Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers

I don't know about you, but sometimes when I get a craving I need to satisfy it ASAP.  And sometimes, those cravings are so strange that even I wonder where they came from.  Like a few weeks ago, when I  felt like I needed these in my life immediately.

Funny thing is, I probably had them once in my life...MAYBE twice.  And it had to be at least 15 years ago.  So random!  But, so good.

My condiment of choice was my honey mustard, but the next time this craving strikes, you can bet I'll be eating them with orange marmalade.  Just thinking about that makes me want them again...

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers 

slightly adapted from Our Best Bites

12 chicken tenders

1-2 eggs (use the second if you run out of the first)

1/2 cup AP flour

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 teaspoons garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.   Rough chop coconut a bit.  Combine with panko and spices in a small dish and mix well.  Place flour in another dish, and egg (beaten lightly) in another.  Dip tenders, one at a time, in flour, followed by egg, then coconut mixture.  Press lightly to adhere coating.

Spray cooking spray on foil-lined baking sheet, then place tenders on it.  Bake for about 20 minutes (could be more or less, depending on size of tenders).  Color will stay light so be sure not to overcook!

What's Baking Roundup - Snowday Treats

It was my turn to host our monthly What's Baking? group challenge, and I figured January was the perfect month to choose a theme involving snow.  Normally, by this time of year, our area has already seen plenty of it.  This season, however, has been pretty "balmy", with only two snowstorms thus far - the bigger one happening right before Halloween!  Still, baking your favorite snowday treat is always fun - white fluffy stuff or not.

Jen from Beantown Baker baked these Hot Chocolate Cookies...a clever way to get a popular snowday beverage into the oven...

                            

And apparently, Jey from The Jey of Cooking had the same idea with her version!

                                     

Jill from JBean Cuisine submitted a fun twist on a usual favorite with these Butternut Squash Cinnamon Buns:

                                     

Lindsay from Peace, Love and French Fries showed her spirit and baked these Creamsicle Cookies, even though it was 50 degrees (in Denver!) that day:

                                     

Hezzi D's Books and Cooks author Heather chose a chocolaty treat - how delicious does this Chocolate Covered Brownie Bottom Cheesecake look?

                                     

Ange from The Tiny Tyrant's Kitchen made a treat that was a big hit with our family this Christmas - Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies:

                                     

More of that oh-so-popular hot chocolate made an appearance, in Our Share of the Harvest's Lindsey's Hot Chocolate Cupcakes:

                                     

Yudith from Blissfully Delicious made some beautiful looking Madeleines:

                                     

Ammie from Adventures in my Kitchen served up a jolt with Chocolate Cappuccino Chip Cookies:

                                     

The Boys Made Me Do It's Cara made this yummy looking Orange Sticky Bun, which brought back some memories for her:

                                     

Catherine from Pursuing Domestic Goddess-ness actually DID have snow when she baked these Oatmeal Maple Scones:

                                     

Jaida from Sweet Beginnings made my mouth water with this Chocolate Lava Cake:

                                     

Stephanie from Brownies and Blondies had the same thought process as I did when it comes to baking on a snow day, and used what she had on hand for these Kitchen Sink Cookies...

                                      

...just like Bella and I did when we made our Monster Cookies (see below for recipe).  Who wants to drive in the snow, anyway?                

                                 

Jade from The Mess Pot made Chocolate and Carmel Cookies that look so warm and rich:

                                       

Carrie's Sweet Life became even sweeter with these Brown Sugar Cookies:

                                     

Amanda from Our Italian Kitchen was the only one who chose to bake a pie - this Salted Caramel Pie - which looks super comforting!

                                     

And finally, Sandra, who will host next month's What's Baking? challenge on her blog, She Cooks and Bakes, made this delicious candy treat - Twix Bars.

                                     

Thanks for your participation, ladies!  Can't wait to see what's in store for February, when the theme will be  "baking something sweet for your sweets"!

Monster Cookies
from Sweet Anna's

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup packed sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup m&ms, divided

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars.  Mix in eggs, vanilla and baking soda until smooth.  Mix in oats, and then the rest of the ingredients until combined, except for 1/2 cup of the m&ms. 

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Flatten slightly with a fork dipped in cold water.  Press a few reserved m&ms into the top of the cookies that have none showing.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until just set and barely golden brown around the edges.  Do NOT overcook!

Makes approximately 50 cookies.

No surprise here...they're awesome.

Another great recipe for you to consider when BBQ hopping this summer!  I brought these to a friend's house  recently and as usual, they were a big hit.  My mom has been making these FOREVER...I love how easy they come together, and of course, how droolworthy and yummy they are.

Feel free to use another type of nut or chip...anything goes.  Just enjoy them.  And watch everyone else enjoy them, too.  You'll be the hit of the party!

Surprise Bars
from Mom

1/2 box graham crackers, crushed (or 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs)
1 stick butter, melted
chocolate chips
sweetened coconut flakes
chopped walnuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the graham crackers and butter in a bowl, then cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan with them.  Add remaining ingredients (enough of each to spread evenly around the pan) and add the milk last, pouring it over the top.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes.  Cool before cutting.

Linked to:  Sweet Tooth Friday

Truffles - the sweet kind

Take a piece of straight up chocolate and pop it in your mouth.  Really, does it get any better than that?

That's the chocolate truffle.

I made two different types on Easter - the traditional kind, and the kind you make when you somehow have a sleeve of Girl Scout cookies that you haven't eaten yet (?????).  

You can have a lot of fun with these...use whatever toppings you like and add different flavors too, if you want.  They're easy to make and perfect for parties.  

Thin Mint Truffles

from The Hungry Housewife

1 sleeve of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies 

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

Put the cookies in a blender and process until finely ground.  Reserve a small amount (about 3 tablespoons).

Combine the bulk of the cookie crumbs with the cream cheese and mix.  Scoop out by the tablespoon and form into a ball.  Roll the balls in the reserved cookie crumbs.  

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Makes 20 truffles.

Luscious Chocolate Truffles

from Allrecipes

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

toppings of your choice (I used coconut and Easter/Spring themed sprinkles)

Put chocolate and milk in a saucepan and heat until combined, stirring frequently.  Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Scoop and form chocolate into balls about an inch wide.  Roll in desired toppings.  Refrigerate before serving.

Makes about 6 dozen truffles.

Linked to: Sweets for a Saturday
                Sweet Tooth Friday

Easter sweets

I can't even begin to tell you how many emails I've received in the past few weeks about Easter food.  Easter appetizers, Easter main dishes, Easter side dishes, Easter brunch items, and of course - Easter desserts.  It's enough to make your head spin...so much to choose from!

Incase you're still having a hard time deciding, here are two ideas.  One is suitable for brunch or dessert, and the other is a cute Easter treat.  They're easy to make and travel well.  And both are big crowd pleasers!

Fresh Mango & Pecan Cake
from Market Manila

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsalted pecans, roasted and chopped
4-5 mangoes, slightly ripe, peeled and cubed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease or spray a 9x9 baking dish.

Cream butter and 1 cup of sugar in a mixing bowl for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, waiting to add the second egg until the first is fully incorporated.  Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined - DO NOT overmix.

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside.

Spread half the batter in the baking dish.  Top with half of the mangoes, then half of the pecans, followed by half of the sugar mixture.  Add the remaining half of the batter and spread evenly.  Top with the rest of the mangoes, pecans and sugar mixture.

Bake for about 50 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

These Easter Cupcakes are VERY easy to make and are so adorable!  This recipe is great if you're looking for something to make with the kids.  Use whatever topping you like (I used Mini Robin eggs).  They're delicious!

Linked to: Sweets For A Saturday

Spicy but sweet (and how to cut a mango)

I'm a huge fan of spicy (as you may have already guessed!), but there's something even better about sweet and spicy.  The combination is so refreshing and challenging at the same time.  I love discovering different meals that incorporate both tastes, although I usually have to tone the spicy part down just a bit for Mr. Wimpy the other adult in the house ;)


This dish was delicious, and very easy to make.  I served it with brown rice and sauteed spinach which I thought went really well with it.  The spinach kind of "cools off" the shrimp (although I added lots of garlic to it, naturally).  My mother-in-law joined us for this meal and gave it a big thumbs up!

For all you mango virgins who are deathly afraid of cutting one open, I've included this link for you showing 3 different ways to go about it.  My preference is #2.  Enjoy!


Spicy Mango Shrimp
adapted from My Recipes

3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 1/2 cups shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
2 cups mango, cubed (preferably unripe)
1/4 cup toasted shredded unsweetened coconut (I omitted...and not on purpose.  I forgot!)

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. 

Add garlic, chile flakes, basil, soy sauce, lime juice, and shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink.  Add mango and cook until warm. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and serve.

Serves 4

WW Points+ = 8 (including coconut, not including rice)


Linked to: Mangia Monday
                  Mango Blog Hop

Failing the bar

Bella has been loving granola bars lately!  I thought it would be a good change to make some.  I came across this recipe for peanut butter granola and figured I'd give it a whirl...and even better, I had all of the ingredients on hand.  

I made a few changes - added slivered almonds and coconut, replaced the corn syrup with honey, and used creamy peanut butter instead of crunchy.  It came together very nicely and looked great...until...  

I went to cut it into bars (and yes, they were completely cooled off).  Big fat fail.  I'm not sure why.  It just kept crumbling, and crumbling...but, the good news is that it tastes perfectly fine.  Especially on top of greek yogurt.

Next time I think I'll add some mini chocolate chips :)

Linked to: What's Cooking Wednesday, hosted by The King's Court

Pretty in mint green

This was the third time I ever made chocolate covered strawberries, but the first for a special occasion - a friend's baby shower.  Her baby girl's nursery is decorated in lavender and mint green, so I thought incorporating those colors into the favors would be a nice idea.

I used white chocolate and colored it mint green, then used different toppings - mini chocolate chips, coconut and toffee chips.

Tied them up in lavender bags fastened by ribbon and a diaper pin, and there they were - delicious and pretty favors!

Can't wait to meet Baby Bianca, who I know will be even sweeter than these strawberries!

Expanding my horizons

There aren't many "extras" that I made myself before starting this blog...they were just never on my radar, for whatever reason.  Some things just seemed easier to grab at the store, rather than taking the time to make them myself and tailor them to our taste.

One of them is granola.  I thought it would be nice to make my own to put on top of greek yogurt or even eat by the handful.  Delicious, and so easy to make!  It definitely beats buying premade granola mixes.

This recipe caught my eye - it seemed interesting, plus I already had almost all of the ingredients at home.  I was looking for something that worked with quick oats, since I wanted to use up the open container I had.  I've really been enjoying it...it'll be a keeper.

Vanilla Granola
adapted from ifood

6 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup craisins
1/2 cup flaked coconut
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Cook oil, honey, sugar, water and vanilla over medium heat until mixed.  In a bowl, combine oats, almonds, craisins and coconut.  Pour liquid mixture over oat mixture and stir so everything is coated.

Spread granola on 2 baking pans (9x13).  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes.

Cool and stir occasionally.  Store in an airtight container.

Calling all Moms...

Teeny time, Gymboree, school, park, playground, playdates, sports, parties, music class, gymnastics, karate, dance class...go ahead, Moms - add your child's activity of the day to this list.  It's endless, right?

Well, whatever it is, don't forget to pack that snack!  One more thing to add to that list...

As a Mom (Dads too - shouldn't leave them out!), it's important to have a list of go-to food items that you can make in advance.  I've found that muffins are perfect - not only are they delicious, but they're a nutritious snack that can be frozen and taken out easily to defrost in individual portions.  They're great for breakfast, too.

Bella is a big fan of "cupcakes", as she calls them, so I like to change it up and create different varieties.  As always, I go by my mood as well as what's available in my kitchen.

I wasn't sure what to call these, but based on the ingredients I used, and where my head is at these days, I thought the name I chose was the most fitting.  Even Bella said yesterday, "I need to go sit on the beach.  I need the sun on my face."  We're soooo OVER winter in this house!

Tropical Muffins
largely adapted from Allrecipes

2 cups AP flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons clementine juice
2 cups frozen mango chunks
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup walnuts


In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the eggs, oil and juice; add to the dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in the mango, banana, coconut and nuts.


Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Happy Birthday Mom!

When I started this blog 6 weeks ago, I tried to think of things I could do in order to challenge myself - to raise the bar beyond what I've been doing in the kitchen regularly.  I came up with a few ideas, although there was one I was a little scared particularly excited about starting.

For a while now, my family has been buying birthday cakes rather than bake them ourselves...so, being that baking has never been my strongpoint, I thought, why not bake everyone's cakes this year?  Let the birthday boy/girl choose whatever they want, and I would deliver.

The first birthday of the year is Mom's.  We gathered today to celebrate (along with mine, but I'm waiting until the actual day to make my cake - check back in a few days), and I started My Personal Baking Challenge off with a bang - German Chocolate Cake.

Everyone was patiently waiting for "happy cake time"...including the oldest and youngest grandsons...

Finally!!  Happy Birthday Mom! (I made a wish, too)

Dad was watching over it carefully...

...and Bella had a cookie appetizer before eating some of Daddy's piece.

Now, what to make for mine on Wednesday?  Any suggestions?  Considering we're supposed to be snowed in (AGAIN), it may just be the three of us eating it.  Better bust out the sweats.

I used the recipe on the Original Baker's German's Chocolate Box and it didn't disappoint.  Soooo good. I will say, though, that the prep was longer than 30 minutes.  More like 45...maybe a bit more.  Still, it was easy to follow.

And, if you're anything like my family, you know that there can never be too much chocolate.  EVER.  So, I had to frost the sides with this AMAZING chocolate icing.  I highly recommend doing the same.

Kittencal's Chocolate Frosting
from Food.com
1/2 cup butter, softened 
2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/3 cup half and half
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Cream the butter in a small bowl.  Blend in the cocoa powder, vanilla, confectioners sugar, alternately with the cream.  Beat with an electric mixer, until the desired texture is achieved.

Linked to: Sweets for a Saturday, hosted by Sweet As Sugar Cookies

In honor of our Greek New Year's Day tradition...Kali Xpovia!

This year, Nana celebrated her 88th/90th birthday (don't ask).  Since she's been suffering from dementia for a few years now, we can't get any information about the past from her...which is why I searched online for a Vasilopita recipe so that I could revive the tradition that we skipped the past couple of years.

Vasilopita, which means "St. Basil's Bread", is a bread (or cake) that is served by the Greeks on New Year's Day.  It became a custom in the fourth century when St. Basil wanted to give money to the poor people in his community...but to avoid embarrassment, he would have his church members bake bread with gold coins inside of it, then distribute it to these people.  This began the tradition, and now Greek households everywhere serve this bread with one coin (which, for us, is a dime wrapped in aluminum foil)...whoever gets the piece with it has good luck for the entire year.

And now for the dirty truth.  I'm not going to lie.

The recipe that I used was easy enough, and as I was making the batter it looked and smelled delicious.  I was stressing over the fact that I didn't have the size pan it called for, and that I always remember it being served in (a round pan 12-13 in. wide and 2-3 in. deep).  After consulting with my mom we decided that a springform pan would work just fine (even though it's 9 in. wide).

I baked it, stuck the coin in midway (like the recipe said) and took it out after the suggested time.

To make a long story short, I should have baked it longer.  I transferred it to a plate and after a few hours, went to check on it...and found a nice big hole in the middle, with a super gooey puddle inside.  Good times.

I put it directly on the sheet pan and baked it for another 15 minutes, but it didn't help much.  So, I did what all good cooks do...I improvised.  I stuck whole almonds in the cake through the hole, followed by some shredded coconut.  They were toppings I was going to use on the cake anyway, so who cares if they're inside, too?  Right?

And now, more of the dirty truth....

First of all, nobody in my family really EATS the cake.  Everyone goes digging through their piece to look for the coin, maybe taking one or two bites in the process, then leaves the crumbly mess on their plate and goes about their business.  So, it really isn't the end of the world if the cake was "custom made" this year.  (By the way, I will update tomorrow after each family member gets their piece and let you know who wins the luck of 2011!)

Second (and this I JUST found out)...Nana never baked this cake herself.  Neither did Aunt Joan, who I thought did for the past several years, and who I asked for the recipe.  Apparently, Greek Mary in Union City has been making my family's Vasilopita since we came here from Europe.

So much for tradition!  But I will continue to hold the torch...I'll just buy the right pan next year :) and if it works, I'll post the recipe.

Happy New Year to you all!!  I hope 2011 brings you and your loved ones health, wealth, happiness...and most of all, good food :)

Oh, and tomorrow keep an eye out for my post about our Italian New Year's Day tradition!