Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Bread pudding
2 cups half and half
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 cup (packed) plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 cups 1/2-inch cubes egg bread (about 10-ounces)
1/2 cup golden raisins

Caramel sauce
1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream

Powdered sugar

For bread pudding: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk half and half, pumpkin, dark brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend. Fold in bread cubes. Stir in golden raisins. Transfer mixture to 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Let stand 15 minutes. Bake pumpkin bread pudding until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare caramel sauce: Whisk brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Sift powdered sugar over bread pudding. Serve warm with caramel sauce.

Makes 6 servings.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip
(makes 9x13 pan of dip; easily cut in half)

In a frying pan, melt:
2 8 oz. packages of Cream Cheese
1 cup Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing (whichever you prefer, blue cheese works better)
4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and chopped fine
1 1/2 cups of Frank's Red Hot (this makes it rather hot, you can use less if you don't like it that hot)
3/4 cup celery, diced (I usually leave this out, but it's in the official recipe)
2 tbsp butter

Once melted, pour into 9x13 baking dish and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Put 1 cup grated cheddar cheese on top and put back in oven for about a minute to melt it.

Goes pretty well with Tostito's as a dip.