9.19.2010

Monkey Bread



Monkey Bread
■3 cans Buttermilk Biscuits (the Non-flaky Ones)
■1 cup Sugar
■2 teaspoons (to 3 Teaspoons) Cinnamon
■2 sticks Butter
■½ cups Brown Sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Open up all three cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.

Next, combine the white sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon. (3 teaspoons of cinnamon gives it a fairly strong cinnamon flavor. If you’re not so hot on cinnamon, cut it back to 2 teaspoons.) Dump these into a 1 gallon zip bag and shake to mix evenly.

Drop all of the biscuit quarters into the cinnamon-sugar mix. Once all the biscuit quarters are in the bag seal it and give it a vigorous shake. This will get all those pieces unstuck from one another and nicely coated with cinnamon-sugar. Spread these nuggets out evenly in the bundt pan.

At this point, you’re going to want to melt the two sticks of butter together with ½ cup of brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. This can be light or dark brown sugar. Cook butter/sugar mixture, stirring for a few minutes until the two become one. Once the brown sugar butter has become one color, you can pour it over the biscuits.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the crust is a deep dark brown on top. When its finished cooking, remove it from the oven. If you have the willpower, allow it to cook for about 15-30 minutes before turning it over onto a plate.

9.17.2010

Potato Cheese Soup


1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces
4 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups water
1 can of corn
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 lb. cheddar cheese

Cook bacon; drain off grease except for 2 tablespoons, Saute onion. Add potatoes, water, and seasoning. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes (or a bit longer). Gradually add a small amount of milk to flour, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture to hot vegetables. Add remaining milk. Heat. Add cheese; stir until melted. Serves 6 to 8.

Raspberry and Almond Shortbread Thumbprints


1 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
1/2 cup seedless jam

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp milk

*Preheat 350
*Cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 tsp almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole and fill it with preserves (I used strawberry freezer jam).
*Bake for 14-18 min. Let cool 1 min.
*In bowl, mix together powdered sugar, 3/4 tsp almond extract and milk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cookies.