Neato!

Mom's Coconut Cream Pie

This is by no means easy to make. But it is one of the most scrumptious things I have ever gobbled down.

I will own a pie shop one day, I will! 

Cara's Coconut Cream Pie 

Pie Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
6 Tbs. cold margarine or butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbs. sugar

Filling:
2 cups milk
1 can (8 1/2 ounces) cream of coconut (NOT coconut milk or coconut cream)
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
4 large egg yolks
2 Tbs. margarine or butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping:
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs. sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

1. Prepare pie crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place all crust ingredients and 1 Tbs. cold water into a food processor with knife blade attached. Blend ingredients, pulsing processor on and off, until dough just comes together.

2. Spray 9 inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up side of pie plate, making a small rim. Bake pie shell 20 minutes or until golden, covering edge with foil if necessary during last 10 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Cool on wire rack.

3. While pie shell is cooling, prepare filling: In 3 quart saucepan, with wire whisk, mix milk, cream of coconut, cornstarch, and salt until blended. Cook over medium heat until moisture thickens and begins to bubble around the side of pan, about 7 minutes, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute.

4. In small bowl, with wire whisk or fork, beat egg yolks slightly. Into yolks, beat small amount of hot milk mixture. Slowly pour yolk mixture back into milk mixture, stirring rapidly to prevent lumping. Over low heat, cook about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until very thick (mixture should be about 160 degrees F).

5. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in margarine or butter and vanilla. Spoon hot filling into pie shell. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of filling and refrigerate pie 4 hours or until filling is cold and set.

6. To serve, prepare topping: In bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream and sugar to stiff peaks. Beat in vanilla. Spread whipped cream over filling. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may diet." - Harry Kurnitz

Today's Menu:  

Fruit Salad, Leftovers, Black Bean Asparagus Salad, Berry-Pineapple Slush, Pretzel Bark, Ham, Coconut Cream Pie. 

Fruit Salad... yummy yummy 

Black Bean Asparagus Salad (#36)

Prep: 30 min. + chilling

What you need:
2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups water
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

What you do:
In a dutch oven, bring asparagus and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Rinse in cold water; pat dry.

In a large bowl, combine the asparagus, beans, red pepper, onion and parsley. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 20 servings. (We made a 1/2 recipe)

Berry-Pineapple Slush (#37)

Prep: 15 minutes. Freeze: 24 hours. Stand: 20-30 minutes. 

Serves 8-10. (We made 1/2) 

What you need: 

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks packed with juice, drained

2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries or strawberries

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup RealLemon Lemon juice from concentrate 

2 Tbs. sugar

1 (1 liter) bottle ginger ale, chilled

What you do: 

-In blender container or food processor bowl, combine pineapple, berries, orange juice, RealLemon and sugar. Cover; blend until smooth. Press through sieve; discard seeds. Transfer to 2-quart square baking dish. Cover and freeze at least 24 hours. 

- To serve, let stand at room temperature 20-30 minutes. With spoon, scrape across surface and place slush in glasses. Add ginger ale; stir to mix.

Pretzel Bark (#38)

Prep 20 min. Plus refrigerating Makes 10 servings 

 

What you need: 

1 cup chopped pretzels 

1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans

1 1/2 package (8 squares each) Baker's semi-sweet chocolate, melted

What you do:

- Stir pretzels and nuts into chocolate; spread onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet. 

- Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces.

Sunny with a chance of meatballs, pasta salad, and molten cake.

My day off from teaching my cooking class... and what do I do? cook. :D

 

Baked meatballs (#33)

Quick, easy, and cheap.

What you need: 
2 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz) Stuffing mix for chicken
1 cup water
2 eggs


What you do:
- Heat oven to 400.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with foil; spray with cooking spray. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and eggs until blended. Shape into 50 (1 1/2 inch) meatballs; place into prepared pans.
- Bake 16 minutes or until done.

Optional: 
- Pour one can spaghetti sauce into saucepan and heat on medium heat. Add meatballs and stir until heated and coated.
- Slice Italian sub roll, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, place two meatballs in sub roll and heat in oven until cheese

Ryan's Confetti Pasta Salad 

A family favorite. (#34)

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep: 20 minutes 

8 ounces uncooked small shell pasta 

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach 

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion 

1 Tbs. chopped fresh dill 

Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette 

1 (4 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese 

 

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Toss pasta with tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 8 hours. 

Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette: 

Whisk together 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice; 1/4 cup olive oil; 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar; 2 garlic cloves, pressed; 1 teaspoon salt; and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Molten Chocolate Cakes

Not at all comparable to Chili's. Tasty, though. (#35)

Makes 8 single-serving cakes. 

1/4 cup granulated sugar plus additional for dusting

4 squares(4oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup butter or margarine cut into pieces

1/4 cup heavy or whipping cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 lrg. eggs

2 lrg. egg yolks 

confectioners' sugar

whipped cream or vanilla ice cream 

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease eight 6 ounce custard cups. Dust with granulated sugar. 

2. In heavy 3 quart saucepan, heat chocolate, butter, and cream over low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Remove pan from heat. Add vanilla. With wire wisk, stir in flour just until mixture is smooth. 

3. In medium bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat 1/4 cup granulated sugar, eggs, and yolks until thick and lemon colored, about 10 minutes. Fold egg mixture, one third at a time, into chocolate mixture until blended. 

4. Divide batter evenly among prepared custard cups. Place cups in jelly-roll pan and bake cakes until edges are set but centers still jiggle, 8-10 minutes. 

5. Cool in pan on wire rack 3 minutes. Run thin knife around sides of cups to loosen cakes; invert onto plates. dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

 

Peanut Butter Caramel Fruit Dip

A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life. - Charles Darwin

Today in my kid's class we made a recipe that was simple and took only a few short minutes to make... almost like this blog post... except it was also scrumptious to eat. My 60 students gave it a thumbs up. 

(#32) Peanut Butter Caramel Dip 

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup caramel topping 

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbs. milk 

 Mix all ingredients together and serve with fruit. Delicious with apples! 

Honey, I'm home!

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." - Frederick Keonig

Today was my first day of my kid's cooking class. I am so lucky to have a great summer job that I am absolutely in love with.

After work and a quick trip to the gym, however, I came home and dinner was on the table waiting for me. Which, to be 100% honest... was really nice.

Mom made her stuffed shell manicotti recipe. I'm not sure what the recipe is, she probably just whips it together by memory every time. But it's one of my favorites so I need to get that from her!

She had also made a new recipe that we had set aside for tonight. I thought it was really tasting, but it's really similar to other things we made so we're not going to keep it. Definitely worth trying, though. 

Summer Vegetable Potato Salad 

Prize tested recipe from Ellyn Shull as seen in Better Homes and Gardens magazine

1 lb. small yellow or red new potatoes, sliced

2 fresh ears of sweet corn, cooked, or 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed 

4 roma tomatoes, sliced or cut into thin wedges

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn ( we didn't have any of these)

1/4 cup olive oil 

3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs. finely chopped shallot or red onion

(I think mom probably used red onion... shallots definitely have a strong-distinct flavor... but are pretty pricey)

1/2 tsp. Dijon-style mustard

1/4 tsp. sugar 

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. In a medium saucepan cook potatoes, covered, in enough boiling salted water to cover for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain and cool. Cut the corn from the cob. On large serving patter arrange the potatoes and tomatoes. Sprinkle with corn and the 1/4 cup basil. 

2. For dressing, in a screw-top jar combine oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and shake well. Pour dressing over potato mixture. Sprinkle salad with feta cheese and basil leaves.  

*** Mom layered the ingredients over a bed of iceberg lettuce.  This added a nice touch, but isn't really needed. Also, I felt like there was almost too much dressing. Maybe use less and save it for tomorrow's salad? ***

 

Happy munching :]

A Million Little Pieces

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

It was by chance this book caught my eye a while ago in the library. I briefly knew about the controversy behind it, but honestly hadn't paid much attention. After finishing it this morning, I knew it was one of those books I will remember reading forever. It impacted me and I think you should read it.

Here's a link to an article that describes both the book and the controversy pretty well.

Whether it's non-fiction, fictional, or a semi-fictional account, this book was one of the best I have ever read. Yes, the language is vulgar and graphic. It that bothers you, you should definitely skip this read. Yes, it is intense and gruesome.  There were moments where I had to put it down for a while for fear I might throw up if I read any further. But somehow this tale of addiction spoke to me. A story of something I can not even come close to relating to grabbed my attention and held it to the last page. Frey's writing style is easy to read, and it rings true. Whether every part of the book is 100% true or not, it feels like it is when you're reading it.

Breakfast Casserole and Birthday Cake

I liked the idea of this morning's breakfast. It was a make-ahead breakfast, which could be convenient at times. I made it last night and it sat in the fridge until this morning when it cooked for 35 minutes. It resembled a quiche, but had a twist with the croissants. The distinct flavor was nutmeg, and I would have preferred it without this overpowering spice. It was different than what we normally had, so I'm glad we tried it. But it wasn't that special; not a keeper.

Ham & Cheese Croissant Casserole

#31

I must say this dish needs a little help on the aesthetic side as well. 

Not a new recipe but definitely note-worthy. I've been asking for this rich chocolate cake with whipped frosting for about 6 years now on my birthday. It never fails. Thank goodness Grandma picked it for her birthday too! We found it in Mom's Hershey's Cookbook.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt 
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 cup boiling water

Heat over to 350. Grease and flour two 9-in round baking pans. In large mixer bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in water (Batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly in prepared pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool Completely. Frost between layers and over top and sides of cake.

Beat 'n Eat Frosting

Combine in bowl; 2 unbeaten egg whites, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, 2 tsp vanilla. Mix well. Add 1/2 c boiling water. Beat to stiff peaks at high speed of beater.

"Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live."

 There are days when so many things inspire me. Today we had company in town. Sitting at dinner, we exchanged stories of places we had traveled and lived. I often forget how fortunate I am, being a military brat, of the amount places I have seen and experienced. It also made me think about how many things there are left for me to do, and how I need to seize every opportunity I can. 


I wouldn't consider myself a spectacular cook. If anything, a recipe resembles a list of ingredients and a list of directions to follow. And goodness knows my type-A personality can handle that. I grew up with a stay at home Mom who not only produced "Leave It To Beaver" style dinners every night but also is the best cook I know. She has always cut out recipes from magazines, food boxes, etc. in mass amounts. However, with three picky eaters, folders and folders of these recipes have been pushed to the back of our bookshelves for years. 


When I came home for the summer in May, I declared these few months I have a home would be our  "New Recipe Summer." We dusted off the folders and sorted through years worth of clippings. Some were trashed and a majority were desserts (typical). Our goal was one a day, and now at mid-June we're up to 30. A good amount, seeing there were several days when one or both of us were out of town. 


So in celebration of my newly revived point 'n shoot camera (thank goodness for duck tape) and a day full of cooking (yay for company/more mouths) I have decided to write a blog. Enjoy! 

Recipe #27: Baked French Toast with Crumbled Pecan Topping

We knew this wasn't going to be that great as soon as we mixed up the ingredients. We had to make it last night and let it soak up the the liquid over night and then bake it in the morning. Let's just say we made a half recipe, it had a stick of butter in the topping alone, and was depressingly soggy. I didn't even waste my calories on it. And that's saying something. 

When the rest of the company showed up we had hors d'oeuvres:

Strawberries with a Pink-Lemonade Dip

Deliciously refreshing and so so simple to make. 

(We had made this before so it doesn't count)

Bacon Water Chestnuts

#28

Again, very simple. I didn't think they would be very good, but they actually turned out to be pretty tasty. A big hit! 

Goat Cheese Log:

rolled in a) pecans and sundried tomatoes b)cracked pepper and spices

#29

Honestly, I opted out of this one. I'm not a big cream cheese fan. Everyone else liked it though! 

For dinner we stuck with one of Mom's best and most classic plates. Slow-cooker pot roast, gravy, and mashed potatoes. I did make a cucumber salad that was also given a thumbs up around the table. (#30)

And of course, Mom's Apple Pie. Be jealous. 

What a full day! XOXO, Aysley