I don't have a picture of these to put up with this post at the moment but so many people have asked me what Monkey Bars are that I have to share. I made these for the first time over the summer for my husband to take camping. I thought they were really good and light tasting. Perfect little snack or breakfast.

Monkey Bars
from Woman's Day September 2010

1 2/3 Cups Mashed Ripe Bananas (about 5 bananas)
3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Oil
1/4 Cup Milk
2 Large Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 3/4 Cups Flour
1 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15 x 10 baking pan with nonstick foil letting the foil extend about 2 inches above the pan at both ends.,

Whisk mashed banana, sugar, oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl until mixed thoroughly. Whisk in flour just until blended gently stir in 1/2 cup of the mini chocolate chips.

Spread batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Holding foil by ends, left from pan onto a cutting board. Carefully cut lengthwise in 4 strips and then cut each strip in 10; remove foil.

Eat and enjoy! I have frozen these and they seem to hold up well.

I know this isn't the best picture but when the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven at 9:30 PM you don't get the best light. These cinnamon rolls, however, were the best tasting rolls I have ever made.

I whipped these up for my husband and his friends to take camping and wasn't planning to eat one. When they came out of the oven all gooey and fresh with frosting dripping into every little crevice I couldn't resist.

The recipe is from All Recipes.com and is called Clone of a Cinnabon. The name says it all and they are definitely right on with the Cinnabon taste. My husband and I were both shocked at how similar they were. They immediately won a place in my "binder of favorites" and I plan to make them for special occasions only because they are dangerously good.

If you are looking for a killer cinnamon roll recipe give this one a try and you will not be disappointed.

Over the weekend the weather was hot and our house was hot. I didn't want to heat anything up so I decided to make crepes. It has been a while since I made crepes but they are one of my favorite breakfast foods. I have an old Better Homes and Gardens Crepes Cookbook from 1976 that I got my recipe from. The recipe started with pancake mix....super easy! They turned out delicious and the leftovers have held up in the fridge well. I served leftover crepes with jam for breakfast this morning.

Pancake Mix Crepes

1 Cup Pancake Mix
1 1/4 Cups Milk
2 Eggs
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cooking Oil

Combine all ingredients in bowl and beat with a rotary beater till blended. Heat a lightly greased 6-inch skillet. Remove from heat. Spoon in 2 tablespoons batter; lift and tilt skillet to spread batter evenly. Return to heat and brown. The cookbook says to only brown once side but I ended up doing both sides. I also found it worked best when I used cooking spray between each batch.

We ate ours with sliced mango, strawberries, and powdered sugar. Yum!

The first time I made these was in 2007. It was just after I got married, I wasn't working, and I liked to make a nice sit down breakfast on Saturday mornings to share with my new hubby. I saw this on an episode of Good Eats on the Food Network and it looked so good.

Fast forward to today I still make these and I love them because I can mix them up the day before and make them in the morning while I get ready. I even timed it right so I can make them on a work day! Can you believe it?!? Warm, fresh cinnamon rolls before heading to work! It makes for a great day.

The only adjustment I make to Alton Brown's perfection is I cook mine 5 minutes less than he says. I like my cinnamon rolls to be a little doughy on the inside.

Next on my list to try is copycat Cinnabon rolls. Yum-O!

Usually when I search for new recipes online it is because I have something in my fridge that needs to be used up like the half and half a couple weeks ago. This time what was in my fridge was a little bit of applesauce.

I had opened my Grandma's home canned applesauce for pork chops and we ate most of the jar but the little bit on the bottom was going begging. I hate to waste food so I searched on All Recipes.com and found this recipe for Applesauce Pancakes. They were yummy with a hint of sweetness from the applesauce. They were also easy enough that I could whip up a batch before I went to work. Perfect!

Applesauce Pancakes
from All Recipes.com

2 Cups Pancake Mix
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 Eggs
1 Cup Applesauce
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Milk

In a large bowl, stir together pancake mix and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the pancake mix. Add the eggs, applesauce, lemon juice and milk; stir until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both side and serve hot.

A week ago we went to a downtown restaurant that is known for it's "Chicken and Waffles". I have always heard about this but have never given it a try. The chicken had a sweet glaze over it and the waffle seemed to have a light syrup taste. It was served with mustard on the side. Overall it was just OK. Nothing I would write home to Mom about but blog worthy because its so interesting! Does anyone have any good southern recipes like this that we should try?

There has been a package of refrigerated biscuit dough looming over me in the fridge. It never seems to fit a meal that I am making and I knew it was getting past its prime. Each time I opened the fridge to get something I would see it in there begging to be used before it had to be thrown away. Last night after all of our Mother's Day festivities I pulled out a recipe for Easy Doughnuts and got busy.

If you know me I NEVER fry. I think there is one other thing I have fried and it was an accident (I started a recipe and was too far into it when I discovered something had to be fried to turn back). So this was very out of character for me. It turned out to be a lot of fun and I was so impressed with myself I had to call my parents over to try them. Everyone thought they were yummy and I was happy I didn't burn the house down.

If you want to try homemade doughnuts I think this is possibly the easiest way to do it. Good luck!


Easy Doughnuts (from Real Simple May 2007)
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Package Large Refrigerated Biscuits
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a medium skillet over medium low heat. Place the biscuits on a cutting board. Using a 1 inch round cookie cutter or shot glass, cut a hole in the center of each biscuit, reserving the extra dough for "holes."

Test the heat of the oil by dipping the edge of a doughnut in the pan. When the oil is hot enough, the edge will bubble. Place 4 of the doughnuts and holes in the skillet and fry until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/5 minuets per side. Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate to drain. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, reheat and cook the remaining doughnuts and holes. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Gently toss the warm doughnuts in the mixture a few at a time. Serve warm.

Last night I made a Stuffed French Toast form MyRecipes.com. I thought it would be nice to make and then take over to my fiance's house so that he could have warm breakfast leftover for his busy work week. The recipe was exactly as the reviews on the site had said, a little too runny but fixable by using 3/4 the amount of liquids. Although runny, the taste was fine. Even so, I think I am going to be asking for my Grandmother's recipe since she makes a similar one for Easter. I will post her recipe once I have time to try a round two.

If you would like try this one, click here. Tell me what you think...

Our family goes to the beach every summer for a one week getaway. It is all my aunts, uncles, cousins, my grandparents, parents, etc. Every year my Grandma makes pancakes one morning for breakfast. They are the best pancakes ever! They are flatter than pancakes made with a mix and she puts a little butter in the pan so the edges are crispy. Served with warm maple syrup....MMMM! What could be better??

Grandma's Pancakes
1 Cup Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Large Egg Beaten
1 Cup Milk
2 Teaspoon Unsalted Butter

Mix all the ingredients together. Melt a small portion of butter in a warm frying pan to lightly coat the surface area. Pour in pancakes to desired size. Cook as usual. Serve warm with syrup. You will not be disappointed.

Over the weekend we found out that my fiance is an excellent french toast maker. He made it for dinner on Thursday night and I think he has made it about 4 more times since then. He is so proud of this discovery that when I brought up the blog he wanted his food to be posted! When we went to the store last night he even bought cinnamon swirl bread for future french toast. I think it is so sweet of him to be so excited and want to cook for me. I am so thankful.

The recipe is just your traditional french toast. You have your white bread, eggs, milk and finally what he said was his secret ingredient...lots of cinnamon : )

Some time ago I tore a recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes out of a Martha Stewart magazine. I have made them several times so far and they are so so so good! I have even made them for friends when we vacationed together last fall and they loved them too. They have just the right hint of pumpkin and spice to be amazing. Martha got these 100% right. Try them soon before the "pumpkin" season is over.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/4 Cups Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
Pinch of Cloves
1 Cup Milk
6 Tablespoons Canned Pumpkin Puree
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter -Plus more for baking
1 Egg

Whisk together the first 6 ingredients (through cloves). In a separate bowl stir together the remaining 4 ingredients. Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat; pour 1/2 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup. Make 8-10.




Now a note about the syrup. When I was in Canada back in September I purchased a bottle of ridiculously expensive maple syrup. We tried it for the first time on these pancakes and I can't even describe to you how good it was. The best syrup I have ever put in my mouth. It tasted so fresh and delicate. Not overpowering, not super sweet, just amazing! I am not sure what I will do once this bottle is gone.

I have decided that I want to make a warm breakfast for my husband before work at least twice a week. With this in mind, I have been searching for easy ways to make this happen. I love the blog, Lynn's Kitchen Adventures and on it I saw this recipe for Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal. I gave it a try since we have tons of oats and peanut butter and my husband loved it. I always ask him if the breakfast kept him full and focused. This one got a big thumbs up.