Christmas Popcorn Dessert Recipe

It's a rainy, gray day, so I'm excited to share my favorite cinnamon apple raisin bread pudding recipe.

This bread pudding is so warm and moist. It's like biting into a fluffy, sweet, cloud of apples, raisins, and cinnamon. Plus, I topped it with a drizzle of Nutella just to give it a slight hint of chocolate. So scrumptious!

When I think of July 4th, I think about being a kid and heading to the Jersey Shore with my family. I grew up in NJ but we didn't go "down the shore" often, maybe once a summer. It was special.

I loved the Jersey Shore, it felt so alive. It wasn't snooty, like other east coast beaches. It was tacky, with lots of people with bad hair and bad accents, and yes, I was one of them. (But I only discovered that years later when I moved away.)

My husband and I were recently sharing favorite food memories, and he told a story of how when he was little, and had dinner at his grandmother's house, he'd get to go into her refrigerator, pull out the chocolate syrup, and pour it all over his vanilla ice cream all by himself. He was so proud of himself and the ice cream tasted so good.

He said a lot of times it got super messy, but his grandma didn't mind. Aren't grandmas great?

I wanted to create something my daughter would love for Valentine's Day, and boy, did these Rice Krispie Treat heart wands knock it out of the park! Plus, because they're so easy, she could help me with them.

SUPPLIES:

The second Sterling Vineyards Ultimate Host Challenge has just begun, and if you love pairing wine and desserts, this challenge is for you!

To enter, just invite friends, family, or a significant other over (all guests must be at least 21) for an evening of sweet treats and wines from Sterling's Napa Valley collection.