Categories
Food

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Monkey Bread

The recipe calls it “Breakfast Ring” but I’ve always heard it as Monkey Bread or Pull-Apart bread. However you call it~ its yummy!! My friend Kara made this last Saturday for our homecoming tailgate. It’s one of their favorite family recipes and I think now it’ll be one of mine! I’m planning to make this recipe again over Thanksgiving weekend. She used raisins instead of chocolate chips. I didn’t have any raisins so I used chocolate chips.
Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cans (12.4 oz. each) refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
1 pkg (4-serving size) vanilla pudding and pie filling mix (not instant)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1. Heat oven to 375. Using 1 Tbsp of the butter, generously butter 12-cup fluted tube pan. In small microwavable bowl, place remaining butter (I separated into two to make it easier to divide in over the layers). Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute, or until melted when stirred.
2. Cut each cinnamon roll in half crosswise. Place half of roll pieces in pan. (Mom’s Tip: Make sure the pieces are facing in the same direction.) Sprinkle with half of the pudding mix and half of the brown sugar. Drizzle with half of the melted butter. Repeat with remaining roll pieces, pudding mix, brown sugar and melted butter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. (Kara used raisins on both layers, instead of chocolate chips.)
3. Bake 24-28 minutes or until rolls are deep golden brown and dough appears done when slightly pulled apart. Cool in pan 2 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving platter. Cool 15 minutes. Microwave icing uncovered on High 10 seconds to soften. Drizzle over ring. Cut into wedges to serve.

Enjoy!

Categories
Everything Else Food

NCSU v Maryland (Chi O Homecoming)

We had a great time last Saturday with a bunch of my sisters tailgating before the game then watching the Pack win!! We were a little worried there at the end but then so glad they pulled out the W!! I made thanksgiving Pillsbury cookies (which looked like lil VT hokie cookies) and Trader Joe’s pumpkin muffins (with cransins). I think both went over well. Here’s a few pictures from tailgating. The top is all the Chi Omegas there at that point; I think I few others came & went. The bottom is my rencent favorite picture of Jason & I.

Categories
Food

Trader Joe’s!

Not sure if I’ve mentioned Trader Joe’s much on here but I love it! The new Raleigh store opened last Friday right near Costco (maybe 2nd favorite place to grocery shop) and only 10 mins from us. The Cary TJ’s was more like 30 minutes. I’d usually try to stock up whenever I was in Cary, but now I don’t have to!!!! I went tonight to check it out, get dinner for myself, things to take for lunches this week, and few of my TJ’s staples (frozen fruit, hummus, pizza dough & sauce, wine, pretzel chips, bananas). $82 later; I had all that plus lots more. 4 packed bags full in fact! I plan to try out their pumpkin muffins for this weekends tailgate, the pumpkin pancake mix sounded yummy for Sunday breakfast, got bagels to eat with the Apple Butter wedding favor from 2 weekends ago, the super friendly check out guy told me I HAD to get the maple cookies, etc etc. I’m a sucker for deals on great food. I’ll post later if any new items I got should be recommended. 🙂

Categories
Food

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels

Two weeks ago at Chi O Alum dinner club the hostess, Lauren, made these for her Fall Favorite theme. They were so awesome that we requested the recipe! Beth made them for the party last night and they were a hit again! I hope to make them soon~ maybe for dinner?! or as a Thanksgiving weekend appetizer.

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels Recipe:

1 (6 ounce) package sweetened dried cranberries (chopped)

1 (250 g) container spreadable cream cheese

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped green onions

4 large flour tortillas or wheat flour tortillas

chopped nuts (used about 1/2 cup chopped walnuts)

*Lauren & Beth also added some deli turkey meat, after the filling is made she just put some turkey slices on top before rolling them up*

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except tortillas (and turkey), mix well.

2. Divide and spread mixture evenly among tortillas.

3. Roll up tightly, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.

4. To serve cut into 12 slices.

Enjoy!

Categories
Everything Else

Halloween ’09

Before I forget, I wanted to make a quick post about last night. Last year Jason went to work dressed as an office zombie and it was a big hit. Our friends Beth & Dave decided to have a Halloween party this year with costumes required/encouraged! Jason thought of bringing back the zombie idea. After seeing Zombieland recently and not really having any other or better ideas I thought why not?! Most of our other friends were sticking with couple theme; Ellen & Clark Griswald, Cousin Eddie, Cow & Got Milk, etc. Jason thought it would be funnier if one of us was a zombie and the other a zombie catcher/killer. He researched it and thought he could pretty easily be Shaun from Shaun of the Dead, as zombie movie I haven’t seen. So we ran around yesterday getting white face makeup, black hair dye, black lipstick, fake blood, ripped a jacket from Goodwill & an old black skirt & white shirt for me. Jason cut & bloodied up an old dress shirt of his and trimmed his facial hair into a goatee. He also made a cricket bat & name tag like Shaun has in the movie. I think it worked out well. I definitely freaked myself out when I’d see myself in a mirror last night! And UPDATE, when I saw the pictures I wondered why no one told me I looked that BAD! Next year I wanna be something cute!!!
Beth & Dave did a great job with the food & beverages. I think everyone had a great time last night. We saw them at Bojangles this AM if you know what I mean!! 🙂