The Making of Monkey Bread by Marnie L. Pehrson After spending a sleepless Friday night with a stomach virus, I awoke Saturday morning with about as much energy as a 100-year-old woman who just ran a marathon. Yet, there were four little mouths to feed and my oldest daughter, who sort-of knows how to cook, was at a friend's house. The thought of rising from my bed to cook breakfast was not an enjoyable one. I started to just tell them to eat cereal, but an idea came to me that would not only feed my children, but teach them a bit of responsibility. My 10-year-old son, Caleb, enjoys cooking. He's learned how to make homemade biscuits and grilled cheese sandwiches. So I asked him if he would like to make breakfast for everyone -- assuming I gave him instructions along the way. He was excited about the prospect, so we struck upon the idea of making what we call "Monkey Bread." We enlisted 8-year-old Joshua's help and set to work. First I had Caleb preheat the oven to 400 degrees while Joshua hunted for a round cake pan. I had them bring me the pan along with a can of non-stick cooking spray so that I could spray it. The last time I had a child spray a pan, they used up the rest of the can and left a soupy layer of grease. Next, they brought me a can of biscuits from the refrigerator. I peeled back the paper and let Josh pound the heck out of it on the counter. He thoroughly enjoyed this part, but what 8-year-old boy wouldn't? I instructed Joshua to cut the biscuits into four sections each using a butter knife while Caleb made a cinnamon sugar mixture: 4 tablespoons sugar to 1 teaspoon cinnamon. The cinnamon sugar went into a zip lock bag. The boys coated the biscuits in the sugar and placed them in the pan. I could hear them from my bedroom as they worked and relished in their accomplishments: ''From now on, we can make monkey bread and Mom won't have to" Joshua proudly stated. ''Yeah, I know how to make biscuits and grilled cheese sandwiches and now I can make monkey bread,'' added Caleb. Caleb slid the biscuits into the oven and set the timer for 10 minutes. As I lay there listening to my boys express such a sense of accomplishment in their newfound knowledge I thought to myself, ''This was worth a night of torment, just so that I could hear the joy in their voices as they reflected on their achievement.'' Too bad it took my total incapacitation before I was willing to delegate and to be patient enough to instruct. When the 10 minutes were up, I ventured from my bed long enough to make the powdered sugar glaze for the top. I had to, because I have no idea of the measurements to delegate that one to Caleb. It's a cereal bowl of powdered sugar, a drop of vanilla and enough water to turn it into a spread-able glaze. Caleb drizzled it over the top and it was some of the best Monkey Bread I ever ate. Give Monkey Bread a try with your kids. They'll love it and they'll have fun at the same time.

Good story Janis. thank ya ma'am~! :-) kath > The Making of Monkey Bread