The one thing I can tell you with great certainty, at least as of late, is that my life is never boring. Not that I ever questioned that or anything, it’s just… well, lately so many nutty things have gone on, that it just seems that sometimes I need my life to be more boring.
Let’s start with the Tornadoes in St. Charles, Missouri on Friday night. Those tornadoes were in my neck of the woods. That neighborhood that was destroyed? 5 minutes from my house. I realized how lucky and blessed we were to wake up Saturday morning, see the damage and know that other than a few small branches in the yard, we were untouched.
Then there was Saturday night. Last night, when you’re reading this. It’s currently 2:30am and the only reason I am still awake is because my first paragraph to this post, was how excited and happy I was to be hosting this week’s SundaySupper. But you see, technically I’m not. Hosting , that is. At least not anymore.
After the tornadoes Friday night, our Family Arena was heavily damaged and my two oldest teenagers graduation was cancelled and then rescheduled for Sunday night, at… the exact time SundaySupper starts. How convenient. So that was the first hurdle we got over. Then I had our questions. I was so out of sorts seeing the damage from the tornado and checking on family, that I didn’t get them posted. So I sent what I had to my awesome friend Melanie, who added the last few and posted them for me Saturday morning.
Then there is a bunch of other stuff that happened, and then we get to why I’m still up at 2:30 in the morning.
Saturday evening, we get a call from the leader of my daughter’s youth corps. that she had gone down in a parade they were doing and that there were tons of paramedics and firefighters trying to work on her. It was an hour and a half after we had left her there. So we had JUST gotten home (in fact we weren’t all the way home yet) and we get the call. Did I happen to mention it was in Illinois? Not in Missouri where I live?
My friend Jen just said, continue home, I’ll call you if it gets worse. They think she’ll be fine. Only she wasn’t fine. About 30 minutes later I get a call that none of her vitals are coming back and they are getting concerned. So they are taking her to a nearby hospital in another town. This was better for me, because driving it only took an hour to get back (not the hour and a half to get to the event), but seriously -that was not supposed to be my Saturday night and she missed out on her event for tomorrow, because like any good mom – I made her come home. She’s fine by the way after a liter of fluids once she did get to the hospital. But the horror stories I heard about her condition BEFORE the hospital make my heart hurt. Anyway, so I’m hosting SundaySupper, but kinda not. Forgive me. It’s almost 3am and I can’t think. But hey, I’m home. And my bed is calling me. And … well, I definitely need sleep at this point.
ANYWAY….
This recipe came to us one afternoon when we had a plethora of Strawberries from the garden and we’d just picked up several pints of blueberries from a roadside stand (we’re growing blueberries but they aren’t quite ready yet – close.. but not yet). My kids love to make monkey bread and we just combined the idea together with the berries and decided to wrap the berries in there with some cream cheese and well… this was born. It’s ridiculously easy. Honestly. Just time consuming. But oh so worth every berry moment of it at the end. Trust me.
Strawberry Blueberry Stuffed Monkey Bread
A twist on the classic monkey bread recipe, this stuffed version is full of sweet summer berry flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 cans of biscuits
- 1 cup of sugar
- zest of two lemons
- 1 cup of chopped strawberries
- 1 cup of blueberries
- 1 8 oz. pkg. of cream cheese
- berries and whipped cream for decorating, totally optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt cake pan with cooking spray or shortening. Don't forget to grease the tube part too.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and the lemon zest.
- Separate all the biscuits and then cut each biscuit circle in half.
- Press about a 1/2 teaspoon of cream cheese into the center of each of the dough pieces. Add a blueberry or two and a few strawberry pieces.
- Fold the biscuit dough over the cream cheese and berries and seal as much as you can around the edges, containing the mixture inside.
- Roll each stuffed biscuit piece in the lemon sugar mixture.
- Place the sugar coasted pieces into the bundt pan until you've done them all.
- We had a little leftover lemon/sugar mixture and just kinda tossed it on top of all the little pieces.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in the pan for only 10 minutes.
- To release the cake, run a knife around all the edges including the center of the pan. Gently place a plate up against the pan and turn the cake over onto the pan. We had to shake a couple of times to get it to come completely loose.
- Cool another 15 minutes or so before attempting to try some. Its hard, I know.
- You can cover and refrigerate any remaining "cake".
We decided it was sweet enough and so good all on it’s own, we didn’t want to ruin it with any icing or anything so we just left it as is. The slightly lemony flavor of the “cake” and the berry filled insides are just delicious together and we are pleased to tell you, this will be made again and again!
Don’t forget to check out the other fabulous recipes in this week’s Summer Berries SundaySupper! They are amazing!
Breakfast & Brunch
- Angel Food French Toast with Blueberry Lemon Sauce by Neighborfood
- Blueberry Lemon Baked Doughnuts by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
- Blueberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal by Pies and Plots
- Overnight Strawberry Stuffed French Toast by In The Kitchen With KP
- The Best Blueberry Muffin by Supper For a Steal
Sweet & Savory Berry Recipes
- Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Wild Blueberry Sauce by Noshing With The Nolands
- Red, White, and Blue Chicken Salad by MarocMama
- BBQ Strawberry Pizza by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Jams, Jelly, Sauces & More
- Blackberry Ketchup by Healthy. Delicious
- Four-Berry Jelly by Blueberries and Blessings
- Mixberry Jam with Merlot by The Urban Mrs
- Roasted Strawberry Tarragon Butter by Gourmet Drizzles
- Strawberry Freezer Jam by Growing Up Gabel
Desserts
- Strawberry Crumb Bars by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- No-Bake Frozen Berrylicious Cracker Cake by Shockingly Delicious
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Dessert by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Chips by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Lattice-Top Blueberry Pie by Hip Foodie Mom
- Caramelized White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake by Vintage Kitchen
- Strawberry Shortcakes by Juanita’s Cocina
- Berrylicious Ice Cream by NinjaBaking.com
- Stove Top Berry Crumble by Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Strawberry Yogurt Popsicle by Mama’s Blissful Bites
- Peggy’s Cove Blueberry Grunt by Kudos Kitchen By Renee
- Chocolate-Raspberry Yoghurt Cookies by What Smells So Good?
- Strawberry Ice Cream by Basic N Delicious
- Financiers with a Summer Berry Salad by The Lovely Pantry
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad by Curious Cuisiniere
- Strawberry-Chocolate Frozen Yogurt Parfaits by The Weekend Gourmet
- Summer Berry Salad with a Honey Citrus Dressing by Runner’s Tales
- Strawberry Pop-Tart Ice Cream by Foxes Love Lemons
- Strawberries with Cannoli Cream by Comfy Cuisine
- Almond Cake with Blackberry Mascarpone Filling by Ruffles & Truffles
- Oregon Strawberry Sundae {Dairyfree} by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
- Blackberry Pie w/Brandied Whipped Cream by Webicurean
- Vo-Vo’s Famous Strawberry Cheesecake by Family Foodie
- Raspberry Mousse by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Mini Strawberry Cheesecake with Walnut Crust by Soni’s Food
- Salted Caramel Strawberries With a Crunchy Nut Coating by Sue”s Nutrition Buzz
- Strawberry Blueberry Stuffed Monkey Bread by Daily Dish Recipes
Cocktails, Drinks & Smoothies
- Berry Berry Smoothie by Momma’s Meals
- Blueberry Infused Vodka by Big Bear’s Wife
- Blueberry Moscow Mule with Homemade Ginger Beer by I Run For Wine
- Goji Berry Martini by Magnolia Days
- Irish Cobbler by girlichef
Party Planning
- Recipes + Tips to Create A Summer Berry Cocktail Bar by An Appealing Plan
Check back on Sunday for all of wonderful Summer Berries recipes! We’d love if you joined our #SundaySupper chat on Twitter too: we’ll tweet throughout the day and share all of our recipes. Then at 7:00pm EST we’ll start our weekly chat. Please jump in anytime and join us! To join in, just follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets. You can also check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and photos.
Look what we’re sponsoring! Come join us in sunny Orlando, this July!
Learn more at www.foodandwineconference.com
The Ninja Baker
Bless your heart, Nicole! Sooo glad you and yours were untouched by the tornado. And grateful your daughter is better…And I presume able to enjoy some more wonderful monkey bread.
(Thank you for the recipe!)…Please do take good care. And enjoy the graduation =)
Nicole Cook
Just starting to get back into the swing of things. Graduation was fabulous and things are much better! Thanks!!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen
I can`t believe what happened to your daughter Nicole… So glad you`re all safe home! Wonderful cake too, but I really am stunned by ythe day you had. Thanks for hosting anyway!
Nicole Cook
Worst day pretty much. hahah I’m doing much better now and we are just starting to get back to “normal” whatever that is. Thanks for the kind words. 🙂
Sarah Reid, RHNC (@jo_jo_ba)
Amazing and simple, a perfect berry combo! Been thinking of you in the wake of the storms, stay safe!
Nicole Cook
Storms have been better here Sarah, thank goodness. Thanks for your sweet words!
Renee
Wow Nicole – what a weekend it has been for you. As far as I’m concerned you are hosting. The great thing about Sunday Supper is that we are all in it together and are willing to help each other when needed.
Nicole Cook
So happy that’s all in the past and we’re trying to get back to “normal”, whatever that is.
Thanks for all the sweet things you said. (hugs!)
Jen @JuanitasCocina
How about we make a deal? No tornadoes and awful things in our lives anymore?
Thinking about you, sweetheart.
Nicole Cook
Deal. Doing much better. Still one minor bridge to cross, but we’ll get there. Finally starting to get back into “normal” things again, so this is good. 🙂
Thanks Jen. Hugs!
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers
Brilliant recipe!! I have never had monkey bread, but using berries in it is pure genius!
Nicole Cook
It’s certainly not like the traditional monkey bread at all… but it is fabulous. Thank you so much Jennifer!
Laura Dembowski
I truly hope you and your family are okay and everything gets back to normal soon. Life can be so hard sometimes, but hopefully thing will get better!
Nicole Cook
We are finally starting to get back to normal, Laura. Thank you so much for your sweet words.
kathia
Nicole you are a genius what a great recipe.
Nicole Cook
Thanks so much Kathia!
Katie
Wow – what a trying weekend you’ve had. I hope you are all hanging in there!
I have to say – this is one of the coolest monkey bread combos I’ve ever seen – sounds super cool!
Nicole Cook
Doing much better Katie, thanks so much.
Thanks for the sweet words on the monkey bread too! 🙂
Courtney @ Neighborfood
Oh boy! You all have had quite the weekend! I’m glad you’re all okay. Hope you can get some rest soon. And thanks for sharing this incredible dish!
Nicole Cook
Thank you so much Courtney. Things are much better!
Diana @GourmetDrizzles
I’m so glad you all are OK, Nicole. And thanks for hosting this week. Sending some hugs your way, and what an awesome cake! It sounds and looks absolutely delicious!!!!
Nicole Cook
Thanks so much Diana! So much better around here, finally.
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere
What a weekend! I’m so glad that everything ended up ok, even if it was extreme chaos in the moment. Hopefully this week gives you some time to rest and relax.
And all I can say is WOW about this monkey bread. I love monkey bread, but I have never seen it like this. I’m making this very soon!
Nicole Cook
So good, and kind of addicting Sarah. haha
Thank you for all your sweet words, we are doing much better!
Liz
Oh, my gosh, Nicole! What a scary weekend for you. So glad everything is now OK…thanks so much for co-hosting…and sharing your amazing berry monkey bread.
Nicole Cook
Thank you so much Liz! 🙂
Lyn @LovelyPantry
Oh my gosh…thats alot! Glad your daughter is better…and that you were kept safe from the tornado. I hope you are able to get some rest after this weekend! I felt anxious reading your story! But then I saw the monkey bread…looks great, Nicole!
Nicole Cook
Thanks for all your sweet words Lyn. We are MUCH better here… and we had all this yummy monkey bread to keep us company. 😉
Nancy @ gottagetbaked
Holy shizz, Nicole – that’s way too much trauma for one woman to experience in such a short period of time! All of it absolutely terrifying too! I am SO glad your daughter is getting better and that you weren’t affected by the tornado! You deserve a week of not doing anything to give your frazzled nerves a rest! As for this monkey bread – needless to say, it looks incredible. I’m sending hugs your way, girl!
Nicole Cook
Well, I pretty much got my week of not doing anything and I feel much better, more relaxed and quite a bit less stressed. Your words are much needed. Thank you so much my sweet, sweet friend. xoxo
Beth
Oh my gosh, you poor thing. What a series of disasters you’ve just managed to avoid. Take care, and hope things settle down for you.
Nicole Cook
Thank you Beth. MUCH better!
Soni
Wow, so much happened in such a short time.It must be so hard and terrifying to hear about your daughter and I’m so glad she’s fine now Nicole!So happy that you were safe during the Tornado!!Your monkey bread looks like the perfect treat to dig in and I love the berries in there 🙂 Hugs!
Nicole Cook
Thank you so much Soni, for all of the sweet words you said. We are doing a lot better!
Family Foodie
We’re so glad you’re safe and okay! Thank you for co-hosting this week with all that’s been going on. Love this edition of monkey bread, especially for summer.
Nicole Cook
Thank you so much! Doing much better, took some time to rest and recover from all of it and feeling much more refreshed.
Thank you xoxo
Tara
Wow, what a horrible time you have had and you still pull off co-hosting. Amazing girl!! I sure hope this week is calm and relaxed and I am sure glad your daughter is doing well. Very scary!! Your monkey bread looks fantastic!!
Nicole Cook
Thank you Tara, so much better now. Needed some rest time and I got it and now I’m all back and refreshed. 🙂 Thanks for your sweet words.
Megan
Nicole!!! You have been in my thoughts all week with the tornado, but everything else? I am so sorry …..
That is a beautiful Monkey Bread…..Although that feels funny to write after getting teary eyed over your post.
<3
Nicole Cook
Megan, thank you so much. Doing much better, one small hurdle we are still working on, but overall life has resumed to normal and we are much better.
Thank you for all your wonderfully sweet words. They mean a lot! xoxo
Alice // Hip Foodie Mom
Nicole,
sorry I am just now getting around to reading everyone’s posts. . oh my goodness! I can’t believe everything that’s happened to you in the past few days! Glad to hear your daughter is ok, your house and family are ok. . take care and I hope you get some much needed REST!
Nicole Cook
And I’m just getting back to commenting, so don’t sweat the delay. Thanks for your sweet words… we are all doing much better and we did get that rest and now I’m focused again – a really good thing.
Hugs and thank you!
Jane's Adventures in Dinner
So very glad that everything is ok. Seems almost trite to add that your recipe is lovely-but it is. C: Hope this week is much less eventful.
Nicole Cook
lol Jane, thank you for ALL of the sweet words. Our life has settled and we are doing much better! 🙂
Cindys Recipes and Writings
Glad everyone is okay. Thanks for all you do for Sunday Supper in keeping us connected.
Nicole Cook
Cindy, thank you so much!
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons
Oh, so sorry about everything that has happened, but so glad you’re ok. And still, thanks for hosting 🙂 This monkey bread looks ridiculous good. My little niece would go crazy for it!
Nicole Cook
We are doing so much better Lori, thank you.
For all the sweet words…
sunithi
Thank God your kid is safe and your monkey bread is fabulous !!! Thanks for hosting ! Be safe !!
Nicole Cook
Thanks so much Sue!