Pregnancy and Anti-Support (from other Pregnant Women!)

So this is my first child and I'm not really the kind to baby (pardon the pun) any personal challenges (ie pregnancy)...so I come on the boards and look out for threads/topics that I relate to, and chime in; but I've noticed something really weird (awful, b*tchy?) about the way pregnant women post: As much support as you get on a subject, you get equal amounts of anti-support. I mean, if a post is about feeling fat in the first trimesters (before you're really showing, but have lost your waistline) then why (oh why) would you go on there and say "i've lost weight and i feel great!". That is not supportive. Start a new thread called "i've lost weight and I feel great" and that way you and the others who share that sentiment can relish, and leave the ones who are feeling crap and want (/need) to moan about it do so on their own thread. The simplest way to look at it is; this thread is about something negative, don't go on and say 'I'm so glad I don't have what you have!'. It's just rude. This really seems so simple to me, but I keep seeing it on the Online Pregnancy Boards. Or the women who go on the 'name poll' boards and say 'I hate that name". Shut up. This isn't your Sister or your Cousin, or even a physical neighbors' 'name poll'; so just let it be. Sure, you can point out that maybe no one noticed the name could easily be mistaken for something awful; that is handy advice...but that's not what I'm referring to here. I guess I'm just one of those women who likes to support other women, rather than break them down. There are enough cultures, historical hang ups, and stereotypes that women have to endure and push through every day...why turn on each other? Why make Pregnancy harder than it already is?

Savory Meaty Mushroom and Bacon Bread Pudding

Perfect for the early coming of Fall, we made a savory Meaty Mushroom and Bacon Bread Pudding last night that had the nostalgia of Thanksgiving Stuffing with 1/10 of the work. Unfortunatley we didn't take pictures...sorry! Our version is adapted from a recipe found on Crumbly Icing who apparently originally grabbed it from Mainly Mushrooms.

I always try and use every last bit of every last thing (within reason) and that's how I first discovered the greatness of Bread Pudding. In this case we had people over three nights in a row, each night included fresh French Bread that was only half consumed. That left us with plenty of 'day(s) old' bread, that is perfect for Bread Pudding. Yay ;)

Our alterations from the original recipe account for the fact that we found the original recipe made too much filling for just four ramekins, and that one ramekin each was not sufficient for a main course.


Mushroom & Bacon Bread Pudding (Adaptation)

Serve with a protein, side salad and bold red wine to complement the rich features of this dish.

Makes 6 sides/ramekins.

2 T rosemary, minced
1/4 cup Asiago or Parmesan cheese, grated
2 oz. (250 g) guanciale or 2 slices thick-cut bacon, can be diced
1 cup chanterelles or other meaty mushroom, diced
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups white bread cubes (you can use whatever you have left over, but we recommend French Bread)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups of 2% milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat; add guanciale or bacon and fry until meat is brown and cooked through. Remove meat and drain on paper towels – leave the rendered fat in the pan. Cut guanciale into small pieces and put in a small bowl. Leave skillet on medium heat.

Mix rosemary and Asiago cheese in a small bowl; set aside. Whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl; set aside. Grease 6 6 oz. ramekins with some of the rendered fat.

Add chanterelles to the skillet and saute until tender. Combine with the guanciale pieces.

Fry the shallot and garlic until just brown; combine with mushrooms and guanciale mixture.
Combine Egg/Milk mixture with Shallot/Garlic/Mushroom/Guanciale mixture. Make sure the mixture is room temperature and finally mix with Rosemary/Cheese! Fill those ramekins!!

Bake ramekins on a foil-lined tray for 35 minutes or until set and golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Run a small paring knife around the edge of each ramekin, invert, and then re-invert onto a plate.

Enjoy!!