MONKEY BREAD MUFFINS

Everyone in my house LOVES monkey bread. It is so addictive and sadly so bad for you; I don't make it often but when I do I prefer using muffin tins versus a bundt pan. 

MONKEY BREAD MUFFINS

Adapted from here

makes 6 large muffins

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury™ Grands! Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter 
(Add a walnuts and raisins if desired..I don't desire!)

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 6 extra-large muffin pan (or you can do 12 regular muffins with a shorter baking time)  with shortening or cooking spray. Note: do not use liners because they will stick. Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Separate dough into 8 biscuits; and cut each biscuit into 9 pieces. Add pieces to sugar and cinnamon bowl and coat each piece completely. Add 12 pieces to each greased muffin cup, add walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces if using.

In small pan, melt the butter and add the brown sugar; once combined pour over biscuit pieces.

Bake approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. 

Cool in pan 10 minutes. 

Turn upside down or gently lift up with a fork onto serving plate. Serve warm.

 Enjoy...

The only thing my son wants for Christmas this year is a stuffed minecraft dog...and of course no one makes it so I have been sewing for the last two weeks making this dog...

 I made the collar removable to he can "tame" it with a bone...

 I cant wait to see his face when he opens the box...

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POMEGRANATE SALSA

POMEGRANATE SALSA

2 Tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped 

2 Tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1/2 cup small red onion, chopped

1 pomegranate, skin and light-colored membrane removed 

6 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons grated lime zest

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 serrano pepper, chopped

1 1/2 cup large tomato, diced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Here is a good tutorial for how to get those tricky little seeds out of the pomegranate if you are unfamiliar.

In a medium bowl, toss together mint, cilantro, Italian flat-leaf parsley, red onion, pomegranate, lime juice, lime zest, jalapeno pepper, serrano pepper, tomato and olive oil. 
Season with salt and pepper. 
Cover, and chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving.

Our little elf returned on Thanksgiving and he has been busy creating mischief...again.

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ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween last night. We had fun dressing up and trick or treating but it was a little chilly for the costumes so it was short lived which was fine by me...less candy the better! My daughter wanted to carve another pumpkin today, so while she was busy with the jack-o-lantern I made the pumpkin seeds to snack on.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Adapted from simply recipes

Seeds from a carved pumpkin
olive oil 
salt

Cut open the pumpkin by cutting a circle around the stem end with a sharp knife (knife blade angled in), and pulling off the top. Use a strong metal spoon to scrape the insides of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and strings. Carve your pumpkin and place the mass of pumpkin seeds in a colander and run under water to rinse and separate the seeds from everything else.

Measure the pumpkin seeds. Place the seeds in a medium saucepan. Add 4 cups of water and 2 tablespoon of salt to the pan for every 1 cup of pumpkin seeds. Add more salt if you would like your seeds to be saltier. Cover and bring the salted water and pumpkin seeds to a boil, turn down heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan or thick baking sheet with olive oil, about a teaspoon or so. Spread the seeds out over the roasting pan in a single layer, and toss them a bit to coat them with the oil on the pan. I like to sprinkle a little course salt on the seeds and then bake on the top rack until the seeds begin to brown, for medium seeds about 10-15 minutes. Small pumpkin seeds may toast in around 5 minutes or so, large pumpkin seeds may take up to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the pumpkin seeds so they don't get over toasted.

 When lightly browned, remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack. Let the pumpkin seeds cool all the way down before eating. 

A treat even for the pickiest of eaters...

Always ready to dress up...

New to all this...

 Ready to go...

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BAKED POTATO

My kids planted 15 lbs of seed potatoes 5 months ago and last week they harvested 184 lbs. I can remember when I was a kid driving to my grandparent's farm in Iowa and dreading when the potatoes had to be dug up. We used pitchforks and it was hard work, majority of the time I would accidentally stab the potatoes with the pitchfork so it would be kindly suggested that I sit on the ground and pick the potatoes out of the dirt instead. This time the pitchforks were tossed aside and we welcomed the potato plow; it worked like a charm...184 lbs of potatoes just came rolling out of the ground! 

Contributing a whopping 1 lb to that 184 lbs was this little beauty...

This potato is so ugly that I just can't eat it. It just sits on my kitchen counter, looking at me, reminding me of a blob fish.

Baked Potato
Serves 1

1 large russet baking potato
olive oil to coat
kosher salt

Addition toppings:
butter
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scub the potato with a stiff brush under clean water, dry and prick with a fork all over, I poke mine 12 times for this size potato. Set the potato in a small bowl and coat it with olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt on all sides. Place the potato on your middle oven rack. I usually put a sheet of tin foil on the bottom rack to catch any oil that drips. Bake for one hour or until the the skin feels crisp but the inside is soft when you slide a knife in.

I like butter, salt, pepper and whatever vegetables I have on hand. This one has peas and Parmesan.

My favorite time of year...

cattle grazing down by the river...

 Red Tailed Hawk soaring...

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PARSLEY JUICE

As I am trying to weaken my caffeine addiction I have resorted back to some old ways that have worked for me in the past...specifically juicing parsley. There is something about parsley that just makes me feel so good and gives me boundless energy. The kind of energy that makes me want to clean out my closets!  It is a little storehouse of vitamins and a great pick-me-up which I take full advantage of when I am dragging mid-morning.

PARSLEY JUICE 

Serves 1

1 bunch of Italian leaf Parsley

1 Granny Smith Apple, cored

1/2 Lemon, peeled

Wash the parsley, soak if needed. Add the parsley, stems and all to the juicer first then add the apple and the lemon. Drink immediately.

My favorite time of year...

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PEACH SMOOTHIE

This is a great little smoothie to whip up when your kids are begging you to take them to the coffee shop to get a smoothie after school and you are trying really hard not to go because you know you will break down and get 2 shots of espresso...and did I mention the two shots would be inside 16 ounces of steamed milk with rich chocolate and you have already had one earlier in the day. Yes, I have a serious mocha addiction that I am trying to break...it's not going so good.


Peach Smoothie
Serves 4

2-3 peaches, peeled and pit removed
2 cups skim milk
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons of sugar, or sweetener of choice (if needed, sometimes peaches are sweet enough)
lime juice from 1/2 a lime
8 ice cubes

Put everything in a blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

On the bright side having a large amount of espresso throughout the day can make it really convenient when you want to be awake from 4a-6a to see the Blood Moon. It was spectacular...

"And I will show wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of Jehovah."  Joel 2:30 -31

"The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious Day of the Lord." Acts 2:20

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FROZEN COCONUT LIMEADE

This is my new favorite summer drink; I love it! It is so delicious and smooth, with sweet coconut and tart lime...yum! Add a little white rum or maybe coconut rum if you feeling adventurous or leave as is for a perfect summer refreshment. 

Frozen Coconut Limeade
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4

2 1/2 cups crushed or small ice cubes

1 cup (8 ounces) coconut milk, well-shaken if from a can
1/3 cup lime juice (from about 3 limes)
3 tablespoons sugar (more or less to taste)
Lime slices for garnish

Juice the lime...

Add everything to a blender and mix until it reaches your desired consistency. Pour into glasses, garnish with lime.

Perfect day to put on the swimsuits, the sprinkler and trap the kids in the trampoline...

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OVEN ROASTED BACON

This is about as easy as it can get AND it is the only way my son will eat bacon...so this is my new method. In the past, I always used the microwave but now I am trying to eliminate using the microwave as much as possible...so into the oven it goes and honestly this tastes 100% better.

Oven Roasted Bacon
Adapted from Ina Garten
Serves- not enough!


8-10 Slices of bacon


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with tin foil and lay the bacon on the pan. (I always have to squeeze just-one-more-on-the-pan).

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bacon is really crispy.

Watch the bacon closely around the 15 minute mark because it can burn quickly, depending on how thick/thin the slices are. The bacon I use usually takes 20 minutes.

Dry the bacon on paper towels and serve.

We went to the dairy farm my mom grew up on and the kids found some new friends...

once we got home we found three bucks...

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CARROT SALAD

Super fresh and easy for a Labor Day Picnic!

Carrot Salad 
Adapted from David Lebovitz
Serves 4

3-4 carrots
1 lemon, juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
flat leaf parsley


Peel and grate the carrots into shreds using a hand grater and set aside in a bowl.

In a small glass, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the carrot shreds, add the parsley and mix. Do not over dress, you don't want to saturate the carrots, taste as you go and adjust seasoning if needed. Enjoy!

Rufus at his dock diving competition! He did well for his first time...my daughter was his handler and he jumped something around 18 feet.

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