Anne's Macaroon Cookies

Preheat Oven 350 degrees

1/3 Cup butter softened                     

1 ¼  Cups flour                      

3 oz cream cheese                              

2 tsp baking powder

¾ cup sugar                                        

½ tsp salt

1 egg yolk                                          

3 3/4  cups coconut

2 tsp orange juice

1 tsp almond extract

In a large bowl mix butter, cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, juice, almond extract. Stir together dry ingredients and add to mixture . Stir in 3 cups coconut. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Shape into balls and roll in remaining coconut. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 min. Optional, dip edge in melted chocolate when cool.

I melted Hershey's dark chocolate chips. I don't have double boiler so I placed a glass mixing bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. I used 1 cup of chips and 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and dip cookies.

I made these for my Additional Relief Society Meeting last night. They were a huge hit. I had many requests for the recipe.  

Chinese Chicken Stir Fry

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb cut up chicken breast
1/2 cup teriyaki baste from 12 oz. bottle
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 package (16 oz) frozen broccoli, carrots and water chesnuts
1 Red Bell Pepper sliced

Heat wok over high heat. Add oil: rotate wok to coat side. Add chicken; stir-fry  3 to 4 minutes or until chicken is fork tender and juices run clear.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 6 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Serve with rice.

I love this recipe. It's easy to prepare and even easier to consume! Sorry I don't have a photo. I consume with gusto and never remember until it's too late.

Coconut Cream Pie

The one dessert that I get the most compliments on, is my coconut cream pie. I just found a new and better version that is heavenly. WARNING! This is not low fat. Try it on Fast Sunday. For those of you who may wonder what that means...in our church, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints", we fast two meals on the first Sunday of the month, then donate the money we would have spent on those meals (more if we are able) to the care of the poor and needy. If you're going to eat a big calorie dessert this is the day to do it.

Bake one 10 inch pie crust and let it cool completely.

Ingredients for cream filling:

2 cups toasted coconut
1 envelope (2 tsp unflavored gelatin)
3 TB cold water
4 large egg yokes
2 cups milk
1/2 cup, plus 2 TB sugar
1/3 cups, plus 1 TB cornstarch
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 TB vanilla
2 TB cold butter
1 1/4 cups of heavy cream


Filling:
Pour the 3 TB cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top, set aside.

Beat the four egg yokes in a bowl and set aside.

Mix the milk, 1/4 cup of cream, and the coconut milk in a 2 quart sauce pan slowly whisk in the corn starch and the sugar. Stirring constantly, cook on stove until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Slowly pour the thickened mixture into the egg yokes while beating. It's best if two people are doing this part. When completely mixed, return to stove. Cook until heated, do not boil, this part doesn't take very long. Add 2 tablespoons cold butter, and 1 tablespoon vanilla, and the gelatin. Stir until the butter and gelatin are melted and then add 3/4 cup of the coconut, mix well. Pour this mixture in a shallow bowl or empty pie tin, cover with plastic wrap, and put in refrigerator. Let cool until completely cold. Now comes the part that makes it really wonderful.

Sprinkle 3/4 cups coconut on the empty pie shell.

Whip the remaining cup of cream in a medium size bowl until very thick, fold the pie filling into the whipped cream and pour into the coconut lined pie crust. Sprinkle remaning coconut on top and chill for several hours.

Try not to eat the whole thing at once!

April Fool's Day Menu

I have to admit that I am a big fan of April Fool's Day---A day set aside specifically for the purpose of playing practical jokes on people, what's not to love about that?? This year, in addition to the usual lunch-box switch-a-roo tricks, I decided to make a full-blown April Fool's Day dinner. On the menu: spaghetti with meatballs, cupcakes and bundt cake for dessert and red punch to drink------or so it appeared!

"Spaghetti with Meatballs"

1 box devil's food cake mix

1 can vanilla frosting

1/2 can chocolate frosting

1/2 tsp cocoa powder

3 drops yellow food coloring

3/4 cup strawberry jam

grated white chocolate (optional)

Mix cake mix according to package directions. Bake at 350 degrees in two 8x8 square pans for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then take one of the cakes and crumble it in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/4 to 1/2 can of chocolate frosting and mix until well blended (using your hands is the most effective mixing method for this). Form doughy mixture into 1-inch balls (should make about 12-15 depending on the size of the balls). Place cake balls into the refrigerator. Allow the other cake to cool completely in the pan.

Mix cocoa and food coloring with the tub of vanilla frosting. Apply a thin layer of frosting to the cooled cake. Spoon remaining frosting into a gallon size heavy duty Ziploc freezer bag. Snip a small corner off the bag (be sure not to cut the hole too large). Pipe frosting over the cake in random swirly patterns to create the pile of noodles, covering as much as the surface as possible. Coat cake balls in the strawberry jam and place on the frosting "noodles". Spoon remaining jam over the cake. Top with grated white chocolate if desired (I ran out of time, so I didn't do this part, but it would have been a nice "Parmesan cheese"-looking touch!).

"Cupcakes"

If dinner is really dessert, it follows that dessert should really be dinner. These "cupcakes" were actually mini-meatloaves topped with garlic mashed potatoes.

Meatloaf:

1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground beef

1/2 cup crushed buttery round crackers

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 pkg onion soup mix

2 eggs

1/4 cup ketchup

2 T steak sauce

15 foil cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour onion soup mix through a strainer to sift out most of the powdery part (otherwise the meatloaf will be on the salty side) Stir the ground beef, crushed crackers, cheddar cheese and onion soup mix until well combined. Whisk the eggs, ketchup and steak sauce in a separate bowl until smooth. Mix the eggs into the meat until evenly combined. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake for 30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Do not overcook.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

5 lb potatoes, peeled, diced & boiled

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1 large clove of garlic finely diced

1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup butter

milk (as needed)

salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine everything EXCEPT milk. Mix with a hand mixer until smooth. Add a little milk (don't overdo it--mixture needs to be thicker than normal to hold it's shape) to create a creamy "frosting" like consistency. Spoon potatoes into a large gallon-size heavy duty plastic Ziploc bag. Cut off one corner and pipe potatoes on top of the meatloaves. Top with finely chopped red pepper "sprinkles" if desired.

"Bundt Cake"

1 14 oz jar pizza sauce

1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled

1 pkg (3.5 oz) sliced pepperoni

3 cups biscuit baking mix

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs

2 T butter, melted

1 tsp garlic salt 5-6 slices mozzarella cheese

In a bowl, combine the pizza sauce, sausage and pepperoni; set aside. In another bowl, combine the biscuit mix, milk, eggs, butter and garlic salt. Spread half of the batter on the bottom and up the sides of a greased 10-in bundt cake pan. Spoon meat mixture over batter. Cover with remaining batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Invert onto a baking sheet. Arrange cheese over cake. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Transfer cake to a serving platter and serve immediately.

"Red Punch"

Red Jello made in clear cups with straws went nicely with the dinner. It didn't take the older kids long to catch on, but the quints were hilarious to watch---they could not figure out why they couldn't drink the "punch"!

Coconut Carmel Corn

I love coconut, I just can't seem to get enough of it. I was thinking that it would be nice to have some carmel corn for the BYU game tonight. It turns out that we can't get the game but I made the carmel corn and decided to add coconut. It turned out great.

Coconut Carmel Corn

1 cube butter
3/4 cups corn syrup
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup water
3/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tarter

Mix all the above ingredients in a large cooking pan. Turn on the burner to Med/high stir until the candy comes to a boil. when the candy reaches the soft ball stage. I drop a small amount in a mug of cold water and when it sticks together and forms a soft ball it's ready. Keep close tabs on this, it doesn't take very long.

1 tsp vanilla ( I used Mexican Vanilla because it has a coconut type flavor)
1 1/2 cups coconut
2 Tablespoons baking soda
8 quarts popped corn

Then add 1 tsp Vanilla, 1 1/2 cups coconut, and last of all the 2 T of bakng soda to the hot candy mixture. Stir until light and fluffy. pour over popped corn and use two wooden spoons to mix the candy into the corn. this recipe makes two large bowls of carmel corn. I cut the recipe in half when it's a small bunch of people. Enjoy!

BYU lost the game:-( The popcorn was great! Once again I'm reminded that God doesn't really care about sports, but I'm sure he likes food.

Chocolate Oreo Cookie Bars

Chocolate + Oreos = Yum

30 Oreo cookies
6 T butter, melted
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups (1 bag) semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Set aside 8 cookies and combine the rest in a food processor or blender. In a small bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and butter until well blended. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

In a medium microwavable bowl, combine 1 cup of the chocolate chips with the sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on 50% power for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds on 50% power. Stir until smooth. Spread evenly over the crumb crust. Sprinkle the remaining cup of chocolate chips over the top. Break remaining cookies into pieces by hand and sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 20 min. Cool, then chill completely in the fridge for 2 hours before cutting into bars.

Enjoy!

Seize The Moment

Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.
~Erma Bombeck

Everything Coconut. Coconut Pancakes;-)

I was reading a fantasy book the other day and the hero ordered coconut pancakes. I had never imagined such a thing, but since I’m a coconut fanatic I decided to find a recipe. Warning! You don’t want to have these every day, they are not low calorie. I used pineapple syrup to top them off, they are pretty great. If you’re one of those coconut haters this meal is not for you. However, it just goes to show that books can become reality.

Coconut Pancakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: SERVES 2-3

Ingredients:•
1 can good-quality coconut milk (14 oz./398-400 ml)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. white sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Oil or melted butter
• 1 tsp. coconut flavoring
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• PAM
Mix the coconut milk, shredded coconut, eggs, Oil, and coconut flavoring together, set aside.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together and add dry ingredients. These pancakes need to be cooked on a pre-heated pan at a medium low setting. I use PAM to prevent sticking.

Pineapple Syrup•

1 20 OZ can crushed pineapple
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 and ½ Tablespoons corn starch
In a small sauce pan, add sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch to crushed pineapple, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Ball

This is a sweet spin on the traditional cheese ball. I took it to a New Year's Eve party and it was a huge hit. My friend called me the next day told me she would bring over the ingredients if I would make another one.

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 T brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 - 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup crushed Heath bars (or finely chopped nuts if you prefer)
1 box graham crackers

1. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the sugars and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

2. Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic, and chill for an hour or more.

3. Roll the cheese ball in the crushed Heath bars (or nuts) before serving. Serve with graham crackers. ENJOY!

Note: Do not use low-fat products or the cheese ball will not harden sufficiently.

This picture is actually the second cheese ball that I made. Kassidy was trying to "help" me and held it in the car on the way over and it got pretty mushed and out of shape---it looks a lot prettier in real life--I promise :-)

Tobi's Quiche

In general I'm not a fan of eggs. They just don't appeal to me. But happily at one point in my life someone forced me to try Quiche. One happy explosion of deliciousness in my mouth and I was hooked.

Here is my favorite way to prepare Quiche.

Ingredients

• 1 Frozen Pie Crust
• 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked ham
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed, well drained on paper towel or you can use fresh
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
•  2 to 3 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. 
2. Layer ham, cheese, broccoli and onion in the frozen crust pan. In medium bowl, beat eggs and milk with fork. Stir in black pepper and salt. Pour over broccoli, cheese, ham and onions.
3. Bake for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving. 

And of course you can put just about anything you want in a Quiche. Because even though I don't love eggs. I must admit they are quite versatile.