Monkey Bread (the original)

First sorry about the pictures on this post. My camera is acting up. It is not taking pictures where I am pointing it and the view screen is messed up too.

When I got married my husband asked me to make a few recipes from his mother and this one of them.

Its Monkey Bread and at first I thought it was just too sweet, but it grew on me.

I make this for quick lunches my husband can grab at a moment's notice. They freeze great and you can just put a few in a Ziploc bag and you're good for lunch!

First you make the dough. I make mine in my bread machine, but you can do it by hand or in a mixer.

First boil together:

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup water

When butter is melted take off the heat and place in the bowl you will be using to mix for it to cool completely.

Meanwhile dissolve 2 Tbsp. yeast into a cup of warm water. Let that sit for 10 minutes.

When the butter mixture is cool add the yeast, 2 beaten eggs, and six cups of flour.

Beat together until it is a uniform ball and place in the fridge for four hours.

 I make these into little pockets so I set up a little station where everything is at my disposal to create these babies. They take some effort.

 Roll out the dough. I sometimes have to just pick it up and stretch it. It fights back.

 Cut into squares with a pizza cutter.

 Brush a little melted butter or margarine on each square and put cut up ham and grated cheese on each one.

 Then pick up the two opposite corners and squeeze them together.

 Then squeeze the other two corners together and you have a neat little pocket.
Then press all the seams together to make it secure.

 Place them on a sprayed pan or one with a Silpat on it and brush with melted butter.Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes until golden. Careful the bottoms seem to burn easily for some reason.
Store in the fridge in a container or a bag. You can freeze too. Just make sure they are completely cool before you put them in the freezer.

  Here's another topping choice you have. I make little pizza pockets too. Repeat the first three steps... roll out the dough, cut, etc. Then dab a spoonful of pizza sauce into the center of each square.  Then place a few pieces of pepperoni or your favorite pizza toppings.  Fold together the same way and bake for the same amount.

My kids and husband love them both ways. You can make this recipe healthier by decreasing the sugar, adding wheat flour or just by adding different fillings. I've added green peppers cut up before and that was good. Coming next is the dessert you can make with Monkey Bread.

Texas Brownies with Fudge Frosting

I don't usually love brownies but I had a strange craving last week for brownies with frosting.  So I tried one recipe and it was not so great.  Then this week I found some new recipes and merged them.  Here is the result.  They were pretty dang good.

Texas Brownies with Fudge Frosting

For the brownies:

2 cups flour                                          2 cups sugar

½ cup butter or margarine                     ½ cup shortening

1 cup water                                          ¼ cup dark, unsweetened cocoa

½ cup buttermilk                                   2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda                                1 tsp. vanilla

         

          Combine 2 cups flour and 2 cups sugar.   In heavy saucepan, combine butter, shortening, water, and cocoa.  Stir and heat to boiling.  Pour boiling mixture over the flour and sugar in the bowl.  Add the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla.  Mix well.  Pour into a well-buttered 17-1/2 by 11 inch pan.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until brownies test done in the center. 

For the frosting:

1 (12 oz) package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 (14 oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

    Just before brownies are done, in heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chills with sweetened condensed milk and remaining 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla.  Remove form heat.  Immediately spread over hot brownies.  Cool Chill.  Cut into bars. 

Finger Paint

We had a snow day today and needed an activity.  I've tried a few different finger paint recipes in the past and this is my favorite one. 

You'll need:

1/2 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups cold water
food coloring

In a medium saucepan stir together the cornstarch, sugar, and salt.  Then whisk in the cold water over medium to medium-low heat.  Cook for 5-10 minutes stirring constantly.  You are just waiting for it to thicken and become shiny.  I think I cooked it a little too long.  You don't want it too thick! 

Prepare some storage containers. 

Let it cool and add food coloring.

Then let your kids at it!

\My kids were having hard time not wiping their hands off every few seconds!  Store containers in air tight containers.  I store mine in the fridge.  I've had it go moldy in the past.  Yuck.

Tie Onesies

Tis the Season for Projects.  Its cold and I need something to do with myself.  So here is something I've been working on...

My sister made me a bunch of tie onsies for my baby but he has grown out of them all so I made some more and it cost me NOTHING.  I dug through his onsies and found some plain ones.  Then I found some ugly clothes he never wore and cut them into tie shapes.  I even did some bow ties.  (Pictures to come.)

Then I realized my sewing machine was broken!  But now its fixed and wa-la!

I just sewed the ties on with an embroidery stitch.  So easy.  So fast.  It would have been easier with that double sided iron on stuff.  I forget what its called.  It was still pretty easy without though.  Try it yourself!

Chocolate Chip Muffin Trial

So I've been looking for the best recipe for Chocolate Chip Chocolate Muffins so I tried two different recipes and made my family pick. The problem is we all liked a different one. So you decide. Which one is better.

I modified both recipes.
My favorite was this one by Nigella Lawson

Preheat your oven to 400.

Mix:
1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 cup sugar

Then add:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Don't over mix. Pour into well greased muffin pan. Sprinkle with a few more chocolate chips. Bake for 20 minutes.

The next is from the Food Network Kitchens and was my husband's favorite.

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Then add:
2 eggs
4 Tbsp. butter or margarine melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Then mix in 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes in a greased muffin pans.

Best French Toast

Alton Brown has again done something marvelous with a hum drum food. His French Toast is the best I've ever had. Try it.

Chocolate Lava Cake

I decided to try to make these cakes after watching an episode of the Worst Cooks in America. They were really struggling with them and I wondered if they were really THAT hard to make. Turns out they are pretty easy, but they look WAY impressive. My husband LOVED them.

I used this recipe from the food network website, but I changed it quite a bit so here's what I did:

Chocolate Lava Cakes

(I halved the recipe to just make four, but this is the full recipe. Left overs aren't really good with this recipe. You want to eat them immediately.)

2 sticks butter, unsalted

4 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped or just use semi-sweet chocolate chips (11/2 cups)

1 cup flour

2 1/2 cups CONFECTIONER'S sugar (don't used granulated!)

6 large eggs

6 large egg yolks

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare ramekins by covering insides with butter or margarine. Do this well or the cakes won't come out! Then sprinkle lightly with the granulated sugar.

In a saucepan melt butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chocolate over low heat until butter is melted and combined well. Stir frequently. While this is cooling mix the batter.

Mix flour, confectioner's sugar, eggs, yolks, and vanilla extract until creamy. Slowly pour in the melted chocolate while stirring.

Pour into ramekins (I put my ramekins on a sheet pan and then into the oven) and bake for 12-14 minutes until the tops are cracked.

*At 12 minutes mine were still SUPER giggly so I put them in for three more minutes until they were just slightly jiggly. You don't want to over bake or there won't be any molten lava in the middle, but if you under-bake them they will fall apart. Just jiggle the pan the ramekins are on and see how much they are cooked. This is the hardest part of the recipe!

When they are done let them cool for five minutes and then carefully run a knife or spatula around the edges and then tip out. Don't fret if they ooze out. Mine all came out perfect though. You can sprinkle some powdered sugar on the top and serve with icecream or whipped cream. I think a little sprig of mint would look FABULOUS. Enjoy. They are SO good!