We've Gone Ape

Remember how I mentioned I was trying to come up with all sorts of new things to feed my family in the mornings?

It's still going well.  No major complaints, except for quiche (Cael), Johnny Cakes (Landry), breakfast meat (Cael), German pancakes (me)... but seriously, it's going really well.

Then I hit a snag.  I didn't have any ideas for today and I didn't plan ahead last night, so come this morning, at 6:30, I was trying to decide what to make.  Then I remembered a Young Women's activity we had a couple of months ago.  So, I thanked the world for my friend Susan, and her friend Paula Deen, and we had Gorilla Bread - the ever-so-decadent cousin of Monkey Bread.

Do you have refrigerator rolls? Check.
Do you have cream cheese? Check.
Do you have sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter? Check, check, check and check.

(seriously, if you do not have these ingredients in your pantry/refrigerator I will cry for you)

In the time it took me to cook some eggs and bacon to accompany our centerpiece it was baked and ready to eat.  Perfect for a rainy (Yes, rainy!) Thursday school day.  Just like oatmeal, but so much better!

GORILLA BREAD
(Originally found here at Paula Deen)
italics indicate changes by me

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon (at our house we have a shaker full of cinnamon sugar, already mixed that I use)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8-oz) pkg. cream cheese
2 (12-oz) cans refrigerator rolls
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional, and at our house, never used...)

Preheat oven to 350°.  Spray bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. (today I used a 10-in. tart pan, because I wanted it flat instead of molded to cook faster, it worked great)

Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.  In a saucepan melt butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside.  Cut cream cheese into 20 equal cubes.  Press biscuit dough out, place cube of cheese and cinnamon sugar, wrapping and sealing cheese inside dough.  Layer biscuits, nuts and sauce.  (I simply wrap a cube of cheese inside a biscuit, lay them all out, sprinkle tops of wrapped biscuits with cinnamon sugar, then pour sauce over the entire thing.  It's alot easier and tastes the same...)


Bake for 30 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes.  Invert pan and serve.

Can I See Your Menu?

Do you guys cook from pre-made menus or just wing it? I was rolling more as a free spirit during the summer months, but I realized as we headed into the hectic time of year called school-time we needed to make some changes. 

So….menu time it is.

It helps my life in a lot of ways.  I mean, seriously, who loves to go to the grocery store?  With 3 year old twins? And grocery prices that are seriously crazy high? (this alone makes me long for Utah's low grocery prices, that and the cooler temperatures, and the rain, and the mountains...)

Yeah, not me either.

It’s a great way to save time and gas by planning ahead (gasp, yes) and only having to frequent the grocery store every week or so. 

Of course, we also decided to initiate the hot breakfast during the week routine my husband was raised with.  I am a cold cereal kind of gal, so that is a change for me.  But, after a week and a half of cooking a hot breakfast for my family, I’m convinced it’s a good practice I should have started years ago.  Now we have my beloved cold cereal on the weekends.

It’s expanded our old list of standby’s and the kids have been really good sports about it.  However, I did ad lib last night, because after cooking every day we had a fridge full of left-overs and no room for more.  Hence, the tradition of Wednesday leftovers started…

So, if you do a menu will you share some ideas? I’m anxious to see some new ideas, and I’d love for our menu to not be like the school menu with a four week rotating schedule!

Here's ours for the last/this/next weeks...

Wednesday: Cinnamon Rolls/Scrambled eggs/fruit

          Quesadillas/yogurt

          Fried Rice with veggies

Thursday:  Johnny cakes

         Sandwiches

         Chicken & corn enchiladas

Friday:    Egg/cheese/ham sandwiches

         Ramen w/ veggies

         BBQ ribs w/ corn on cob

Saturday:  Cereal w/ fruit

         Ravioli

         Tacos

Sunday: Cereal

       We eat at my in-laws every week, I took a veggie

Monday: Oatmeal

       Fried rice

       Dirty Beans

Tuesday: Hashbrown frittata

        Yogurt/fruit/crackers

        Chili Relleno casserole

Wednesday: French toast

          Sandwiches

          Leftovers

Thursday: Leftovers

        Mac 'n cheese

        Roast w/ mashed sweet potatoes

Friday: Quiche

      Sandwiches

      Pizza

Saturday: Cereal

        Ravioli (see a trend, I don't cook on Saturdays)

        Parmesan Tilapia

Sunday: Cereal

       I'm taking a dessert...any ideas?

Monday: Biscuits & Gravy

       Sandwiches

       Ranch chicken

Tuesday: German Pancakes

        yogurt/fruit/crackers

        Hawaiian chicken w/ rice