I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

Uncategorized

The Last Minute Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Hey!!!!!! We are just 2 weeks out from Mother’s Day!!!!!

Ladies, share this round up for great gift ideas!!! Hint Hint Hint!!! Guys, pay attention!

I think that a lot of mom’s approach Mother’s Day differently. Some want to spend the day with their kids doing a fun activity. , while others want to get far, far away so they can read a book in peace while they have a mani pedi. Or maybe you kick your family out of your house so you can lay in bed all day.

Whatever you end up doing, just remember it’s you special day.

…

Read More

Adventures in Honeybell Orange Picking

I grew up going apple picking, so when I moved to Florida 2 years ago, I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t get to experience the joys of getting to pick fresh fruit while living here.

But, Florida has providing me with plenty of great opportunities to get out and pick fresh fruits and vegetables, just not apples. While I miss getting to pick apples, I have enjoyed picking tomatoes, blueberries, and strawberries. Now I can add picking oranges to the list.

We recently went to Dooley Groves, about a 20 minute drive from our house.

Dooley Groves is a family owned grove that was started in the 1960’s.  They offer a wide variety of citrus that is available from November to April.

Beside their shop and their you-pick groves, you can order their citrus for home delivery.

I had heard such good things about Dooley Grove from friends that we knew that we needed to check it out. Plus, getting bunches of oranges is so yummy and fun.

 

We went to pick Honeybell Oranges, which are a hybrid of Duncan Grapefruit and Dancy Tangerines. They are bright in color and densely packed with  really sweet juicy meat. Honeybells are in season for a short period of time, which makes them in high demand.

While Hunter was just along for the ride for our picking adventure, he did enjoy the Honeybells when we got home. Man, he loves oranges!!!

Watching this bee buzz around all different flowers was so cool. His legs were packed full of pollen. Off to the hive buddy!

Autumn had a blast at the grove.

She was eager in selecting which Honeybells to pick and to help load them up in our bag. Can’t beat getting to run around in rainboots on a sunny day while picking fruit. Gotta love when 4 year olds dress themselves.

This behemoth is a Ponderosa Lemon. So cool.

Once our bag was full, we headed back to the shop to pay for our Honeybells

 

Besides selling  freshly picked citrus, they sell delicious juice, jams & jellies, and fun Florida centric gifts.

I’m looking forward to going back to pick some Ortaniques. yum!

Dooley Groves

1651 Stephens Rd

Ruskin, FL 33570

____________________Picking Honeybell Oranges.jpg

Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake

A sinfully rich dessert that pairs chocolate and peanut butter together in delicious layers. This Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake is the ultimate indulgent treat. Perfect if you love chocolate and peanut butter together.

Did you know that March is Peanut Month? 

I swear there is a day/week/month for everything. EVERYTHING.

But I see absolutely no problem with that as you can have a lot of fun celebrating things this month like No Pants Day (May 4th), Meatball Day (March 9th), and International Fragrance Day (March 21st) . Today is Awkward Moments Day.

The only awkward moment you would have related to this awesome Buckeye Cheesecake is that you are going to be caught in the middle of the night, sneaking a bite. So awkward!

I am a sucker for peanut butter desserts so I knew that I needed to make this Buckeye Cheesecake when I saw it in my new copy of Secret Layer Cakes cookbook.

…

Read More

Dear Hunter @ 9 Months

March 2018

Dear Hunter,

Can I just say that you are amazing!?

Would that be extremely bias? Probably. But I don’t care.

Dad has been home with us the past few weeks, which certainly wasn’t planned, but has been really enjoyable anyway.

It’s wonderful getting to see the 2 of you together. So happy playing around, being silly, learning.  I love seeing how happy you are with Daddy. And I know that he is happy getting to spend this time with you. He loves when you reach up to him for him to pick you up. It’s adorable!

Every since you pulled yourself up on me on Christmas, everyone has been teasing that you would be walking by now. Thankfully, that is not the case, you are happily just crawling around and scooting around by pulling yourself along the sofa and on the cabinets in the kitchen. I’m sure that once you are steady, you will be on the go, so I am enjoying this time a bit more.

In the mean time, we are just loving life. Life with you on our walks, in the pool, at the splash pad, at the library, in the park… we are on the go! You are really great with going with the flow. Even at GG’s while she was recovering from her surgery. You didn’t sleep well at night, but were great during the day, so it all worked out. It always does.

While I am really enjoying this moment in time with you, I am always looking forward to the next month as every day is so great with you.

Love,

Mommy

  

Valentine’s Day Cake Pops

Valentine’s Day is just 1 week away!!

Are you celebrating with someone you love?

Or are you single and ready to mingle?

Or do you fall in between like me and my husband… certainly not single but not really doing anything? Hello… it’s a Wednesday night and we have 2 kids. Too much to juggle.

But, no juggling required when it comes to these cake pops.

Baking a box mix cake is pretty dang easy, so it mixing in the frosting, and then forming the balls. The most complicated part is dipping them into the Candiquick, which is a confectionery coating, or melted chocolate that sets pretty quickly. And, even then, the only hard part about that is the messy drips. That’s a silly complication. Like a #firstworldproblem issue. ha!

 

 

 

While they have cake pop molds for you to bake the cake in, then coat. We decided to get our hands messy and dive right into rolling the cake with the frosting to create the cake balls for the pops.

Autumn loved helping out. She scooped out the cake and rolled the balls, proudly placing them on the tray as she went. We then brought some over to a friend’s party and she told EVERYONE that she made them. So cute.

They are very easy to make- even a 4 year old can make them!

Be sure to enjoy these with someone that you love. Or eat them all. Whatever works for ya. ha!!

Valentine’s Day Cake Pops

Makes 30 Cake Pops

Ingredients

  • 1 Box Cake Mix and required cake mix ingredients
  • 1/2 – 2/3 Can of Red or Pink Frosting
  • powdered sugar
  • 1 pound of Candiquick or chocolate
  • 30 treat sticks, 4″ long
  • sprinkles

Process

  • Bake the cake according to directions in a 9×13 pan. Let cool completely.
  • Trim away the edges of the cake. Discard (into your mouth!)
  • Cut the cake into small pieces, put into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat until crumbly.
  • Add HALF the can of frosting to the crumbly cake. Beat again. Add a tiny bit more to get a moist, dough like texture that will form a ball. Do not make it too wet and tacky.
  • Dust your hands with powdered sugar. Form 30 equally sized balls.  Suggestion: Divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 3 equally sized portions. From each portion, create 5 balls.
  • Insert a lollipop stick into each ball.
  • Freeze all of the cake pops for at lest 30 minutes.
  • Melt the Candiquick or chocolate. Pour into a tall cup. Quickly dip each cake pop into the candiquick/chocolate, let excess chocolate drip off. Then set onto a non-stick silicon lined baking sheet. Immediately drop sprinkles on to the coating before it sets.
  • Store at room temperature.

___________________

Products Used

Post contains affiliate links

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Cider Salted Caramel Sauce

We got a car!!!!!

More specifically, my husband picked out a certified pre-owned mini-van. He got it Friday night and now I’m in love with it.

I loved our Rav 4, but it wasn’t going to work out for us long term with 2 kids and 2 dogs. We are active with friends and family so then we can’t travel with any of them. Sure, someone could squeeze between 2 car seats but that’s not too fun. And, what do we do if we want to bring one of the kids friends with us for something? We certainly wouldn’t be able to get 3 carseats/booster seats in the back.

So now we have a Honda Odyssey that has more cup holders in it than I know what to do with. Seriously, that is what I snapped to Amanda when I first got into it. And, of course, my husband is like, enough with the cup holders! Do you actually like it?!?!?” Yes, I love it. It’s so great.

Now I need to find the perfect political bumper stickers to slap on there. And I need a Vineyard Vines’ pink whale on it. Isn’t that just perfect? The preppiest bumper sticker ever with a “Pod Loves America” sticker?! HAHAHA

Anyway… cinnamon rolls!!!!

 

Guys, I learned something very valuable the first time that I made these… don’t put cinnamon in the dough. At least not the quantity that I put in. Cinnamon is acidic and can retard the yeast from getting its bubble on. It rose well-ish over night, but didn’t do another successful rise when rolled out the dough and made the cinnamon rolls. I baked them up anyway just to taste the flavor, which was good,but the texture was horrible.

So, repeat after me, do not put a lot of cinnamon in the dough.

Okay, so now we that all learned something from my fail, let’s make great Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls!!!

Secondly, in my adventures in making a crap ton of cinnamon rolls this year, do not over work the dough, or roll it out too thinly. It breaks up the bubbles in the dough, so keep that in mind when you are making them. You really want to keep the dough to be at least 1/4″ thick.

The apple cider salt caramel sauce is everything on these cinnamon rolls. EVERYTHING.

If nothing else, just make the caramel sauce and put it on everything. But you really need to take the time to follow the instructions. I make this sauce all the time in the fall and once I was rushing and didn’t make the sauce syrupy enough at first and when I added the rest of the ingredients it was a mess. I was sorta able to  salvage it, but just follow the directions and take your time. It’s soooo worth the time babying it.

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Cider Salted Caramel Sauce

Makes 12 cinnamon rolls*

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 1 Cup warm milk (100-110 degrees)
  • 1 packet yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted (but not hot!)
  • 4 Cups flour
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For the Filling

  • 2 large baking apples- cored and then sliced into 1/8″ thick slices
  • 1/2 Cup melted butter
  • 1 Cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 Cup sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cinnamon

For the Caramel Sauce

  • 2 Cups apple cider
  • 1 Cup brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 Cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon sea salt

Process

  1. Add the yeast to the warm milk. Let rest for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs, then slowly mix in the warm milk mixture. Add the butter and just mix to combine.
  3. Add in the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a hook attachment, work the dough until combined.
  4. On a well floured work surface, roll the dough into a smooth ball. Add the dough to a large bowl that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Rotate to cover the dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let double in size, at least 1 hour.
  5. Once the dough is ready, preheat your oven to 350 F and grease a 9x 13 baking pan.
  6. On a well floured work surface, roll the dough out so it is approximately 14″ x 24″ x 1/4″ thick
  7. Evenly arrange the apple slices on the dough in rows along the entire length of the dough. Keep the apple slices 1″ back from the edge where the cinnamon rolls are sealed, when rolled. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon.
  8. Roll the long edge towards you and then cut into 12 evenly sized rolls. Arrange the cinnamon rolls in the baking pan.
  9. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
  10. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare your caramel sauce. Using a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, bring the apple cider to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and slowly cook until cider has reduced from 2 cups to 1/4 Cup. It will be fairly thick and syrupy at this point. Stir occasionally.
  11. Add the sugar, cream, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring continuously. You’ll want it to be syrupy at this point.
  12. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla extract. Add 1/2 teaspoon  the sea salt, mix well. Add more to desired taste. Transfer to a heat-proof container and let cool.
  13. Serve your warm cinnamon rolls with a healthy drizzling of caramel. (You will likely have to reheat the caramel sauce for drizzling consistency if it cools or you store it for a few days as the caramel thicken as it cools.)

Caramel adapted from Bashful Bao

*I purposefully rolled out my cinnamon rolls to be smaller and more than 12 so that I could share at work. Typically, I would just make 12 cinnamon rolls, as the recipe states.

Rolo Monkey Bread

“If you can lean, you can clean”

Back when I was a college freshman, working retail, I had a boss who would say that. If he caught anyone leaning against a wall or the column next to the register zoning out he would say that so that they got back to work. And if he caught you, he usually made you clean.

I feel that is my life now.

But I am catching myself and I then mentally freak the fuck out and then try to do 10 things to make up for that ‘clacking off’. I never feel like I can just sit and relax. Even if I am on FB, it’s generally to do something related to the blog account, some side hustle stuff, or the account for the dogs I am trying to figure out how I am going to build.

Or if I am on instagram, I am scrolling through and engaging with people that are niche related and I am

The trifecta of getting ‘ish done is when I am pumping, while sitting at the computer so I can write a blog post and search using a specific platform, earning me extra spending money. Extra points if I am listening to a pod cast and I remembered to plug my phone into the fast charger at the desk.

Life just never feels like it ever slows down.

And, in someways, we aren’t doing that much either. Autumn goes to gymnastics 1x a week and that’s it, but the general life maintenance makes things chaotic. From prepping clothes and bottles for the next day, laundry, walking dogs, cooking dinner and dishes, the week night quickly speeds by and before we know it, it’s time for bed and another day of madness until the weekend comes when we try to tackle bigger projects, hang with friends and family, and maybe even get in a nap.

It just feels that I need a month of no distractions and crap to get really caught up on life, with the things I need to do and just want to do.

But that’s why I am always looking for short cuts for things.

I certainly like to make monkey bread or pies or pizza by scratch, but there are times when it’s just easier to grab some biscuits or a pre-made crust or order take out.

And when you add some chocolate candy to the dough… dessert perfection!!!

I love that the Rolo candy, hidden inside the dough ball, gets all melty and gooey. The cinnamon glaze that envelopes each dough ball is perfect with that sweet caramel and chocolate filling too.

Serve this with some ice cream and you are in for a great dessert treat.

Some people might just think that monkey bread is for breakfast,but I think that you will convince them pretty quickly that it’s great for dessert as well when you serve up this sticky sweet caramel and chocolate treat!!

Rolo Monkey Bread

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 rolls of biscuit dough, 16.3 ounces each (8 biscuits per roll)
  • 32 Rolos
  • 2/3 Cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 Cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 Cup butter, melted

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. Cut each biscuit into 2 equal pieces.Stretch each biscuit out
  3. Combine the sugars and cinnamon in a bowl.
  4. Dip each dough ball into the melted butter, then into the sugar mixture.
  5. Place each coated dough ball into the bundt pan. Pour any remaining butter over the dough balls.
  6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and the top pieces are firm.
  7. Let cool for 5 minute before inverting on a serving plate.

 

Super Quick Pull Apart Cheesy Garlic Bread

It’s October!!!!! I am soooo excited!!!!

We are finally out of the 90 degree temps. The high yesterday was 89 degrees yesterday and the 10 day forecast shows temps as low as 86 for the high. I love the heat but I am thrilled with this.

It is finally cool enough to go out on long enjoyable walks at night now. Last night my friend and I went out as the sun was setting and we chatted as we quickly did a 2.25 mile loop in our neighborhood. That was great, but it was also great to wrap it up and  feel refreshed, not feeling absolutely gross and drenched. #floridaproblems

At least it meant the day ended on a high note as I had to watch my Giants lose yet another game. And on the final play as well. GET IT TOGETHER GUYS!!!

At least there are great things in life like this pull apart garlic bread.

I am a sucker for garlic bread, but this is so much better than your average garlic bread. It’s quick to make, super buttery and flaky. And the cheese, is the thing that takes it to the next level. It gives it those slightly burned edges, that are extra tasty. yum!!!

I made my garlic bread in a 9×5 loaf, but if you have mini loaf pans then you can use that instead. I would use 2 loaf pans instead of 1 large one. I as well would cut back on some baking time, but, honestly, I don’t know how much since haven’t tried it. I’d check it after 15 minutes and see what ya think.

The worst thing about this bread is that it will disappear so quickly. Once you pull a piece off, another will follow, and there another hand sneaks in and grabs another piece, and before you know it you are just licking your fingers planning the next time you make it.

Super Quick Pull Apart Cheesy Garlic Bread

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 8-ounce package Crescent dough sheet
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 heaping Tablespoon finely chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/3 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • chopped parsley for garnish

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan or 2 mini loaf pans with non stick cooking spray.
  2. On a well floured surface, roll the dough out so it is 24″ x 12″.
  3. Combine the melted butter, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Mix well.
  4. Spread the butter mixture over the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle with the cheese.
  5. Cut into even sized 24 pieces, then stack them up and lay that pieces on their side in the loaf pan. You will need to spread the pieces out a bit.
  6. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

____________________

 

Instant Pot Monkey Bread

Guys!!!! We have power!!!!! I still can’t believe it!!!!

Did you hear that yelling?! That was me in utter excitement that we still have power even after Irma has hit FL this weekend.

We occasionally lose power during an afternoon thunderstorm. It might just blink or we might lose it for 1-10 minutes, or a few hours. So I was sure that we would be without power for several days. It surged about 8 times last night, but we certainly lucked out and didn’t lose it.

At one point over the weekend, I pulled up a hurricane tracker and it basically had the eye of the storm going right over our community and continuing right on up through Tampa. I could zoom in enough to the map to see that the black spaghetti line was within walking distance to our house and you could zoom in and see our lot. WTF. That was scary to see.

I’m really glad that Irma changed its course and continued hits northerly trek up the state of FL further East of what was predicted, keeping us, and Tampa, on the West side of the storm, which is the weaker side. While it worked out well for us, I know a lot of people still effected here in the area, and elsewhere. I have a lot of friends without power in the Tampa area and I know people in Miami that have a lot of clean up to do. Shoot, my mom had a tree fall on her house! Thankfully, it landed on the part of the house that house where her garage is, but it still caused some damage. Plus, it scared the shit out of her when it happened! OMG!

Since I had thought that we wouldn’t have power for at least 3 days, I prepped and prepped and prepped for that. We had plenty of water, iced teat, juice, seltzer and soooo much food to get us through it. I bought bread and frozen it for PBJ’s. I organized the fridge so that I could know where everything was so I could open it, grab something, and close it immediately. I had prepped tons of meals that I frozen anticipating them staying chilled or thawing out and then we could just reheat them on the gas stove. My instant pot was my best friend during all of this.

I having been using my Instant Pot for everything that I can think of. Soup! Rice! Spaghetti! Taco Meat! Pulled BBQ Chicken! The list goes on and on. I really love how quickly everything comes together and there is so little clean up. I still love my slow cooker but there are times when I want something, like a roast, done in an hour or so and the Instant Pot is perfect for that.

Using a 6-Cup Bundt Pan, I made monkey bread in my 6-Quart Instant Pot in just 20 minutes. Normally it takes 45 minutes for a monkey bread in the oven, and you make a biiiiiig one. But this guy was a mini version and took half the time. It was great that I didn’t need to heat up the oven, which always makes our house so hot, and it was a smaller sized monkey bread.

The one thing that I would note is that it does have a spongier texture compared to the monkey breads I make in the oven. I certainly didn’t think it was a bad thing, still really enjoyable, but I wouldn’t be a good blogger if I didn’t give ya all the facts, now would I?

Let’s hope that we don’t have any other hurricanes for a long time, but at least now we know how to best prepare for it. Or how to get the hell out of dodge if it’s going up the West Coast of FL. With my Instant Pot with us, of course!

Instant Pot Monkey Bread

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 large can of Grands Biscuits (16.3 ounce)
  • 1/3 Cup
  • 1/3 Cup
  • 2 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 Cup butter, melted

Process

  1. Spray a 6-Cup bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. Pour 1 1/2 Cups of water into your 6 Quart Instant Pot. With the handles folded under, place the trivet into the pot. Pull off about 6″ of tin foil and fold it over 2x to create a sturdy handle to help you remove the bundt pan, set aside.
  3. Cut each biscuit into 8 pieces.
  4. Combing the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the cut biscuit pieces to the sugar combination. Coat well.
  5. Sprinkle some nuts into the bundt pan, then place a layer of the coated pieces into the pan, sprinkle with more nuts, add the remaining the coated pieces.
  6. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture over the filled bundt pan. Pour the melted butter evenly over the pieces.
  7. Place the filled bundt pan into the pot on the trivet, with the piece of foil under it, with edges extending up for easy removal. Fold over so they don’t interfere with the lid.
  8. Seal and then set on MANUAL on HIGH for 20 minutes. When done, do a quick release.
  9. Remove and carefully invert onto a plate. Enjoy!

___________________

Post contains affiliate links

Peach Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

I have to go back to work tomorrow and let’s just say that I am less than thrilled.

‘Maternity Leave’ in the United States blows. It really does. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) just mandates that your job is held for 12 weeks, but really that is just not enough. And I know that I am lucky that I could take that as I know some people that take less for various (mostly financial) reasons. It’s really not fair that it’s just 12 weeks, nor guaranteed to be paid.

On the other hand, so super ‘thankful’ that I had a repeat C-section, which means that… drum roll please… I got 8 weeks of short term disability, instead of 6 weeks, which is standard for a vaginal delivery. Umm, what?!?!? That is the stupidest thing ever. Sure, I’m glad I got an extra 2 weeks of 60% of my standard pay, but what?! The surgery and the recovery suck, but to say that I deserve more than someone that pushed a baby out of her V is stupid. There are plenty of complications related to that as well. Again, the US is stupid.

So back to work I go tomorrow. Hunter is going to the same daycare as Autumn, which at least makes things easier. Not so easy on the wallet, but that’s life, I guess.

I have a sign in our office that is a great Mindy Kaling quote. It says “Sometimes you just have to put on lipgloss and pretend to be psyched.” It’s become a life motto of mine at this point. I bought this years ago and it has been what gets me through crappy days. And what inspires me to buy so many lipglosses and lip sticks. (Sign by YellowHeartArt)

So I will be wearing some fun lip gloss tomorrow. And waterproof mascara.

Now, on to more enjoyable things… peaches!!!

I had to sneak in 1 more peach recipe for ya before everyone is like ‘OMG! APPLES!!!! PUMPKINS!!!” Oh wait, they already are. Let’s calm down people and enjoy the last of the stone fruit before we get assaulted with apple this and pumpkin spice that.

So here is one last summery recipe for you to enjoy with your juicy peaches. You won’t be able to resist these Peach Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting. The cinnamon rolls are awesome, but the added peaches make them so much better. The natural sweetness of the peaches is heightened from the sugary filling. And the cream cheese frosting is the perfect finishing touch!

I brought these to our friend’s house this past weekend as there was a group of us hanging out for the ‘big fight’. They all disappeared in the course of the night.

Be sure to savor the last of summer with these delightful rolls!

Peach Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 12 cinnamon rolls

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 1 Cup warm milk (100-110 degrees)
  • 1 packet yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted (but not hot!)
  • 4 Cups flour
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For the Filling

  • 2 large peaches
  • 1/2 Cup melted butter
  • 1 Cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 Cup sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cinnamon

For the cream cheese frosting

  • 2 Cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/1 – 1 teaspoon milk

Process

  1. Add the yeast to the warm milk. Let rest for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs, then slowly mix in the warm milk mixture. Add the butter and just mix to combine.
  3. Add in the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a hook attachment, work the dough until combined.
  4. On a well floured work surface, roll the dough into a smooth ball. Add the dough to a large bowl that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Rotate to cover the dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let double in size, at least 1 hour.
  5. Once the dough is ready, preheat your oven to 350 F and grease 1 9x 13 baking pan.
  6. On a well floured work surface, roll the dough out so it is approximately 14″ x 24″.
  7. Thinly slice the peaches, set aside.
  8. Evenly sprinkle with the brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Starting 1″ from the edge along the far end of the long side, evenly arrange the peaches from end to end.
  9. Roll the long edge towards you and then cut into 12 evenly sized rolls. Arrange in the baking pan.
  10. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
  11. Make the frosting by beating the cream cheese until there are no lumps, slowly add in the powdered sugar. Then add in the 1/2 teaspoon of milk, beat until smooth. Only add in more milk to reach desired consistency. Spread all over the warm cinnamon rolls. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Monkey Bread

I am going to conquer our little office this weekend. Well, I hope.

I have a plan for our little office nook. It’s an outcove off our kitchen area, on the way to the bathroom. It’s quite efficient for space so there aren’t too many options for it. We have a folding table there now but that isn’t a long term solution.

Since there isn’t too much to it, we are going to install a counter there. This was an option for the builder to do but it was crazy expensive. There was no way we were paying $2K for this area. Sure, it would have been great to have a matching counter to our kitchen, but that was an expense that we were just not interested in paying.

So I am heading over to Ikea to pick up a kitchen counter for $45. It will need to be trimmed about a foot or so but there is not much to it. Then we’ll get some brackets up and set it on there. Done and done. Then Price will set up the computer again since I’m useless in that department. I need things color coded or something to hook it all back up properly.

One thing I can simply operate is the slow cooker. ha!

Making monkey bread in the slow cooker is as simple as it gets. You place the coated, cut-up biscuit pieces.

While this method takes longer than your typical baking method, I think it would work well on a morning when you are hosting people or need to get out the door and the rest of the family is sticking around.

I find that cutting the biscuits with kitchen shears to be the easiest way to cut the biscuits. It makes the job super quick as well.

You house will be filled with the sweetest cinnamon roll smell as it cooks.

Slow Cooker Monkey Bread

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

For the monkey bread

  • 2 cans of large buttermilk biscuits (1 pound each)
  • 2/3 Cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.
  • 1/2 Cup butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the glaze

  • 4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
  • 2 Cups powdered sugar
  • 1 -2 teaspoons milk

Process

  1. Cut each biscuit into 8 equally sized pieces.
  2. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Coat the pieces with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
  3. Add the sugar coated biscuit pieces to the slow cooker that has been sprayed well with non-stick cooking spray.
  4. Melt the butter and then add the vanilla extract. Evenly pour the butter over pieces.
  5. Turn slow cooker on to  the 2 hour setting (high) for 2 hours. After 1 hour, run a rubber spatula between the monkey bread and the side of the slow cooker. Repeat 30 minutes later.
  6. Just prior to the monkey bread being done, make the glaze by combining all of the ingredients.
  7. When cooking is complete immediately remove the slow cooker vessel from the warming element. Drizzle with the glaze.

Sticky Bun Monkey Bread

It’s Babymoon time!!!!

We are going away for a quick Babymoon this weekend. I am so excited!!

Last time, we took a trip to the Florida to visit The Keys for a long weekend but since we are here in Florida now, we are just staying local. I’d love to take another trip to The Keys but I didn’t feel like flying, err spending money on flights, really.

Price found a local resort and spa for us to visit. The idea of a prenatal massage and bumming it by the pool without a toddler asking you to go in and out and in and out again is pure bliss.

Generally, I feel good at 32 weeks but I am so blah and sore all over so I just need my slightly ever present charlie horses to be worked out. (Seriously, they are the worst things ever to wake up to in the middle of the night!!!) Thankfully, Price snagged the last one available for the day and I picked up the required doctor’s note so I am just counting down the minutes until the appointment.

The worst part is that I keep reading things included in our package and it just makes me want to stay forever. Well, more specifically, go back AFTER the baby is born for the unlimited drinks. Hello, unlimited mimosas at brunch!

If you aren’t going away this weekend, I insist you make this Sticky Bun Monkey Bread. It’s stupid good. And goes great with mimosas too. (Truth be told, everything goes with mimosas. It’s a fact!)

 

But seriously, this Sticky Bun Monkey Bread is a real crowd pleaser. It tastes just like a sticky bun with the sticky caramel syrup that you drizzle all over the cinnamon and sugar coated biscuit pieces.

I used refrigerated canned biscuits to make this process easier, but you can follow my recipe for Homemade Monkey Bread for the dough, and then add the nuts and caramel sauce to it.

The caramel is everything. Whatever you do, don’t just dip a finger in there to try it. Nor is it a good idea to immediately grab a piece of monkey bread right after you flip it out on to the serving platter. No, I def didn’t try that and burn the crap out of my fingers and then my mouth as the quickest thing I could think of was ‘ahh my fingers!’ so shoving it in my mouth was the next logical thing to do. Nope…

Let’s fast-forward to the weekend, shall we?

I’ll be ready for my prenatal massage and you will be ready to enjoy this Sticky Bun Monkey Bread. And a few mimosas in my honor.

Sticky Bun Monkey Bread

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 3/4 Cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 3 cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 biscuits per can)
  • 4 ounces of chopped pecans
  • 3/4 Cup butter
  • 1 Cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 Cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Process

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
  3. Spray a tube pan with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nuts in the bottom on the tub pan.
  4. Cut the biscuits in 4 equal pieces. Roll them in the cinnamon and sugar mixture
  5. Add half of the coated biscuit pieces into the tube pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 more nuts. Add the rest of the coated biscuit pieces and then the remaining chopped nuts.
  6. In a small saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar. Melt together over medium- high heat. Mix in the cream and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and mix in the vanilla extract.
  7. Evenly pour the caramel mixture over the coated biscuits.
  8. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
  9. Flip over onto a serving dish. Enjoy!