Monkey Rolls

This was the name that my kids gave this tasty and easy breakfast treat that Mom would often make for us on cold winter mornings. I thought it was such a cute name that Mary and I now also refer to them as "Monkey Sweet Rolls".

Ingredients:
- 1 large can of refrigerated Biscuits (8 count)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp of butter
- ½ cup raisins

Directions:
- Heat over to lowest setting (warm)
- Drop two pads of butter (1-2 tablespoons)in an 8" round cake pan
- Place pan in oven until butter has melted; remove from oven.
- Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- Using an oven mitt (or bare hands for those with thick calluses) tilt pan back and forth to allow butter to coat surface.
- While still hot, sprinkle generous amounts of brown sugar over the bottom of pan.
- Drop raisins evenly across the thin butter/brown sugar base.
- Add the biscuits last, placing them evenly. They should perfectly fill the pan.
- Cook in oven for 15 - 17 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 3 minutes.
- Grab a large plate, turn the pan over, and give it a good quick shake.
- The sweet rolls will drop to the plate upside-down, with the sweet goodness on top!

NOTE: When Mom makes these, she usually uses 2 tins of the smaller biscuits (10 count) which is perfectly fine, although you will need two pans to cook them all. They are better for smaller mouths, and sweeter too since the raisin/sugar/butter mixture is more concentrated for them.

The amounts I gave are approximations, so feel free to adjust them based on your own personal tastes and cravings! :-)

One last note... if you have young children, let them watch you drop the biscuits onto the plate. It's a magical experience when they get to see what was hiding on the bottom!

Mary's Crescent Rolls / Sweet Rolls

For all of you who have waited long for this recipe... it is finally here! Mary's famous roll recipe! Actually, it originated from her grandmother, Helen Mitchell, whom passed it down to Mary. Apparently the original recipe came down through the echelons of the Relief Society before that. Now it is preserved in the Monson Family Kitchen blog, and will hopefully be a future part of a Monson family cookbook! This recipe has been a family favorite for decades, baked for many a year by Mary's grandmother, and enjoyed by the Mitchell family since before Mary was born. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to this fantastic recipe during my first Mitchell Thanksgiving Dinner, at Mary's grandmother's house, while I was still dating my sweetheart. Mary picked up the recipe soon thereafter, and she quickly perfected the art of baking these scrumptious rolls! If you haven't been lucky enough to taste them, look no further than this recipe! Crescent rolls don't get any better than these! Yield: 2 dozen Ingredients: - Yeast Start (1 Tbsp yeast, ¼ cup water, a pinch of sugar) - 3/8 cup sugar - 3/8 cup vegetable oil - 1½ tsp. salt - 1 cup hot water - 1 large egg - 4¼ cups unbleached white flour - 1/3 cup powdered milk (optional) Directions: - Prepare yeast start in its own small bowl. (sprinkle pinch of sugar over yeast) - In your main mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil, salt, and hot water. - In a separate bowl, combine flour and powdered milk. - Combine half of the flour mixture into the sugar mixture; mix until blended. - Add egg and yeast start. Mix together. - While mixing, add remaining flour in ½ cup increments. - Let dough rise for 1 hour. Knead dough to work the bubbles out, and divide in half. - Roll each half into a circle. Use a pizza cutter to divide into 12 equal slices. - Roll each slice (gently with fingers) into a crescent shape, starting at fat end. - Place on greased cookie sheet. Let rise 30 minutes more. - Cook for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cool. Note: This is a very versatile recipe, and can also be used to make cinnamon rolls, scones, breadsticks, and delicious pizza dough! Another Note: These rolls stand perfectly well on their own merits. But if you really want a rich experience, try slathering them with butter! Especially while hot!

Quick and Yeast-Free Soft Breadsticks

This recipe comes from an old church cookbook and are yeast free (for those of us too lazy to buy yeast or just sometimes are too afraid of the little buggers and just lie with the first reason). They are lovely alongside a bowl of baked potato soup!

1 - 1/2 cups flour (sometimes more if really gooey and hard to work with)
2 tsp sugar
1 - 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 milk
3 TBSP butter or margarine, melted

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add milk slowly and stir to form a soft dough. On a floured surface (a cutting board or counter top) knead the dough gently 3-4 times.

Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by pouring in the 3 TBSP melted butter. Place the dough in the middle of the dish and press it into a rectangle shape (NOT to the edges of the dish, mind you) a little less than 1/2 inch thick or so. Brush some of the excess butter that you'll see on the sides over the top of the dough. Cut into breadsticks however you like with a pizza cutter and sprinkle with cheese such as Parmesan (a little more, more, MORE! You can't go wrong with more cheese).

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown (keep an eye on them). These are best served warm on the side of a creamy soup or spaghetti.

Banana Bread

1 c. sugar 

2 eggs 

3 mashed bananas

3 T. sour milk 

1/2 T. salt 

1 T. soda 

2 1/2 c. flour 

1/2 c. melted shortening 

1 c. broken nuts 

Mix contents in order. Let stand in greased loaf pan for 20 minutes. Bake 40 minutes at 350º.