Apple-Pecan Bread Pudding *

I actually made this back in January for my dad.  He loves bread pudding.  I subbed Craisins for the raisins, just because that's my preference.  I'm not a fan of bread pudding in general, so there's that going against it already.  It's kind of a texture thing with me.  The apples and Craisins were absolutely amazing in the sauce.  The bread just wasn't that great.  I used toasted French bread, hoping that it would keep it from getting as mushy.  Didn't work as well as I'd hoped.  My dad seemed to like it, but it's not something I would make again.

APPLE-PECAN BREAD PUDDING
(Grandparents.com)

Cooking spray
4 cups toasted bread cubes (approximately 8 slices; I used gluten-free bread)
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup raisins
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3 eggs
2 cups half-and-half

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Spray your stoneware insert well with cooking spray. Put the toasted bread cubes into your cooker and add the diced apples. Toss the bread and apples with the melted butter. Dump in the pecans, raisins, and brown sugar, and sprinkle in the pumpkin pie spice. Stir gingerly to distribute the ingredients evenly. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and half-and-half, and pour evenly over the top of the assembled ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Your pudding is done when it has browned on top and pulls away from the sides. The center should be set and not super jiggly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream as a dessert or plain for breakfast.
Serves 6