Homemade Pineapple Raisin Bread Pudding

So, the family wanted something sweet to eat and I felt like using what we had at home. I preheated the oven... walked over to the pantry and grabbed some bread, golden raisins and sugar... grabbed some 2% milk, eggs, light butter and freshly cubed pineapple from the fridge... some cinnamon, vanilla, salt (and some extra secrets) from my spice cabinet and made a pineapple & raisin bread pudding! Why spend the extra money? Just be creative and watch your portions :-)

When I get in this type of creative mood, I seldom measure anything.  I just go with what looks good and it always turns out perfect!!!  Here's a made up recipe from the top of my head that should give you similar results :-)... ENJOY!!!

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

INGREDIENTS:
~2% milk (2 1/2 -3 cups depending on the thickness of your bread... use 3 cups for thicker bread)
~3-4 tblspoons of Butter (I use light butter or margarine)
~Golden Raisins (about 1/2 cup)
~1/2 cup of Pineapple (I cut up my own fresh pineapple, cube it and dice it up)
~3-4 tblspoons of sugar (you don't need much because the fruit will make it sweet enough)
~1 tsp of Vanilla
~1 tblspoon of Cinnamon (i like cinnamon so I may have used a little more)
~3-6 cups of bread (depending on how large your pan is)
~2 eggs

Directions:
~Melt your butter in a mixing bowl
~In a separate baking dish, slice/cube/tear your bread into the size you desire (toss it into the bottom).  It should come up a little higher than your dish.
~add your eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, milk into the mixing bowl with the melted butter... whisk them together
~stir in your pineapples and raisins
~pour the wet mixture over the bread and push it down until every piece is saturated
~let it sit for about 15 minutes
~sprinkle more cinnamon over the top (about 1 tsp) OR you can sprinkle on some brown sugar
~place a lid or foil over the top and let it bake for about 45 minutes
~remove the lid or foil and let it bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until it's golden brown
*it should be light and fluffy and spring back if you touch it with a spatula/spoon or whatever :-)*
~Let it cool for about 20 minutes before scooping out a serving

While it's cooling you can make a vanilla glaze/icing to put on top of each serving (i like to put it on top of each serving so that I can monitor the quantity).

Vanilla Glaze:
~Confectioner's sugar (about 3/4 cup)
~2% Milk OR Heavy Whipping Cream (liquid)... about 2 tblspoons
~a splash of Vanilla
~a little cinnamon
*Use a whisk to blend it together and make sure there are no lumps.  Feel free to add more milk or Confectioner's Sugar until you get it to the consistency that you'd like.

-You can add nuts (walnuts/pecans) and/or the fruit of your choice (Pineapple, Peaches, Strawberries, Raspberries, Cranberries, Blueberries, Bananas and etc...)

Let me know how it turns out!