Dinner Magic Menus September Week 1

Beef with Mustard Greens
Chilled Cooked Potatoes in Italian Dressing
Green Bean Salad

Caribbean Chicken and Rice

Lasagna Florentine in a Crockpot
Green Salad

Grilled Herb Crusted Cod
Corn with Green Onions
Grilled Zucchini with Italian Dressing

Beef with Mostaccioli and Veggies
Dinner Salad

Dijon Ranch Chicken Breasts with Dill
Steamed Broccoli
Garden Salad

Chicken Salad with Craisins and Walnuts
Hot Baked Whole Wheat Bread

Click here for the Dinner Magic Shopping List for September Week 1

Monkey Bread or Cinnamon Pull Apart

Monkey Bread, also known in some circles as Cinnamon Pull Apart bread, has been a favorite of my family since my children were babies. (They’re all grown up now.) Every time they had a sleepover, they would request Monkey Bread or Egyptian Eggs. Our guests would go home and tell their moms about the Monkey Bread, and soon enough, I would get a phone call asking for the recipe.

I originally was taught how to make cinnamon Monkey Bread by a friend, (Thanks, Clara!) who made it with white bread. I’ve found that it comes out moister when it’s made with biscuits from a can and lots of cinnamon sugar.

In a bout of nostalgia, I made Monkey Bread this morning. It’s simple and quick. You can pop it in the oven while you shower and get dressed, which is exactly what I did. It’s best when it’s hot and fresh from the oven, but it’s good after it’s cooled down, too. Here is my recipe for you to enjoy.

Monkey Bread

3 cans of Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits
½ cup of white sugar
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 stick of real butter (not margarine!)
½ cup of brown sugar
Bundt pan or tube pan (it can be made in a deep dish pie pan too)

Grease the pan with butter or shortening.
Mix the white sugar and cinnamon well.
Open one can of biscuits. Tear each biscuit into four pieces, and spread in the pan.
After the can of biscuits is in the pan, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over it. Repeat until you’ve used all three cans.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Pour the brown sugar and butter over the biscuits.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
When you take the pan out of the oven, cover it with a serving plate.
Hold the plate tightly against the pan and flip it over so the Monkey Bread falls out of the pan and onto the plate.
Serve it with lots of milk and hot coffee.

Note: As I was writing this post, I wondered what the Monkey Bread would taste like with 1/3 cup of raisins. If you try it, would you let me know how it turns out? I think I'll add raisins to my next one.

On September 8, a trusted friend and fellow lover of Monkey Bread told me that her family has always made this treat with raisins and walnuts. She says it's delicious, and all you do is add a layer of raisins and walnuts as you put the biscuits in the bundt pan. Thanks, Mary!