Well it is time for another family lunch at my grandmothers house. This time in honor of Fathers Day. And as I scoured my recipes for a dessert to bring I found this recipe and lit up like a Christmas tree!! It is everything I love in a good family function recipe. Its relatively easy, transports nicely, and is a show piece! How can I resist??
So I decided to go for it and try to recreate this wonderful piece of art!!
Recipe:
1 box chocolate cake mix (I used Germn chocolate)
4 large eggs
1c buttermilk
1/2c vegetable oil
1/2 bag sweetened coconut flakes
1 can chocolate frosting
1 can vanilla frosting
Mix ingredients together with a mixer. I used a small cake pan and two glass pyrex, oven safe bowls. You need it to have a cylindrical type shape. I just wish I had a small cake pan. My cake is going to look a little squatter than this cake. But thats okay. I am sure it will work out just fine. Bake for 20-30 minnutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Take 1/2 a bag of sweetened coconut and place is a skillet over medium heat. Stir continuously so the flakes do not burn. Once the coconut flakes are toasted and brown, remove from the pan and let them cool completely.
Once the cake is completely cool assess your 3 layers and decide which layer will be on the bottom and top. And if your flat layer is larger than your bowl cakes you need to trim it so they are level. I had to do this. Place your bottom layer on a cake plate and place a layer of chocolate frosting on top. Place your flat second layer on top of the frosting and add some chocolate frosting to the top of that layer. Finally take your top layer and gently cut a circular hole in the top. This will be what looks like the top of the coconut drink when frosted. Place your layer on the frosting.
Take the chocolate frosting and frost the outside of the cake making sure not to get the top of the cake and leaving a 1 inch border at the top on the side.
Taking your vanilla frosting frost the inch border and the top of your cake. I went ahead and took a small knife and frosted the inner circle of the cake and all the corners around the top where you are not going to put coconut. I didnt read the directions well enough and vanilla frosted the entire top layer. No biggie you just see a little white frosting through some of your coconut.
Take your cooled toasted coconut and gently cover the entire outside of your cake. Make sure all the sides are completely covered so you dont have any gaps in coconut.
Garnish with some tiki straws or candied pineapple on bamboo skewers or any other dried candied fruit you like.
Unfortunately the decorations would not fit with my cake topper on it so I decorated once I got to my Grannys house. And I forgot to get a picture of it with my tiki straws. But you see the original photo I was copying so you get the idea. I was putting my straws in the cake and my uncle looked at me like I was crazy. I tried to explain it was for presentationl flair! I think my Dad just shook his head and laughed. But you know what? Everyone loved the cake. They may not have realized it was suppose to look like a tiki drink but it ate well and really.....isnt that the main thing for any food function? So I call this a success! Hope if you try it you like it!
Ok before you freak out, this is not a roadkill kinda dish! In fact there is no armadillo in it anywhere. I am sure you are thinking with me there is no telling. But I promise...no armadillo! These are cheese stuffed, sausage wrapped jalapenos!! Ahhhh..........now I got your attention!! I have been getting just tons of jalapenos out of my garden this season and I thought I might make a stuffed jalapeno to take to a family function this weekend. As I started searching the internet for ideas I came across this one on the Serious Eats website and fell in love. And I believe that after you see these you will be in love too!!
Recipe:
8oz low fat cream cheese
2c sharp cheddar cheese
1-3T chopped cilantro (depending on how much you like cilantro)
18-24 large jalapenos, seeded and halved
3lbs loose breakfast sausage
your favorite BBQ seasoning
In small bowl mix together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and cilantro. I think next time I might add a little chopped fresh garlic.
Take a small spoon and place a dollop of cheese mixture in the jalapeno. I kept them flush with the top of the jalapeno.
Take a small ball of sausage and flatten it out. Place the stuffed jalapeno in the center of the sausage and gently fold around it forming an oblong egg-like shape. Place on a baking sheet until you have finished balling all of your jalapenos.
The original recipe called for grilling the eggs with some apple or cherry wood. I am not allowed to touch the grill and even more so now that my husband is deployed. So I used the grill pan for the stove.
Lightly sprinkle your BBQ seasoning over your eggs and grill. Cook for about 20 minutes making sure to brown all the sides.
Once sausage is completely cooked through lay on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Serve to your guests or yourself and enjoy the deliciousness!
I wasnt sure how these little wrapped packages would go over with my family, a lot of them are not big spicy food eaters, but more of them tried them than I thought. And everyone who had one loved them! And oh man they were good even after traveling 2 hours. So pull these little suckers out for your next party and become a food goddess!!
Ahhhhh summer. What a lovely time of year for fresh produce. And sometimes the best fresh produce needs to remain fresh and not cooked. This year most of us on my Dads side of the family planted purple beans this summer. Purple beans are just green beans that are purple essentially. Although they do turn green once cooked. And while my garden is small and I could only plant two small rows of beans my Dad was able to plant considerably more than me. Why is that important in the grand scheme of things? It is not unless I go to visit him and am able to take advantage of his garden produce! And he had bags of fresh picked purple beans. I had been forming an idea in my head of eating them in either a bean salad or bean and pasta salad. Because to be honest with you those beans are delicious right off the plant. In fact I ate almost as many as I picked while we were outside. They are just so sweet and crisp. They are never any better in my opinion. And while cooking or steaming them tastes good too, I wanted to find a recipe that would allow me to indulge in the crispness of the raw bean. And this is the recipe we ended up with. And I hope you enjoy your fresh produce as much as we did!
Recipe:
8-oz purple beans, cut into 1cm coins
1 pint fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ball of fresh mozzarella, cubed
handful of basil, chiffonade
Place in a large bowl and gently toss.
Dressing:
1/3c white balsamic or white wine vinegar
1/2 small shallot, minced
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/3-2/3c extra virgin olive oil (depending on how tart you like yours)
salt and pepper
Combine your ingredients and whisk to make sure it is emulsified. Pour over your vegetables. Gently mix to coat every piece. Let it sit for half an hour. This can also be made several hours in advance, just make sure and toss the salad together before serving to make sure the vinaigrette is mixed and evenly distributed.
This was a very light and refreshing salad that would be a great addition to any summer meal. Ours just happened to be ribs. The burst of flavors in your mouth was just wonderful. I think I overdresed the salad and the beans lost a little bit of their sweetness. But I suppose thats the price you pay sometimes. But overall it was a very delicious dish that I absolutely recommend. So happy summer eating everyone!!
