This is the best I've ever had. LEMON BREAD PUDDING (serves 12) Lemon Curd: 3 large eggs + 1 yolk 1 cup sugar finely grated zest of 2 large lemons 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1 stick unsalted butter in 1" pieces In the top of a double boiler beat the eggs, yolk & sugar to mix. Stir in the zest & juice. Add the butter. Place over hot water on moderate heat. Cool uncovered, stirring & scraping the pan frequently with a rubber spatula for 15-20 minutes until themixture is as thick as mayonnaise. It will register at 180° on a sugar thermometer (I've never checked the temp.) Remove the top of the double boiler & set aside to cool completely. Will keep refrigerated several weeks.~~ Bread Pudding: 8-10 oz loaf French bread 10 eggs 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 qt milk (I've always used half-and-half) 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp vanilla Lemon curd Butter a shallow, oblong 3 qt baking dish (13x8 or 9x2") & set aside. Preheat oven to 350°. Slice the bread 1/2" thick. Place slices on cookie sheet & bake 10-15 minutes until dry but not brown. Turn slices over when half done. Set aside. In a large bowl beat the eggs & 1 cup of the sugar, reserving the other 1/4 cup. Beat in the milk, salt & vanilla. Set aside. In the bottom of the baking dish place a layer of the bread slices touching each other. If necessary, break a few slices to fill in spaces. Spread 1/2 of the cooled lemon curd over bread. Make a 2nd layer of bread slices, these slices at right angles to the first slices. Again, break a few slices to fill in if necessary. Spread remaining curd over the top. Ladle egg & milk mixture slowly all over the top. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Put rack in center of preheated oven. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sugar over top of pudding. Place baking dish in alarge shallow pan, place in oven & pour hot water into larger pan to about 1/2 the depth of the baking dish. Bake for about 45 minutes until top is puffed & just barely colored. Tap the side of the baking dish & when the middle moves only slightly, it's done. Serve hot or at room temperature.~~ Good served with a raspberry sauce. (Puree a bag of thawed, frozen raspberries. Strain out seeds & sweeten to taste.)

Here are two that are easy & delicious. Makes a great side dish for almost any meal/event. 2 packages frozen, chopped spinach 4 T. butter 2 T. flour 2 T. chopped onion 1/2 c. evaportaed milk 1/2 t. garlic salt 1/2 t. celery salt 1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper 1 t. Worcestershire sauce 1/3 pound Jack pepper cheese,cut into small chunks Buttered Bread crumbs for the topping (optional) Cook spinish as directed and drain well, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Using a whisk, whisk in the flour until smooth making a light roux. Add the onion and cook until soft, but do not brown. Slowly add the milk and the reserved liquid, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened. Stir in the garlic salt, celery salt, pepper worcestershire and cheese, and continue stirring until sauce is smooth. Mix in the drained spinach. Pour into a casserole dish and top with the crumbs if you wish Bake in preheated oven until hot and bubbly, about 15-20 minutes. ANOTHER that is a bit quicker, and different, but also good. 4 packages chopped spinach, thawed, drained 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 t. garlic salt 1/2 cup milk 2 large eggs, beaten 1/4 stick butter, melted 3 T. Parmesan cheese Preheat the oven to 350 Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a casserole dish. Bake for about 45-50 minutes.

We are growing the Japanese eggplant again this year and have a bumper crop of it so I made this recipe this AM. It is very tasty and I'll be happy to make it again. Thanks for sharing it. RL`

I don't have a recipe for you, but the key to getting lots of holes in your bread, like a ciabatta, is to keep the dough VERY wet and sticky... Not quite like a batter, but also not something you could easily "knead" (if you were doing it by hand, which I know you're not) because it would be so sticky... Emily