Surprise Monkey Bread

Ingredients

1. 1 cup packed brown sugar
2. 1/2 cup butter, cubed
3. 2 tubes (12 ounces each) refrigerated flaky buttermilk biscuits
4. 1/2 cup sugar
5. 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
6. 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cut into 20 cubes
7. 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat brown sugar and butter on high
2. for 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved; set aside.
3. Flatten each biscuit into a 3-in. circle. Combine sugar and cinnamon;
4. sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon in the center of each biscuit. Top with a
5. cream cheese cube. Fold dough over filling; pinch edges to seal
6. tightly.
7. Sprinkle 1/2 cup walnuts into a 10-in. fluted tube pan coated with
8. cooking spray. Layer with half of the biscuits, cinnamon-sugar and
9. butter mixture and 1/2 cup walnuts. Repeat layers.
10. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately
11. invert onto a serving platter. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

Layered Pizza Dip

Ingredients

1. 1 (8-oz.) container soft cream cheese with chives and onions
2. 1/2 cup chunky pizza sauce
3. 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
4. 1/3 cup finely chopped pepperoni
5. 2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
6. 2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In ungreased 9-inch pie pan or 1 to 1 1/2-quart baking dish, layer all ingredients in order listed.
2. Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 15 minutes or until dip is hot and cheese is melted.
3. Serve warm with bagel crisps, bagel chips or crackers.

Simply Delicious Rice Pudding

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 5 min. Cook: 30 min.

MAKES: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups water

• 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice

• 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)

• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk

• 3 tablespoons raisins

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the water, rice and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed.
2. Stir in milk and raisins. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until thick and creamy, stirring frequently. Discard cinnamon. Serve warm or cold.Yield: 4 servings.

Wanna have your coffee and eat it too? These cupcakes are the answer: They’re tender, moist, rich in coffee flavor and topped with a ridiculously easy mocha buttercream. To make them extra festive, try baking them in stoneware mugs--and serving ’em straight up to your sure-to-swoon houseguests.

COFFEE CUPCAKES WITH MOCHA BUTTERCREAM

• Makes 6 cupcakes
 
• Start to Finish: 1 1/2 hours
 

Ingredients

Coffee Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

2 cups sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup whole milk

1 cup coffee

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mocha Buttercream

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

¼ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

2 tablespoons cocoa powder, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease six 10-ounce mugs with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Make the cupcakes: In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, espresso powder and sugar to combine.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the vegetable oil with the milk, coffee, eggs and vanilla to combine.

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, whisking just until the batter is fully combined.

5. Divide the batter evenly among the greased mugs, filling each one slightly more than halfway. Be careful not to fill the mugs too much or they may overflow during baking.

6. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely.

7. Make the buttercream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk the cream with the espresso powder and cocoa powder to combine. Add it to the butter mixture and mix until smooth.

8. Spread or pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and garnish with a sprinkling of cocoa powder. Serve the cupcakes immediately, or store them for up to two days in an airtight container.

 

Lasagna is one of those foods you might be inclined to cross off your monthly menu. (The calories! The carbs!) But what if we told you there was a way to make it more diet-friendly by going heavy on the vegetables? Here, ribbons of butternut squash are subbed in for pasta, and garlicky spinach boosts the cheesy filling. Try adding roasted mushrooms or toasted walnuts for even more healthy oomph.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA

• Makes 6 servings
 
• Start to Finish: 2 hours
 

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash, peeled, halved and seeded

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 cups spinach

One 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta

2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease a large casserole dish with nonstick spray.

2. Prepare the squash noodles: Cut off the lower third of the squash (the part where the seeds have been removed) and reserve for another use (see Finishing Touches, below). Slice the neck of the squash into long strips that resemble wide lasagna noodles, about ⅛ inch thick. It is helpful to use a mandoline, but a long slicing knife will also work.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the squash noodles until they’re slightly tender, 4 to 5 minutes, then gently remove the noodles with a slotted spoon.

4. Prepare the spinach: Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the onions and cook until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add the spinach in batches, allowing it to cook down before adding more. Cook until all the spinach is wilted, 5 to 6 minutes.

5. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta with the nutmeg and sage. Cover the bottom of the prepared casserole dish with a layer of squash noodles. Top with a third of the ricotta mixture and gently spread it evenly. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with half of the spinach mixture. Continue layering, and finish with a layer of squash, ricotta and a final drizzle of oil. Top with the mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the mozzarella is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

I think your guests deserve a step up from pigs in a blanket (come to think of it, so do you). Instead, try this simple, savory appetizer made with only seven ingredients (you probably have at least five of them on hand). Here, tender, creamy cauliflower is wrapped in thin slices of prosciutto and cooked until crisp. The hardest part is keeping your hands off ’em before the party starts.

CRISPY PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CAULIFLOWER

• Makes 8 to 10 appetizer servings
 
• Start to Finish: 45 minutes
 

Ingredients

1 small head cauliflower

½ cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons white wine

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

20 slices prosciutto

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Prepare the cauliflower: Trim away the base of the cauliflower, including any green leaves. Cut the cauliflower in half, then cut the halves into 1-inch-thick slices. Cut the slices into 2 or 3 bite-size pieces, depending on the size of the slice.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the cauliflower in the water until nearly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the cauliflower well and pat dry with paper towels.

3. In a small bowl, mix the tomato paste with the white wine and black pepper to combine. Spread 1 teaspoon onto the sides of each piece of cauliflower, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of Parmesan. Gently wrap a prosciutto slice around each piece of cauliflower, pressing lightly at the end to secure (it should stick well to the tomato-paste mixture).

4. Working in batches, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the cauliflower and cook until the prosciutto is crisp and golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat with additional oil and cauliflower until all the pieces are cooked. Let cool slightly, then serve immediately.

Extra Crunchy Baked Potato Fries

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes (russed, red)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper
Red chili flake

Tools: large baking pan, parchment paper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Wash and peel potatoes.
3. Cut potatoes into thin strips.
4. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Drizzle with half the olive oil.
6. Line potatoes on pan, trying not to stack them too much.
7. Bake in oven for 45-1 hour, flipping several times to encourage browning on all sides.

Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

throw 2 sliced apples, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon in the bottom of the crock pot. Pour 2 cups of oatmeal and 4 cups of water on top. Do NOT stir. Cook overnight for 8 – 9 hours on low.

Build a Pizza from Scratch

Dough:
1 pkg. yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar 
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups flour, all purpose

Combine yeast, water and sugar in large bowl and let set in warm place until bubbly. Add remaining ingredients and beat with spoon. Knead a few times. Grease bowl, put in dough, turn over once and let rise in warm place until double in size. Roll Dough out to fit in greased pizza pans

Sauce: In sauce pan combine
1 large can crush tomatoes, 28 oz.
¾ tsp oregano
¾ tsp. rosemary
salt and pepper
½ cup chopped black olives
1 tsp garlic powder
½ onion chopped
½ green pepper chopped
a few mushrooms.
Combine in saucepan and simmer… Spread sauce on dough

Topping:
Meats: pepperoni, cooked hamburger or sausage, steak strips
Cheeses: grated Provolone, Mozzarella, Romano, Scamoze. Cheddar

Top with cheese and your favorite meat, olives, peppers onions, mushroom, spinach, asparagus and herbs, if wanted. Create your own family favorite today!

Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Makes 2 pizza pies

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

The chicken coating:
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
salt + pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar
4 tbs ketchup
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

Magic Custard Cake

Magic Custard Cake Recipe

YIELD: ONE 8"X8" CAKE

TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES

 Temperatures for the ingredients are important here. Not too warm to cook the eggs before baking, and not cold either. You can use either confectioner's sugar or regular sugar, use the same amount by weight but the volume will be different. If you use regular sugar, 150g will equal 3/4 cup. We noticed on the the site were we originally found the recipe that her top was fluffier. After reading through the google translations we noticed she added 4 drops of vinegar to the egg whites when whipping. That would have made them more stable and probably resulted in a fluffier top. Whipping the egg whites in a copper bowl would accomplish the same thing. Next time we make it, that will be the plan.

A few more notes on making the cake: When adding the milk, we found it easier and less messy to gently hand whip them in instead of using the stand mixer. It is a very liquidy batter, and for us it splattered everywhere even at the slowest speed. For folding in the whites, it is done with more of a gentle whisk/folding motion with the whisk since the batter is so runny. The whites will look a little curd like after mixing them in, just try to mix/fold them to the point where there is no big chunks. Because of the custard-like center, when fully baked, there will be a bit of a jiggle, but not a sloppy jiggle to the cake when gently shook. Same after is has cooled. That's about it. Have fun and every time we've made the magic custard cakes, going into the oven we don't think they will work correctly, and after baking they are magically perfect.

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted Butter
• 2 cups (480ml) Milk
• 4 Eggs, separated
• 1 1/4 cups (150g) Confectioner's Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon (15ml) Water
• 1 cup (115g) Flour
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) Vanilla Extract
• extra confectioner's sugar for dusting

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter or grease a 8"x8" baking dish.
2. Melt the butter and set aside to slightly cool. Warm the milk to lukewarm and set aside.
3. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks *see head note. Set aside.
4. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light. Mix in the melted butter and the tablespoon of water for about 2 minutes or until evenly incorporated.
5. Mix in the flour until evenly incorporated. Slowly beat in the milk and vanilla extract until everything is well mixed.
6. Fold in the egg whites, 1/3 at a time. Repeat until all of the egg whites are folded in.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the top is golden. Allow cake to completely cool before cutting and then dust with confectioner's sugar *see Note 1.

Note 1: For faster cooling you can place the cake in the fridge. Even after fully cooled, it will still be slightly jiggly.

Ooooh So Good Lemon Monkey Bread

This monkey bread is sweet and tart, moist and warm, crusty and soft all together. Ooooh it is so good.

The base for this sweet treat is Rhodes Dinner Rolls. Let them thaw until not frozen, but still cold.

Then, cut in half and place in a greased (I used butter) baking dish.

Drizzle with melted butter. Mmmmm. You know how I love butter.

Then we’re going to zest a lemon.

And mix that zest with some regular granulated sugar. Which infuses the sugar with the lemon flavor. Look at those gorgeous flecks of bright yellow lemon!

Sprinkle half the lemon sugar over the rolls and allow to rise until double. They are going to get nice and fluffy and the lemon sugar will essentially dissolve into the bread as it rises. Yum!

When all puffed up nicely, sprinkle the other half of your lemon sugar on top of the rolls and then bake.

Remove from the oven when nice and golden, slide out of the pan onto your serving platter and drizzle with a little lemon glaze.

Pull apart and enjoy!

Warm, crusty on the outside, soft and perfectly lemony on the inside! Dee-licious!

The lemon sugar gets a little caramelized with the lemon and is just amazing around the edges. Oh buddy. That’s the good stuff.

Lemon Monkey Bread

12 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed but still cold

zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Cut rolls in half and place in a greased 9×13″ pan.
2. Drizzle with the melted butter.
3. Mix lemon zest and sugar together in a small bowl. Sprinkle HALF of the lemon sugar mixture over the rolls. Cover and let raise till doubled.
4. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture on top. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan.
5. Combine glaze ingredients. Drizzle over rolls while still warm.

Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes

Let’s find out how to make these fancy Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes full of cheese, butter and delicious cream. You will need: potato, butter, Parmesan, oil, garlic powder, and cream made from yogurt and some parsley, cheese. You will do it like this:

Ingredients:
- 2 larger whole potatoes;
- 100 grams butter;
- 100 grams Parmesan cheese;
- vegetable oil;
- 60 ml heavy cream;
- 60 grams cheese, grated;
- salt;
- garlic powder;
- sour cream (optional).

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C);
2. Scrub the potatoes clean;
3. With a sharp knife, make slices across the potato, but be sure to stop until you reach its bottom;
4. Slice the butter and Parmesan.
5. Next, open the potatoes’ crevices and shove the Parmesan and butter, alternating between the two.
Tip: It helps to put butter in freezer for awhile until cutting it.
6. Put the potatoes onto an oiled baking sheet and drizzle a little oil on top of them.
7. Season with salt and garlic powder. You can be quite generous with salt.
8. Bake for about 60 minutes.
9. After 45 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Drizzle cream over the top and top with grated cheese. Any cheese you like.
10. Return the baking sheet to the oven for the last 15 minutes.

You can put sour cream, it gives a nice flavor and for a great lunch serve it with chicken and a little gravy.

Awesome Cheesy Mushroom Pull-Apart Bread

It’s weekend, and this is a reason to try something special in our kitchen, for us, for friends, for guests. Mushrooms and cheese make this pull apart bread so delicious you won’t be able to stop picking at it! You will need:

For the Mushrooms
12 oz sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

For the Bread
1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread
12 ounces Provolone cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onion
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Make it like this:

For the Mushrooms
Heat a medium skillet on medium. Add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms. Cook 4-5 minutes until they start to sweat. Add the thyme and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes.

Set mushrooms aside and allow to cool.

For the Bread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread lengthwise and width-wise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving.

Place loaf on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Insert cheese slices between cuts. Pour the mushrooms between the cuts. Use your fingers to push the mushrooms down into the loaf.
Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Lemon Flowers

This next recipe looks awesome. So, grab your ingredients and utensils and lets get to work.

You will need the following ingredients:

• 1 package of frozen dough (you can buy it from your local mini market)
• lemon mousse = 1/2 can of condensed milk, whipped in a blender with juice of 2 Tahiti lemons
• 2 tablespoons sugar powder (icing)

You will need the following equipment:

• shape for mini cupcake (with 24 cupcake spaces)
• a cookie cutter in the shape of a flower

Follow the instructions:

1. Unroll the frozen dough and leave it for half an hour at room temperature. Start by cutting flowers with the cookie cutter shaped as a flower.
2. Place each flower inside the hollow cupcakes form. Fold one petal (petals alternating out) into another and fit the dough into the cavity of the cupcake form.
3. Carefully push the three outer petals against the sides of the tray, and then push the other three inner petals also against the walls of the form.
4. Make holes with a fork in each of the funds of the tart dough still raw, twice the times. Bake at 180 degrees for about 5-7 minutes or until golden.After cooling remove to a plate.
5. Fill each flower with lemon mousse.
6. Sprinkle the sugar over the flowers and Voila!

As other suggestion you can use as filling cream: Nutella, jam, cream, vanilla cream topped with fruit buds … you have endless possibilities.