Off to a Good Start

For the first Fordeville breakfast of 2011, we done good.  Two words: Monkey Bread. 

(For foodie blogs and multi-course New Year’s Day brunch ideas, see Google.) 

Anyway, this is Year Two in what I am determined to make an ongoing and gooey New Year’s Day tradition (you know, for the kids…).  I don’t normally bake up a diabetic trigger cake for breakfast, so we’ll put this under the special and rare occasion category.  It’s also not bad for a hangover. I don’t happen to have one this year but, you know, it’s always good to be prepared for such a predicament on New Year’s Day.

Monkey bread is super easy. And super good for you (I’m absolutely lying). If you’ve never participated in the corruption of crescent rolls like this, you’re missing out (no lie).

Even if it does look kind of like a human brain. 

And, yeah, that’s a rubber wine stopper left over from last night in the back of the photo.  And an Elmo book.  Add in the monkey bread and we’ve got the trifecta of domesticated bliss.

So, if you haven’t gone on a diet for 2011, here’s the recipe.

• Pre-heat oven to 350.
• Spray a bundt pan with Pam (Am I the only one who has that Big Fat Greek Wedding moment whenever a bundt pan is introduced into conversation?).
• Mix in a large ziploc bag:  1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
• In a small saucepan, stir together over low flame:  1 stick butter (told you it was good for you),  1 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Cut in quarters:  Four cans of refrigerated biscuits.
• Place the cut biscuit pieces in the ziploc bag and shake with sugar and cinnamon until fully blended.  This is the part the kids love.  Just make sure that bag is sealed.  (Aside: I’m told that raisins or nuts can be added to the bag but it’s not my thing.  I try to sneak in semi-sweet chocolate chips sometimes for that extra non-healthy punch, but P protests.  Just saying, worth thinking about.)
• Arrange cut biscuits in the bundt pan.
• Heat butter, sugar and vanilla until just bubbling.  Pour over biscuits.  Bake 30 minutes.  When done invert immediately onto raised sided dish.
• Go jogging.  Far and fast.