Easy White Coconut Cake

I want to share a recipe with you that my mother has been making for years but I have never made.  I was inspired at the grocery store when I saw cake mixes on sale for 50 cents.  I had not baked in a while because it has been so hot but this is actually served out of the fridge so I thought I could bare the heat for the 35 minutes it had to bake.

I love recipes that start with cake mixes.  Makes for such a quick and no hassle baking experience.

This recipe starts with making a 9x13 white cake.  Nothing strange here.

Then you poke holes in the still warm cake and add heated coconut milk (see recipe) over the entire cake.

Let cool and add more coconut "frosting" as my 5 year olds says.

The cake was a success to everyone but my 5 year old who claimed "I want this cake for my next birthday but leave out the coconut from the frosting".  He ate the cake but I had to wipe off the "frosting".

This is a refreshing and easy cake.  Since it needs to sit overnight it is a great cake to make ahead of time.  We had it for 3 days in a row and still tasted fresh.

  Dig in....

EASY WHITE COCONUT CAKE

From the kithen of Grandma Benedict & Cousin Katie

1 pkg. White Cake Mix (with pudding added)

2 c. Coconut

1 ½ c. Milk

½ c. Sugar

8 oz. Light Cool Whip (defrosted)

DIRECTIONS

Make white cake as directed on the box in 9x13 pan.

When baked, cool for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix milk, sugar and ½ c. coconut in sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer one minute.

Poke holes into the cake with long utility fork or other utensil.

Spoon or pour milk mixture over the warm cake allowing liquid to pour and soak through the holes.

Cool completely.

Fold ½ c. coconut into whipped topping and spread over the cake.

Sprinkle the remaining coconut on top.

Chill overnight and store in refrigerator.

What is happening to my garden...

I have been maintaining my vegetable garden for 3 years at this house and 6 years at my other home.  Just a small 8 x4 plot but enough to get some fresh veggies each season.

As usual I planted my favorites, tomatoes, basil, peppers, lettuce, eggplant and zucchini.  It is the end of July and my tomatoes are on their way out, one plant is completely browned out.  Wondering if that is due to the extreme heat or the fact I planted them in late april.  Also something is eating my tomatoes for the first time right of the vine.  I thought I had Fort Knox built.

What is most confusing is my Zucchini.  The plant is growing vibrantly and I get baby zucchini but the fruit shrivels soon after the flower blooms.   This has been happening since they started blooming.  ANY THOUGHTS?

My eggplant is having a similar problem but the flowers are just dropping off.

My neighbor has a beehive in her backyard so I would think that would help with my pollination process.

The one new and exciting thing I have going on is Okra.  I have never planted it before and I just picked my first one.  Wow what a wonderful flower it produces.  What I am most proud to say is that the seeds came from Thomas Jefferson's garden in Charlottesville.  Not sure how my friend got them but I felt compelled to try to grow them.

Anyone have any suggestions, I know zucchini can grow in my spot, check out my Zucchini from Mars Post.

Caprese Paninis--Tomato and Cheese--No press needed

In attempt to find new ways to use my tomatoes that I am afraid to say are not looking good with all this excessive heat.  And with all this heat outside,  I looked for a recipe that would not use an oven.  I had all the ingredients for a traditional Caprese salad but I think my family might be getting a little bored.  Here is a pic of all the different varieties of tomatoes I have in my garden.  I know I will miss them when fall arrives.  Feel free to add grape or cut up cherry Tomatoes too.


I found a panini recipe and was worried about the not having a panini press.  The recipe was in a Barefoot Contessa book, surprise there, and she suggested using a grill pan and a plate.  I also already had some pesto in the freezer but whipped up some more as it does not require any heat!!

I laid out all my sandwiches on a cookie sheet an hour or so before lunch and placed another cookie sheet ontop and placed in the fridge.

When I took them out they were not tried out or soggy.  I was a little worried about the tomatoes being too juicy.

I buttered them and started grilling.

My first batch I used the recommended plate technique.  My plate was the right size but boy did it get hot.  Remove carefully.

For the second batch I filled my tea pot with water and placed that on top.  Outside of the bottom getting a little buttery, this worked out great.  No heat and added more weight with the water.....I might be on to something.  Just be sure to wipe the bottom off before you store it!!

I was a little worried about serving this to my husband for dinner but he really enjoyed them.  I think a red tomato would be more appealing to the eye but they tasted amazing.  Even my kids ate them, well at least 2 of the 3.  My youngest I simply used cheddar cheese.  Remember he is my fussiest eater.

Caprese Panini

adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa at Home

makes 6 sandwiches

• 2 large ripe  tomatoes
• 1 (16-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella
• 12 slices bakery white or italian bread, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• about 1 cup pesto
• kosher salt
• softened butter

Preheat grill.

Meanwhile, core the tomatoes and slice the tomatoes and

 mozzarella 1/4-inch thick.  Spread the bread slices out on a work surface.

  Pour pesto into a small bowl, and using a pastry brush, brush each bread slice 

with the oil.  Flip the slices over, and spread each slice evenly with pesto.  

On half the bread, place a layer of mozzarella (about 2 slices per sandwich), followed by a layer of tomato.  Sprinkle the tomatoes with kosher salt.

Oil the grates of the grill pan, and working 2 sandwiches at a time, lay all the 

sandwiches on the grill, cover with plate or tea pot..  

After 2-3 minutes, you should have grill marks,

Grill an additional 1-3 minutes, or until the mozarella starts to ooze.  

Repeat with remaining sandwiches.  Cut each sandwich in half, and serve warm.

I have this Le Creuset Grill Pan but you can find more 
inexpensive was at TJMax or Marshalls.

It's hot here, here's what we are doing to keep busy

With all the temps rising across the country we are trying to find ways to keep cool and entertained. This week our heat indexes were over 105. I can't believe I am saying this but it is too hot for the pool even.  Whatever you do, stay cool.  Also love to hear your stay cool ideas.

Here is a few things we have done to keep cool and keep expenses down too....

1. Bass Pro Shop

We drove 25 minutes to our local Bass Pro shop. This was my first time and wow is this a store. The kids were easily entertained just walking around and looking at all the animals and out door "toys". Check your local store's website as they have fish feedings, we had to get home before this but the fish themselves are pretty cool to look at. They also each got free fudge samples, if you are lucky enough to get there while they are making a new batch.

2. Local Museums

We are already members so we went early. Check Groupon or living social deals in your city for offers. We actually renewed our Science museum membership through a great Groupon offer. Entertainment books also offer 2 for 1 coupons.

3. Sprinklers

I just turned on my irrigation system and the kids ran around for 30 minutes in their clothes. Sometimes unplanned events are just as fun.

4. Arts and Crafts

Trying to get a some new ideas I just went through my junk drawer and pantry and pulled out some beans, glue, popsicle sticks, stickers and let the kids use their imagination on some black cardstock I already had...

30 minutes later here our their creations.

5. Water Bottles

Many filled water bottles this summer.  We have tried to become more eco-friendly and not sure prefilled water bottles.  How many times have you filled up a water bottle and tried to get ice inside and the cubes are too big? We were at 5 below yesterday and these ice cube tray  were near the check out. I had seen them in a magazine before but were priced around $6. For a dollar I think it is worth the trip and easy to use.

Cake Mix Cookies

When ever I see cake mixes on sale for under a dollar at the grocery store I usually end up buying one or two. With no real intention of what I am going to make. Well the other day I was cleaning out my cupboard and found a few boxes of devil's food cake mix.

Not wanting cupcakes or a large cake sitting around, I searched on line for other recipes that used the boxed mixes. I ran across Cake box cookies. Since we were going blueberry picking with some other families the next day and it was already pretty late at night, I thought I would give it a try.

While not the best cookie I made they were so easy and the combinations could be endless. You don't have to worry about having all the traditional cookie ingredients on hand either.

I thought these would be great to bring to the vacation rental as you only need a few ingredients and it takes no measuring. The kids can make these easily as well. Have a variety of mix ins and the kids can create their own recipes.

They actually stayed soft stored in a plastic bag much longer than traditional cookies.

Here is the basic recipe you do the rest. I added a tsp of vanilla and vegetable oil per some of the suggestions on the recipe. I was also out of chocolate chips so added some heath bar pieces.

If you had made these before what are your favorite combinations?

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter, softened or 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vegetable oil (optional to add with butter)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, butter and eggs until smooth and well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

peach, blueberry and blackberry Cobbler--hello summer

One of the best things about summer is the abundance of fresh fruit available at the markets and for your picking pleasure if you are lucky to have places near by. With our abundance of peaches and blueberries I decided to try my first Cobbler. During my search on line, I found this one from cooking light magazine that I adapted to add the blackberries we had from our picking excursion.

The unique things about this recipe is that you add blueberries to the batter. The recipe makes one large 9x13 pan but you could easily half it or I made two 9inch baking pans and gave one of them away.

Although this is good slightly warmed out of the oven, it was just as tasty the next day heated up. I made this the day before for the family I was making it for. Hopefully they felt the same!

This is a versatile recipe that you could mix and match many different fruits.

Don't forget the ice cream if you have it...

• For the Recipe check out MyRECIPES.com HERE

Flip Flop Wine Review and Soles4Souls

I must admit this was my favorite package I have been given to review....wine. The timing could not be better as we were hosting a last minute family get together that night.

Flip Flop wine provided me with a bottle of Pinot Grigio, Riesling, and a Pinot Noir. The wine retails for $7, since I have never noticed them before I am not sure what the stores are selling them for.

The unique thing about this wine is that Flip Flop Wines have partnered up with Soles4Souls the international shoe charity dedicated to providing free footwear to those in need. The program will raise much needed funds to give one pair of flip-flop sandals for each bottle of flipflop wine purchased (up to 100,000 pairs for the first 100,000 bottles sold, where promotion is legal. To learn more about Soles4Souls, please visit: http://www.soles4souls.org/

The labels are so festive for the summer time they made me happy just looking at them. I threw the whites into the fridge and waited for the party to start. My first friend had actually purchased this wine before and knew they were pretty cheap.

We started with the Pinot Grigio as I would on a hot summer night. It was quite delightful especially considering the price. I have never had a domestic pinot grigio

before and did enjoy the light bodied and slighly citrusy taste. Considering the price this will be a great house wine for us this summer.

After we finished off the Pinot Grigio, I had someone open the Riesling and no offense to the Vintner but I don't care for any Riesling and I think I was feeling pretty happy and that is why I opened it. Another guest who was drinking the pinot noir gladly changed with me and said it was very good.

I took his glass of Pinot Noir and sorry to say I think Oregon does a little better job. Granted this was toward the end of the night and if I had any left over I might try it again. My guests did not complain about the wine as they finished it off.

I may try the riesling or pinot noir in a sangria as the price is right for that.

If you see these wines in the store give them a try and remember you are not only getting a decent bottle of wine, but you are providing shoes for the less fortunate.

To learn more about these wines You may also visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/flipflopwines.

Pork Loin with Blackberry Sauce

I was given a sample of Knorr Homestyle Stock to try from Blogher. Although I don't seem to cook as much with chicken broth in the summer as I do in the summer I was up for the challenge. The sample was surprising as it is in concentration form so you

add the water or liquid of choice to it.

No more big boxes or cans in the pantry. Each tub makes three and a half cups of broth and the sample had four packs.

As I was searching for a new recipe I knew it was just too hot to make a soup. I came across a Pork Tenderloin recipe from Cooking light and decided to adapt it to use the Knorr Homestyle Stock. Not to mention we just went blackberry picking so I had the pound of blackberries necessary.

I did not have pork tenderloin, but had found a sale on Pork Loin filet....Have you heard of it. My grocery store had a buy one get one free so I went for it.

The sauce was a bit tedious to make but as it turns out as I was making it my husband called to say he missed his flight so he would not be home until late...no problem I just finished making the sauce and put it in the fridge until the next night.

I also only needed 2 cups of broth so I diluted 2/3 of the packet in water for the sauce. With the remainder of the stock I added some dried sage, 1/8 of tsp and rubbed it onto the pork.

Pork Loin with Blackberry Sauce--adapted from Cooking Light

Cooking Spray

2 tablespoons minced shallots

3 cups fresh blackberries

1/2 tsp dried sage (divided)

1 tub Knorr Homestyle Stock

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 to 2 lbs Pork Loin filet ( or pork tenderloin)

1. Prepare grill to medium heat.

2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add blackberries, sage, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until blackberries break down. Press blackberry mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Return liquid to pan. Stir in vinegar and sugar; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 15 minutes); remove from heat. Stir in butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring until butter melts. Keep warm or put in fridge overnight if using the next day and reheat on the stove.

3. While pork is getting room temperature, add 1/4 tsp of sage into remainder of Chicken stock concentrate and rub all over pork. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155° (slightly pink), turning pork occasionally. Let stand 10 minutes. Slice and serve with blackberry sauce; garnish fresh berries if desire.

Creamy Chocolate Dippers--bring on the fruit

My daughter who is 9, is really starting to get into cooking and finding recipes. (furit does not fall far from the tree) While at our local grocery store she picked up a few recipe cards which are geared toward children, Ideal Meals. I have never seen them before but if someone else wants to "cook" go for it.

How could I say no to chocolate flavored yogurt to dip fruit into? She did it all by herself and I had all the ingredients on hand. We just needed to add a little more honey as she does not know the difference between Tbsp and tsp.

The kids could not eat enough fruit that night. Granted we had just gone berry and peach picking so the house was filled with wonderful summer produce.

The yogurt was good, not chocolately enough for my son who is really not a sweet tooth to begin with. Next time I would use greek yogurt for a thicker consistency and add a tsp of vanilla. The recipe only suggested a tablespoon of honey but we added probably two. The recipe suggests two servings but we really only used it as a dip and after the four of us put a generous glob on our plates that night, we still had leftovers for the next night. My youngest son who is a picky fruit eater requested cantalope with the chocolate dip, how could I refuse him dessert:)

For a party or larger group I might even put out graham cracker sticks for dipping.

This will prove to be a win win snack/dessert at your house, the kids get dessert and you know they are getting vitamins and calcium at the same time. Bonus they may even be able to make it for themselves.

Creamy Chocolate Dip

1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt (try greek)

1-2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa or to taste

1 tbsp honey or agave nectar or to taste

assorted fruit

Mix the yogurt, cocoa and honey in a bowl thoroughly until desired cocoa flavor and sweetness.

Serve with fruit and graham crackers too if desired.