I just tried this recipe for the first time tonight and let me tell you, I am so glad I did! Not only did it taste GREAT, but it was super easy! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!


COCONUT CHICKEN WITH APRICOT SAUCE


Yield: 4 servings


1 egg
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper ( I used foil)


Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl; set aside. Mix the coconut, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. One at a time, dip the chicken into the beaten egg and then coat with the coconut mixture. Place on baking sheet. Once all chicken breasts are coated and on the baking sheet, evenly drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 30-40 min, turning over once halfway through. 


To prepare the apricot sauce, mix the apricot preserves and dijon mustard in a small bowl. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 


Serve with rice or your favorite side :) Happy Cooking. 


** FREEZER FRIENDLY** After baking the chicken, let cool completely then freeze in a freezer bag for up to one month. To reheat, bake in a preheated oven @ 400 degrees for 20 min. 

Quinoa

We tried quinoa in our house the other day and we have mixed reviews. For those of you that have never heard of quinoa,it is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds, which some people use instead of rice. I personally didn't love the blah flavor or even worse, the texture. I think my mind couldn't get over that it looked like I was eating some type of fish egg or something, so that may have something to do with why didn't really like it. My husband thought it tastes a little bit like grits. And after adding sugar and milk he liked it a lot more. But as far as I'm concerned, I think we're going to stick to rice. All though quinoa is supposed to be really good for you. Maybe if I had a recipe for it that helped the taste and texture, we would try again. After all it wasn't horrible. Anyone have a recipe they could share, using quinoa???

Chocolate covered Cheesecake bites

You can't go wrong with cheesecake! I saw this recipe on pinterest and had to give it a try!!! Made it this week for a small party I was having and they were a huge hit!! Everyone loved them and they were so easy to make. Perfect for potlucks or parties. Just keep in mind if you try them, the cheesecake has to be frozen overnight before you can dip them so plan ahead!!

Ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans( optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted
~Filling
2 pkgs ( 8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
~Coating
24 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped ( or chips)
3 tablespoons shortening


Directions:
* Line a 9 inch square baking pan with foil and grease the foil.
* In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, pecans and butter.( I left out the pecans and just substituted them for more graham crackers) Press into prepared pan; set aside
* In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour over crust.
* Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled. Freeze overnight.
* In a microwave, melt chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Cool slightly.
* Using foil, lift cheesecake out of pan. Gently peel off foil; cut into 49 squares. Remove a few pieces at a time for dipping; keep remaining squares refrigerated until ready to dip.
* Using a toothpick, completely dip squares, one at a time, in melted chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets; spoon about 1 teaspoon chocolate over each. ( I just left the toothpicks in the cheesecake for easy handling, so I didn't need to put the tsp of chocolate over the top to cover the hole from the toothpick) Reheat the chocolate as needed. Let stand for 20 min or until set. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.

~ If you like the chocolate to be hard when you eat it you'll need to keep them cold. I like to let mine set out for a little while to let them soften up a little bit! Either way they are super delicious!! You won't be able to stop at just one!!!!!!!! Happy cooking/eating :)

NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER BARS

I found this recipe on pinterest, It is sooo easy and tastes just like reese's peanut butter cups!! Give them a try and let me know what you think!!

Ingredients:
1 cup melted butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs ( used a food processor to grind mine into tiny granules. I think you can buy them all ready ground as well. Or place them in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to roll them into tiny granules)
2 cups confectioners' sugar( powdered sugar)
1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips



Directions
In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9X13 inch pan for thin bars or 9X9 square pan for thick bars. In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the remaining peanut butter, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares. ENJOY!!


* Once the chocolate has set up in the fridge, it becomes very hard. I found it easiest to cut into squares if I let the bars come to room temp. I made mine in a 9X9 pan and was able to cut around 50 small squares. Perfect size for snacking. 

Buttercream frosting

Butter cream frosting is a really easy frosting to make and it tastes really good! When placing fondant on a cake, buttercream frosting is the best frosting to use as a "glue" to keep the fondant in place. 

My video on making buttercream is included in the video tab at the top of my page. When you click on my videos, go to the bottom lefthand side where it says play list and you can select the buttercream frosting video from there. 

Yields: 4 cups
Ingredients:
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
food coloring ( optional)

Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. ( After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high). Do this until all the sugar has been incorporated. It is really important to fully mix the sugar into the butter after each addition. I find it hard to wait the full 5 min. but go as long as you can. :)

Once all the sugar has been mixed in, Add vanilla, and beat until buttercream is smooth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. ( If refrigerated before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth.)
ENJOY!! :)

~Side notes~
* If you don't like the strong butter flavor, use shortening for half the butter.
*Recipe works with salted butter and some actually prefer the added salt
*If you want your frosting to be white instead of off white, use clear vanilla extract, found in the cake decorating section.
*Anytime you store this frosting in the refrigerator, it will harden. Just take the cake out of the refrigerator a few minutes( 15-30) to let the frosting come to room temp. 

Pork barbacoa

 Here is a recipe for Pork Barbacoa. I originally saw this recipe as a crock pot meal at Maceys. It has become one of our favorite meals and feeds us for days. :) The only thing I changed from the original recipe is instead of bone in pork roast I choose to use boneless. I find it easier to shred and I feel like you get more meat for the cost. If you don't like pork, I am sure this would taste really good using chicken. 

As you can see I had to buy 2 roast to get the 4 pounds it asks for ( actually ended up with only 3 lbs total) But I have made this recipe many times with only 3 pds and it still turns out great. And instead of using 5 small cans of tomato sauce I just used 1 1/2 big cans. I also added a small can of pineapple chunks with juice this time and really liked the little bit of sweetness it added!

Instead of mixing it in a bowl, I just mix it in the crock pot. When adding the Dr. Pepper , it will bubble up pretty good, so just be careful that it doesn't over flow your bowl. Make sure when you add the meat, you cover it completely with the sauce. 

To shred the pork, I use two forks, pulling them in opposite directions , therefore pulling the pork into shreds. This takes a little bit and your hands may get tired but it's pretty easy.

This is the amount of shredded pork I got from one of the roast. So as you can see, you end up with a lot of meat.  A really good recipe if your cooking for a large group of people. 

                                               

This is what the barbacoa looks like when it's all done. 

The longer you leave the pork in the sauce the more flavor it will absorb.  

Fill tortilla with cheese,pork,beans and rice and then garnish with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!!

Marshmallow Fondant

Fondant is a moldable frosting that is used on most wedding and specialty cakes, to give the cake a smooth elegant appearance. You can buy pre made fondant in most stores but from what I hear they have no flavor, so I have started making my own and it is so easy!!
Here is the recipe I use, give it a try! I'm sure you'll be surprised how easy it really is!! 


Ingredients:

2 lbs powdered sugar-sifted- plus extra to sprinkle on counter
16 oz marshmallows
1/2 cup shortening
3 tbs water or your choice of extract ( keep in mind if your extract is colored it will tint your fondant a little)

 1. Place marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl. Add 3 Tablespoons of liquid ( you can mix part water part extract if you'd like). Microwave Marshmallows on high for 1 min 30 sec.
~I've used extract in all of my fondant! It add just enough flavor to make it really tasty. Coconut extract has been my favorite so far!

While marshmallows are microwaving, put your shortening and sifted powdered sugar into your mixing bowl.
When you first pull the marshmallows out of the microwave, they will not look completely melted as hopefully you can see in the picture. Use a spatula to blend the marshmallows, trying to get out as many lumps as possible. But don't mix to long because you want the marshmallows to still be warm when you pour them in the bowl, to help melt the shortening.
Add the marshmallows to your mixing bowl and attach the dough hook if your using a stand mixer. Turn your mixer on low. You will most likely have powdered sugar come out of your bowl because it is so full but that is normal. After your dough has mixed for a min. or two turn your mixer up to high because it will need the extra power to mix the thick dough.

IF you don't have a stand mixer you can try mixing it with your hand mixer just be careful not to over heat your mixer because the dough will be very thick. You can also mix by hand, just rub some shortening on your hands to help the marshmallows not stick to your hands. I suggest mixing as much as you can with a wooden spoon first, then mix by hand using a kneading method.( your arms will get very tired using this method but totally worth it :)).

Continue mixing on med-high until the fondant forms into a ball and most of the powdered sugar/shortening has been incorporated. Once this has happened you are ready to start kneading. Turn off your mixer.

Sprinkle your counter with powdered sugar. Place ball of fondant on powdered sugar( ball will look dry and possibly not stay together very well). Using your fingers, scrape all the remaining powdered sugar/shortening out of the bowl, onto the ball of fondant. Start kneading your dough, trying to mix in all the loose pieces. Work with your fondant by kneading it like bread dough. It will seem very dry at first and you may have a hard time getting the dough to start sticking together but don't give up! The heat from your hands helps melt the shortening and should give you the moisture you need to make it start sticking together and forming a thick dough. If after a couple of minutes you are still having a hard time getting it to form into dough, add some shortening to your hands and continue kneading. IF your dough is to sticky add a little bit of powdered sugar.
Continue kneading until fondant is smooth and easy to work with. You don't want the fondant to be overly sticky and you should be able to touch it without it sticking to your fingers. But you don't want it so dry that it falls apart or has cracks all over it. Once you're able to easily mold the fondant into a ball, your done :).
Store fondant in a sealed ziplock bag. If you plan on storing the fondant for a long period of time( can be stored in pantry for months) you'll want to wrap it in plastic wrap before placing it in Zip lock bag.

* side notes*
~Let your fondant sit in a airtight container for at least a couple hours before using it. This lets the shortening absorb the powdered sugar and it will make it easier to work with.
~Fondant is very temperamental when it comes to moisture in the air. If you live somewhere that is very humid you will most likely need more powdered sugar or a little less shortening. If you live somewhere that is very dry you might need less powdered sugar and more shortening. Just play around with it until you find the right mixture for you!
~Storing fondant- I have heard many different opinions on storing fondant- Some say to wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container in your pantry for up to 6 months. Others say store it in the refrigerator or freezer but, some claim you will get moisture in your fondant if you store it in the fridge/freezer,  which will ruin it. I have tried both methods and found that either way you end up with hard fondant which, after microwaving for a few seconds, turns into workable fondant. So give it a try and decide what works best for you :).


COLORING FONDANT
There are two ways to color fondant- a little at a time or the full batch at once
The most important thing to remember about coloring fondant is, YOU HAVE TO USE A GEL/ICING FOOD COLORING. DO not use liquid coloring, it adds to much liquid to the fondant and you will end up with a sticky mess.
So the easiest way to color fondant is to color the full batch the same color. To do this, you simply add the color of your choice to the marshmallows after they have been microwaved, mix it into the marshmallows and then follow the regular instructions to finish the fondant.
If you need more than one color fondant, all you have to do is make a normal white batch of fondant. Then once that is done you section the fondant into how ever many colors you need, add the coloring to the section and start kneading the color into the fondant until it has been fully incorporated.

 I hope this blog helps!! Please feel free to ask any questions and HAPPY COOKING!!