Coconut Cream Yummy Cake

It's a funny name, but that's exactly what it is. I tried this new recipe out for Easter dessert and we thought it was awesome! I changed the amount of powdered sugar in the topping from 3 TBSPs to 6, cause I like it a little sweeter. Also, I though it would be fun to top it with toasted coconut.

Coconut Cream Yummy Cake
Taste of Home Magazine
Cake
6 egg whites
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup 2% milk
2 tsps vanilla
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
Syrup
1 can (13.66 ounces) coconut milk
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
Topping
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
6 TBSPs powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
Flaked coconut; toasted or untoasted

1. Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in another large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Combine the coconut milk, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk mixture.
3. With clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually fold into batter. Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.
4. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Place pan on a wire rack.
5. Poke holes in cake with a skewer, about 1/2 in. apart. Combine syrup ingredients; slowly pour over cake, allowing mixture to absorb into cake. Let stand for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. (I refrigerated overnight.)
6. In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form. Spread over cake; sprinkle with coconut.

Refried Black Beans

I really love refried black beans together with cilantro rice. This is a really simple way to make your own using canned beans. 

Refried Black Beans
Ellie Krieger
2 cans ranch style black beans
1 can black beans, drained
2-3 TBSPs olive oil
1 can (7oz) salsa verde

Heat olive oil in large pan. Add beans and smash with a potato masher. Add salsa; stir and simmer until desired consistency.
Serves 6

Lion House Potato Casserole

Other than the ham of course, and this salad here, this is the other food item that is required at my Easter dinner. There are many names for this, but I prefer just potato casserole. Creamy, cheesy, and crunchy on top, it's a tasty side dish that I love. I sometimes take a short cut and use a bag of shredded Simply Potatoes (if you use them see my note below). I always use corn flakes for my topping.

Lion House Potato Casserole

Lion House

Casserole
5 large potatoes, unpeeled
3 TBSPs butter or margarine, melted
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
3 TBSPs green onions, finely chopped
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Topping
3/4 cup corn flake crumbs or dry bread crumbs
2 TBSPs butter or margarine, melted
3 TBSPs grated Parmesan cheese

1. Boil whole, unpared potatoes until tender; drain and peel. Shred coarsely and place in a 2 or 3 quart casserole dish.
(I do this a little differently. I boil the whole unpeeled potatoes like the recipe says, and when they are cool to the touch, I cut them in half lengthwise. Then holding onto the side with the peel I grate them, stopping when I get to the peel. This is what my mommy does.)
2. Pour melted butter over potatoes. In a bowl, mix together soup, sour cream, milk, green onions, and cheese. Pour evenly over potatoes. DO NOT MIX.
3. Mix cornflake crumbs or bread crumbs with melted butter an Parmesan cheese. Cover the top with this mixture. Bake 30 minutes at 325 degrees.
Makes 8 to 10 servings

Simply Potatoes Note: Simply Potatoes are raw. If you use these in place of the cooked shredded potatoes the casserole will have a different texture. Also you need to increase the baking time and temperature to 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

(In this photo I used Simply Potatoes and omitted the green onion.)

Twice Baked Potatoes

I like baked potatoes, but I love twice baked potatoes. They're all the good things about mashed potatoes and a baked potato in one.  Since potatoes are all different sizes, I measured out my potato insides. From my 6 relatively large potatoes, I got 4 cups of potato insides, so you can adjust as needed. YUM!

Twice Baked Potatoes
6 large baking potatoes
Olive oil
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
3 TBSPs butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup Cheddar, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub potatoes and rub them with olive oil. Pierce potatoes a few times with a fork. Bake for 75 minutes or until potatoes are done.
2. When potatoes are cool to the touch, cut a slice from the top of each potato and carefully scoop out most of the potato. Place the scooped out potato insides, sour cream, milk, butter, salt, and pepper into a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher (or beat with mixer if preferred).
3. Fill potato shells with mixture, and sprinkle with bacon, green onions, and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

You can prepare these ahead of time by filling the potatoes with potato mixture and then refrigerating. Sprinkle toppings on just before baking. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until heated through.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

A few friends have been telling me that I needed to try this recipe. We ate these for dinner tonight and they were delicious! I had to hurry and put them on here! I made a few with flour tortillas and a few with corn, and both were really good. I mixed a little of my leftover green salsa with some sour cream to make a dip. The recipe made 15, but I put a little more filling in the flour tortillas. 

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
ourbestbites.com
1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp granulated garlic OR 1/8 tsp garlic powder
3 TBSPs chopped cilantro
2 TBSPs sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese
small corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

1. Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
2. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. (You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.)
3. Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.
4. Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can.
5. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
6. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.
Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.

Swiss Steak

My sister reminded me that I needed to add this to my blog. I hadn't had it for a really long time, and had forgotten how much I like it. My family loves it too. Swiss steak has nothing to do with Switzerland. Swiss refers to the process of tenderizing tough cuts of meat or "swissing" and then braising (typically with tomatoes). This recipe has two cooking options, stove top or slow cooker. 

Swiss Steak

4–6 Tenderized cube steak pieces
1 cup water
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Stove Top Directions:
Dip cube steak in flour and brown in large skillet on medium heat. Add water and soups. Cover and simmer 1 ½ hours.

Slow Cooker Directions:
Place cube steak in slow cooker with water. In small bowl, combine soup mix and mushroom soup. Spoon over cube steak. Cook on low 8 hours.