Mushroom Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS. butter
• black pepper to taste
• 12 ounces white sandwich bread, dried in low oven overnight and cut into cubes
• 2 lbs. Sliced fresh mushrooms (all one kind, or mixed varieties)
• 1 stalk celery, including leaves (chopped)
• 3 cups milk
• 6 whole eggs, beaten
• 3 TBS. chopped parsley
• 2 tsp. Poultry seasoning

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish
• In a skillet cook mushrooms in butter, stirring as needed.
• Continue to cook until mushrooms give off their juices (3-4 minutes)
• Add onion and celery and cook until mushroom juice has evaporated and onion is translucent. (10 minutes or so)
• Remove from skillet into large bowl.
• Stir in the milk.
• Gradually beat in the eggs, then add the parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Gently stir in the bread cubes.
• Let stand for 10 minutes then pour into the prepared dish.
• Bake about 1 hour until the top is browned and a knife inserted in the center comes.
• Serve warm.