Impossibly Easy Coconut Pie

My dad LOVES custard pie. He also loves coconut anything. And although it doesn't say it, this really is basically a custard pie. When I came across it, it was appealing to me for two reasons: we were currently staying with my parents and I thought my dad might like it and it had the words impossibly easy in the title. I was pretty much sold.

Impossible Easy Coconut Pie

adapted from Bisquick

1	cup flaked or shredded coconut
3/4	cup sugar
1/2	cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/4	cup butter or margarine, softened
2	cups milk
1 1/2	teaspoons vanilla
4	eggs 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch pie plate with shortening or cooking spray. 2. Place all ingredients except the coconut in a blender and blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour into pan and then sprinkle coconut on top. (I probably used more coconut) 3. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until golden brown (mine didn't take nearly as long, and I wasn't keeping a close enough eye on it, hence, the slightly darker golden brown) and knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie. I got this adaptation of the Bisquick recipe from a reviewer online. The actual recipe calls for adding all the ingredients today in a bowl, stirring, and then pouring into the pan. Several other reviewers talked about how eggy it was and the blender really helped you not to feel like you were in a Stallone movie! (you know, cause he drinks raw eggs!!)

Cookie Dough Truffles

Is there anything better than chocolate chip cookie dough? I swear like half the time I make cookies it is because I want the dough! As soon as I saw these on annie's eats I knew that I wanted to try them. I actually made them for my Sunday School class because, really, who could eat all of them on their own? (me). Anyway, after I made them, Ryan made the executive decision that we would not be taking them to church and that we would be eating them all. So we didn't take them. And I am sure I gained 10 pounds in like 2 days because of it. Every time I walked by the kitchen for anything, I would pop one in my mouth like a bon bon. I might as well have turned on a soap opera and called it good.

Cookie Dough Truffles

found on annie's eats

Ingredients:

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup light brown sugar, packed

2¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1½ lb. semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate, coarsely chopped

Mini chocolate chips (for garnish)

Directions:

Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up enough to form balls.

Shape the chilled cookie dough mixture into 1-1½ inch balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Cover loosely, transfer the pan to the freezer and chill for 1-2 hours.

When ready to dip the truffles, melt the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Dip each chilled truffle, one at a time, coating in chocolate and shaking gently to remove the excess. (If at any point during dipping, the cookie dough balls become too soft, return to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.) Transfer to a wax-paper lined surface. If using mini chocolate chips for garnish, sprinkle on top quickly after dipping each truffle before the chocolate sets. Once all the truffles have been dipped, store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve

Hawaiian Haystacks

Here are the ingredients needed (this is for a family of 4 eaters):

1. 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2. 1 can cream of chicken soup
3. 1/2 cup of sour cream
4. 4 tblsp butter
5. 3/4 cup milk
6. 1 1/2 cups rice, cooked
7. assortment of toppings, including:

• shredded cheddar cheese
• mushrooms
• chinese noodles
• olives
• green onions
• pineapple chunks
• raisins
• mandarin oranges
• peanuts
• coconut
• whatever you like and want to add on top

Heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and milk. Stir until all ingredients are mixed. Add shredded chicken. Stir until heated through. Each person puts rice and sauce on his or her plate, then he/she can add whatever toppings he or she might want.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Have you ever asked yourself how you can make a potato really unhealthy?

If so, look no further, you have found your answer!

Seriously, these are really good, but they might leave your arteries a teeny bit clogged. I have seen many people when blogging, give a warning with the recipe to run, not walk to their treadmill after eating whatever it was. I would have to say that these would fall under that category as well.

Thanks to my friend Christy for the pics. I forgot my camera when taking them to her house for Sunday dinner and she was nice enough not just to let me borrow hers, but to actually take the picture. She is an amazing photographer.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Found on allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 8 slices bacon (use one slice of bacon for each potato half if you are not worried about a heart attack)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 8 green onions, sliced, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour. (Ok, I microwave the potatoes instead because it is way faster and they taste just as good. About three minutes per potato, just check for tenderness).

Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl(leave about 1/4 inch of flesh so the potato maintains it's shape); save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.

Bake for another 15 minutes.

Week 1 - Monday - Sub Sandwiches & Pasta Salad

I feel like I'm always serving my family the same 10 meals, week in and week out. So, after seeing this idea on a friend's blog, I decided to follow suit and make up a 6 week meal schedule. I actually was able to extend it to a 7 week schedule (hopefully one of these days I'll make it 8) and I only repeated 2 of the meals twice! So, here is Week 1 - Monday's meal: Sub sandwiches, pasta salad, chips, and a pickle.

Later on, when I viewed this picture, I realized how unappetizing this view might look, so I promise to do better with the picture taking in the future.
The recipe for this particular pasta salad is already posted on this website. (And if you need a recipe for sub sandwiches, I hate to break it to you, but you're in serious trouble in the kitchen department.) You might not want to follow the same schedule as us but at least it will help keep me posting on a regular basis and you might just get a few new recipes!

Mix N Match Cookie Pizza

So, I know that everyone has a cookie pizza recipe. But I found this forever ago on Kraft foods and I really liked it because it gave you different options to choose from. I have made several of them and have liked some better than others but that is the beauty of cookie pizzas. You can mix and match depending on whatever you are craving at the moment.

Cookie Dessert

by Kraft Foods

1 pkg (18 oz.) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough (I actually make my own dough)

1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese

2 cups thawed Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream)

1/3 C sugar

Then mix and match as you would like from the following flavoring options, fruit choices, and topping possibilities:

Flavoring options:

1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. grated orange peel

Fruit choices:

2 cups sliced strawberries

2 apples, very thinly sliced

2 bananas, thinly sliced

1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained; 1/4 c maraschino cherries

Topping Possibilities:

Semi-sweet chocolate chips

caramel flavored dessert topping

chocolate dessert topping

sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350. Press cookie dough into 12 inch pizza pan. Bake 20 min. or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and flavoring in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping.

Spread cream cheese mixture over crust; top with fruit and 1/4 c topping. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 16 wedges to serve. (or less if you are like my family and like our portions BIG!)

Note: I have always matched up according to order. For example: vanilla, bananas, and chocolate, or cinnamon, apples, and caramel. But really, whatever you want!!

Southwest Chipotle Burger

I am still dreaming about this burger. It seriously is one of the best burgers I have ever had. I ate it in like 3 bites. I wasn't going to take a picture at first so I just started eating it. After the first bite, I ran and got my camera, turned my plate so the partially eaten side would be hidden, and clicked right there at the table in the bad light and all. I could not be bothered to go and find good light and waste precious moments that could be used eating.

I got this off of Our Best Bites, which is one of my favorite food blog sites. Everything I have made from those two girls has been delicious.

This is their Southwest Chipotle Burger. It is a little hot so if you have kids, keep that in mind. One of my kids didn't like it but my 3 year old pounded it, almost as fast as me. In her little voice she announced that when her mouth got too spicy, she would just drink her water.

The Chipotle-Lime Mayo was A-MA-ZING! You have to add that when making this. And including the avocado, tomato, and lettuce really rounds it out nicely. Ryan said it was like a flavor explosion in his mouth.

Southwest Chipotle Burger

Our Best Bites

Burgers:
1 1/2 lb ground chuck or ground sirloin (I used 80/20 ground chuck. I mean if you are going to have a burger, you might as well make it from the good stuff!)
1-1/2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, cut up
1 1/2 T adobo sauce (from the chipotle chili can)
1/4 C grated onion
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t cumin
1 1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 t pepper

Chipotle-lime Mayo:
1/2 C Mayo
2 t lime juice
1 1/2 t adobo sauce (from the canned chipotle chilis)
2T chopped fresh cilantro

4-6 good quality buns
1 tomato
1-2 avocado
lettuce
optional: jack, cotija, or queso fresco cheese (I just added a little grated Monterey Jack)

To make the mayo, just put ingredients in a small bowl and mix together. Place in the fridge until ready to use. You can also make this ahead of time.

Gently crumble meat into a bowl. Add the other ingredients and gently work together. They give a great tip that if you overwork it, the meat gets a gross texture, so just mix until it is worked through.

Then divide into 4 patties (or 6 small patties) and place on your preferred cooking surface, be it grill, indoor grill, or skillet.

In the last few minutes of grilling, add your cheese. When done, remove from grill and let cool for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toast your buns and lather the prepared mayo on both sides. Then place burger on bun, add avocado, tomato, and lettuce and eat away into bliss!