I made this for the first time at Christmas in 2005. I have been making it every year since. It is just too good to pass up, and it is now a tradition for us.
I get excited when I start to see Panettone in the markets. It means the holidays have arrived and we can start making the special food that means the holidays to each of us.
This has cream in the recipe, but don't freak out, this is no time to diet! 
We buy two panettones each year. One is for the pudding and the other is for toast. Yes I said toast. In the few weeks prior to Christmas we make panettone toast, spread with a really good quality butter, add a nice cappicino, and it makes life worth living.
I prefer to use all organic dairy products in this recipe.
Bread Pudding:
1 (1 pound) loaf panettone bread, crusts trimmed, cut into 1 inch cubes
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly ground
Sauce:
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
2 tsp cornstarch
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
The make the sauce: Bring the cream, milk, and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. In a small bowl, mix the amaretto and cornstarch to blend and then whisk into the milk mixture. Simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm. The sauce can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Rewarm before serving.
To make the bread pudding: Lightly butter a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Trim and cut the bread into cubes and put into a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, sugar, and nutmeg to blend. Pour the custard over the bread cubes, and press cubes gently to submerge. Let stand for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread so every piece gets soaked. Pour it all into the prepared baking dish. The recipe can be made ahead at this point, cover and refrigerate.
Bake until the pudding puffs and is set in the center, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Spoon pudding into bowls, drizzle with warm sauce and serve.
I have made this without the sauce and it is very good that way as well. The sauce makes it a little more decedent and is nice if you are serving it to guests.
I have also added orange zest to the custard which is nice and goes with the flavors of the panattone.
We don't often think of tomatoes as a side dish. At least I don't. I use them in sandwiches and salads but when putting together dinner, I don't automatically think of tomatoes for a vegetable. I am trying to change that because I want to incorporate more veggies in my diet, and tomatoes contain lycopene which is a potent antioxidant. Studies show that people who eat lots of tomatoes have a lower risk of cancer. That's enough for me!
With that in mind I recently made roasted tomatoes as a side dish for dinner. The dinner I made was wild salmon smothered with a Dijon mustard and white wine sauce, green beans and the tomatoes. Lots of veggies on the plate, and of course we all know wild salmon is a superfood we should eat regularly.
These are easy to make and inexpensive. I used roma tomatoes but any large one would work.
Ingredients:
4 roma tomatoes
Bread crumbs
Garlic, 1 clove minced
Herbs, any combo of oregano, basil, thyme, sage
Olive oil
Salt
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the tomatoes in half length wise. Lay on a sheet pan, drizzle with oil and salt.
You can buy bread crumbs or make your own, which is what I do. I read the label on those can's of store bought bread crumbs and shuddered. Yuck! Who wants all that added junk in their food? I don't! To make the bread crumbs I lay out one piece of multigrain bread and allow it to dry out a bit. Then I cut off the crusts, and cut it into cubes. I put it in a food processor and pulse until very small in size.
In a small saucepan pour a little oil and heat, then add the bread crumbs and toss to coat. Add the minced garlic and the herbs and cook on med heat tossing to combine well. Be careful not to allow it to burn. Turn it off when it just starts to brown.
With a spoon take the bread crumb mixture and put a spoonful on top of each tomato half.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. The tops should just be starting to brown. Take them out of the oven and drizzle with a little more oil to serve.
I am having a love affair with escarole. I finally found a local store that carries it and I have been trying it in everything I can think of. Many years ago I had a fantastic soup and I finally got around to making it myself.
The basis of this soup is the chicken stock and therefore make sure you use the very best stock. Either make it yourself or buy a brand that you know you love the taste of, otherwise the soup will be disappointing. I conducted a taste test of chicken stock and was shocked at how different they all tasted. I used to pick up any old brand, but no more. For this soup I used Wolfgang Puck brand, it is more expensive than all the others. Of course! But it makes all the difference in the finished product.
Ingredients:
1 lb. organic ground beef
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
1/2 cup grated pecorino, plus more for topping
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, 1 minced and 1 sliced
1 egg, lightly beaten
Sea Salt
Pepper, freshly cracked
1 large head escarole, cored and cut into 2" pieces
8 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
To make the meatballs: in a large mixing bowl combine the beef, bread crumbs, Parmesan, pecorino, Italian seasoning, 3 heads of minced garlic, 1 minced onion, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well. Form into 1" meatballs and chill.
To make soup: In large stock pot add 1/4 cup of the olive oil, 2 heads of minced garlic, 1 sliced onion, and saute until lightly browned about 10 minutes. Add escarole and allow to wilt. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and add meatballs. Season with salt and pepper. Cook about 20 minutes until cooked through. Be gentle so as not to break up the meatballs. Remove from heat. Add the cooked rice and serve. Top with additional grated cheeses.
Note: If you don't have Italian seasoning, use a combination of oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram.
I get excited when I start to see Panettone in the markets. It means the holidays have arrived and we can start making the special food that means the holidays to each of us. 
We buy two panettones each year. One is for the pudding and the other is for toast. Yes I said toast. In the few weeks prior to Christmas we make panettone toast, spread with a really good quality butter, add a nice cappicino, and it makes life worth living. 
To make the bread pudding: Lightly butter a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Trim and cut the bread into cubes and put into a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, sugar, and nutmeg to blend. Pour the custard over the bread cubes, and press cubes gently to submerge. Let stand for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread so every piece gets soaked. Pour it all into the prepared baking dish. The recipe can be made ahead at this point, cover and refrigerate. 
