. 5.Reduce heat to medium, stirring constantly or until mixture thickens. 6.Remove from heat. 7.Add butter, vanilla, and salt. 8.Stir until butter melts.

Clare, I have but only when it was a light sourdough, not one with a strong sour dough flavour. That wouldn't appeal to me. Annie1971, this is the recipe I used for the Chocolate Bread. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Chocolate Cherry Bread ====================== Posted by Carol: Chocolate-Cherry Bread Recipe from: Chocolate! Good Housekeeping Favorite Recipes by The Editors of Good Housekeeping Cookbook Heaven A not-too-sweet bread studded with bits of bittersweet chocolate and (tried tart cherries. We use Dutch-process cocoa instead of the more usual natural cocoa to give the bread a richer brown color. Prep: 20 minutes plus rising Bake: 20 minutes Makes 2 loaves, 12 slices each 1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F) 1 package active dry yeast 3 teaspoons granulated sugar about 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1 3/4 teaspoons salt 1 cup freshly brewed coffee, cooled until warm (105 to 115 degrees F) * 4 tablespoons butter or margarine,softened 1 large egg, separated 3/4 cup dried tart cherries * 3 squares (3 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped * 1 teaspoon water In cup, combine warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar; stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine 3 cups flour, cocoa, brown sugar, and salt. With wooden spoon, stir warm coffee, butter, egg yolk (cover egg white and set aside in refrigerator), and yeast mixture into flour mixture. In bowl, with floured hands, knead several times to combine well. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, working in enough of remaining 1/2 cup flour just to keep dough from sticking. Knead in cherries and chocolate. Shape dough into ball; place in greased large bowl, turning dough to grease top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place (80 to 85 degrees F) until doubled in volume, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Punch down dough.Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and cut in half; cover dough and let rest 15 minutes for easier shaping. Shape each dough half into 5-inch ball. Using the sides of your hands, tuck sides of dough under to meet in center. Rotate and repeat to form taut ball. Place balls, 3-inches apart, in opposite corners of ungreased large cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In cup, beat reserved egg white with water; use to brush tops of loaves. Sprinkle loaves with remaining 2 teaspoons granulated sugar. With serrated knife or single-edge razor blade, cut shallow X in top of each loaf. Bake until loaves are crusty, about 20 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Ed, just use more mix in your own bread/cake, and don't worry about giving any away. That's what I do, and it works fine. You can also store the stuff in the fridge or freezer for long periods of time without feeding it. Then let it warm up/defrost and start over whenever you want to make some more. :) Here's my recipe Amish Friendship Bread Note: Do not use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing Do not refrigerate If air gets into the bag, let it out It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble and ferment The datelines below can be used to help you keep track of the date or day you are at. If you keep the starter for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days. The bread is very good and makes a great gift. Only the amish know how to create a starter. Date: Day 1- Do nothing. This is the day you received the batter Day 2- Mush the bag Day 3- Mush the bag Day 4- Mush the bag Day 5- Mush the bag Day 6- Add to the bag: 1 cup flour 1 cup sugar 1 cup milk & mush the bag Day 7- Mush the bag Day 8- Mush the bag Day 9- Mush the bag Day 10- Mush the bag and follow the directions below Pour the contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl and add 1 cups flour, 1 ½ cups sugar, 1 ½ cups milk. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each and put into gallon ziplock bags. Keep one for yourself and give the other 3 to friends along with a copy of this recipe. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To the remaining batter in the bowl (approx 1 ½ - 2 cups) Add: 3 eggs 1 cup oil ½ cup milk 1 cup sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 1 ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp vanilla ½ tsp salt ½ tsp baking soda 2 cups flour 1 large instant vanilla or chocolate pudding mix optional: 1 cup chopped nuts or raisons Grease 2 large loaf pans. Mix ½ cup sugar and 1 ½ tsp cinnamon. Dust the greased pans with half of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Pour the batter evenly in to the pans and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture. Bake 45min to 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens from the pan and turn into a serving dish. Serve warm or cold. You can also make muffins using the same temperature but bake for 25 mins. (makes 2 dozen) Should the recipe not be passed on to a friend on the 10th day, be sure to tell the recipient which day the bag is on when presented to them. and here is the ancient recipe I used with the starter above I got from my daughters friend: Herman Cake Feed Herman on the 1st and 5th days. Bake on the 10th day. 1st day: 1 c Herman starter 1/2 c sugar 1 c flour 1 c milk Keep in large covered bowl in refrigerator. Stir daily. 5th day: 1/2 c sugar 1 flour 1 milk 10th day: You will have 4 cups of Herman. Use 2 cups for baking, 1 cup for giving and 1 cup for growing. Beat together: 2 c Herman 2 c flour 2 beaten eggs 1/2 t baking powder 1 c sugar 1/2 t baking soda 3/4 c oil 1 t ginger 1 t nutmeg add last: 1 c nuts 1 c raisins or other fruit (or 1 c applesauce) Pour in to greased 9X13 cake pan Sprinkle on before baking: mixed together: 1 c brown sugar 1 T flour 1/4 c melted butter 1 T cinnamon Bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes DO NOT OVERBAKE.

another contender ... note the "heads-on" shrimp Barbecued Shrimp The Washington Post, June 27, 2007  Cuisine: American  Course: Appetizer, Main Course  Features: Fast, Kid-Friendly Summary: These are not done on the grill, but rather get their barbecued flavor from the seasoning blend. Because this recipe makes a tasty, butter-rich sauce, serve the shrimp with lots of crusty bread for dipping, or on a platter with cooked rice mounded in the middle and the shrimp and sauce surrounding it. 4 appetizer servings or 2 main-course servings Ingredients:  1 pound (about 2 dozen) large, heads-on shrimp, rinsed and drained  8 to 12 tablespoons (1 to 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter  2 medium cloves garlic, minced  1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce  1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning blend, such as Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic or Blackened Redfish Magic  1/2 cup shrimp or fish stock  1/4 cup beer Directions: Pinch off and discard the portion of the shrimp heads from the eyes forward (including the eyes). Leave as much as possible of the orange-colored fat from the head attached to the body. Set aside. Combine 8 tablespoons of the butter with the garlic, Worcestershire sauce and seafood seasoning blend in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter has just melted, add the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes, shaking (versus stirring) in a back-and-forth motion. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and the stock. Cook for 2 minutes, shaking the skillet. Add the beer and cook for 1 minute, shaking the skillet. Remove from the heat and transfer to shallow soup bowls. Serve immediately Recipe Source: Adapted from chef Paul Prudhomme. 245 calories, 15g fat, 9g saturated fat, 207mg cholesterol, 1073mg sodium, 2g carbohydrates, n/a dietary fiber, n/a sugar, 24g protein.