Monkey Bread Recipe

  

 Hello everyone! It has been a while and I apologize for that.  Our home computer just crashed and we had to get it repaired.  Of course through all of the computer shenanigans, I was cooking and baking up a storm to keep up the blog.  Fingers crossed we don’t have any additional computer glitches in the future!

Ok, enough of that computer talk and onto the main attraction; Monkey Bread!  Wow is this stuff good.  My college friend just had her first child and we all got together for breakfast at her house.  I made monkey bread and it was a huge hit.  The buttery caramel sauce coated around each soft, chewy, cinnamon dough bite is what we all dream of waking up to in the morning....or at least I do! 

This bread is not only delicious, but lots of fun to eat.  My girlfriends and I just sat around the plate talking, watching the baby and pulling off one piece of bread at a time.  Who doesn’t love finger foods!

Monkey Bread Recipe

Makes 1 bread

1 dough (I used my pizza dough recipe)

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9-10 inch tube (bundt) pan. 

In a bowl, mix white sugar and cinnamon together.  Take your dough and pull off walnut sized pieces.  Roll each piece into the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Once each dough piece is coated, place into your greased bundt pan.  Continue to layer your bread until you have gone through all of the dough.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat.  Bring it to a boil for 1 minute to melt the sugar completely.  Pour the butter mixture over the layered dough.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then carefully turn it out onto a plate.

Pull it apart and enjoy!

Tips:

1)      Feel free to add walnuts, pecans, raisins, crasins, etc.  It would be delicious with these
added treats.  Just make sure to layer this in with the dough as you are stacking up your
bread. 

2)      Next time I make this, I am thinking about also making a chocolate dipping sauce to

accompany the soft chewy bread bites!

3)      If you don’t feel like making the dough, you can also use the premade doughs, or cans

of refrigerated biscuits (like Pillsbury)    

4)        I am thinking that if I put the cinnamon/sugar combo in a plastic bag and put the dough pieces in there, it might eliminate the rolling process and save a bit of time. 

P.S.  Don’t you love my friend’s plate!!!  So pretty!

Mini Egg Omelet Recipe

I love easy, on-the-go treats.  These mini egg omelets make running out the door to work, school or any errands a little less hectic.  I like to make these mini omelets with various veggies and meats I have on hand. 

Once the omelets are baked off and cooled, I store them in an airtight container and place them in the refrigerator.  When a fast breakfast or snack is all there is time for, just pop them in the microwave for about a minute to heat them up.  In no time you have a very healthy and filling meal. 

Mini Egg Omelet Recipe

Makes 12

Preheat 350^o

6 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

Salt

Pepper

1/3 cup red onion, chopped

1/3 cup green pepper, chopped

1/3 cup steak, cooked and chopped

1/3 cup asiago cheese

Oil spray

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper together.  Once mixed, add in the veggies, meat and cheese.  Mix until everything is incorporated and coated by the egg mixture.

Grease all 12 muffin tins.  Pour the egg mixture into the muffin tins filling them 3/4 full. 

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes and remove mini omelets from tins. 

Enjoy!

Tips:

1)      Make these mini omelets your own!  Add any mixture of veggies, meats and cheese that you prefer. 

2)      If you want to make these with just egg whites or egg substitute that would work perfectly. 

3)      You could take this recipe a step further and add a mini crust to each tin

Strawberry & Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast Recipe

I love when birthdays fall on the weekends.  That means that a fun breakfast can be included into the festivities!  My husband celebrated his birthday on the 14th, and that meant a special breakfast for him to wake up to.  I love to add new twists on the traditional breakfast foods.  For Bill's birthday, I decided to add a smooth cream cheese and sweet strawberry 'stuffing' to french toast. 

The stuffed french toast was assembled like a sandwich, spreading cream cheese on both sides of the bread to hold everything together.  If you don't have strawberries on hand any other fruit would work well; blueberries, raspberries, banana, apple, pears, etc. 

Strawberry & Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast Recipe

Serves 2

3 eggs

1 teaspoon of milk

2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon vanilla

4 slices of bread

4 ounces of cream cheese

5 large strawberries, sliced

1 teaspoon powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting

Grease and heat a griddle pan. 

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine with a fork the cream cheese, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. powdered sugar.  Spread mixture onto all 4 slices of bread.  On two slices, place the strawberries in a single layer on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Place the extra slice of bread, cream cheese side down, on top of the strawberries and gently push them together. 

Dip the stuffed bread into the egg mixture, coating both sides, and place on the hot griddle.  Cook each side until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve immediately sprinkled with powdered sugar. 

Tips:

      1)  Feel free to double this recipe if you want to make it for more people.  The measurements are flexible and you can make it to your taste.

      2)  We used whole wheat bread, but this would be just as good with white, brioche, challah, or your favorite type of bread

     3) As mentioned above, feel free to mix and match any of your favorite fruits to this recipe.