Holiday Time Recipes: Cheesy Bacon Monkey Bread

Hello all.  We're starting something new this year.  Instead of focusing strictly on sharing Holiday Traditions, we'll be also be sharing some Holiday Time Recipes.  Generally, Monica will be sharing a recipe during the third week of the month and Pat one of our Merry Maidens will be popping in when she can with a Traditions post.  However, this month Monica is away from home on business; so, Pat is stepping in and sharing one of her traditional recipes.  While the ingredients may be specific to North America, hopefully you'll be able to find an equivalent ingredient in your area of the world if you are interested in trying the recipe out.

Christmas morning is a special time for my family. We gather from all parts of the state (Chicago), often arriving in our pyjamas, for Christmas cookies, breakfast and presents (not necessarily in that order). One of my family’s favorite breakfast foods is what I call “Cheesy Bacon Monkey Bread.”

Ingredients
You will need:

• ½ lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 tubes of the original Pillsbury biscuits
• 2 TBSP butter or margarine, melted
• 6 oz. Cheese Whiz
• Bundt or Angel food cake pan*

*(if you don’t have one, place an oven-safe glass in the middle of a pie pan)

Instructions

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Spray your pan with Pam or other spray oil. Mix melted butter and Cheese Whiz until blended. Pour into pie pan.
• Cut biscuits into four pieces each and sprinkle onto cheese in pan.
• Bake for 15-17 minutes or until browned on top.
• Take out of oven and immediately flip onto large plate, letting cheese drip onto ring of bread.
• Top with crumbled bacon.
• Serve as pull-apart bread, or slice. 

Yum!

Challenge #13 Midway: Optional Theme--Sketch Challenge

Hello everyone!  We have reached the midway point of Challenge #13.  Before we start though, I just wanted to mention that today is the final day for the DT Call.

Would you be a good fit with The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up?  Joining the team would allow you to get a great start working on your Christmas card stash for 2016 and if you like playing with digital papers you can add a minimum of six to your collection each month you are with us, plus at least one digi image each month from our fabulous sponsors.  At the end of a six month term you'd amass a minimum of 36 digi papers and six + images.  Stay a year and you earn double that--72 Christmas themed digi papers and 12 + images.  How's that for incentive?!   If you are interested, please click HERE for all the details.

And on that note, it is time to see what the Merry Maidens have been up to with their images from Ike's Art, our guest sponsor this month!

Check out the lovely images that the Merry Maidens got to work with this month for the mid point of the challenge.  Clicking on any of the image watermarks will take you to the section within the digital stamp area of the Ike's Art store where they can be found.

Kat Tree (Animals section)

Holly Fairy (My Latest Designs section)

Shelf Kat (Animals section)

 Holly (My Latest Designs section)

Santa Hunk (My Latest Designs section)

While team members had the option of working with any of my Décosse's Dynamite Doodles papers, I did create a special set called Merry Mix 1.  Since it is a sketch challenge I decided on an eclectic set for this challenge. Check out the preview...

Everyone who links up a minimum of two cards during the month of January will earn ONE of the digital papers from this set. The specific paper up for grabs will be shown during the winner announcement post. Additionally, one random winner will earn the full set of papers.

Have your say in determining which paper will be offered to those who link up a minimum of two cards this month by completing the poll in the sidebar on the top right hand side.

Now check out what the Merry Maidens came up with to inspire you.   Pat even had the time to create two--one following the sketch and one not.  Clicking on the names will take you to the individual blogs where you can check out the details for all these wonderful cards.

Here is the extra one that Pat made using an image from Ike's Art, although this one doesn't follow the sketch.  Remember, to participate in the link up, your card needs to be Christmas or December Holiday themed, but you only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win the sponsor's prize.

So if you haven't entered already, what are you waiting for?   It is time to link up your Christmas and other holiday cards for January.  Whether you choose to link up two Anything Goes themed cards simply to earn your free paper this month, or you choose to also follow the optional theme to have a chance at the sponsor's prize, it is completely up to you! 

Here is a refresher of the details for this challenge...

Please remember that this is a CARDS ONLY link up.  While we've had some lovely tag entries in the past, we've sadly had to disqualify them.

Optional Theme:  Sketch Challenge

It is the start of a brand new year and the perfect time to have our very first Sketch Challenge.  I don't know about you, but when my mojo is waning, and sometimes even when it is not, I love to draw inspiration from a great sketch.  Monica has designed the awesome one you see above for this month's challenge.

In order to have a chance to win the prize from our wonderful guest sponsor this month, we want to see you use this sketch on your Christmas or other December holiday card.   Monica has provided the inspiration for the basis of your design, now you just have to run with it.  You can flip it on its head if you like but we must be able to see all the elements of the original sketch in your card in order to qualify for the prize.  If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw.
 

Remember, you don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month, and have your name thrown into the year end draw for some extra digital goodies.  You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $15 gift certificate to Ike's Art.

If you are new to this unique challenge, you can find out the impetus behind why I started it under the 'Introductions' tab.  As this is a unique kind of link up where we have both an anything goes Christmas option and an optional theme to follow, be sure to read all the details and rules you need to know in order to participate, by checking out the 'Challenge Details' tab (both tabs located at the top of the blog).

You can find the Challenge Details Summary along with the link up for Challenge #13 by clicking HERE.

 Don't Forget...

• Be sure to join us on January 23rd when Monica will be here to share a Christmas recipe with you all.
• Next up it will be time for our new challenge to start on February 1st.
• Then, the winners from Challenge #13 will be posted on February 8th.
• If you thought that you had linked up two cards in December to earn a free digi paper but still haven't received it, please contact us.  All papers have been mailed out to those who qualified.
• Other special posts may be published throughout the month.  Be sure to sign up to have our posts delivered by email or follow us through Bloglovin' so you don't miss a thing!

We look forward to seeing you participate!

DT Call Reminder

Don't Forget...

We’re looking for a few enthusiastic, dedicated, dependable, team-oriented, designers to join us.  Would you be a good fit with our team? 

If you help us to spread the word about our DT Call, you might even earn some free goodies! If interested, please be sure to click HERE to see the original post with all the details!

DT Call on until January 15th!
 

Challenge #12 Winners Announcement

Hello everyone.  Before we start, don't forget we have a DT Call going on right now.  If you're interested, you can find all the details you need to apply by clicking HERE.

It is time to announce the winner and our top three Stocking Stuffers from Challenge #12.  Are you one of those lucky peeps?!

Please note that there are still prizes and digital papers that have not been claimed from past months.  Were you a lucky past winner and may have missed it?  It might behoove you to check our Challenge Win Information page listed at the top of the blog (or you can click HERE to go there now but be sure to come back and check this post as well).

NANCY S.

Nancy, you are the winner of 3 digital images from Rick st. Dennis, our guest sponsor for December (chosen by Mini Web Tool), based on all eligible participants (i.e., those entrants who followed the optional theme).

Nancy,  please send an email to the_12_moc_linkup {at} outlook {dot} com (or click HERE to bring the address up in your email program), with the subject, "12MoC Challenge #12 WINNER" to make arrangements to receive your prize.  Please note that it may take me several days to get back to you.  Thank you for your patience.  In the interim, please grab a copy of the winner badge below for your blog.

Next, it is time to get on with showcasing the top three.  With so many wonderful entries to choose from, this was once again a difficult task for the design team.  We did however settle on three awesome creations.  So, without further ado, here are our Stocking Stuffers for Challenge #12:

GLORIA S.

VERONIKA

 CRAFTY GIRL

Congrats to our top three Stocking Stuffers!  Gloria, Veronika, and Crafty Girl, please grab a copy of the badge below for your blog.

Okay then...as I have been mentioning over the last couple of months, I have decided to do things differently in hopes that it will save me time and get the papers out to you more quickly.  So, instead of having you send in your request for your paper if you qualify to receive it, I will simply send it to everyone who has earned it.  We'll see how this process goes over the next few months.

The individuals who linked up a minimum of two cards each, qualifying them to receive the digital paper from December will receive the paper with Santa waving which garnered 44% of the votes.   I have included the watermark of it, below...

To all of you who linked up this past month, thanks ever so much!  We are so happy to have all of you with us and hope that you'll continue to link up your holiday cards throughout 2016!!!

Now, if it turns out that you thought you had linked up two cards but don't receive your paper via email by January 15th, please be sure to let us know and we'll sort things out.  Papers will be sent to the email address that qualifying participants used when they added their cards to the Link Up.

Once again, we are going to have a random draw from all the entries and give out the set of six papers to one lucky individual.  The papers are all made so why not have an extra prize!  Here is the watermark for the full set..

The winner of the Santa Claus is Coming to Town Set of Papers is (chosen by random.org)...

SUE REYNOLDS

Sue, I will be sending out your set to you via the email address you used when linking up your cards.

Well folks, that is it for today.  While you are here, please be sure to check out the details for our current challenge going on now (if you haven't already), with the Optional Theme this month of being a "Sketch Challenge".  You can find out all the details along with the link up, by clicking HERE.

Also, be sure to join us on January 15th, for our midway post where you'll get to see cards created by the Merry Maidens!  Then on January 23rd, Monica will be here to share a holiday recipe with you all.  Other special posts may be published throughout the month.  Be sure to sign up to have our posts delivered by email or follow us through Bloglovin' so you don't miss a thing!

Until next time,

Challenge #13: Optional Theme--Sketch Challenge

Welcome to a brand new year of challenges over here at The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up.  2015 saw the start of a great year of challenges and hopefully 2016 will be even better!

Before I start, just a reminder that we are currently running a DT Call.  Would you be a good fit with The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up?  Joining the team would allow you to get a great start working on your Christmas card stash for 2016 and if you like playing with digital papers you can add a minimum of six to your collection each month you are with us, plus at least one digi image each month from our fabulous sponsors.  At the end of a six month term you'd amass a minimum of 36 digi papers and six + images.  Stay a year and you earn double that--72 Christmas themed digi papers and 12 + images.  How's that for incentive?!

And on that note, it is time to get our very first challenge for 2016 under way!

The Basics

While you can find out ALL the information you need to know in order to participate in the challenge by checking out the 'Challenge Details' tab at the top of the page (or by clicking HERE), here is a refresher of the basics.

• Anyone can link up as many Christmas and/or December holiday themed cards (including Happy New Year's cards) throughout the month with an ANYTHING GOES theme.
• Every person who has linked up a MINIMUM of two (2) cards will be eligible to receive a specially designed Christmas themed digital paper.
• Each month there will be an OPTIONAL theme to follow.  Anyone who submits a card adhering to the monthly theme, will have the chance to win a prize from that month's guest sponsor.
• Every holiday card you submit to the link up, earns you one chance to win a special digital Christmas kit that will be offered up after the year is complete.

Now that the basics are out of the way, how about we get on with the details of Challenge #13.

Challenge #13

Optional Theme:  Sketch Challenge

It is the start of a brand new year and the perfect time to have our very first Sketch Challenge.  I don't know about you, but when my mojo is waning, and sometimes even when it is not, I love to draw inspiration from a great sketch.  Monica has designed the awesome one you see above for this month's challenge.

In order to have a chance to win the prize from our wonderful guest sponsor this month, we want to see you use this sketch on your Christmas or other December holiday card.   Monica has provided the inspiration for the basis of your design, now you just have to run with it.  You can flip it on its head if you like but we must be able to see all the elements of the original sketch in your card in order to qualify for the prize.  If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw.
 

Remember, you don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month, and have your name thrown into the year end draw for some extra digital goodies.  You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $15 gift certificate to Ike's Art.

Talking about Ike's Art, how about we get to know her a little bit better...

Hi there – I am Ike……a nickname that I got hooked with many years ago due to my surname, and in my profession at that time, …… they just loved  to give nicknames ☺.
I live in Greece and have a passion for kitties ☺ I am a complete nutter or should I say I’m ‘zany’ hahaha.  I have a very strange/sick sense of humour and I must admit I spend a lot of time talking to myself. !!  Well, I get more sense out of me.!  I reckon in a few years I shall be known as the “crazy cat lady”☺
I am an artist and have a strange mind when it comes to creating my art. I either go completely true to life… right down to the last hair… or I go totally surreal.   I have a passion for all things horror/Gothic etc. I’ve always loved horror films and books and I guess that’s why it creeps into my stuff !  Had I been a bit younger I swear I would have been a Goth……luuuuuv it.  Next time around I am gonna be a witch or a cat ☺
I started my Blog a couple of years ago and although I love crafting, my real passion is drawing, and now I just love making digital images.
My SHOP is IkesArt found at www.ikesart.com
My Blog is Ikes World and is at http://suzy-ikesworld.blogspot.com
My Challenge Blog http://ikesworldchallengeblog.blogspot.com
Exclusive designer for Smeared Ink  www.smearedink.com

Check out all the fabulous images that the Sleigh Belles got to work with this month for the start of the challenge. You'll get to see the images that the Merry Maidens worked with at the midway. Clicking on any of the image watermarks will take you to the section within the digital stamp section of the Ike's Art store.

Poinsettia Fairy (My Latest Designs section)

Blossom 1 (Other section)

 Poinsettia Cluster (Other section)

Christmas Pixie (My Latest Designs section)

While team members had the option of working with any of my Décosse's Dynamite Doodles papers, I did create a special set called Merry Mix 1.  Since it is a sketch challenge I decided on an eclectic set for this challenge. Check out the preview...

Everyone who links up a minimum of two cards during the month of January will earn ONE of the digital papers from this set. The specific paper up for grabs will be shown during the winner announcement post. Additionally, one random winner will earn the full set of papers.

Have your say in determining which paper will be offered to those who link up a minimum of two cards this month by completing the poll in the sidebar on the top right hand side.

Now check out what the Sleigh Belles came up with to inspire you.   Clicking on the names will take you to the individual blogs where you can check out the details for all these wonderful cards...

So what are you waiting for?  It is time to link up your Christmas and other holiday cards for January!  Whether you choose to link up two Anything Goes themed cards simply to earn your free paper this month, or you choose to also follow the optional theme to have a chance at the sponsor's prize, it is completely up to you!

If you are new to this unique challenge, you can find out the impetus behind why I started it under the 'Introductions' tab and all the details you need to know in order to participate, in the 'Challenge Details' tab (both tabs located at the top of the blog).

We have a packed month as usual; so, Monica and I hope to see you back with us soon!

• Join us on January 8th,when we'll publish the names of the people who earned the free paper for December along with the winners and top picks from Challenge #12.  
• Next, be sure to join us on January 15th, for our midway post where you'll get to see cards created by the Merry Maidens!
• Then on January 23rd, Monica will be here to share a Christmas recipe with you all.
• Other special posts may be published throughout the month.  Be sure to sign up to have our posts delivered by email or follow us through Bloglovin' so you don't miss a thing!

CHALLENGE DETAILS SUMMARY
Each month we'll include a summary of details for the particular challenge taking place.  If you are new, please be sure to familiarize yourself with all the details and rules in the 'Challenge Details' tab at the top of the page.  Please note that dates and times listed below are for this particular challenge only:

• Cards for this challenge will be accepted from 6:00 p.m. (18:00 hrs), January 1st - 11:55 p.m. (23:55 hrs), January 31st, 2015.  
• You need to link up a minimum of two (2) Christmas or holiday themed cards each month in order to qualify to receive that month's digital paper.
• This is NOT a progressive challenge.  You can jump in at any time.
• You can link up as many holiday themed cards as you want as long as each entry is with a new project.  HOWEVER, if you decide to follow the optional theme of a   Sketch Challenge (see specific details above), only a maximum of three (3) entries will qualify for the draw for this month's prize of  a $15 gift certificate to the Ike's Art store.  You must add 'FT' after you name so we know which cards to add to the random draw for the sponsor's prize.
• No backlinking.
• Make sure when entering your project that you mention The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up in your post with a link back to this blog.
• Please remember to link directly to your blog post where we can see your creation, and not just the generic link to your blog. Generic blog links will be disabled or deleted. 
• The winners and top picks for this challenge (#13) will be announced on February 8th in a special post.

We look forward to seeing you participate!

Link Up Below:

An InLinkz Link-up