coconut

Put The Lime In The Coconut…Bars

/ TaMara / 2 Comments

I really like Key Lime Pie (recipe here) and I was craving a little taste of the tropics. But it’s very difficult to store leftovers and since [[[looks around]]] everyone seems to be either out of town or going out of town, I had no one on which to foist that extra pie.  You know what freezes well and is ready for the next guest who comes over for coffee? Yup, Key Lime Bars.

Last time I made them, I had just a few extra coconut shreds, so instead of storing them, I decided to toast them and add them to the top after I removed the bars from the oven.

Continue reading →

Happy Easter! How About Some Coconut Lemon Cake?

/ TaMara / 1 Comment

Easter and spring just call out for this cake:

I can’t seem to make this without using every bowl and utensil in the kitchen. But it’s worth it.

Here’s the original recipe.

I made a few changes.

For the cake, I substituted coconut oil for both the oil and butter. When I originally made the cake, I didn’t keep coconut oil in the house, now it’s a staple. This upped the coconut flavor in the cake itself.

For the lemon curd, I flipped the water/lemon juice amounts. Using 1 cup of lemon juice and only 1/2 cup water. This upped the tartness substantially, so be prepared!

For the layers – this time I cut down from 4 to 3, using pie pans for the cake pans. This made for a much sturdier cake without losing any of the flavor – especially with the super tart curd.

Nom-nom. I really could have eaten the entire cake myself.

A Little Bit of Everything Cookie

/ TaMara / 1 Comment

I made my standard Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (here) and then went scrounging around the kitchen to see how I could take them up a couple of notches.

First I added 3/4 cups of rolled oats (not quick oats), then two good handfuls of unsweetened coconut flakes.  This made perfectly crisp and chewy cookies with some great flavor.

Add the oats to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and let sit for a minute or two before adding the remaining ingredients, to soften them a bit.

Bake at 375 F for 10-12 minutes.

 

Variations On Shortbread: Coconut and Tahini

/ TaMara / 1 Comment

I was telling a friend I was going to make Tahini shortbread cookies to use up the tahini I had leftover from the Tahini Walnut Rolls (recipe here). She asked if it was dairy free, because she’d like to make shortbread, but was avoiding dairy.

The original recipe wasn’t, but I thought I’d give it a try with just tahini. And then because I Iove coconut, I thought I’d do the same thing with coconut oil. So both of these are dairy free.  Continue reading →

Well, That Was Good

/ jeffreyw

I’m sure there’s a pro trick to getting the coconut put on the sides of a cake but this was just a brute force attack.  The top was easy – I ended up just pressing it on the sides with my fingers.  What doesn’t stick falls off and can be gathered for a new attempt.
The cake was good but it would have been good without the changes to the recipe. No idea how to compare with a “stock” cake without actually making one as a control.

Coconut Lemon Cake Revisited

/ TaMara

I visited family for Easter and it seemed like a good time to make my Coconut Lemon Cake. It was a hit – though my niece would have preferred a less tangy lemon curd. I will admit, I made it super lemony because my brother and I both love lemon.

Here’s the original recipe.

I made a few changes.

For the cake, I substituted coconut oil for both the oil and butter. When I originally made the cake, I didn’t keep coconut oil in the house, now it’s a staple. This upped the coconut flavor in the cake itself.

For the lemon curd, I flipped the water/lemon juice amounts. Using 1 cup of lemon juice and only 1/2 cup water. This upped the tartness substantially, so be prepared!

For the layers – this time I cut down from 4 to 3, using pie pans for the cake pans. This made for a much sturdier cake without losing any of the flavor – especially with the super tart curd.

Nom-nom. I really could have eaten the entire cake myself.

I’m off to do more prep on the vegetable garden. I have a hoop and 6 wall of water, so I’m hoping to get a head start later this month.

Depending on how the harvest goes, I’m definitely going to get a vacuum sealer to make freezing veggies easier. I. Do. Not. Can.

Are you planning your garden, yet?

Cookie Pr0n

/ jeffreyw

20170125_143211-1600x1200Mrs J was puttering about looking like she needed something to do this afternoon.  Always helpful, I called for cookies.  We went with epicurious’s oatmeal chocolate chip recipe.  We added a cup of shredded coconut, and gave the oatmeal a whirl in the food processor – three or four pulses to break them up some.  We also threw in about 2/3 cup of pecan pieces we had left in an opened bag.  They came out great!