Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread

What happens when you attempt to make homemade cinnamon rolls and they completely fall apart on you? You make Monkey Bread! That’s exactly what happened when I came up with this recipe. I set out to make homemade cinnamon rolls but when I started rolling up the dough, it fell apart. Instead of scrapping the whole recipe and pulling out a box of cereal, I made it work for me. Traditionally, Monkey Bread is torn biscuits with a cinnamon sugar coating that pulls apart to eat. This cinnamon roll disaster turned into a really delicious breakfast item that would be great for a brunch or a Sunday morning treat. This recipe is proof that you don't have to give up on a recipe that doesn't turn out exactly how you expected!


Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread with Buttermilk Frosting

6Tbs. butter, melted, divided (this is used to grease the pan, for the filling, dough, and brushing on top. Just less than one stick will be used for the entire recipe)

Cinnamon-Sugar mixture:
¾ C. packed brown sugar
¼ C. granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. salt

Dough:
2 ½ C. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ¼ C. buttermilk

Icing:
2 Tbs. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbs. buttermilk
1 C. powdered sugar, sifted

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour 1 Tbs. of the melted butter into a 9-inch cake pan and brush to coat. Set aside.

For the Cinnamon-Sugar mixture: Combine the sugars, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a small bowl. Add 1 Tbs. of the melted butter and mix with a fork until it resembles coarse, wet sand. Place in a Ziplock bag and set aside.

For the dough: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and 2 Tbs. of melted butter in a measuring cup or small bowl. Add to the dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon just until the liquid is absorbed.

Dust your work surface and hands with flour. Put dough on the work surface and knead about 30 seconds until the dough looks smooth.

Working in batches, take about 1 Tbs. of dough, roll into a ball and place into the ziplock with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Shake until the dough balls are coated. Drop the dough into the cake pan. Once all of the dough has been coated and put into the pan, pour any remaining cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough. Brush with 2 Tbs. melted butter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the dough is cooked through. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

For the icing: While the Monkey Bread is cooling, begin making the icing. Whisk the cream cheese and buttermilk in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, whisking as you add it. Whisk until the icing is smooth and there are no lumps. Pour over the bread and smooth evenly. Cut into wedges and serve.

The Monkey Bread goes great with a tall glass of ice-cold milk!

Honey Lime Chicken Burgers

Looking for a lighter summer burger, I thought I would try combining some of my favorite summer flavors. In this recipe, the lime, cilantro, and cumin are bold enough to prevent the burgers from being too bland. Also, the honey adds a subtle summer sweetness that really compliments the chicken. I love these dressed simply with sliced avocado and salsa but you can top with any condiments that you like. Serve these with ice cold Coronas and let summer begin!


Honey Lime Chicken Burgers

1 lime, juiced (save the lime rinds to rub on avocados to prevent browning)
2 tablespoons honey
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 rounded teaspoons cumin
A handful cilantro, finely chopped, about 1/2 tablespoons
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 Lb. ground chicken
1 teaspoon grill seasoning blend or coarse salt and pepper
Possible Toppings: lettuce, tomato, red onion, and sliced avocado (remember to rub the leftover limes on the avocado to prevent browning)
1 cup prepared fresh salsa
4 crusty rolls, split

Combine all burger ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together well. Form into 4 patties. The mixture will be loose, but firms up as it cooks.

Grill burgers chicken 6 to 7 minutes on each side or pan fry over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet uncovered 6 minutes per side. Slighty salt, to taste.

Place burgers on toasted roll bottoms. Top with desired condiments like lettuce, tomato, red onion and sliced avocado. Spread fresh salsa on roll tops.

Mini Kahlua Flan

I found this recipe from Emeril Lagasse and thought it looked amazing! What could be better than creamy flan and coffee liquer?! I was nervous to make my first homemade flan, but it was a lot easier than I thought. Also, I decided that my husband and I don't need an entire flan in the house (because we'd eat it up!), so I made individual flans using a muffin tin. Not only does this help with portion control, but you can share them with friends. Although flan has a bad reputation for not being diet friendly, I believe in enjoying everything in moderation.

And here's the good news: when divided into individual portions, each flan is only about 230 calories ~ I can live with that!


Mini Kahlua Flan
(adapted from Emeril Lagasse)

3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
4 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)
Cocoa powder, garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease 12 muffin tins with butter and set aside. In a small saucepan, cook the sugar over medium heat until it starts to melt. Lower the heat and cook until caramelized to a golden brown. If you need to stir, only use a wooden spoon. Cooking the sugar low and slow will make sure that it doesn't stay hard after baking. It will be a smooth caramel sauce when finished.

Pour into prepared muffin tins. (If you would like one large flan, simply use a metal flan mold or 9-inch cake pan.) Turn the dish and swirl to evenly coat the bottom. Let caramel cool and harden.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the condensed and evaporated milks and Kahlua and whisk well to blend. Pour into the prepared pan. Place the dish in a larger roasting pan and add hot water to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until set and just firm in the center but still jiggles slightly 20-25 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure you do not overcook. Let cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.

To serve, run a thin sharp knife around the rim of each flan. Place a platter or large plate on top of the flan and gently flip over so the plate is on the bottom. Lift away the mold. Garnish with powdered cocoa or chocolate shavings.

Tropical Fruit and Berry Smoothie

I found some really pretty and sweet smelling papaya at the Mexican Food Market near my house. Since I have never tasted, let alone cooked with papaya, I thought a smoothie would be a great way to introduce it into my kitchen! This smoothie is sweet and tangy and very refreshing! The best thing about smoothies is you can add any berries or fruit you have on hand and it will always be refreshing and satisfying.

Tropical Fruit and Berry Smoothie

1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup fat free yogurt, plain or vanilla
1/4 cup frozen roughly chopped papaya
1/4 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup frozen roughly chopped pineapple
1/4 cup frozen roughly chopped mango
1/2 to 1 tablespoon honey, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend, pulsing the machine if necessary, until smooth. Make sure the honey is dissolved. Top with fruit and serve immediately.

Spiced Yogurt Chicken

I was looking for a way to use up some of the fat free plain yogurt I had used to make smoothies. I decided that it would make the perfect base for a spicy marinade and sauce on some boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It's important to note that there is a definite difference between "spicy" and "hot." A lot of people use these terms interchangeably, but they can mean very different things. "Spicy" means that various spiced are used and/or combined to create new and unique flavors. Something that is spicy, may also be hot, but not necessarily. I consider this dish to be spicy, and slightly hot. You can make this dish hotter by adding more chipotle peppers or cayenne pepper to the marinade.



Spiced Yogurt Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. plain lowfat or fat free yogurt
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 Tb. All-Purpose spice blend
1 tsp ground cumin
1tsp. ground ginger
1tsp. onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 chipotle in adobo, chopped
1/4 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, optional

In extra large mixing bowl combine all ingredients but chicken and stir to combine. Reserve ¼ cup to top cooked chicken. Pound chicken breasts into even thickness across (about 1 or more in thickness) and add to marinate. Toss to combine and coat well, cover bowl tightly and place in fridge 4 hours and up to overnight. Turn heat of grill on high and preheat for 15 minutes. Turn down to medium low and place chicken on grill.

Cook until starting to brown and grill marks appear, about 5-8 minutes and flip. Cook breast side up until starting to brown and grill marks appear, about 10-12 minutes. Flip again to create alternating grill marks on breast side, until done (no more pink inside) about 10 more minutes. Remove from grill, place on platter. Top with reserved yogurt sauce.