Monkey bread easy, tasty

Dear Heloise: I have misplaced your recipe for that deliciously easy MONKEY BREAD. I would greatly appreciate your reprinting this recipe for me. — Pat M., via e-mail

Pat, this Heloise Central and reader favorite is so easy and tasty! You will need:

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc.)

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 (12-ounce) cans buttermilk biscuits

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Coat the inside of a tube pan with fluted sides using cooking spray or butter. Melt the margarine in a small pot or bowl and then mix the sugar, nuts and cinnamon in a separate bowl.

Open 1 can of biscuits, separate and cut each into 4 sections. Roll each into a ball and then put into the sugar mixture to coat. Place the balls in the pan in a single layer, drizzle a little melted butter or margarine evenly over the top, then do the same with the other 2 cans of biscuits.

Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the top and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Be sure to let cool for a minute or two before turning the bread onto a large plate and carefully removing the pan. Watch out, because the yummy goo will be hot. If you leave the monkey bread in the pan much longer, it will stick and be hard to remove. — Heloise

Dear Heloise: I have the perfect way of keeping celery and head lettuce fresh and crisp for a long time. Trim the cut end (root end). Place a wet paper towel, folded into a square, over the cut end. Put into a plastic bag and place into the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. If the item, particularly lettuce, has a lot of moisture on the surface, I sometimes wrap a dry paper towel around it. — Martha, Versailles, Ky.

Dear Heloise: Cooking for two can get boring, so I always cook in big quantities and freeze leftovers to serve two people. That way, I have my choice of mashed, fried, boiled or twice-baked potatoes, wild rice or rice pilaf, corn off the cob, crisp summer green/waxed beans, etc., to go with grilled chicken breasts, pork, beef or lamb roasts, all from the freezer. Pasta doesn't freeze well, but lasagna and manicotti do.

Most weeks, I cook only once or twice when I want to serve a steak or fried pork chops. — Jane M. Scanlon, Rochester, Minn.

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