The Gloves are off! A Head-to-Head Competition

Oh, hello there.  Thanks for visiting. The fact that you're here means you are probably one of the following:
1. One of my Waste Connections coworkers (aka da kewlest peeps eva)
2. My sister (Sup Steph)
3. My Husband (that's you, Ben)

 Today, I am blogging from the lovely state of Alaska.  Yes, yes - I have internet access. I mean, it wasn't easy.  I had to fight off a grizzly bear to crawl into this igloo to set up my router, but I did it.  It's a tough life up here.

So blog followers of mine, do you know what happened this week?  I was the esteemed judge of the first ever head-to-head Bread Pudding Competition! Not only that, but one of the bread puddings was homemade by Matt O'Connell, the authentic Alaskan mentioned in my previous post!

So let's break down the competition. The boxing gloves are on!

In Ring #1: Brewhouse BP

Coming in at a bold 18 oz, Brewhouse is a traditionally prepared bread pudding, peppered with raisins and baked apples and topped with pecans.  It is accompanied with a buttery caramel sauce lacks a strong upper cut since it doesn't have ice cream or whipped cream.  Check out the muscles on this puppy:

What's that, BP followers? You are wondering what I thought of this Brewhouse BP?  Well, gee, why don't you ask the practically 100 people I was there with?  That's right, this is another first for the blog: a group review.  Here's my posse:

 And here are their VIC (Very Important Comments):

"The bread is typically flavorful. This bread is bland." - Mira

"I like an ice cream or a whipped cream." - Matt (Note: his opinion doesn't really count, because clearly he will think his is the best)

Well, there you have it.  After those profound, deep, and well thought-out comments, need I say more?

Moving on.... In ring #2: The O'Connell Family's homemade BP

Matt's Chocolate Bourbon BP weighed in at a dense 22 oz.  It packed a mean punch with the bourbon and like its chef, is big, bold, and loves saved by the bell. Yes, Bread Pudding can love SBTB too.  Don't ask any more questions. The O'Connell BP was topped with homemade salted caramel sauce and freshly made whipped cream.  Take a look at this Mike Tyson of the BP world:

And here is its equally as ear-biting of a chef:

So, naturally, I utilized some peers to assist me in reviewing this one as well.

WAIT WAIT WAIT! TIME OUT! I almost forgot.  I am struggling to even write this right now because it is so disgraceful.  Get this: Matt's wife Karin DOES NOT LIKE BREAD PUDDING.  Shame! Shame on her!  And worse yet, I was in her house.  I was torn between running away in disapproval and staying because I wanted to eat the BP on her counter.  (I stayed and ate the BP).  Now that I got that out of my system, please see the comments below. You will notice that Karin did provide a review of her husband's bread pudding:

"I enjoyed it. Even though I'm not a fan, I enjoyed it." - Karin (ugh)

"This is very rich. I like the caramel. I can't taste the bourbon." - Mira

"I'm glad there's not fruit." - Mira

So, there you have it!  TTY Next time!

JK, JK. I know what you all want to know: As the most prominent bread pudding reviewer west of the Mississippi, what did I think? Which one was better? Before I answer that question, I will make you scroll through this long bunch of pictures of everyone enjoying BP with me this week...

This is me anticipating my first bite of BP:

 Matt eating the opposing BP:

 OhNoHeDidnt! Do you recognize this guy?  (Please see the Hood River entry from August 2014). It is my former coworker Patrick, who is eating BP with me again! Kewl pic Patrick!

 Matthew and She-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named, hater of Bread Pudding

 Mike Tyson with Bourbon.

Okay: so here's my final review: The winner of the first ever head-to-head BP competition is...

The O'Connell Family's Homemade Chocolate Bourbon BP!  Hooray! Rock on, Matthew. You make a damn good Bread Pudding!  Now go party it up with your friends at Bayside!

Oh, and Derek Ranta, I hope you have nice things to say about this. If you don't, then go suck a butt again.