THE coconut cake

i'm only posting this because certain friends promised to "worship" it and "treat it with the reverential respect it deserves"

Triple Coconut Cake

cake and icing calls for 3 cups sweetened, shredded coconut, toasted*

2 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

1 T vanilla

4 large eggs, separated

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup toasted coconut

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Set out butter, eggs, and buttermilk to come to room temperature.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 and toast the coconut on a rimmed baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until lightly toasted.  Transfer to another baking sheet to cool.  Prepare 3 8-inch round baking pans by generously coating with shortening and flour, shaking out excess.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and mix to combine.  Add egg yolks one at a time, beating between each addition and scraping sides of bowl as necessary.  

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  

Beginning and ending with dry ingredients, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the mixing bowl, beating thoroughly between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl.  Add coconut and mix on low.  

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form.  Carefully but quickly fold into the batter by hand.  

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans for even baking.  Test with a toothpick in the center of each cake.  Let pans cool for 10 minutes before unmolding the cakes.  Let cakes cool completely on wire racks, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble. (Preferably overnight).  

Icing:  

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 stick butter, softened

2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup toasted coconut

Cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and mix until frosting forms.  Fold in coconut.

In a separate bowl:

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Whip cream and then mix in sugar and vanilla.  Fold into cream cheese icing and assemble cake.

Garnish cake with the remaining 1 1/2 cups coconut.  

Worship.  Eat.  Smile.  

Vegetable/Fruit Serving in Muffins

These are yummy (even for me) and my kids love to eat them at breakfast. I usually freeze them and pull them out each morning and let them defrost on the counter or microwave them.

1 box lemon cake mix
3 eggs
1 apple shredded
1 banana mashed
1 carrot shredded
1 celery stalk minced
1 medium zucchini shredded

Do not add any water. Add 1/2 the oil the mix calls for. I use cupcake papers, but you don't have to. Bake as directed on mix.

Pasta w/ Peppers & Mozzarella

This salad was so yummy and if I hadn't been so tired all day and fallen asleep right before dinnertime, I would have rememberd to make some chicken which would have complemented it very well. I figure that at least I made something!!

12 oz short pasta (like gemelli or penne)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced (i only had one and it was fine)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bunches arugula, thick stems removed (about 6 cups)
12 oz of small balls fresh mozzarella, cut in half
kosher salt & pepper

-cook the pasta. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and set aside. Wipe out the pot. (i should have read on when i was making this b/c you'll end up needing a pretty big pot b/c you add all ingredients in at the end!)
-Heat the oil in the pasta pot over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender, 5-7 mins. (i also added a can of garbonzo beans here for some protein and it was yum!)
-Add the arugula, mozzarella, cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring, until the arugula is just wilted, about 1 minute.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Sorry, I made this and forgot to take the picture. Cydney asked me for this recipe a little while ago and since it has been cold, I thought it would be a nice one to add. I made homemade chicken noodle soup (except I used dried egg noodles--yuck) for the first time when I was teenager and it was one of the first times I realized that homemade is SO much better then from a can or box. I have kind of been tinkering with this recipe ever since. It is pretty basic and easy to make--what most people might say "just like my mom's", but well, since my mom doesnt really cook...it is what I imagine this comfort food should be like.

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
1-2 carrots, peeled and diced
1-2 celery, peeled and diced
corn (optional--I will to add it sometimes)
thyme
pepper
bay leaf
2 chicken breasts
6-8 cups chicken broth

For noodles:
1 cup flour
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt

Mix together until crumbly. Add about 1/4 water, until you can make a dough. Roll out and cut into noodles Heat olive oil and sautee onions. Add everything else except noodles and boil about 15-20, until chicken breasts are cooked. Take out chicken and dice it, put it back in. Remove bay leaf. Bring back to boil. SLowly add in noodles until cooked. Adjust seasons-eat.

Thanksgiving PUNCH

wanna punch your friends and relatives this thanksgiving?
here's a yummy-sounding recipe from the National Honey Board:

Holiday Party Punch

2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup honey
4 cups cranberry juice
2 cups orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 quart ginger ale
ice cubes
sliced citrus fruit for garnish (optional)

Combine boiling water and honey, stirring to dissolve. Chill. In large punch bowl, combine cranberry, orange, and lemon juices. Stir in honey mixture. Just before serving, add ginger ale, ice cubes, and fruit garnish. Makes about 12 servings. (13 cups, or about 3 quarts)

Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

Again, no photo. Sorry to continue the trend, but it was sooo yummy BOTH times we made it that it was halfway devoured before taking a photo even crossed my mind. I marked several places in the recipe with an asterix indicating changes I made. They are all listed after the recipe.

1/2 roast or rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded*
6 scallions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 jalapeno chile, quartered, remove ribs and seeds for less heat, if desired*
1 tsp chili powder
10 corn tortillas (6 inch)
1 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar

Preheat oven to 425. In a medium bowl, combine chicken and scallions. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.

In a blender, puree the pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 1/2 cups water, 2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper until smooth. Pour 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish.

Wrap tortillas in a damp dishtowel and microwave for 1-2 minutes until they are soft enough to roll without cracking or tearing. (Keep the stack covered as you work) Lay one tortilla at a time on a work surface; mound the chicken mixture on half of each tortilla and roll up into a tight log; place seam side down in the sauce in the baking dish.

Pour the remaining sauce* on top; sprinkle with cheese. Place the dish on a baking sheet; bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, 25-30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.*

*I used chicken breasts that I had cooked and shredded in the crockpot.
*Instead of jalapeno, I used 1 can of green chiles because I like the flavor better (half in the sauce, and half mixed with the chicken.) I also added a few crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce for heat.
*There is no way all this sauce is fitting in with the enchiladas without overflowing. I save what's left (a cup or so), heat it in the microwave and serve it with the enchiladas as an extra topping.
*These are so yummy topped with shredded lettuce, sour cream, and chile verde sauce. Maybe a dash of Tapatio hot sauce for extra zing.

This is the best mexican food in New Jersey. :)

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Sorry no picture. Mostly because I made these 'casserole style' instead of rolling them because I was in a hurry. They still tasted delish, just didn't look as good as they could have.
I will post the original recipe with my changes/additions in red.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
• 6 Tb. Honey
• 5 Tb. Lime Juice (1 large lime)
• 1 Tb. Chili Powder
• ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 Lb. Chicken, cooked and shredded - I had cooked chicken in the crockpot with chix stock earlier this week and shredded for several meals, that is what I used.
• 8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 1 small can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained
• Flour Tortillas - I used corn
• 1 lb. Shredded Colby or Monterey Jack Cheese - I cut this to about 3/4 cup
• 16 oz. Green Enchilada Sauce
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream (optional but makes it really yummy) - I used 1/4 cup

Directions:
Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Left-over rotisserie chicken works great. Let marinade at least 30 minutes or longer (I have put it together and let it marinate in the fridge all day). Pour about ½ cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. Soften cream cheese in microwave and mix with green chilies. Fill flour tortillas (if using corn, microwave in a damp paper towel for 1 min or soften in oil a few seconds on each side for easier rolling) with chicken and shredded cheese (or cream cheese mixture), saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top. If you don't want to roll each enchilada, just layer tortillas, torn in strips, cream cheese mix/grated cheese, chicken about three times, ending with tortillas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade (I did not have any left over marinade, but, whatever). Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover for the last 5 minutes to brown the top.

We ate this with a green salad and spanish rice. It got a thumbs up from all the boys!