Bex Famous Monkey Loaf

I made this Delicious little Jewel for the 1st time over 15 years ago...And it was Instantly LOVED by Everyone and given it's Very Odd Name by my Best Friend, Tara.  She named it due to the fact that she could not identify what it was,  so she just made one up. 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 lb thinly sliced provolone cheese 

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 jar of prepared basil pesto (Classico Brand)

1/2 jar of prepared sun dried tomato pesto  (Classico Brand)

1 large garlic clove - mashed & finely minced

Also needed:

Saran wrap

Mini loaf pan (or small bowl)

Directions:
-Line the loaf pan (or bowl) with long pieces of Saran wrap.
-Let the cream cheese set out to become room temperature.

-Mash & finely dice garlic.
-Mix garlic into the softened cream cheese- set aside.
-Line the loaf pan with the slices of Provolone cheese, starting with the bottom and continuing up all the sides, overlapping the pieces of cheese, as this will be the outside shell of your Monkey Loaf -
making sure to have the Provolone Cheese hang over the sides (at least 1&1/2 to 2 inches.
-Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the Provolone cheese shell 1st.
-Next spoon 1/2 of the jar of the Sun Dried Tomato pesto on top of the cream cheese mixture.
-Then spoon the Basil Pesto allover, careful not to mix the layers.
-Layer some Provolone cheese along the top and then start to fold the rest of the Provolone cheese up in order to close up the top.
-Fold the Saran wrap up over the top of the entire thing to completely wrap up the loaf.
-Place in frig overnight so that it has enough time set up.

To serve:
-Invert the Monkey Loaf onto a serving plate and peel off the plastic wrap
-Use a spreader to slice and serve with crackers...and Enjoy!!

Eggs in a Basket

This is a wonderful recipe that I made for an Easter Brunch, but these would be delicious really anytime of day and are a great quick breakfast anytime! You can make a batch of them during the weekend when you have time and then they can be frozen as well as refrigerated so that you can simply pop into the microwave for a few seconds and have a delicious breakfast on the go!!
I hope you Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 bag shredded hashbrowns (if using frozen then thaw overnight in refrigerator)

1 doz eggs

1 c. milk

8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

12 oz. pkg. bacon

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

2 muffin tins

Canola Spray

What to Do:

Pre Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin pans with canola spray.

Press the thawed hashbrowns into the muffin tins up against the sides, as to make a nest.

Bake the hashbrowns for 15 minutes until the edges just start to turn light brown.

You can bake these as far as the day before and cover and fill the next day with egg mixture, or this step can be done the same day.

Cut up the bacon into pieces and cook over medium/high heat until cooked & browned.  

After bacon is cooked, place onto a plate lined with a paper towel to drain away excess grease.

Beat together the eggs, milk and salt & pepper.

Pour the egg mixture into the browned hashbrown cups.

Sprinkle bacon pieces on top of egg mixture.

Sprinkle cheese on top of bacon & egg mixture.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until eggs have risen and cooked through.

Let rest for about 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the muffin tins.

Sweet Potato Crunch

Sweet Potato Crunch Casserole

This is a Wonderful Holiday Casserole and a must try for any time you make a delicious ham!!

My friend, Teresa makes this every year for our Big Thanksgiving dinner and Everyone just loves it!!

It is just the right amount of sweet to go with the savory smokey ham but anyone that likes sweet potatoes will love this yummy casserole.

Ingredients:

3 c. mashed sweet potatoes

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter 

2 eggs beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 c. milk

Topping Ingredients:

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. flour

1/3 c. butter softened

1 c. chopped nuts

PreHeat oven to 350 degrees.  

Mix sweet potatoes, sugar, butter, beaten eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and milk together, (you can use a hand mixer to quickly do this).  

Put mixture into a 13x9 baking dish, no need to grease the pan because of the butter in the mixture.

Mix the ingredients for the topping until crumbly and sprinkle all over the top of the casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-35 minutes.

I hope you Enjoy!!

Bodacious Broccoli Slaw

Bodacious Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients:

2 pkgs of Ramen Noodles in Oriental flavor 

3/4 stick of butter

1/4 c slivered almonds

2 bags broccoli slaw mix 

1/4 sunflower  seeds

chopped green onion, for garnish

Dressing Ingredients:

3/4 c oil

1/4 c brown sugar (can substitute white sugar)

1/4 c apple cider vinegar

1 packet of Oriental Ramen seasoning

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.  Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium/low heat. Crush up the Ramen noodles and toss into the melted butter as well as the slivered almonds and sunflower seeds to toast, stir occasionally so they do not burn. 

Put the broccoli mix in a large bowl and toss together with the toasted Ramen noodles, slivered almonds and sunflower seeds.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.  Garnish with the green onions.

I hope You Enjoy!!

Apple Coleslaw

This recipe comes from my good friend Teresa, aka T.  The first time she ever brought it over to my house everyone went absolutely crazy for it, and it is by far one of my favorite coleslaw recipes EVER!!

Ingredients:

          

3 c. shredded cabbage                              

1 1/2 c finely chopped apple

Dressing:

1 Tbls celery seed

1 Tbls grated onion

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

4 Tbls cider vinegar

1 c oil

Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.

Finely shred the cabbage and finely chop the apple.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage and apple mixture and toss together.  

The longer the mixture sets the better it gets!!!

I hope you Enjoy!!

Bex's Savory Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Bex's Savory Stuffed Mushrooms

I just made these for a friends annual Holiday Cocktail Party and Everyone just loved them!!  They are super easy to make and I made the stuffing beforehand and just assembled at her house and cooked them there, but these can totally be made in advance and are just as good served at room temperature as they are served warm.   I used a Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage but any kind of Sausage would work for this recipe and the next time I make them I'm going to use a nice Spicy Sausage to give them a bit of kick!!

I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

2- 16 oz packages of White Button Mushrooms

1 lb Italian Sausage 

1 Sweet Onion - finely chopped

2 Garlic Cloves - finely minced

1 c Panko Bread Crumbs

1 c Parmesan Cheese

4-5 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Large Pinch of Kosher Salt

5-6 Grinds of Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:

Prepare the mushrooms by plucking the stems off and place the caps aside to fill later,  the stems need to be finely chopped and will be added to the sausage when it cooks.    

Brown the sausage on medium high heat in a non-stick saute pan along with the chopped up mushrooms stems, onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce as well as the salt & pepper.  

Take mixture off of the heat and put into a large enough bowl to mix in the other ingredients of the Panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

Mixture ready to be stuffed into the mushroom caps at this point but also can be refrigerated overnight if necessary and used later (don't wait too long though as the mushroom caps will start to wilt).

After stuffing the mixture into the mushroom caps, place them onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 

375 degrees for 8-12 minutes (time will vary depending on how big the mushroom caps are - just check them after the first 8 minutes and you'll know if they need more time or not.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick softened butter

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

2 eggs  (best to use room temperature eggs when baking)

1 1/2 c AP Flour

2 c oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 c milk

1/2 tsp vanilla (or almond extract)

dash fresh nutmeg

1 1/2c raisins (or dried cranberries or dried cherries)

Makes 3-4 doz.

Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees

Use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugars, add eggs one @ a time until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking powder and stir together.

Add the raisins (or whichever dried fruit you are using) into the dry mixture and toss together.

Alternating with the milk, add the dry mixture to batter by hand a little at a time. Stir in vanilla.

Drop by teaspoonfuls about 1 1/2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or spray cooking spray on the cookie sheet).

Bake 10-12 minutes.  Cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet before moving onto wire rack to cool completely.