Crazy Good Monkey Bread!

If you are looking for something seriously delicious to serve on Christmas morning...or any morning really...then look no further. The below recipe, Crazy Good Monkey Bread, is basically what would happen if a doughnut hole met a cinnamon roll, put a ring on it, and had a baby! Be prepared to get addicted and to spend an extra, well worth it, 15 minutes on the elliptical. 

Super Bowl Munchies!

Broncos Versus Seahawks! 

"Who's hosting and what are we eating?"

Whether your team is in the bowl or not you likely will have a spot in front of the TV this Sunday...even if it is just for the company, food, commercials and half time show. 

Below are five recipes that I will be serving my friends and family as we cheer on our team! 

*All recipes are created by Jenna unless stated otherwise! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

1) Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños:

I came up with this recipe about 8 years ago for a group of jalapeño loving friends and have been making it ever since (they don’t really give me a choice). I have tweaked it a bit over the years in order to simplify the process but keep the same great taste.  

Prep Time: 25-60 Minutes (depends how many jalapeños you plan on cleaning out)
Cook Time: 20-25 Minutes on 350 degrees 

What you will need:

Jalapeños
Cream Cheese
Bacon
Cilantro
Boysenberry Jam
Teriyaki Sauce

Let's Get Started:

1) Half the jalapeños and clean out the seeds (the seeds and the oils are what make these little guys spicy so do not scrape the seeds out with your finger and if you do more than 10 jalapenos I suggest even wearing gloves. Oh, and do not touch your eyes!) I use a grapefruit spoon to clean the peppers out.

2) Place a piece of cilantro in the emptied out pepper. Then fill with cream cheese. Don't be shy...fill it up. 

3) Next add another little sprig of cilantro. I love cilantro! 

4) Next is the weird and completely random step (1 of 2 anyway). Drizzle with teriyaki sauce (I prefer Veri Veri) and I do mean just drizzle. I just dip a knife in the sauce and drip it over the peppers...it can get a little messy.

5) Now, wrap it up in bacon and bake! 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the bacon looks nice and brown.

6) Let cool and garnish with cilantro and boysenberry jam ( the second random ingredients. Heat the jam so it is a little runny and easy to drizzle on) as little or as much as you prefer. 

The sweet jam is the perfect match for this spicy and savory treat!

Challa Bread!

I love carbs!!!!!

All recipes are created by Jenna unless stated otherwise! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

I literally crave carbs and there is nothing better than a homemade loaf of bread right out of the oven. The aroma that fills the room suddenly transforms your house into a home. Takes me right back to when my Grandma Mavis would come to visit. I loved coming home from school to that smell. It feels like yesterday. She really knew how to make a mean loaf of bread.

Challa bread, also known as egg bread, has that same great smell and that same great fresh bread taste only it is dense (because of the eggs) a trait in which I have really grown to appreciate and crave.

The first time I made challa bread was the first Hanukkah my now husband and I were together. We had been dating about 3 months and I really wanted to impress him. I wasn’t sure what I was doing but I figured it was just like bread with a little extra goodies here and there and I totally winged it…and I totally impressed him…win!

The second time I “made” challa bread I learned the importance the temperature of the water makes in order to make the dough rise. Not too hot folks…trust me…we ended up enjoying my new pretzel recipe instead. The dough was super dense!

By the third time I was a master and finally getting some good use out of our Kitchen Aid.

Below is my recipe and a few pictures to help you along as you prepare for your next Shabbat dinner, Jewish Holiday or just because you love bread like I do!

Makes 2 Loafs 

Prep-Time: 1 hour (not counting rise time)

Rise Time: About 3 Hours

Bake-Time: 40 minute 

Cool-Time: 1 Hour

What you will need:

2 ½ cups warm water, not boiling, (too hot is what turned mine into pretzels. I used the hot water tap we have built into on our sink…oops.)

1 tbsp active dry yeast

½ cup honey or to taste

Occasionally I will put about 1/3 cup molasses too (if you’re up for it you should try it)

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 eggs (or 3 if you want to whisk one & brush on top of the loaf to make it pretty…I usually skip this part just because we have a lot of egg sensitivity in my family so the less egg the better)

1 tbsp salt

8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (this will end up being more like 12 cups…don’t be afraid to keep adding if the dough is too sticky)

*Sometimes I add raisins if I want something sweeter or sliced kalamata olives if I want something savory but really I don’t think it needs either. Up to you...with this recipe you can get creative. 

Let's get started:

1) In a large bowl (I use our kitchen aid) sprinkle 1 tbsp yeast over 2 ½ cups warm water. Beat in honey, oil, 2 eggs and salt.

2) Add flour, 1 cup at a time, continuing to beat or stir as you do so. Once dough is too thick to beat with kitchen aid or other tool then switch to kneading with hands.