pepperoni chicken and bread pudding

     wow! it has been almost a month since my last blog.  i apologize for that.  i have cooked every single tuesday night and haven't skipped one. i am just behind on my posting. i am hoping to put up two blog posts a week until i get caught up.
     every two months, my mom gets the magazine Cooking Light in the mail and i LOVE to look through it. if you've never flipped through one, i would strongly recommend it. it has amazing recipes! i love to try them and they are always really good. this month, i tried the pepperoni chicken and the bread pudding  from the january/febuary issue.  they were both very delicious, but the bread pudding was extraordinary. it was so addicting!

Recipes:
  
Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel
Ingredients:
5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed French bread (about 8 ounces)
1 cup evaporated fat-free milk
3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
Sauce:
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 tablespoons half-and-half, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Cooking sprayInstructions:
1.Preheat oven to 350°

 
 2. To prepare bread pudding, arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes or until lightly toasted

 3. Combine evaporated milk and next 7 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

 Add bread cubes. Let stand 20 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread to soak up milk.

4. To prepare sauce, combine brown sugar, 3 tablespoons bourbon, and butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Stir in 5 tablespoons half-and-half; simmer 10 minutes or until reduced to about 1 cup. Remove pan from heat. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon half-and-half, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Keep warm.

5. Spoon half of bread mixture into a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle 3 tablespoons sauce over bread mixture. Spoon remaining half of bread mixture over sauce.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm sauce with bread pudding.

Chicken with Pepperoni-Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
16 slices pepperoni, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce (such as McCutcheon's)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add garlic and pepperoni; cook 2 minutes or until garlic begins to brown, stirring frequently. Add oregano; cook 30 seconds. Add marinara sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in basil.
3. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Add chicken to skillet; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, turning after 3 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts.