Monkey Bread

Growing up, I always heard about my grandma making this and it being so delicious. Since I was little I wanted to make monkey bread but just never got around to it...the name just *sounded* complicated. Well, I am here to tell you not only is it *very* simple, its also *very* affordable!

I will admit...I messed this recipe up the first time. It was a complete disaster because I was not paying attention. So pay attention or you will end up with a pile of uncooked, buttery biscuit chunks all over the place...literally!! Learn from my mistakes (yes, plural!) and everything should be a-okay.  :)

*Recommendations added at the end of the recipe*


**Pictures will be added at the end of the post**


Here you'll need:

• 4 cans of refrigerated biscuits
• 1 c. packed brown sugar (I used light)
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 2 Tbl. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-10" tube pan. Mix white sugar and cinnamon together in a medium sized plastic bag and shake well. Cut the biscuits into halves or quarters (I did quarters) and place six to eight biscuit pieces into the bag at a time; shake well. Once all the pieces are coated, place into the greased tube pan. Continue until all pieces are in the pan. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for one minute; pour over layered biscuits. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow the bread to cool then turn out onto a plate. 

Recommendations

1. If you are using a size smaller than the 10" tube pan (mine was 9.5") then I suggest using 3 cans of refrigerated biscuits instead of the original 4. Once it has completely cooked, it will rise significantly and pour over the pan edges leaving you with a big mess to clean.

2. Which brings me to my second recommendation: place this on a cookie sheet before placing it in the oven. Cleaning the cookie sheet if you do end up having spills is much better than cleaning your oven.

3. Make sure you grease your pan!! The second time I made this, I forgot to spray the pan (because I was so excited I didn't make the mistakes I did the first time) and I ended up not being able to flip it out. Also, cinnamon and brown sugar are *not* interchangeable in this recipe...that was my first mistake. So if you somehow mixed them up, do yourself the favor and just through it out! 

 The brand of biscuits I used. I just love the Pillsbury dough-boy. :)

 This is the equivalent of one can of biscuits. As you can see, I tore them instead of cut them. I was just being lazy...but it worked!

 Placing the biscuits after they have been covered in the sugar/cinnamon mix.

 The butter and brown sugar melting into a delicious syrup

 In the oven!! By the way...you do not want to fill the pan to the brim like it is in the picture.

Otherwise, it overspills like this. Not that its not still delicious BUT it will save on cleaning. 

Now that you have this super simple, super addictive recipe (because once you eat it you won't want to stop!): Create, Share & Enjoy! :)

[[Original recipe can be found at Easy Monkey Bread Recipe]]

Stuffed Peppers

So the hubbs was craving stuffed peppers the other night so (not knowing he wanted stuffed bell peppers) I found this nifty recipe for Stuffed Peppers! I'm going to admit that not only was I a tad skeptical, I was also slightly terrified. I think I always get that way before making a new recipe though. Is that weird? Either way, let's get to it!

*Below is the original recipe used*

**Pictures are added at the end of the instructions. Following the pictures will be revision recommendations if interested**

Here you'll need:

• 3 T cooking oil
• 1 c chopped celery (about 2-3 if you cut them in half, then chop them)
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 lb. breakfast sausage (for this, I used the long sausage...not the patty kind)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/3 c freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 1 T hot sauce 
• 1/4 c bread crumbs
• 20 Anaheim or Poblano peppers, cut in half and seeds removed ( I used Poblano) 

In a saute pan over medium-high heat add the oil. Once heated add the celery, bell peppers and onion and saute for about 8 minutes. Add sausage and garlic and brown. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Take off heat and stir in parsley, hot sauce and bread crumbs. Let cool. 

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Stuff peppers with vegetable and cheese mixture and bake for 15 minutes or grill until char develops. 

Cook Time: 15 minutes; Level: Easy; Yields: 8 to 10 servings 

The stuffing mix with everything added and slightly cooled. Basically, the end result if you use above ingredients.  Don't let looks fool you, it was pretty yummy on its own.

The peppers stuffed and ready for the oven. Not the prettiest, but the end result was fantastic!










Now for revisions

1. I would use 1/2 lb. of ground beef instead because silly me bought this in the pre-made, ready-to-cook packet and it was a hassle getting the meat out of the meat tube...which is why the Mister did it.
2. I would prepare the celery, onion, and bell pepper earlier in the day that way I could just jump right into the cooking.
3. On that note, I would also use those 8 minutes to prepare the peppers. Go for the ones as symmetrical as you can find them. As you can see, some of them were pinched which made it difficult to stuff and therefore more time consuming.
4. Whatever pan you use to hold the stuffed peppers ( I used a 13x9 in. baking pan), line that sucker with foil!! It won't affect the cooking and that will be one less thing you have clean.
5. Let the cream cheese sit out ( I just opened it when I started cooking and left it alone until I needed it) that way it will melt slightly faster.
6. Use a large pan!!! We used a medium-sized pan and it was a pain! So just do yourself a favor and use the extra space.

**Side Note: The spiciness of the peppers do not come from the seeds, it comes from the veins. Therefore, if you are like me and do not care too much for the burning sensations that comes with eating peppers, make sure you remove those white veins!! If you are like the Mister and *do* like a little spice in your life, then you can either leave them in or partially remove them.**

I can honestly say that, including prep time, this was quite a bit longer than 15 minutes. That being said along with my revisions, its still a super easy recipe to make and it did a great job feeding just the two of us.

[[This recipe was courtesy of Dwain Matelski from the Food Network Challenge; Episode: Challenge: Texas Steak Cook-Off. For this recipe visit Food Network Stuffed Peppers]]