Coconut Oat Macaroons

I can't explain it, but lately I've been craving coconut. I didn't even like coconut growing up, but now I want it all the time. No, I'm not pregnant, atleast I hope not!

When I saw this recipe a few weeks ago I decided I had to make them. They were the perfect treat to make after Pilates class!

Of course I adapted the recipe based on what I had and came up with this creation.

Ingredients:
1 7 oz bag of full fat unsweetened coconut (I got the best choice brand) or 1 cup coconut butter
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut(that is what I had on hand)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
1/2 tsp Kosher salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300°F. In a food processor, process the entire 7 oz bag of full fat shredded coconut for about 5-8 minutes, until a thick, smooth coconut butter forms, scraping down the sides as needed (this will yield about 1 cup of coconut butter).
Combine the coconut butter and all of the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Stir until well-combined.
Using a mini ice cream scoop or a small spoon(I used a Tablespoon), scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet (no need to leave much room in between as they do not spread out). Bake for about 15 minutes(the original recipe said 20-25 minutes, but I think I had the oven at 350 and my macaroons were small), or until the bottoms of the macaroons are lightly browned. The macaroons will be very soft at this point.
Allow the macaroons to sit at room temperature on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until they firm up and cool down.

YUM!

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

This is a recipe from the Sisters Cafe. They have a great blog with lots of good recipes. I was looking for a muffin to make for friends and I saw this. Anything labelled "Grandma's Famous" is a must make!

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
zest of one lemon
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 cup frozen blueberries

Topping (this is what makes these so special!):
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 Tb lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

Mix dry ingredients(except sugar) and set aside. Beat butter and sugar. Add egg. Add dry ingredients and lemon zest alternating with milk. Gently stir in the blueberries. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Combine butter and lemon juice. While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops in the butter and lemon juice, then dip in sugar. Makes 12 muffins.

Olive Garden's Pasta E Fagioli

I found the original recipe on crockpot 365 and it is also on my friend Maleah's blog. I don't use a full lb of beef and I decided I liked it better with italian seasoning rather than all oregano. You can use any combination of veggies that you want. You could add broccoli, squash, green beans, asparagus, corn, etc.. We all love this soup at our house!
Ingredients:
1/2 lbs ground beef, cooked and drained
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, diced
2-14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups(32 oz) beef stock
1-2 teaspoons italian seasoning
salt and pepper
3-4 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 dry pasta shell macaroni(added during the last hour of cooking)

Add all ingredients except pasta to crockpot. Cook on low 8 hours and add the pasta during the last hour.

Time saving tip: I usually assemble this in my crockpot the night before I plan on cooking it. I keep it in the fridge overnight and just have to plug in my crockpot in the morning. If I end up having a hectic morning I'm so glad I took the extra time the night before.

Pulled pork sandwiches

I made this slow cooker pulled pork recipe for my company last weekend. I made it the weekend before through step 4, then froze. 2 hours before serving put the mostly thawed pulled pork back in the crock-pot combined with 1 cup bbq sauce. Todd LOVED this recipe and so did both boys. I know you are thinking, "you let Blake eat this?", but yes he LOVED it too! I am all about giving babies whatever the rest of the family is eating, but I really thought this was going to be too spicy for him because it does have a little bit of a kick. I was out running errands when Todd shredded the meat and gave some to Blake. He couldn't get enough! :) I found the recipe here.

Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper

1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
1/4 cup water
1 cup barbecue sauce

1. Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.
2. Massage spice rub into meat. Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
3. Unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker liner. Add liquid smoke, if using, and ¼ cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork-tender.
4. Transfer roast to cutting board; discard liquid in liner. “Pull” by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers. Discard fat.
5. Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes(longer if you froze the pork), until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.

Chicken Chili

This is my fool proof Chicken Chili recipe and one of our winter staples.

Put the following ingredients in your crockpot:

1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups of tomato sauce (I usually use 1/2 of an extra large jar of Prego spaghetti sauce from Costco)
2 cans beans, drained & rinsed (I usually like pinto and black beans)
1 chicken breast, uncooked
2-3 T chili powder
1 T cumin
Season to taste with: garlic powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
1 cup frozen corn (I usually add this at the end of cooking)

Set crockpot on low and cook for 7-8 hours. Shred chicken and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.

Time saving tip: I often put 1-2 extra chicken breasts in the chili to cook for another use later in the week.

Yogurt French Toast

I have been looking for creative ways to use my homemade yogurt. I've been baking with it a lot. Typically, I can substitute my strained yogurt for sour cream and have also used unstrained yogurt for buttermilk. My results have been great! This recipe can be used with any kind of bread. I've made it with wheat and cinnamon bread. Both good.

My yogurt french toast idea came from this website. I doubled the original recipe because we are all about leftovers at our house. Enjoy!

Ingredients
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup of homemade yogurt
2 tbsp. honey
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
8 slices of bread (fresh or slightly stale)

Combine the eggs, yogurt, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Dip both sides of bread in yogurt mixture. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve with maple syrup!

Ashley's blueberry oat bars

Ashley made us these delicious bars after we brought Blake home from the hospital. They are great for breakfast or a snack. The original recipe is from Real Food magazine.

Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
6 T butter, chilled
3/4 cup milk
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch
2 cups frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350
1. Combine oats, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and brown sugar. Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour/oat mixture using a pastry blender or 2 forks.
2. In a separate bowl combine milk, lemon juice and vanilla. Add to oat mixture until combined. Press 2/3 of the mixture into a 9 x 12 pan. Set aside remaining 1/3 oat mixture.
3. Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and 1 cup frozen blueberries in mini food processor. Add to remaining 1 cup blueberries and spread over oat mixture. Crumble remaining oat mixture on top of blueberries.
Bake for 50-55 minutes. These also freeze well if individually wrapped.