Something from Nothing

           My husband has a sweet tooth, and I'm a nut for anything that comes out of an oven. I used to bake a lot, but since the kids have grown and moved out, I've mostly used store-bought desserts. Lately, though, I've had more time on my hands, so homemade cookies and other goodies have become more common.
           Recently Pat and I were planning an extended trip south to see the family. The idea was to leave on Sunday, when the traffic, ferry and otherwise would be lightest. With this in mind, I purposely limited my shopping so no perishables would go to waste. Of course, the more I try to plan efficiency, the less it works. For various reasons unimportant to this story, we didn't leave on Sunday. Or Monday. Or Tuesday.
          By Tuesday evening the fridge was bare of essentials like milk, and there was only 1 egg. There was also not a cookie, or any other sweet anywhere. There was no time to make the twelve mile trip to town, so we brainstormed ideas with what we had on hand. I credit Pat with the creation of this microwave bread pudding. It turned out very tasty, and extremely easy. It was delicious with a cup of black coffee (no half-n-half), but would also be nice with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream.

Microwave Bread Pudding
Serves 2

4 slices slightly stale white bread
1 egg
1/2 cup french vanilla non-dairy creamer
4 tbsp. apple butter (any jam or applesauce would work)
1 tbsp. real maple syrup
1 tsp. or more cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter

Cut the bread into cubes. In a medium bowl, beat the egg with the creamer until smooth. Stir in the apple butter and maple syrup. Add cinnamon. Fold in the bread cubes.

Pour into a well-buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole. Let stand for a few minutes to allow bread to absorb the liquid. Sprinkle the top with additional cinnamon and dot with the remaining butter.

Microwave at 60% power for 5 minutes (1100 watt oven - adjust accordingly). Serve warm.

(Adding raisins to the bread mixture would be a nice touch)