Best Dessert Recipe of 2011: Coconut Cream Pie

I am linking this recipe up to Finding Joy in My Kitchen's Countdown to 2012: Best Dessert Recipes.  Coconut Cream Pie.....does it really need a further introduction?  I think not.  

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I have decided that pies are my new favorite dessert.  Specifically cream pies.  Is it okay to have a birthday pie rather than cake?  If it is, then sign me up! (That is unless my mom is making her homemade German Chocolate Cake--because if that's the case, all bets are off...)

The hubs and my birthday were last month (they are just a few days apart) and I made him a blackberry pie.  We still had some left over on my birthday, so I didn't bother making another dessert and I promised myself that the following week, I would make myself a pie.  (Hubs is wonderful, but it's like pulling teeth to get him to bake on my birthday--so I stopped trying.  Plus he detailed my car inside and out so I can't complain!  Please know I am not bashing my husband--I think our "talents" compliment each other very nicely!)

The next week came however and Hubs and Peanut both got sick and then life got in the way, so I finally got a chance a few days ago to whip this up.  It was worth the wait.  Even Hubs liked it and he swears he doesn't like coconut--I really think he's lying.  Either about not liking coconut or about the pie--but when you are short on time getting ready for work and you still choose to have a piece of pie after lunch--my bet is that he's lying about the coconut.

Although I love the butter based crust I found, I had some palm shortening that I wanted to try.  This crust was very good and flaky, but more difficult to work with than a butter or vegetable shortening crust.   I also made a stabilized whip cream, as I knew the pie would take us several days to eat.  It worked really well!

Coconut Cream Pie

For the crust

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp palm shortening
2 to 3 Tbsps cold water

In a food processor (or by hand), mix dry ingredients together.  Add in shortening and pulse to combine (cut shortening into flour using two knives or a pastry cutter if doing so by hand) until the mixture is a little chunkier than canned Parmesan cheese (I think that's a great reference point, don't you?).  Add in water one tablespoon at a time, until dough just holds together.  Shape dough into a ball and flatten to a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate about 20 minutes. 

On a well floured surface (I love using my Silpat for this), roll out dough evenly into a circle, large enough  for a 9 inch pie plate.  I roll the dough out and hold the pie plate over it to make sure it will cover the bottom and the sides.  You could use a pastry mat too, but this works for me.  :)

Fold dough into quarters and transfer to pie plate.  Press into dish, fluting edges or trimming even with the pie plate.  You can tell what I did--someone got lazy.  Pierce the dough evenly with the tines of a fork and bake at 475 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.  (This is called blind baking--where the crust is baked prior to filling the pie.)  Allow crust to cool prior to filling.

Coconut Cream Filling

4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup of sugar (I used good ol' sugar--somethings you just can't mess with)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups whole milk
2 Tbsp butter
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut divided in 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup

Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl for about a minute and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, mix together sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Stir in milk gradually, whisking to combine.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and starts to boil.  Boil for one minute, continuing to stir.  Remove from heat temporarily and ladle about a half a cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, stirring the yolks constantly.  Once combined, return the egg mixture back to the mixture in the saucepan, stirring to incorporate. (This process is called tempering.)  Place saucepan back on burner and bring to a boil once again.  Boil for one minute and remove from heat.  Stir in butter, vanilla, and 3/4 cup of coconut and fold to combine.  Pour into cooled pie crust and place plastic wrap directly on filling to prevent a hardened pudding crust from forming.  Allow to cool completely before topping with cream.

Stabilized Whipped Cream (aka homemade Cool Whip)

1 Tbsp cold water
1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a small bowl, mix together water and gelatin.  Set aside.

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip cream on medium high speed until cream starts to thicken (about 3-5 minutes).  The gelatin mixture should have thickened completely.  Using a spatula, break up the gelatin mixture and add to the cream, along with maple syrup and vanilla.  Mix again on medium high speed until whip cream reaches desired thickness--I let mine get fairly thick as I wanted it to hold up in the fridge for several days.  Remove plastic wrap from cooled pie and spread whipped cream evenly over top.  Top with toasted coconut if desired.

Toasted Coconut

Place a large saute pan on burner over medium high heat.  Allow pan to get hot enough to let a drop of water dance all over the pan. (That way you know it's good and hot!)  Using remaining 1/4 cup of coconut, pour into pan, stirring constantly.  Coconut will start to toast immediately, so make sure to keep stirring to allow all the coconut to toast (this shouldn't take more than 30 seconds).  Remove from heat and pour onto plate and allow to cool before topping on pie. 

 

Best Crock Pot Recipe of 2011: Roasted Sticky Chicken

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I am linking this recipe up to Finding Joy in My Kitchen's Countdown to 2012: Best Crock Pot Recipe.  I have to confess, as this was actually originally posted as part of my Tried It & Loved It series.  But this one is just too good to not share again--as it makes using whole chickens VERY easy.   

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In trying to incorporate more whole foods in our meals, I have also been jumping into the world of organic meat.  But it is expensive!  That is why we bought a quarter of a beef--it's grass finished and way less expensive than buying it from the local grocery store.  Pastured chickens are best (and the most expensive), but organic chickens are still better than your standard commercially raised.  Just watch Food Inc. if you don't believe me.  Like commercially raised chicken, organic is more expensive if you are buying the bird already cut up, so I opt for whole chickens to save money.  But because I am not ready to hack into a raw chicken just yet (although I hear it's easy), I buy whole organic chickens whenever I can find them on sale.  It's like getting a rotisserie chicken for less--of course if you are buying organic, that just blows that theory out of the water.

We usually eat some of the chicken for the main portion of the meal for the first night and then use the leftovers for things like White Enchiladas, Blanco Chili, or Chicken Pad Thai,  See the recipes link at the top for other recipes using cooked chicken.  

The easiest way I have found to cook a whole chicken is using the slow cooker.  Simply season it up, place it in the slow cooker for 8 to 10 hours and it's done.  

And if you have a really sweet husband, he will de-bone all the meat for you.
   
Spoiled, aren't I? 

Roasted Sticky Chicken ~ adapted from Kelly at Faithful Provisions

4 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne (red) pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 large roasting chicken, as big as you can find
1 cup onion, chopped

Rinse chicken, pull out any extra special lovelies left in the cavity and pat dry.  Mix together all the spices and rub over the entire chicken.  Put chopped onion inside chicken cavity and place chicken in slow cooker on low (8~10 hours) and cook until juices run clear. 

Best Main Dish Recipe of 2011: Italian Sausage Pizza

I am linking this recipe up to Finding Joy in My Kitchen's Countdown to 2012: Best Main Dish Recipes.  This is BY FAR our new favorite pizza.....just try it, will you?  We LOVE it! 

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If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you may already know that I always make our pizza at home.  From scratch--for the most part.  I don't cure my own pepperoni nor do I slaughter a hog out back for the Canadian Bacon, BUT I do make the crust and sauce from scratch.  No Boboli or jarred pizza sauce for us!  This merely started as a financial need, but now that I am more food conscious, it helps in that department as well.

While I try to avoid processed foods, pizza night always got the best of me.  It's pretty hard to find meat toppings for pizza (pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, sausage, etc.) that don't have a bunch of additives or chemicals in them, not to mention finding ones that fit our budget.  And while knowing how the animal was raised is very important, my main concern (at this stage) was finding toppings that don't have HFCS or nitrates/nitrites.  I am all about organic and minimally processed, but it also has to be within reason--we don't have a limitless budget!  Can I hear an amen? 

In addition, I've looked for organic meat toppings and come up empty handed each time.  I can't find any here to even try to price compare.  But then I had an epiphany one day.  Jackie, think outside the prepared meats section at the grocery store. 

What about sausages from the meat department?  More and more sausage manufacturers are no longer using nitrates/nitrites in making their sausages.  I have found several that make a good Italian style sausage that list only recognizable ingredients.  No HFCS.  No MSG.  No nitrates/nitrites.  For us, those are all definitely steps in the right direction.

And Hubs?  Well, he has found his new favorite pizza!  He's quite smitten with big ol' sausage hunks on his pizza.  And so is the Peanut.  She rolls her eyes, smiles and says, "Sausage.....mmmmmmmm!"

My thoughts exactly.

Italian Sausage Pizza

Pizza crust
Pizza sauce (this makes enough for more than one pizza--I just freeze the leftovers for next time)

1 pound Italian sausages (casings removed and sliced into bite sized chunks)
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Olives, sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Green peppers, diced
Green onions, diced
Additional toppings, if desired

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown sausage pieces then turn heat down to medium low to allow the pieces to cook through without burning.  This will take 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of sausage pieces.

While sausage is cooking, press pizza dough onto a pizza pan or stone.  Spread sauce on evenly and cover with cheeses.  Layer additional toppings as desired and top with cooked sausage and final dusting of cheese.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until pizza is cooked in middle.

Best Soup & Stew Recipe of 2011: Lentil Soup with Ham

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I am linking this recipe up to Finding Joy in My Kitchen's Countdown to 2012: Best Soup & Stew Recipe.  This is another yummy one to make and a great way to use up leftover ham bones.  And it is oh SO good on a chilly winter day!

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This is an easy and inexpensive dish to make.  Plus if you have a really nice mom who sends you home with a big chunk of ham and a ham bone, well then, it's even less expensive to make.  ;)  That said, I had a ham bone and some ham in my freezer that needed to be used and with Easter coming up, I wanted to make sure to get use up all our ham so I can justify snagging some on sale this week or next.

This soup is so yummy and is definitely one of my comfort foods.  It also reminds me of when I first started staying at home with the Peanut and I thought that the only thing we were going to be able to afford to eat was things like beans and rice.  Although we don't have an unlimited grocery budget, I have been able to make a variety of dishes and still stay within budget.  However, some things are just so good you just keep coming back to them.

Lentil Soup with Ham

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onion
3/4 cup sliced carrots
3/4 cup sliced celery
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
Pepper, to taste
1 ham bone
1 cup cooked, diced ham

In a dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil.  Cook until softened, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Add in salt, lentils, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, coriander, and cumin.  Stir to combine and add in ham bone. Bring just to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer until beans are cooked through, about one hour.  Ladle out about 5 cups of soup in a separate bowl and puree with a stick blender or use a standard blender or food processor and blend until completely pureed.  Remove ham bone from dutch oven and pour pureed soup back in.  Stir to combine.  Cut off any meat left on ham bone and add in additional cooked ham.  Once heated through, season with pepper (and additional salt if needed) to taste.

Best Bread Recipe of 2011: Cranberry Orange Muffins

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I am linking this recipe up to Finding Joy in My Kitchen's Countdown to 2012: Best Bread Recipes.  Although, I know this isn't a "bread" recipe, it is what is referred to as a "quick bread," meaning yeast is not used for leavening.  Instead, a quick leavening agent such as baking soda or baking powder is used.  Thus, making it quick as compared to yeast breads which can often take several hours.  Unfortunately, in all the recipes I posted this year, I didn't do one single bread, so I thought this was just as well!  I did make these as muffins originally, but as with most muffin recipes, it could also be easily baked in a loaf form as well.  Simply lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  

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As I have mentioned *a time or two* here before, I am using more whole grains (really whole foods in general) in the kitchen. Some areas are better than others. Such as rice--we use brown rice exclusively around here now.  And let me be upfront--I don't love brown rice.  Not by any stretch.  I prefer white rice, but I know the brown is better for you, so we do that instead.  But get this--a friend of mine told me that using something a little "higher end" really helps in the way of enjoying brown rice.  Let me explain--I am a "bulk foods girl" (almost always).  And I am frugal.  Whatever brown rice was the cheapest, I was buying.  However, my friend told me, get the basmati brown rice instead of the standard long/short grain.  I was skeptical to say the least, but I thought, okay I'll try it this once.  And it really does make a difference.  Pair the "better" rice and using chicken stock instead of water to cook it--um, yes, thank you, I'll have seconds.  For reals, try it--let me know what you think.  I think it's nearly as good as white rice.  

Anyhow, this post wasn't supposed to be about rice.  For flour, I try to do whole wheat as much as possible as well.  We do whole wheat for sandwich bread, whole wheat pancakes and waffles, whole wheat banana bread and most of our muffins are whole wheat as well--I have switched to exclusive whole wheat in the Best Ever Muffins and Morning Glory Muffins as well as many others.  That said, there is something about fruit and whole wheat that doesn't sit as well with me.  Like the scones, when it comes to things like blueberry muffins or in this case, cranberry orange muffins, I just couldn't go all the way.  I did compromise though and did half and half (nearly).  And you know what?  They were good!  The all whole wheat may not be half bad either--slathered in butter of course.

Update: My, my, how things change in 12 months time!   I now use freshly ground soft white wheat flour (as of Summer 2011) exclusively in my baked goodies like muffins and cookies.  Read more about that over here.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease bottoms of a muffin pan or line with paper liners and set aside.

1 cup frozen cranberries (don't thaw)
1 1/2 tsp orange zest
3/4 cup milk (I used whole, but I am sure most milk would work just fine)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (vegetable oil would work too)
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar + 1 additional tablespoon (mine was rapadura)
1 1/4 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder (since switching to aluminum free, I have found it to more reactive than regular baking powder--if using regular baking powder use 2 tsp.)
1/2 tsp salt

In a small bowl, toss frozen cranberries, 1 tablespoon of sugar and orange zest.  Set aside. 

In a large bowl, mix melted coconut oil and milk.  Whisk in egg and and remaining sugar.  Add in flours, baking powder, and salt and start folding wet and dry ingredients together.  When about half way incorporated, add in cranberry mixture and fold together until dry ingredients are just moistened. 

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Best Breakfast Recipe of 2011: Fresh Cherry Scones with a Sweet Almond Glaze

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I am linking this recipe up to Finding Joy in My Kitchen's Countdown to 2012: Best Breakfast Recipes.  This is by far my favorite breakfast creation I came up with this year!  Too bad we already ate all the cherries in our freezer.  Otherwise, I would be making them again right now!  

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It had been no more than a week after we finished up the cherries that we Hubs picked 4th of July weekend, that our sweet landlord called and asked if we wanted some cherries from her brother's orchard.  Of course I would never turn down fresh picked cherries, so I jumped at the offer.  But then as I was filling up a big bowl of cherries to take, I remembered that we are going out of town, so I better cool it with taking so many because there is no way we are going to finish them up before we leave.

Enter getting creative with meals to eat some more cherries.  After Hubs ate his first scone, he asked if he could have another one.  I said of course, and as he was walking away, he says something about selling these.  What a nice Hubs, huh?  Oh and for the record, no, he doesn't normally ask permission for seconds, but he knew I hadn't taken pictures yet for the blog, so he wasn't sure what was "allowed."  Isn't he a good blogger husband? 

Fresh Cherry Scones

2 cups flour (I used fresh ground soft white wheat, but all purpose would work fine too)
3 1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cup fresh cherries; stemmed, pitted, chopped (should be 1 1/4 cups after stemming, pitting, and chopping)
4 to 6 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients and cut butter into dry mixture using a pastry cutter or two knives.  Mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.  Add in egg, fresh cherries, and about 3 tablespoons of milk (to start) and fold together.  Fold until just moistened, adding more milk if necessary.

On a lightly floured surface, pat dough into a disk, about 1 inch thick.  You will want to flour the top of the dough as well, as it will be sticky.  Cut the disk like a pie into even sized scones.  I was able to get six generous sized scones.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool completely prior to glazing.

Sweet Almond Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Mix together ingredients until smooth.  If consistency is too thick, add a shade more milk.  If consistency is too thin, add a dash more powdered sugar.  Wing it like I do! ;)  Drizzle over cooled scones. 

Celebrating the King of Kings

Merry Christmas

Christmas Blessings

Peanut had a blast decorating the gingerbread house I successfully baked and constructed (unlike last year's).  She snuck lots of candies and was quite a fan of the royal icing (blech!). 

 

Just in case you missed my post of our Christmas card from this year, we are expecting a new little one next summer--around the end of June to be a little more precise.

I am shooting for my sister's birthday, but we all know I have no say in that at all!

With being tired these past few months and combine that with getting ready to move, these are the big reasons this blog has been fairly neglected these past weeks.  I have been tired, busy, tired, nauseous, and oh, yeah, did I mention tired?   The second trimester is here and I am very excited for the tired to be over, but with moving here in just four weeks, I don't know if that will happen any time soon.  Either way, here is a little collage of our progression so far:

 




We are very blessed this Christmas season and we are very excited to meet our new little one!

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Finally, just a reminder, don't forget about Finding Joy in My Kitchen's Countdown to 2012, starting Monday! 





We hope to see you all there! 

Irony

A few days ago, Hubs came across this as he headed upstairs to get ready for work:

 

I wasn't of the understanding that it was a self-help book. 

Last Visit to ChristmasTown

We made our last visit (at least for awhile) up to the ChristmasTown last night. 

        

























It was Peanut's first time up there without being in a stroller.  (See our visits in 2009 and 2010.)  It is usually quite thrilling for her to not be confined, however she fell asleep during the last ten minutes of the drive.  Combine that with the frigid temps outside (despite the lack of snow) and she wasn't at all thrilled.  Especially when it came time to have some pictures taken.

        

























After braving the cold for all of 30 minutes, we headed towards the Starbucks there.  That definitely helped to thaw us out and put a smile on our girls face. 

She's her mama's girl.  

         

























We are definitely going to miss this Christmas tradition. 

  

It's Almost Christmas!

Countdown to 2012

For the last two years, SnoWhite over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen has a hosted a wonderful year-end blog carnival for bloggers to link up their best recipes from the year.  And guess what, folks?  She's hosting it again as we head into the new year!

I am honored to be joining her in the event, so please mark it on your calendars to make sure and stop by to find some great new recipes for the new year!  Starting next Monday (can you believe it?!?!?) the schedule will be:

December 26th – Best Breakfast Recipes of 2011
December 27th – Best Bread Recipes of 2011
December 28th – Best Soups & Stew Recipes of 2011
December 29th – Best Main Dish Recipes of 2011
December 30th – Best Crockpot Recipes of 2011
December 31st – Best Dessert Recipes of 2011

And don't be shy, because you are invited too!  Look back through your recipes for the year and pick out some of your favorites.  You can participate all of the days or in whichever categories you choose!  Simply visit Finding Joy in My Kitchen on the corresponding day to link up your favorite recipes.

Will you consider joining us?   



 

What a Gift

As I mentioned in my last post, we got to spend time last week with my sister and brother-in-law for the first time in nearly a year.  We had a great time and we even had time to play my new(er) all time favorite game, Apples to Apples.

It was good great times.  

We were all exchanging gifts on "Christmas" morning...with Peanut in the lead, outnumbering the adults 10 to 1 in gifts unwrapped.  It's such fun to watch her excitement. There was one gift left to open, which was sitting next to my sister who was sitting with Peanut at the base of the Christmas tree.  I misunderstood, thinking the remaining gift was for my sister.  Turns out the gift was actually for me, from my sister (and brother-in-law, of course). 

We do joint gifts a lot in our family when it comes to the couples, so as I sat down to unwrap the gift, I clarified if it was just for me or for Hubs too.  My sister told me it was mostly for me, but a little for Hubs.  Fair enough. 

 Look what I got:

I was horrified speechless.  Of course, I didn't want to be rude, but I thought my sister was smoking crack had went off the deep end.  She could probably tell from the look on my face that I wasn't as thrilled about receiving it as she was about giving it to me.  She tried to further sell me on it telling me that my brother-in-law had picked one up for her several months ago at Bed Bath & Beyond and she just LOVES hers.  "And it smells so good, Jackie, you have to try it out."

And I am just staring at the box, turning it over to read all the details of the new little appliance all the while wracking my brain of how I can graciously ask for the receipt.  Brewing a cup of coffee in the shower?  Um, no thank you.  I am ALL about multi-tasking, but that just takes the cake.  Several minutes later, my sister is still going on and on about how much she loves hers and I really just need to open the box to take a look.

But I didn't want to open the box.  I wanted to try and take it back and go get a fun, new kitchen tool or something.  I am not a fan of re-gifting, and I certainly wasn't going to re-gift something as strange as this.  

So finally, after much encouragement from my sister, as well as my mom and dad, they convince me to open the box.

And I was no longer horrified.  Because that had been the low point. 

I opened up the box to find this:

Turns out, my sister wasn't doing illegal drugs at all.  But she and my brother-in-law got me.  Really, really good. 

Not only was it not the horrendous Bathe & Brew, but they generously gave me a fun little toy I had had my eye on for a long time. 

An iPad. 

My sister and my mom had each got one in the last year and they both love theirs.  And I loved using both of theirs whenever I made visits home.   

Hubs and I had talked about possibly getting one next year with our tax return, but with us moving now, that just wasn't happening.  Not any time in the next year at least. 

So what a surprise when I figured out that I didn't have a Bathe & Brew to return.  Of course then I started crying in disbelief, because it was such a thoughtful and generous gift. 

My sister and mom spent the rest of the day educating me on cool apps they thought I would like.  Words with Friends, anyone? 

Lots of fun times, I assure you......but this is way contributing to my delinquency. 

Last Visit Home

It is so strange to say that we made our last visit to Hometown this past week.  Because in just 36 short days we will be calling Hometown home once again for the first time in nearly two and a half years.  And it is coming FAST.

We had a great time visiting with our family and we got to see my sister and brother-in-law for the first time in nearly a year.  Last spring they moved south to a warmer (read: desert) climate and we haven't seen them since our visit home last February.  So it was definitely nice to be able to spend some quality time while all my "immediate" family who were all under one roof once again.

We had a great time.

Peanut got lots of fun gifts

and had to bribed to lay down for a nap.  Notice the big big girl bed. 

Cute clothes gifts. 

Snuggly times with her uncle while watching Tangled.

Auntie helped with the gift opening. 

It's not even that great and I kid you not, nearly 80 pictures were taken to get this one. 

Grandma got her a lovely hand painted tea set and they had lots of fun playing Tea Party. 

It's what it's all about isn't it?