I had one of these little toy electric ovens back at the end of the Forties -- before litigation took the fun out of toys. No wimpy light bulb cooking and packaged mixes here. This baby came with metal pots and pans and a recipe booklet. It plugged in and heated up like nobody's business. I was about six and it was my favorite toy. I could make bread pudding all by myself -- buttered white bread, milk and sugar and eggs and raisins -- into the Little Chef and, voila, kitchen magic!
I suspect this was the beginning of a lifetime of cooking. . . and eating
It's been a long time since I made bread pudding and I thought I'd give it a go once again -- with a sophisticated twist. We had the end of a loaf of delicious chocolate/cardamon bread that Claui had given us for Christmas that I thought might be a good candidate for an updated bread pudding. 
INGREDIENTS:
6 slices day-old bread2 tablespoons butter, melted1/2 cup dried cranberries4 eggs, beaten 2 cups milk1/2 cup white sugar1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon dark rum
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. Sprinkle with dried cranberries.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.
Super easy and really delicious hot. Not bad cold the next day.
Now I'm thinking of other variations -- maybe I need to bake some pumpkin bread to try in this recipe. Pecans would have been nice for an added crunch . . . What about a savory bread pudding made with rye and/or pumpernickel? And where's the recipe for the savory French bread, wild mushroom pudding I made some Christmas past?This could turn into an obsession . . .
