Simple Pleasures: Monkey Bread

 

I had a few tubes of refrigerator biscuit dough in my fridge.  Originally, they were intended for a school project that I never atually got around to doing.  Turtle was wanting a project to do on a Saturday morning when inspiration hit:  Monkey Bread!

I remember it from my childhood as a Sunday morning treat.  All it is really is biscuit dough cut into pieces, rolled in cinnamon sugar and pressed into layers in a bundt pan with melted butter poured over and baked.  I don't have a bundt pan, so we used a regular loaf pan.  Really, is there a recipe out there more suited for a preschooler to do?



It did not turn out the way I envisioned -the layers w too deep to get all the dough to bake  :(  Maybe I need to add "bundt pan" to my Christmas list so I can make this again!

BTW, these pictures are driving me NUTS! I took them with my nifty new tablet. Love the pixelated effect?  I also can't get them moved to where I want them to be.  Oh well, looks like I'll be blogging from the ol' laptop from now on  :-P

Tastes just like a tootsie roll!

New taste sensation! It really does taste just like a tootsie roll (I'm looking at you ms. caboo)

1 shot chocolate vodka
orange juice

Pour orange juice over ice. Add chocolate vodka, stir & enjoy!

Crazy Carrot Soup

We love Crazy Soup at our house.

It's real name is Crecy, but hey -why not mangle another language whenever possible?

Its souper (hehehe) easy and a great way to get a veggie in.  Turtle loves this soup!

C-Joy's Crazy Soup

Ingredients:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 shallot (or small onion + a clove of garlic) chopped
6 carrots, sliced
1 TBSP sugar
1/4 cup rice
6 cups veggie broth
1 tsp herbs de provence (rosemary and/or thyme work just as well)
1 - 2 TBSP butter
Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Saute shallots (med high) in olive oil until soft.
2. Add carrots.  Cover & cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add rice, broth & herbs.  Bring to boil, then partially cover & simmer 30 minutes.
4. Use immersion blender to process until smooth, or transfer to blender & process in batches.
5. Season w/salt & pepper to taste, serve with a dollop of butter.

I would estimate that this serves 4 main course servings.  We usually have just enough left for DH to take a serving to work for his lunch.  I usually serve this with a fresh bath of cornbread, but when I'm really on the ball I serve it with focaccia. 

Christmas, Christmas Cake is Here!

Ain't she a beauty?

Nothing says "Time to make a Christmas Cake" more than a Black Cat wearing a witches hat. Oh wait, is that just me?

ms. caboo daringly tried to teach Turtle how to crack an egg.  I think we got most of the shell out.  Any "crunch" in the cake is obviously due to nuts.  Yeah, that's it!

 Some Mad Housewife showed up, which really made the baking fun!

This is what Christmas Baking looks like when you have 3 feet of kitchen counter space (even when decluttered).

This is the second cake we made as you can see the wooden spoon in the background already has cake batter on it.  BTW, my wish already came true!!!

It is not to late to make your own Christmas Cake  :)

Walk This Way, Bake This Dessert

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.  ~Fred Allen

So this past weekend with the help of Ms. Caboo I completed a 12 mile walk!  Insert hysterical cheering *here*

According to my training plan I should be doing a 13 miler next.  But I'm thinking, if I walk 13 miles, that's basically a half marathon. Would completing the Official Half Marathon be as sweet if I had already walked it?  I think not.  So I'm going to wait until the Official Half Marathon to complete my 13.something miles.

So what to talk about now? Apples.  That's right, A-P-P-L-E-S.  I seem to have developed a deep fascination for all things apples.  I'm not sure why.  I know Turtle loves apples & going to the apple orchard to pick our own will become a family tradition. (Going to a new one tomorrow -yay!)  One of my favorite ways to consume apples is apple crisp.  I have smashed together a few recipes to come up with one that really suits my family.  As my darling DH says, the apples are just a delivery devise for the crisp :)

Red Apples Falling out of a Red Basket Photographic Print

C-Joy's Apple Crisp

Preheat oven to 350

Chop 3 large Honeycrisp apples (skin on).  Place in a 2 quart baking dish
Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, stir to coat
For topping, mix in a separate bowl:
   1 cup flour
   1 cup rolled oats
   1/3 cup sugar
   cinnamon (to taste)
   pinch of salt
Melt 1/2 cup butter, add to flour mixture and stir until incorporated (will be lumpy)
Sprinkle topping over apples
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
Serve warm & sit back to enjoy the adoration bestowed upon you by grateful recipients.
*Serving warm with vanilla ice cream may cause Dessert-induced Ecstasy. 

Bon Apetit!

An Apple Sliced in Three Photographic Print

Playdough

 Turtle has been doing a lot of imaginative play cooking recently, so I decided I would introduce playdough to her again.  When I did my Montessori certification training, I received an amazing recipe for cooked playdough.  Sadly, this recipe was lost in the flood.  Luckily I found one online that produced the most amazingly smooth playdough I have ever used!  I changed it up a bit & used my Kitchenaid to do the kneading.  I'm not sure if it was the Kitchenaid or the essential oil I added that got such fantastic results -I guess I'll have to try a batch by hand to see if it is grainy or not.  At any rate, this came together so quickly & easily I'm sure it will become a favorite recipe to make in the classroom with my students!

Materials:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 cup water
2 Tbsp oil
food coloring
optional: immitation vanilla extract or essential oil

Method:

Combine in a sauce pan the flour, salt & cream of tartar.  In another bowl, whisk together the water, food coloring (I used paste this time) & oil.  Pour into sauce pan.  Stir until it nearly comes together & add the vanilla if using.

Finishing by hand:
     Put on clean surface & let cool a bit, then knead until smooth.  I would consider wearing gloves if adding essential oil at this point, I would be afraid of not being able to wash the scent out afterwards!  Wearing gloves helps to start kneading the dough while it is still hot as well.


Finishing by stand mixer:
     As soon as it comes together  put it in the bowl  & add 15 drops cinnamon leaf essential oil (I did this rather than using vanilla).  Use the dough hook to knead it until  cool enough to handle. 

Store in an airtight container.