To mark the upcoming Year of the Monkey, first eat all the serious food — the Chinese items intended to bring good fortune — then eat a monkey. In effigy.
These treats are easy enough to bring even very young children into the new year’s fold. And they’re portable enough to be tucked into a lunch bag as a holiday surprise on Monday.
JOIN THE CELEBRATIONS
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii is sponsoring these festivities to mark the Year of the Monkey. Call 533-3181 or visit chinesechamber.com.
» Chinatown Open House (6 to 9 p.m. Friday): The streets of Chinatown will be shut down as some 10 lions dance through the area amid a constant stream of firecrackers.
» Chinese New Year celebration (5 to 10 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday): The Chinatown Cultural Plaza, at 100 N. Beretania St., will be party central with food booths, lion dances and continuous performances.
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Mini Monkey Bread Pull-Apart Muffins
Adapted from Pillsbury
>> 1/4 cup sugar
>> 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
>> 1 (16-ounce) can large refrigerated biscuits (8 per can, such as Pillsbury Grands!)
>> 1/4 cup butter
>> 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
>> 2 teaspoons water
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 8 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.
Separate dough into 8 biscuits; cut each into 8 pieces. Roll pieces in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 8 pieces in each muffin cup.
Combine butter, brown sugar and water in small saucepan; bring to boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until brown sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Spoon over biscuit pieces in muffin cups, reserving at least 2 tablespoons for glaze. Do not overfill muffin cups or sugar syrup might spill over in oven (you might not need all the syrup). Bake 8 to 11 minutes, or until biscuit pieces are golden brown. Remove from muffin cups; drizzle with reserved sugar syrup mixture. Serve warm. Makes 8.
Nutritional information unavailable.
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Monkey-Face Sandwich
Use a sandwich thin for the base. Cut a second sandwich thin into an oval for the mouth section; use scraps to cut out eyebrows and ears. Banana slices make the eyes. Peanut butter, strawberry jelly and black frosting gel provide colored details. For eyeballs: chocolate chips, raisins or candy pieces. To eat: Flip the mouth portion over the eyes and you have a peanut-butter-jelly-and-banana sandwich. Flatbread, pitas or regular sandwich bread can be used in place of sandwich thins. Cheese spread, or thin slices of cheese, can replace the peanut butter.
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Choco Monkey
The face base is a Hostess Ding Dong, but a cupcake with chocolate frosting would also work. Miniature vanilla wafers and/or Nutter Butter cookies make the ears and mouth (cut slits in the Ding Dong to insert ears). Pipe black frosting gel to make the nostrils and mouth. Small round candies make the eyes.
