Patience Coconut Cake

A friend of ours in Texas made this cake and I loved it so much I had to get the recipe. I made it for Easter this year.

First you mix together 16 oz of sour cream, 16 oz of coconut, and two cups of powdered sugar. Let this mixture sit in the fridge together for 24 hours. (This is where the patience part comes in)


The next day make a white cake mix and bake in two round pans. (The recipe recommends Duncan Hines)


When the cakes have cooled, cut each layer in half. Cover the first layer with the sour cream mixture.


Cover with the top of the cake.


Again use the sour cream filling with the second cake.


Ice the cake with cool whip and cover with coconut. Then you put the cake back in the refrigerator for another 24 hours before serving.


48 hours from beginning- your cake is ready to serve. My family loved it!

Printable recipe found here.

Crock pot meat loaf

We tried a meat loaf in the crock pot a couple of months ago and have made it several times since. The link I am posting for the recipe is for double the amount I make for two of us. The quantities listed below make enough for two meals for two. You need:

1 lb of lean ground beef
1 egg
1/2 C of milk
1/2 C of dry bread crumbs
1 envelope of dry onion soup mix

First combine the eggs, milk, bread crumbs, and soup mix and mix together. Then add the meat. Mix thoroughly, then shape into a rectangle or oval that won't touch sides of crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours.

We like mushrooms with ours, so at about 6 hours I add some in and let it cook for another hour or so. Another variation Michael adds is some red wine mixed in with the beef and some basil on the top of the loaf before cooking.


I forgot to take any prep pictures, so this is after cooking for most of the day before I added in the mushrooms. I realize the pictures of this meat loaf look sick...but I promise it tastes really good!


For our second meal with this we usually have it on sandwiches which is also really good.
Here is the link for the recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-meatloaf-184426
You can easily adjust the serving amount on the recipe link to fit the quantity of servings you need.

Corlie's Dallas Chicken

I am all about easy meals these days! Here is another crock pot recipe from a friend:


First layer chicken breasts in a crock pot, cover with fat free cream of mushroom soup, and top with the salsa of your choice. No real measuring here. I just used frozen two chicken breasts and about 3/4 of the jar of salsa. There was enough liquid that I could have had a few more chicken breasts. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.


When finished cooking, take out the chicken and shred.


Add sour cream to the soup/salsa mixture.


Add back in your chicken.


Serve over brown rice, egg noodles, or whole wheat pasta. My husband also had some leftovers in a tortilla and said it was very good.

Our favorite broccoli

This is our favorite broccoli dish from the barefoot contessa.


Chop up your broccoli to your desired size and place in a baking dish. Toss with olive oil and either some powdered or minced garlic.


Add 2 T of fresh lemon juice and some lemon zest and some pine nuts. Mix together.
Roast in the oven at 425 for about 20 minutes or until your broccoli is crisp but soft.


The recipe also calls for adding grated parmesan cheese at the end. I didn't have any this time, but it is really good with it if you do have it. The original directions are a bit different. Sometimes I do the lemon juice before roasting, and sometimes after. I can't tell a big difference. Find the recipe here.

Turtles

For an easy holiday treat all you need is pretzels, rolo candy, and pecans.

Place wax paper on a baking sheet. Put down the pretzels then a rolo on top. Bake in the oven at 350 for a few minutes-just until the rolos have melted. Then remove from the oven and press a pecan on top.

YUM! It is the perfect combination of sweet and salty!

Mint chocolate chip cookies

I am all about easy cooking and baking for this season of life- so when I saw these cookies I had to give them a try. The Betty Crocker cookie mixes are my favorite pre-made cookie mixes.

For this recipe all you need is:

1 pouch of sugar cookie mix (Betty Crocker)
1/2 C butter, softened
1/4-1/2 t of mint extract*
6-8 drops of green food color
1 egg
1 C creme de menthe baking chips
1 C semisweet chocolate chips

*I thought I had the mint extract and once I started cooking realized I didn't. So I omitted it. I thought the cookies were minty enough without it. So depending on how minty you like things you can take it or leave it.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.


Yum! They were really good!

Lemonade Cake

This cake is so easy and turns out very moist. This is a great summer cake!
All you need is:
One lemon cake mix


I used this mix


2 Cups of powdered sugar and 1-12 oz can of frozen lemonade.

Mix up the cake according to directions on the box. Bake in a bundt pant according directions.
In a separate bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and lemonade concentrate.
After the cake is baked, while still hot, poke holes in the top of the cake. Then pour mixture over the top of the cake. Go around the cake with a knife, slightly pulling away from the edges to ensure the mixture goes down the sides.


Invert your cake on a plate- hopefully it will come out complete! Serve with berries, ice cream, or on its own. Enjoy!

Thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies

My homemade chocolate chip cookies often don't turn out too well. I tried this recipe a few months ago and it is so good and will be a staple! It is from the website 'Annie Eats'.

First you need to mix up:
2 cups + 2 T of flour
1/2 t of baking soda
1/2 t of salt
- then set aside

Then using an electric mixer, mix together:
12 T of unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 C of brown sugar, packed
1/2 C of sugar
- Mix until thoroughly combined

Next mix in:
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp of vanilla

Now add in your dry ingredients and mix just until combined at a low speed.


Mix in 1.5 Cups of semisweet chocolate chips


Next take a 1/3 cup to take out some of the dough. (The recipe says to use a 1/2 cup, but my cookies turned out huge as it was, without filling the 1/3 cup).


Take the dough out and break into two pieces. Rotate the halves so the jagged edges are facing up and make one ball on the cookie sheet.


Bake at 325 for 11-14 minutes. Halfway through the bake time reverse the position of the cookie sheets. Bake until cookies are light golden brown, the outer edges start to harden, but the centers are still soft and puffy. Do not over bake.


When I first read the recipe I thought it was too involved, but really it is not difficult once you get started. These cookies are the perfect softness and so delicious!

Some of the last things I cooked

I made these cupcakes early this year. They were a big hit. I cooked two meals after that. Two meals that every time I went to post the recipes on the blog just looking at the pictures gave me another wave of nausea. For the next 4 months I didn't cook, and if I did it was really difficult, original things such as grilled cheese and baked potatoes. I could not stand the sight, smell, or thought of many of the things I usually cook or had planned to cook. Things are much better now (thankfully), so I will post the two old recipes and hopefully get back in to trying some new things!

White Chicken Chilli

This is more of a fall/winter recipe so you may just want to store it away. It is easy and very tasty!
You will need:
4 chicken breasts (boiled and shredded with a fork)
2 lbs of velveeta cheese
1 can of black beans
1 can of pinto beans
2 cans of ro-tel
2 cans of corn
1 can of chicken broth


Combine all of the ingredients into a large pot over medium-high heat.


Stir frequently. Heat through until the cheese is melted and the soup is warm throughout.


Serve with tortilla chips.

This makes a lot so it is great for a group or for lunches later in the week. Enjoy!

Bruschetta

If you like to cook and you haven't seen Julie & Julia- you should go rent it today. Ever since watching it I have wanted to eat the bruschetta Julie makes. Winter in Oklahoma is not the best time of year for buying tomatoes, so I will have to try it in the summer.



First I selected some bread, and cut it into pieces. I cut mine a bit too thick.


Heat up some olive oil in a pan.


Toast the bread until brown on each side.


In a bowl mix together various types of tomatoes, garlic, and chopped basil leaves. Spoon the tomato mixture on top of the bread and sprinkle with cheese.

"Zesty chicken-noodle casserole"

This year I am going to make at least one recipe each month out of my cook books, so I make more of an effort to use them.
Here is one I made this week:

And sorry, no step by step for this one.

You will need:
6 oz wide noodles
1 T olive oil
4 t flour
2 C FF milk
1 red onion, chopped
2 T chopped canned green chiles
1 T dijon mustard
4 t dried bread crumbs

First cook the noodles, following the directions on the package. Preheat your oven to 375.

In a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Sprinkle with the flour; whisking constantly for about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cheese, whisking constantly until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the noodles, chicken, onion, chiles, and mustard. Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on the top. Bake until browned and bubbly 20-25 minutes.


This was out of my Weight Watchers cook book and it was 9 points. I have liked the recipes I have tried out of it, but I did not love this one. I'm not sure I would call this recipe "zesty". The onions were crunchy and a bit strong and the taste overall was a bit bland. It I were to make it again, I would use white onion and saute them a bit before adding to the casserole. I think mushrooms would also be a good addition that would not raise the point value. You live and learn-part of the adventures in cooking! :)

crock pot liners

How I have cooked with my crock-pot and not used these? I used one this week when I made this chicken, and it worked wonderfully! The bag lifted out with all of the contents, was thrown away, with no mess left behind! If you haven't tried them before you should!

Ham and Cheese Rolls

These party sandwiches are delicious!


You need a package of these rolls, ham, and swiss cheese.


First cut your rolls open and layer ham and then cheese.


In a bowl mix together: 1/2 a stick melted butter, 1 t poppy seeds, 1/4 t worcestershire sauce, 1 t mustard, and 1 t onion flakes.


Pour over the top of the rolls. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.


I got busy and cooked mine a little long. :)


But they were still very good!

Christmas Cooking

For Christmas this year I am making: monkey bread, rolls, peanut butter balls , cowgirl cookies, and chocolate chip snicker cookies.

A friend told me about these cookies. Snickers is my favorite candy bar so I gave them a try. I used this cookie mix below and added 1/2 cup of peanut butter.

After mixing together, mold the dough around a mini snickers. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. I had some chocolate left over from the peanut butter balls, so I used that to drizzle on the top.


I loved them! YUM! Merry Christmas!

Crockpot chicken cacciatore

I love crock pot recipes! Here is another one I tried today:


First layer one onion in the bottom of your crockpot. (Next time I will use two- adjust based on your taste)


Place 1 1/2 lbs of chicken breasts on top (mine were frozen and it worked just fine)


Then in a bowl combine 2- 6 oz cans of tomato paste


1 t oregano, 1/2 t of basil, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t of pepper


1/4 C of white wine and 1/4 C of water


2 minced garlic cloves


and 8 oz of sliced mushrooms. Stir all of these ingredients together.


Pour over the top of your chicken.


Place a bay leaf on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours.


When you are ready to prepare, remove the chicken and shred it with forks. It should tear apart very easily.


I stirred my chicken back into the sauce, but you could keep it separate if you prefer.


Serve with spaghetti noodles or any kind of noodles you have. I topped mine with a splash of balsamic vinegar and a little grated cheese.
This recipe is supposed to serve 4. The serving size must be big, because we had a lot left over. Great recipe! We loved it and will definitely make again.