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Like most parents, Emilie Ahern tries not to feed her children super-sweet sugary breakfasts in the morning.

But the Layton mother of five — ages 10 to 6 months — makes an exception on the Sunday of LDS General Conference, when the family enjoys a pan of gooey, sticky Monkey Buns.

"It's a big deal to have these incredible sweet treats," said Ahern, who blogs at A Year of Family Home Evenings. She likes to make something special because "conference can be long if you are a kid."

Many Mormon families have developed similar food traditions surrounding the semiannual conferences that take place every April and October. Traditions range from soup and bread after Saturday's all-male priesthood meeting to cinnamon rolls and crepes on Sunday morning, when it's OK to stay in your pajamas and "attend" church by watching conference.

Ahern, 37, said the Monkey Bun tradition started in her family around 1976, when her older sister, now 43, brought home a recipe book compiled and illustrated by her kindergarten class. She still vividly remembers her mother pulling out the construction paper booklet with children's drawings.

The recipe, which uses frozen bread dough, is assembled the night before and left on the counter overnight. In the morning, all that needs to be done is "pop it in the oven."

"I don't want conference to be a crazy, frazzled day. I want it to be nice and calm," she said, joking that her plan works until the "sugar high" kicks in.

At the Kettenring house in Lehi, crepes are the breakfast tradition.

Larry Kettenring said his maternal grandparents were from Sweden, so he and his sibling grew up calling them Swedish pancakes.

"I remember my mom making them on this round cast iron grill," he said, "and putting egg after egg in the batter."

Kettenring has continued the tradition with his children, but rather than topping the thin pancakes with maple syrup, the family fills them with fruit and whipped cream or chocolate/hazelnut Nutella.

"It's fun for me to cook for the kids," Kettenring said. "They really look forward to it because we don't do Sunday breakfast like that, with all the trimmings, very often."

Mormon families have savory conference food traditions, too.

For Ronna Park, of Blackfoot, Idaho, it's a dish called Mexicali salad with seasoned ground beef, beans, chips and taco toppings. It's a tradition that has lasted three decades.

"My sister-in-law made the taco salad for us when I was pregnant with our oldest daughter, who is now 30," said Park, of her husband's sister Pam Case. "And we've pretty much had it every year since."

Served for Sunday lunch between morning and afternoon conference sessions, the salad is quick to prepare and can be doubled for a crowd.

"It's a fun thing," she said, "and conference weekend is really the only time we make it."

During conference, Shelley Cleveland's family in Cedar City looks forward to broccoli cheese soup and homemade rolls.

While the boys and men go to the priesthood meeting at a nearby LDS meetinghouse, the women gather to make a craft. When the males return home, they all enjoy a meal together.

Cleveland wasn't sure if her children, now grown, really appreciated the tradition until one year, when she was out of town and couldn't prepare it for them, she said. "They were really sad and said they missed it."

Monkey Buns

16 frozen bread rolls

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 package of one small box cook n' serve butterscotch pudding

Generously grease a Bundt pan with cooking spray or shortening. Make sure you grease all the way to the top and the middle flute.

Place rolls in Bundt pan.

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and half the package of butterscotch pudding. Whisk to combine.

Pour over rolls and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise overnight.

In the morning, uncover and place in cold oven on bottom rack. Turn oven to 350 degrees and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bread is cooked through.

Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Invert onto serving plate.

Servings • 8 to 10

Source: Emilie Ahern —

Aunt Pam's Mexicali Salad

Salad:

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 15.5-ounce can of black or kidney beans, drained

1 head lettuce, chopped or torn

2 or 3 medium tomatoes, diced

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 bag Taco Doritos, slightly broken (or 1 package taco seasoning added to ground beef while cooking)

Toppings:

Thousand Island or Catalina salad dressing

Olives

Guacamole

Green onions

Salsa

Sour cream

In a skillet, brown ground beef and onion until thoroughly cooked. Add drained beans and stir. In large salad bowl, mix lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Stir in cooked ground beef and onions, toss with chips and serve immediately. Garnish with extra toppings as desired and salad dressing of your choice.

You don't need to season the ground beef with taco seasoning if you can find authentic taco-flavored Doritos. Can substitute other brands or flavors of corn chips, but it's just not the same.

Servings • 6 to 8

Source: Ronna Park, Blackfoot, Idaho