Monkey Bread

Ingredients

• 3 -10 oz or 4 - 7.5 oz rolls of buttermilk biscuits
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Karo syrup

Cut biscuits into four quartered pieces. Mix sugar and cinnamon in mixing bowl. Coat biscuit pieces in cinnamon sugar mix and place into a greased bundt pan. The biscuit pieces coat easiest if you only add a handful into the sugar mixture at a time.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On stove, melt butter in a saucepan. Then add brown sugar and Karo syrup. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over biscuits in the bundt pan. Bake 30-45 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. I suggest baking it covered for half of the time to keep the top from getting too brown.

Once the bread is finished baking, place a serving plate over the top and turn upside down to remove bread.

Homemade Granola

A quick note about this recipe...the type of oats you use will make a big difference in how the granola turns out.  Quick Oats do not clump together as well and they also cook faster so I'd recommend decreasing the cooking temperature/time.  Old Fashioned Oats clump very well especially if you let them cool on the pan and then break them apart once cooled.  Also note it is important not to add the dried fruit until the last round of baking or the fruit will harden.

Ingredients

• 3 cups oats*
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup dried fruit (I use a mixture of raisins, craisins and dried cherries)

*Gluten free dieters: make sure your oats and spices (cinnamon, vanilla) do not contain gluten.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In large mixing bowl: combine oats, coconut and almonds. In a separate bowl: mix honey, oil, brown sugar and cinnamon and heat until boiling (on stove or about 30 sec in microwave). Stir in vanilla to mixture. Pour over oat mixture and coat evenly. Transfer the mixture into a large jelly roll pan (or any large pan with sides) by squeezing handfuls of it into clumps. Bake 15 minutes. Remove pan and mix granola. Bake another 15 minutes. Remove pan and add 1 cup dried fruit. Mix granola and bake another 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool in pan and break apart mixture if clumps are too large.

Mom's Pumpkin Bread

This bread is a Thanksgiving tradition in our house!

Mix ingredients in a large mixing bowl in the following order:

• 6 eggs
• 4 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups oil
• 1 large can Libby's pumpkin pie mix
• 1 Tbsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 5 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare bread pans with butter and flour. Pour batter into pans until half full. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Recipe yields 4-6 loaves of bread (depending on the size pan you use). Decrease baking time by about 30 minutes if you are making muffins.

Toffee Apple Upside-down Cake

This is a fun fall treat! I slightly modified the recipe from 1001 cupcakes, cookies & other tempting treats.

Cake ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 2 apples, peeled and cored

Topping ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced

Grease a 9 x 9 baking pan. Prepare the topping by heating butter and brown sugar in a saucepan until melted. Pour mixture into the bottom of prepared baking pan. Place thin apple slices into the sauce (covering the bottom of the pan) and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Grate or blend apples in a separate bowl. Fold apples and hazelnuts into batter. Pour into baking pan on top of the toffee sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Aioli Chicken Panini

This recipe is from Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salads by Christine Avanti.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Tbsp mayo
• 1 tsp fresh parsley
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1/2 tsp garlic
• 1/2 chicken breast

Mix above ingredients in small bowl and spread over the bread of your choice. Cover mixture with mozzarella and cook in panini maker.

Sour Cream Raspberry Pie

This is my favorite pie! The recipe is like the one from the Norske Nook in Osseo, WI.  I found their sour cream blackberry pie recipe posted in an online newspaper, so I figured I could substitute the blackberry ingredients for raspberry and recreate my favorite: sour cream raspberry.  I use plain (unsweetened) yogurt in place of sour cream and it still turns out great!  I don't have an 11 inch pie pan so I use a 9 inch and put the leftover filling in a separate small dish for a crust-free treat.

Doesn't it look tasty?

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sour cream or plain yogurt
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2/3 cup dry (not prepared) raspberry gelatin
• 5 to 6 cups fresh, frozen raspberries
• 11-inch pre-baked pastry crust
• whipped topping

Stir sour cream and egg yolks in pan. Add sugar and flour. Cook on high heat stirring constantly. Watch closely as this can burn easily. Cook until very thick. Remove from heat and add gelatin, then stir. Add raspberries. Pour into 11" pre-baked pie crust. Cool and top with whipped topping or cool whip.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

This is a salsa recipe I created after browsing through several similar recipes online. I only add a small amount of onions and peppers for those of us in my family who can't eat much of them, but it's still enough to give it some flavor. :)  I'd suggest adding more.

Combine the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

• 1/4 green pepper, chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 pearl onion, chopped
• 1 large tomato, diced

Combine the following ingredients in a small bowl. Then add to vegetables and mix well. Serve with tortilla chips.

• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tsp tabasco
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic

Chicken Fricassee

This recipe is from Cook's Bible. I made some slight modifications. It takes a long time (40-50 minutes), but it's pretty easy and very tasty served over rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp flour
• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 5 pearl onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 cups white mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• salt and pepper

Cut chicken into cubes. Place flour in a dish and add salt and pepper. Coat chicken in flour mixture. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onions and garlic. Cook over low heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Gradually stir in chicken stock. Add carrotts, celery and peas. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pepper and mushrooms, cover, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Stir in the yogurt and chopped parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook 1-2 additional minutes. Serve hot with rice or potatoes.

Almond Chicken

This recipe was given to me by my cousin Kay.

Mix the following ingredients and spread in a greased 9 x 9 casserole pan.

• 1 cup cooked, chopped chicken
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 Tbsp minced onion

In a skillet, combine 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup sliced almonds, and 1 cup crushed corn flakes (I used crunchy fried onions) until browned. Sprinkle over top and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Amish Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3-4 cups french bread chunks
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Place bread chunks and raisins in a 8x8 baking dish and set aside. Heat milk over medium heat until film forms. Add butter and let mixture cool once butter is melted. Combine sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in a bowl and beat for one minute. Add milk/butter mixture. Pour over bread. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.


Vanilla Sauce

• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• dash of salt

Mix together in sauce pan and bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Let sit for 5 minutes. Pour over bread pudding and serve warm.

Perfect Homemade Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 whole egg and 1 egg white (beaten until frothy--this is VERY important for fluffiness)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp melted butter

recipe yields 8-10 pancakes

I like puppies.