Monkey Bread

As we were driving down the canyon from a recent ski trip I asked my kids if they've ever had monkey bread before. My 10 year old son said, "No and I don't EVER plan on it!" I told him to remember those words. As soon as we arrived home I started mixing up this monkey bread. It's seriously addictive. Try it. You won't regret it! (Well, maybe you might when you get on the scale, but your belly will be happy!)

Make sure to serve this warm! It's great fun to pull warm, gooey bread off the loaf with your fingers!

Monkey Bread
adapted from Baked Explorations

For the bread:
1 1/4 cups milk
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the coating:
1 1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled


Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan with non stick cooking spray. In a small saucepan, warm your milk to slightly above room temperature, then remove it from the heat, add the yeast, and whisk to dissolve. (Do not warm it beyond 110 degrees F or you will kill the yeast). In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined. Keeping the mixer on low, slowly stream in the milk until combined. Add the melted butter and mix until the dough comes together. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook attachment. Continue to mix on medium speed until the dough becomes silky and tacky, but not sticky, 8-10 minutes. The dough should mound together and easily come off the bottom of the mixing bowl. (If the dough is too wet, add some flour. If it is too dry, add a tiny bit of water.)

Spray the bottom and sides of a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and roll it around to make sure it is completely covered in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let it rest in a warm area until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Use your clean hands to push down and deflate the dough. Remove it from the bowl and pat it into a rough circle approximately 8 inches diameter. Use a bench knife or serrated knife to cut dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces (about 1/2 oz each )- alternatively, use your hands to pinch apart the dough. Roll the pieces into balls (they don't have to be perfectly round). Place the balls on the sheet pan (you will get about 60 pieces in all). Cover the balls lightly with plastic wrap.

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Place the melted butter in a separate bowl.

Remove the plastic wrap from the dough balls and dip one ball in the melted butter. Let the excess butter drip back into the bowl, roll the ball in the brown sugar mixture, and place it in the Bundt pan. Continue this process with each ball, until you have several layers, arranging them as if you are building a brick wall. Wrap the Bundt pan tightly in plastic wrap. Set it in a warm area of the house for about 1 hour, or until the dough balls have doubled in size and appear puffy. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic and bake the Bundt until the top layer is deep brown and the caramel coating begins to bubble around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cool the bread for 5 minutes, then turn it out directly onto a platter and serve warm. Should you have any leftovers (this is rare), simply reheat them in a 300 degree oven until warm to the touch.

Note: You can make the dough ahead of time. Once the dipped dough has been placed in the pan, wrap it tightly, refrigerate it, and bring it back to room temperature to "proof" the dough before baking.

Marinated Tri Tip

Here's a yummy marinade for tri tip steaks or roasts. I used a roast. It was so nice to prepare this a day ahead and have it ready to throw on the grill tonight! I didn't have any mushrooms so I left them out. I don't really like mushrooms anyway, but I'm sure for those who do like them they'd be a great addition to this recipe.

Marinated Tri Tip

2 1/2 pounds tri-tip beef steaks or one tri-tip roast
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup A-1 steak sauce
1 cup teriyaki sauce
3 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 (12 oz.) can Sprite

1 (8-oz) package mushrooms, sliced

Stir together marinade ingredients. Pour into a large ziploc bag, then add steaks and onions. Marinate overnight. (You could do this step, then place the bag in the freezer. Before cooking, let thaw in refrigerator).

Remove steaks from marinade and grill for 5-10 minutes on each side (for roast it will take longer). While meat is grilling, strain onions from marinade. Place in non-stick skillet, add mushrooms, and cook over medium-high heat. Cook until mushrooms have softened. Serve sauteed mushrooms and onions with grilled steaks.

Roasted Vegetables

This is so simple, but it's the best way to cook a lot of vegetables. I cook potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, and asparagus this way. If you haven't tried roasting your vegetables, try it! It makes vegetables so delicious!

For potatoes, I like to use red skinned potatoes. All I do is wash them and cut them into chunks. For sweet potatoes and carrots, peel and cut into chunks. For asparagus, wash and break off the hard end at the bottom. Just toss the vegies in a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook at 425 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until they're done (asparagus only takes about 5 minutes, so throw them in when your meal is almost complete). I use my toaster oven so that I don't have to heat up the big oven.

Creamy Chicken & Biscuit Bake

This is one of those dishes that tastes better than it looks. Especially since my picture is taken the next day as I'm reheating leftovers! It's an easy to make dinner. Hope you enjoy it!

Creamy Chicken & Biscuit Bake

3 cups shredded chicken (you can use cooked chicken breasts or leftover rotisserie chicken)
2 (5.2 ounce) packages Boursin cheese, crumbled (I use Garlic & Fine Herbs)
1 1/4 cups milk (or cream if you're feeling decadent)
1 (15 ounce) can low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. dried onion
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (I didn't have frozen carrots so I cut up one regular carrot and boiled it for about 3 minutes to soften)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

In a bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cheddar cheese, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

In a large pot combine the rest of the can of chicken broth, chicken, boursin, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, dry onions, and vegetables over medium heat. Stir often and cook until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a greased 9x13" baking dish.

Using spoons or a 2 Tbsp. cookie scoop, space heaping spoonfuls of biscuit batter (about 2 Tbsp. each) about 1/2 inch apart over chicken mixture (you will have about 20 biscuits). Bake until biscuits are golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Serve.

Potato Soup

I had too many potatoes lying around one day and decided soup sounded good. I made this up as I was going along and loved the results.

Potato Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
26 ounces chicken stock (low sodium)
6 cups chopped potatoes (I used white potatoes)
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
2 cups skim milk
1-2 cups chopped ham
1 cup frozen sweet corn
shredded cheddar cheese for serving

Saute onion in olive oil until softened and starting to brown. Add chicken stock, vegetables, and ¾ tsp. Kosher salt and simmer until vegetables are soft (about 20 minutes). In another pan, melt butter. Add flour, salt, and pepper and stir until smooth. Add milk slowly and stir until starts to thicken. Add to soup mixture. Add chopped ham & corn. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Chicken Quinoa Stew

I found this recipe on the Picky Palate blog and decided to give it a try. It's delicious and SO healthy!


Chicken & Quinoa Stew

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups sweet peppers, chopped
1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced
64 oz. chicken broth
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
5 medium yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
3 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup dry)
4 medium boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (cooked, shredded, and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper)
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon hot sauce
kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and Lawry's garlic salt with parsley, to taste
1 1/2 cups fresh parsley, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots, peppers, and zucchini until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, and potatoes. Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil. Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Reduce heat to low and stir in quinoa, chicken, dijon mustard, hot sauce, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and Lawry's. Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

A friend of mine raved about this recipe and I had to try it. It's adapted from Becky Higgins' blog. I love that it's delicious and EASY! I made a few modifications from her recipe because I'm a wimp and don't like things with too much pepper, and I just can't bring myself to use heavy cream in my cooking. I think it was fabulous even without the cream. This recipe makes a lot, so if you're not cooking for a big group, cut the recipe in half.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

16 oz. farfalle pasta
1 cup half & half
3-4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 Tbsp. pepper
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry's mesqute marinade with lime juice

Cook chicken and bottle of marinade in the crockpot (on low for 6 hours). Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred. Set aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, half and half, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a bit more parmesan cheese on top.

Chicken & Spinach Enchiladas

I've never been much of an enchilada fan....but now I know that it's because I have never made these enchiladas. Both my husband and I agreed that these are the best enchiladas we have ever eaten!









Chicken & Spinach Enchiladas

For the Sauce:
4-6 anaheim chile peppers, stem removed, seeded, chopped
2 cups onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups tomatoes, chopped (can use canned tomatoes)
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. sugar
salt to taste

For the Enchiladas:
1 bag fresh spinach leaves (9 oz.)
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup milk
8 flour tortillas (I really love the uncooked ones that you cook yourself)
1/2 cup scallions, sliced (green only), optional

Saute chiles, onion, and garlic in 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat. Cook until chiles and onions soften, about 5 minutes, then add tomatoes. Simmer 2 minutes, stir in broth, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes. Cool briefly, then puree in a blender.

Saute spinach for the enchiladas in 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until wilted (about 1 minute). Add chicken, corn, 1 cup of the pepper jack cheese, and milk. Simmer 3-5 minutes and season with salt.

To assemble, pour 1/2 cup sauce in the prepared baking dish. Divide the filling between the eight tortillas and roll. Place enchiladas in the dish, seam side down, then top with 1-2 cups sauce, leaving the edges dry. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and tortillas begin to brown on the edges. Garnish with scallions if desired. Warm remaining sauce and serve with enchiladas.