Monkey Bread 101

So I have this cousin whose name I will not share, (initials are K.W.), who messaged me asking how to make Monkey Bread.

 While I thought everyone knew how to make this , it seems she did not know, even said I could laugh at her for not knowing!

Well now, I wouldn't do that but I did tell said cousin that I would make a post about it and she could then no longer be ridiculed for not knowing how to making Monkey Bread!

Okay so maybe she isn't exactly being "ridiculed" for not making Monkey Bread but for dramatic effect, let's all agree now that happened!!! LOL!

So for K.W., I proudly present:

Monkey Bread 101

4 cans, 10 count each, "whomp" biscuits

 (We call them Whomp Biscuits because you have to whomp the cans to get them to open!)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 stick of butter, melted

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 gallon sized ziploc bag

1 Bundt pan

Non-stick spray

1st thing you are going to do is cut your biscuits into 4 pieces and place into a bowl. I use a clean pair of kitchen shears for this, much quicker!

Here is the biscuits I used

Here they are all cut up and in the bowl

Now put the white sugar and the cinnamon into the ziploc bag

Add the biscuit pieces a few at a time and shake to coat. Only do about 8 or so at a time or they will stick to each other and not get all that wonderful sugar all over them. You want that, trust me, you do!!

Spray your Bundt pan with the non-stick spray. Spray it GOOD! Be sure you get around the part that sticks up in the middle too.

The next step is to take the pieces out of the bag and start layering them into the Bundt pan. Just shake them to coat and throw them in. Continue until you have all the pieces coated. This step takes a bit of time.

When you get to the last pieces you can sprinkle the left over sugar cinnamon from the bag over the pan too if you'd like. Don't have to but I do. I mean what's more sugar going to hurt at this point?

Now you take your melted stick of butter and the 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar and place it in the same bowl you had the biscuit pieces in. (No sense in dirtying up another bowl) and mix it up together. It will be grainy but that's how you want it.

Pour over the biscuits in the bundt pan. Be sure to pour it evenly over. Scrape the bowl to get all that sugary goodness out!

Bake at 350F for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it stand 5 minutes then place a plate over the pan and flip the Monkey Bread out onto the plate! Be sure your plate is bigger than the bundt pan or has a lip because the caramel like stuff inside will run off the plate if not contained.

Fresh out of the oven:

And On the Plate!

Look at how the light catches the glaze!! Beautiful Deliciousness!!



Chicken & Dumplings....the Easy Way!

When I ran across this recipe on Pintrest I just had to try it! Man I was not disappointed one bit! I love some good old chicken & dumpling but rarely have the time to make it anymore. This easy casserole has all that gooey, chicken deliciousness without all the hassle!

So without further delay, I present to you:

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

4 cups of cooked chicken*

3 cups chicken broth*

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking power

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups milk

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a 13x9 baking dish, melt the butter in the oven.

Shred the chicken & spread it on top of the butter in dish.

In a bowl, whisk together milk, flour, salt & baking powder. Slowly pour mixture over the chicken but DO NOT STIR IT INTO THE CHICKEN!

In another bowl, whisk together the chicken broth and the cream of chicken soup. Pour over the flour mixture but again, DO NOT STIR IT IN!

Bake uncovered for about 40 to 45 minutes.

* I use canned chicken I had gotten on sale when I made this but if you have some left over turkey or even some you can boil and debone, then use it! I like to use large cans of the chicken just to save time!

Took 3 of these to have enough chicken. They are 12.5 oz cans. I just empty it out into a small strainer to drain it, then use a fork to shred it up.

* For the chicken broth, I use this:

I keep this for all my broth needs if I am not boiling my own chicken or turkey. Its is cheap, this container has lasted our family for almost a year! 1 tsp of this & 1 cup of water is the same as 1 cup of broth. You can find this in the "Hispanic" foods section of Walmart. 

Buy the Knorr Caldo Con Sabor de Pollo...seriously cheaper than bullion and MUCH taster!