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Food, Sweet

Monkey Bread

Spent a fabulous Saturday cooking and crafting yesterday with two of my favorites. When we get together, we’re always looking for something to do in the kitchen. And since my oven is working again (!) we decided we had to bake something. That’s when the term “monkey bread” came up.

I have a confession to make. I’ve never made Monkey Bread before. I feel like it’s a New England thing or New Hampshire thing or something, but all of my friends around here know what it is and know how to make it. I did not grow up eating Monkey Bread, so it’s been one of those things that I’ve always wondered about.

What is it? Basically it’s cinnamon and sugar doughy baked goodness. So not good for you. That, however, did not stop us.

Want to make your own? Follow this:

Gather:
1 can of 16.3 oz PIllsbury Grands Buttermilk Biscuits
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of brown sugar
6 tablespoons of melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease or butter a glass baking dish. In a large bowl, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Separate biscuits and cut into quarters. Place in the cinnamon-sugar bowl. Mix until biscuits are completely covered. Place into baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and melted butter. Pour over biscuits.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer doughy in the center. Let cool for 10 minutes. Pull apart and serve.

You’ll see that the biscuits fall apart all delicious and flaky when you eat them:

Enjoy!

December 8, 2013 by Roni

Food, Savory

Sweet Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

First off, I was actually able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with a few friends this year. My mom’s gift did not go uneaten and I’m so grateful that she sent it. However, when I was invited to my friend’s Thanksgiving and I asked what I should bring, I got a shock.

“Bring the stuffing.”

Bring the stuffing? Bring the stuffing? Are you kidding me? That’s like saying “Bring the turkey.” Sacred ground not to be walked on unless you’re the hostess.

I laughed, “really?”

“Yes, really.”

Little to their knowledge, I don’t do Stovetop for big events. I don’t even make stuffing myself. That’s my aunt’s job. So I did what any good volunteer stuffing bringer would do, I looked up recipes. But I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to make, so I combined a few recipes. Picked up both stuffing bread and cornbread at the store, then decided I wanted sweet Italian sausage, and snagged a red onion and some celery from the produce department. What can I say, when all else fails, just pick the food you want, cook it together, and hope for the best.

I kinda followed the recipe. I diced the bread up and toasted it (burning only a portion of it), browned the sausage, and mixed it all together. And then the big moment came. The tasting. I have to admit, my heart stopped a bit while I waited for the response. . . all fantastic! They loved it. For my first go, I have to say, I’m impressed and I can’t wait to make it again.

Sweet Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

Gather:
1 pound loaf of stuffing bread (white bread), cubed
1 pound loaf of cornbread, cubed
1 pound of sweet Italian Sausage
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 red onion, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 teaspoon of rosemary
1 teaspoon of basil
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon of parsley
2 cups of chicken broth
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place diced white bread on one cooking sheet, the cornbread on another. Bake white bread for 20 minutes or until toasted, turning half way. Bake cornbread for 25 minutes or until toasted, turning halfway. Set aside in a large bowl and let cool.

Adjust oven temperature to 375 degrees.

In a saucepan, brown sausage. Remove and drain fat. In the same saucepan, melt the butter. Add onions, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together broth and eggs. Pour over the bread. Add vegetables, sausage, and herbs; toss to mix.

Transfer stuffing to a baking dish. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove cover and cook for another 20 minutes or until top is browned. Remove, serve, and enjoy.

December 4, 2013 by Roni

Food, Sweet

S’more Cupcakes

The smokey smell of pallets burning over a backyard campfire, the sweet taste of marshmallows that have been over-charred from being in the fire for too long, and an evening tolerating all your friends in a confined space. Oh, winter bonfires. Okay, I’m just kidding about tolerating people, I actually really enjoy group activities. Especially when there is food involved. And while the snow hasn’t quite fallen yet and the winter bonfires are still a few weeks away, I’ll just bake.

That’s ultimately what led to these s’more-inspired cupcakes. They still need a little work, but for my first go, I think I succeeded. Simple, cute, and a little rough painstakingly roasting mini marshmallows over an apple cider scented candle. Yeah, that last part happened.

Anyway, all you really need is a yellow cake box mix, chocolate frosting, graham crackers, and mini marshmallows. You’ll also want on hand some toothpicks for the roasting part, you’ll see what I mean.

S’more Cupcakes

Gather:
Yellow Cake Mix (and the eggs/oil/butter, whatever the manufacturer says you need)
Chocolate frosting (from a can, cause I’m lazy)
Cinnamon graham crackers, crushed
Mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Using the manufacturer’s instructions, mix together your cake mix. Now, I tried poking a mini marshmallow into the center of each one, but when it baked, well… those mini marshmallows disappeared. So it’s your call if you want to take the effort to see if they’ll survive a time in the oven.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted in the cupcake and removed clean. Set aside and let cool completely.

In a Ziploc bag, place four to five graham crackers. Seal bag, leaving as little air in it as possible, and a corner open. Take a rolling pin and roll over the crackers until crushed. Leave a few little bits, try not to make it a complete powder.

Light a candle (or use your gas stove top if you have an open flame, candle works fine though.) Carefully place a marshmallow on the end of a toothpick and heat over flame. I purposely burned them just a bit to give them a campfire look, but you can be patient and toast them until golden brown, your call. Remove from toothpick and set aside until you’re ready to decorate cupcakes. This is tedious, but the end result is adorable.

After cupcakes are cooled, frost with chocolate frosting and sprinkle graham cracker powder on top of cupcakes. Place a single toasted marshmallow on each cupcake. Serve and enjoy.

November 19, 2013 by Roni

Food, Savory

Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Oh cheesy goodness. And done without an oven at that.

It all started with a craving for mac and cheese. Isn’t that how it always goes. You have a craving for something and then BAM there you go finding all the ingredients and making a big pan of the meal you want.

We compromised though, I let us eat carbs and cheese as long as we could add vegetables. I’m gonna say this is half a win, because we should have put more broccoli in (in my opinion) but we’ll see. Next time I suggest adding spinach, too. We’ll see how far I get with that idea….

AND with all meal plans, there will be some issue that arises… in my case, it’s the continual case of the not working oven. Sure, the broil works like a charm, but the oven won’t hold a consistent heat. It’s frustrating. So we did the best we could, first by making the cheese sauce:

Then by mixing it with the cooked noodles, topping it with cheese and breadcrumbs, and preparing it for the oven by covering it with aluminum foil:

And I have to say, it came out pretty darn good.

Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Gather:
1 box of macaroni, your choice of style
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon of mustard powder
1/2 tablespoon of salt
1/2 tablespoon of ground black pepper
1/2 cup of sweet onion, diced
3 cups of milk
1 large egg
12 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup of broccoli, diced

Cook pasta al dente, drain, and set aside.

Heat oven on low broil. (For those of you out there with fancy working ovens, you’re more than welcome to pre-heat to 350 degrees.)

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in flour, mustard powder, salt, and pepper. Keep stirring for five minutes. Make sure it is free of lumps and add milk and onion. Simmer for ten minutes, still stirring. Temper in the egg. Add about 3/4 of the cheese and broccoli and mix until melted into the mixture. Fold in cook macaroni and pour into a lasagna pan.

Top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. Cover with aluminum foil and place into oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes on low broil or until top is golden brown and cheese is melted. Remove from oven, let cool for 20 minutes, serve, and enjoy.

November 16, 2013 by Roni

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