Cold Bread Pudding

When I was a teenager we spent a few months in Oklahoma, where some of my dad's family lived. His aunt told of a story: One day my Great Grandma looked out the window and saw her little grandson, Dennis, with a bag walking down the road. She called out to him:
"Hi Dennis, what are you doing today?"
"I'm running away." he replied.
Great Grandma asked, "Would you like some cold bread pudding?"
He thought a minute and then said "I guess I can run away tomorrow."
Then went and enjoyed that cold bread pudding. (And I don't think he ever did run away.)
My dad still loves it- and I asked my Great Aunt for the recipe. But, her recipe was in her head... she didn't even own a measuring cup! So what I got was measured out with a coffee cup, because she figured it was close.
I've learned how it needs to look and so I don't measure when I make it anymore either, but I'm so glad she figured it out for me.

To get the traditional pudding, you need to use biscuits for the bread crumbs- but these days I just keep a gallon ziplock bag in the freezer and when there is an extra piece or 2 of bread that is "too old" (but not moldy) to eat, I stick it in there. When the bag is full, I make bread pudding. I even stick cookies in the bag- it's normally a mix between brown and white breads and a few chocolate chip cookies.
The boys love eating it for breakfast.

Cold Bread Pudding
12 c. bread crumbs
8 c. milk
2 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten*

Pour milk over bread crumbs and let sit until mushy, approximately 30 minutes. Mix in sugar, vanilla and beaten eggs. Pour into greased 9x13 baking dish, bake approximately 45 minutes. Cool and refrigerate before serving.

*Sometimes my Great Aunt would separate the eggs, just put the yoke in the pudding and make a meringue from the whites for the pudding.