Savory Bread Pudding with Aged Gouda & Cheddar Cheese, Plus a Sun-Dried Tomato Giveaway

This past weekend I was lucky enough to have my brother come to Los Angeles for a brief visit after graduating from University of Oregon with his Bachelor's degree. Words cannot express how proud I am of him, especially since, these past few years, he has been balancing school with a part-time job and his blossoming music career. It was an accomplishment indeed.

And an accomplishment that did not go unrewarded, as is evidenced by this pile of warm, cheesy, bread. I wanted to make something simple since he was only in town for a week and I didn't want to spend the whole day in the kitchen instead of spending time with him. I had some beautiful sun-dried tomatoes from the Mooney family farm since I wanted to do a giveaway with them and they sent me some products to sample as a part of it. So I decided to use the bright red slices in a quick and savory Bread Pudding. Using ingredients I had around the apartment, I grated the cheese until I went into a zen-like trance and then tossed everything into a pot and baked it in the oven. Easy peasy. And, it was quite tasty too. But how could soft cheesy bread with sausage bits and herbs not be?

Click Here For Printable Recipe

And we're lucky enough to have another giveaway this month, (it seems June has been the month of giveaways!) The kind Mooney family at Mooney Farms in Chico, California are giving away a huge set of savory fare made with their rich sun-dried tomatoes. The giveaway includes:

• 3.5 Ounce Bag of Sun-Dried Tomatoes (used these in the bread pudding, yum!)
• 3.5 Ounce Bag of Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Basil (used these to make the Greek mac & cheese again. Loved the added basil!)
• 8.5 Ounce Jar of Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (SO good on rosemary-flavored Triscuits, just ask my sad empty cracker box.)
• 8.5 Ounce Jar of Julienne-Cut Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil
• 8.5 Ounce Jar of Sun-Dried Tomato Bruschetta (ate 1/3 of the jar in one sitting with leftover bread from this recipe. When I can apply the word "healthy" to a snack all self-control goes out the window.)
• 8.5 Ounce Jar of Sun-Dried Tomato Halves in Olive Oil

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below about your favorite tomato-based dish and "like" Mooney Farms on Facebook. For additional entries you can:

• Follow me on Twitter & leave a separate comment on this post saying you did
  
• Like Adventures in Cooking on Facebook & leave a separate comment on this post saying you did
• Follow me on Pinterest & leave a separate comment on this post saying you did
• Follow me on Instagram @eva_kosmas & leave a separate comment on this post saying you did

If you already do any of those things, just leave a comment on this post saying you do. The deadline for entries is 11:59 pm PST July 7th, and the winner will be announced July 8th. Only open to United States residents.

Disclaimer: The Mooney family at Mooney Farms sent me these products to sample as a part of the giveaway. The opinions expressed in this piece are entirely and completely my own.

Ingredients:

4 Eggs, whisked
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

2 Pork Sausages, meat removed from the casing

5 Cups Bread Cubes, cut from a good, dense loaf of bread (not the kind with a bunch of holes in it)

2 and 2/4 Cups Milk

1 Cup Grated Aged Gouda

1 Cup Grated White Cheddar Cheese 

3.4 Ounces Sun-Dried Tomatoes, julienne-cut

1 Teaspoon Fresh Parsley, chopped

1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Cook the pork sausage in a small frying pan over medium heat, stirring every minute, until just cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, rosemary, salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the fresh parsley. Add the bread, garlic, sausage, cheddar, and 3/4 cup of the gouda. Mix until the bread pieces are soft and wet. You may want to let them sit in the bowl for 5 minutes to help with the absorption if they're not soaked through right away.

Pour/scoop the mixture into a greased 9 x 13-inch rectangular or 10-inch circular casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining black pepper, fresh parsley, and gouda. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the tips of the exposed bread cubes turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.