Cinnamon Sugar Monkey Bread. All fuss, all reward

College life is a lot like eating monkey bread. As soon as you finish one assignment (or piece), you find another in your hands, then another, and then a few more. The obvious difference being that one is more delicious than the other. I mean like 1,000,000x more delicious.

I've been meaning to tackle monkey bread for a while, but I barely have anytime to just relax or even make myself a descent meal this semester. Terrible. But I promised myself two things come spring break: do nothing school related and EAT. Rest assured I have accomplished the latter with flying colors.

I made the batter the night before (11pm to be exact, because normal people decide to bake at the hour of night, right?)  and put it in the fridge to pop in the oven the next morning. Which probably wasn't the best decision because the sugar dissolved leaked out of the pan a bit, but it wasn't too bad, and I'd rather eat it raw than see that work go to waste.

Oh, and college living has made me the frugal queen. I am both proud and ashamed of this fact. (Note: Do not eat 2 week old chili... No matter how desperate you are)

It turned out better than I expected and is worth every minute spent making it.

I may, or may not have eaten a fourth of this. Yay for Spring Break!

Cinnamon Sugar Monkey Bread (Lighter version)
adapted from Cooking Light

4 cups all-purpose flour  


1 tsp salt 
1 package quick-rise yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) 


1 cup very warm fat-free milk (120° to 130°) 


1/4 cup very warm orange juice (120° to 130°) 


1/4 cup honey 


2 tbsp butter, melted 


Cooking spray 


1/2 cup granulated sugar 


1/2 cup packed brown sugar 


2 tsp ground cinnamon 


4 1/2 tbsp fat-free milk, divided


2 tbsp butter, melted 


1/2 cup powdered sugar 


1 tbsp 1/3-less-fat cream cheese 

2-3 tbsp fat-free milk


1 tsp vanilla extract 

Combine flours, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a large bowl or stand mixer with dough hook attached; mix until combined. Slowly add milk, juice, honey, and 2 tablespoons butter; mix dough and knead for about 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (in an OFF oven), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, combine 3 tablespoons milk and 2 tablespoons butter in a, stirring with a whisk.

Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Punch dough down; divide into 8 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), roll into an 8-inch rope. Cut each dough rope into 8 equal pieces, shaping each piece into a 1-inch ball. Dip each ball in milk mixture, turning to coat, and roll in sugar mixture. Layer balls in Bundt pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 7 dough ropes. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until almost doubled in size. (If rising in oven, be sure to remove before preheating!) 

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until golden. Cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Place a plate upside down on top of bread; invert onto plate. 

For the glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, cream cheese, and vanilla in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Microwave at HIGH 20 seconds or until warm. Drizzle over bread.

Roasted Almonds

The almond, how I love it so. Plain, sweet, or salty, there is no way to go wrong with this nut in my opinion. Unless you're allergic... then steer clear. 

 Raw almonds are good, but roasted are great. I eat roasted almonds like popcorn and before I know it half the baking dish is gone. No shame involved. I did not add any salt or other flavorings to this batch, just a little bit of olive oil. The roasting enhances their nutty flavor and creates the most satisfying crunch that I just cannot get enough of.

 Simple, healthy, addicting.

Roasted Almonds

1 lb whole raw almonds

1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. On a unlined and ungreased sheet tray, toss almonds and oil with hands or a spoon until they are well coated. Spread evenly across the tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or until they turn darkish brown, tossing halfway through. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Mother's Meatballs

Meatballs at tea time? Why not.

Make them small enough and they make great figure food. Well, perhaps in this case you would want a toothpick or fork. They are a wee bit messy. But, messy in the best possible way: delicious messy.

There's is no super secret method or ingredient in my mom's meatballs. Oatmeal is the key here. Rolled oats give a bit of a nutty flavor, but not enough to interfere with the meat, but most importantly it retains the moisture in the balls, keeping them juicy. What I also love about them is how simple they are to make and how they can be adapted for any recipe or dish.

We opted for slathering them in BBQ sauce. Because tea and toast just is't complete without figure licking and a wet towel. Right?

Mom's Meatballs

1lb ground beef (or any other ground meat)

1/4 cup of old fashioned rolled oats

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp any dried herb of your liking (or tbsp of fresh herbs)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp worcestershire sauce (optional)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup BBQ sauce (store bought or homemade) 

In a medium bowl, combine beef, oats, garlic powder, herbs, salt, pepper, and worcestershire sauce. Mix with hands or a spoon until just combined. DO NOT over work the meat or else it will become tough when cooked. Slightly wetting hands with water, start forming small balls about 1-2 inches in diameter or however big or small you desire. Set aside.

Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Once the pan is heated, start placing meatballs into pan and cook until all sides of meatballs are browned and caramelized. Add BBQ sauce and let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve. 

Back with Butter, Back to Life

Butter! Yes, I brought french butter back with me only because that it a perfectly normal thing to do.  Fact. 

I read multiple blogs and articles prior and during my trip to Paris to ensure that no food gem would go unexplored. But between the jet lag, waking up at 12 noon and actually wanting to take it easy, not every destination could be visited. And you know what? That's just fine. Paris will still be there and I will still want to come back. 

While we did see the sights, my mom and I found it so much more satisfying to just explore on our own. Here were a few of the highlights that made this trip so memorable.

- Street side crepes

- A tomato and mozzarella salad (in 100 degree weather)

- A dessert from the absolute cutest french restaurant in the Latin quarter, Les Fetes Galantes. Homemade puff pastry w/ vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce shaped like mushrooms. If you ever go to Paris, go here. This meal blew my mind.

- Our street.

- Wedding cake baking (early stages). Also, meeting the coolest french family ever.

- French cheese (from a beautiful meal, provided by the sweetest french mother from the coolest french family). I want to eat an entire wheels of this.

Simple pleasures would sum up the whole visit. Never a dull moment. 

Now back to normal life... and some really good butter.

I'm still here! Well, sort of...

I'm somewhere. Paris, to be exact and loving it! But it's not all fun and indulgence.

There's work to be done, you see.

I swear...

I SWEAR. 

eh, well yes, mostly fun and indulgence. But there is a wedding cake to be baked, frosted, transported, oogled, and eaten by yours truly. More of that soon!

Alright. Two things:

- Pay no attention to the uglyness happening on top of this bread. Yes, those holes are test pokes. And no, I have not gotten friendly enough with my oven to know its behavioral patterns. But, I'll get there.

- Despite the fact that a streusel topping should be the easiest thing to make, my streusel skills have yet to improve. Don't judge me.

Blueberries!!!

I've had blueberries on the mind for a while and had to act. I give you blueberryliscious coffee cake as the result. Sweet bursts of warm berries? Check. Spongy and soft sweet bread? Oh yah. Crumbly, sugary, cinnamony streusel goodness? Well... yeah that's go with that.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

adapted from justapinch.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup white whole-wheat, 1/2 cup all-purpose)

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 egg

1/2 milk or buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

For the cake:

Grease and flour a loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, combine sugar, slightly cooled butter, egg, milk, vanilla and mix well. Sift flour mixture into wet ingredients and fold until well combined. Fold in blueberries and then transfer to pan.

For the streusel:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup flour

1tsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsp butter

Mix first four ingredients in a small bowl, then incorporate butter using your hands until you have pea-sized crumbles. Sprinkle it on top of the batter in the pan, then bake for 40-45 min. Allow to cool for 20 15 minutes.

I Dub Thee Oven

We got a new stove last week. After 9 months and 5 maintenance requests, our manager (aka manager of procrastination) finally fixed our oven handle. By replacing to whole oven... Don't get me wrong I'm as pleased as can be. It's clean, all four burners work, and its not 50 years old. Give or take. Oh yeah, and there's an oven handle! Woohoo! Well done Mrs. Manager, you've managed to fix one of the 8 things wrong with this apartment. Now we must wait another 2 months for you to address the other problems.

In the mean time, lets make some granola!

I'd like to think that my granola making skills have improved a lot since my first batch. Not that it's hard. Oh no, it's real simple. But I'm always testing out the ratio of wet ingredients and possible flavor possibilities. This has become my delicious default.

Maple syrup, nuts, brown sugar, and a little bit of cinnamon.

 Then adding whatever dried fruits I've got on hand. My roommates always ask me to make it, because it makes our apartment smell like pure happiness. That and to mask the smell coming from the trash.

I consider this the ultimate nibble food. But add and/or eat it just as you would any other granola.

Maple Pecan Granola
1/4 cup oil (use whatever you have, I used olive and still turned out great)

1/2 cup applesauce

2/3  cup maple syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup pecans (or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil.

In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients and mix well. Add oats and pecans, then mix well. Let sit for about 5 minutes, then transfer to the baking sheet. Bake granola for about 40-45 minutes, stirring avery 15 minutes, until granola is golden. Remove and allow to cool completely on baking sheet.

Enjoy! And store in a sealed jar or container.