In a large mixing bowl, mix together the milk, eggs, sugar, butter, cinnamon and vanilla.
Add the sliced bread cubes, sliced apples and raisins into the egg mixture. Slightly toss so that the bread cubes are coated.
Pour the bread and egg mixture into a well-greased 8-inch square pan. With a fork, slightly push down on the bread and apples so that they are somewhat covered by the egg mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
While the bread pudding is baking, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan.
Stir in the water until the mixture is smooth.
Bring to a slight boil over medium heat and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Remove from heat. Stir in the butter, vanilla and nutmeg. Serve with warm bread pudding.
If you happen to find yourself on the Central Coast of California, be sure to stop by the Santa Barbara Public Market.
Walking into the Santa Barbara Public Market, you’re greeted with a bright and beautiful interior. The Market is bustling with people trying samples of Chocolate Orange Bread at Crazy Good Bread Co. and enjoying lunch at Empty Bowl Gourmet Noodle Bar. Organic produce and drinks line one wall while the rest of the Market is filled with individual businesses offering something unique.
As you take a lap around the Public Market, you will find everything from delicious cupcakes, an indoor wine and beer bar, and fresh seafood (the oysters caught my attention). And that’s not even half of it.
The LEED certified market opened on April 16 of this year in downtown Santa Barbara, just blocks away from great shopping. On their website, Santa Barbara Public Market states that “with an ardent focus on local farms and artisanal ingredients, the Public Market will present Santa Barbara residents and nomads alike with a very well-stocked pantry for their daily foraging.” And that they do.
In addition to organic produce (in a location that they wonderfully call “Foragers Pantry”), the Santa Barbara Public Market features a collection of unique “purveyors” who each bring something different to the Market. Empty Bowl Gourmet Noodle Bar features authentic noodle bowls inspired from Thai and Taiwanese cuisine. Pair cheese and salumi from The Culture Counter Co. with handcrafted loaves of bread at Crazy Good Bread Co., then take it to the Wine + Beer Bar. Sustainable and humanely-raised meats can be found at Belcampo Meat Co., freshly made pasta at The Pasta Shoppe and fresh seafood at Santa Monica Seafood. Try olive oils and vinegars from il Fustino.
For non-alcoholic drinks, Green Star Coffee offers coffee from 100% organic fair-trade coffee beans roasted locally. JuiceWell also offers fresh pressed vegetable and fruit juices.
For dessert, make sure to grab unique and delightful cupcakes from Enjoy Cupcakes and/or organic ice cream from Rori’s Artisanal Creamery.
Santa Barbara Public Market has something to offer everyone, whether you are just looking for organic and fresh produce or are looking for a bite to eat.
The Public Market is located at the corner of West Victoria and Chapala streets and opens at 7 a.m. daily, though hours may differ for each shop.
The cupcake flight of the week from Enjoy Cupcakes. This week’s flight was (from left to right, back row first): Strawberry Orange Creamsicle, Chocolate Blackberry Syrah, Salted Caramel Bailey’s Cream, Maple Cookies and Cream, Ginger Peach Chardonnay, and S’mores.
I absolutely loved each and every one of these cupcakes. They were light, not too sweet, and tasted so great. It’s too difficult to pick just one favorite so my top three are Ginger Peach Chardonnay, S’mores and Chocolate Blackberry Syrah.
Enjoy Cupcakes also offers cakes, mousse cups and cake puddings. Yum!
Culture Counter Co. offers a curated selection of cheese and salumi from the U.S. and a mix of cheeses from around the world. What’s neat is that they offer “Culture Cones” which are cones of either meats or cheeses. Talk about a great snack to have as you wander through the Market!
‘J.Crew Mercantile’ might be nothing more than a name after all.
On May 2, people “familiar with the situation” told the Wall Street Journal that J.Crew owns the name J.Crew Mercantile and is developing a more budget-friendly line. According to the people, the new line will feature merchandise and prices closer to what shoppers would find at J.Crew’s outlet stores, J.Crew Factory.
However, on May 7, J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler told WWD that the company bought the license to the name ‘Mercantile’ simply because he liked the name.
“Mercantile is a name we own. There’s not much beyond that,” said Drexler. “It’s a name that was available and we liked. The way we run the company, we are always thinking creatively, innovating , and managing our assets. We have secured names and trademarks with either loose ideas or intentions, or with our imaginations. Sometimes things come of it, or they don’t.”
So will a lower-priced line called J.Crew Mercantile actually happen? We’ll have to wait and see.
Here’s another un-boxing of Influenster’s Uni VoxBox!
In case you’re wondering… Influenster is an exclusive online community of “tastemakers and trendsetters” who get to share their thoughts about products and experiences. Members can receive access to deals and VoxBoxes (boxes filled with special items that match their interests and what they’re influential about).
A great lipstick for $2? Yes, please. I have been looking for a flattering bright pink lip stick for a while and this is definitely it. The lipstick itself smells like candy (specifically Sweetarts) and the color lasts for about 12 hours. Though the candy smell isn’t strong, I’m not a fan of it. However, the great lasting color > candy smell.
If you happen to be looking for matte foundation that feels soft on your skin and is a great budget-buy, you should probably try the Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation. It’s smooth, has medium coverage and blends really easily into your skin.
These fake nails are cute but unfortunately, they’re too big for my own nails so I couldn’t try them on. Feel free to tell me if you tried these and what you thought about the nails.
I love great pens and this is – without a doubt – a beautiful pen. The Pilot Acroball PureWhite is a hybrid of a gel pen and ballpoint ink meaning that it has the vibrant color of a gel with the quick drying benefits of ballpoint ink. It writes incredibly smooth and is definitely a nice pen you should have in your bag.
I’m not usually a fan of water enhancers. They’re too sweet and taste funny. However, the Red Rose Real Tea Premium Water Enhancer actually makes my water taste like slightly sweetened black tea. If you like iced tea and are looking for a water enhancer that has no dye or coloring, try this.
Check the other VoxBoxes from Influenster I’ve received and the products in them: Jolly VoxBox & the Varsity VoxBox.
Any products you see that you’ve tried? Let me know what you thought in the comments!
