Brown Sugar Chewy Bread

I didn't die!!! I am so very sorry it's been so long since I updated my blog. I have been crazy busy! I got to spend this past weekend with some of the greatest people on the planet...my camp friends! I went back to VJGC to work for the weekend. It was wonderful and the kids were awesome! But anyway, I am back at school and realizing just how ready I really am for spring break! I haven't been able to cook much (no kitchen) but today while eating at the Rot (for those of you who don't go to Liberty, that is our "cafeteria"), I got to eat these delicious blondies for dessert! They reminded me a lot of a recipe that my mom used to make a lot when I was growing up. Chewy Bread. It's a lot like a blondie but better.

Ingredients
1 box light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick butter (softened)
3 eggs
2 c. coarsely chopped pecans
2 c. self-rising flour

Directions
1) Mix the first four ingredients in a large bowl.
2) Add pecans.
3) Stir in flour a little at a time until a thick dough forms.
4) Press into a 9x12 pan.
5) Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
6) Cool, cut into squares.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

So, I wanted to blog about the best thing I ate today. First, I must start by saying that it took a lot to even get where we were going today. We had another blizzard and were stuck here all day in the dorm yesterday. It stunk. Hard. So today, we were determined to dig ourselves out of this hole and go somewhere. It took a LONG time to try to get Allison's car dug out, give up, and finally get my car to budge. It took a lot of elbow grease, time, girl-power, determination, and...(we might have had a little help from a nice man who pushed me out). But out we were! Finally free. We needed some sustenance after all that. La Carreta (our favorite Mexican restaurant) wasn't open...sad day so we went to Panera. Overwhelmed with the choices for pastries in this place, I asked the girl behind the counter what I her favorite was. I went with her suggestion (cranberry orange muffin) and didn't expect too much from it...I mean...it's a muffin. But Holy Moses!!! It was INCREDIBLE! I even went back up to the counter to tell the girl that she was my friend. :) Here's a clone recipe of the Panera Bread Cranberry Orange Muffin.

Ingredients
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cranberries
1 egg
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon grated orange rind


Directions
1) Combine dry ingredients
2) Stir in cranberries
3) Beat egg, orange juice, oil and orange rind
4) Add to dry ingredients all at once
5) Stir just to moisten
6) Spoon into greased muffin cups (fill 3/4 full)
7) Spring tops lightly with a bit of sugar
8) Bake 400F 15-20 mins til lightly browned and firm to the touch

Gorilla Bread

I think I am going to start calling this "Salvation Bread" because if you don't believe in God...you will after you try this. I swear this is the best breakfast you could possibly make. If you like monkey bread, think about that taste and then multiply that times about...7,849,563,749,572,323,648,594,389,926 and you might be getting closer to how good this stuff is. It has the same basic principle as monkey bread, bite sized pieces covered in cinnamon-sugar, baked in a bundt pan but that's not all...oh, no sir-ee. This has way more.



This recipe is similar to "cake balls" in no other way except creativity. You can be as creative as you want with this and make it with whatever kind of filling that suits your fancy at the time.



For the first go-round of this recipe, I made it for my friends, Allison and Jen. The original recipe calls for cream cheese filling. My version was made with banana and chocolate inside each of the bite-sized pieces...heaven on a plate. Seriously.

Ingredients
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-3 teaspoons cinnamon
-1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
-2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
-1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2) Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3) Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
4) In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside.
5) Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes.
6) Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar.
7) Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese.
8) Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan.
9) Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan.
10) Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts.
11) Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts.
12) Bake for 30 minutes.
13) Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.