Glazed Orange Coconut Cake from Relish.com

For my mother-in-law's birthday, I made this Glazed Orange Coconut Cake with a recipe I found on relish.com.

Yield: 20 servings

Ingredients

Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh orange juice (4 to 5 oranges)
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind

Orange glaze and garnish:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (1 orange)
Toasted coconut chips (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

Combine flour and next five ingredients (flour through salt).

In a separate bowl, combine coconut milk, oil, eggs, vanilla, and orange juice and rind. Pour into dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into prepare pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from pan.

To prepare glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice. If there are little lumps, let glaze sit 30 minutes, until they dissolve. Pour glaze over completely cooled cake. Sprinkle coconut chips on top, if using.

How did it turn out? Fabulous! It had the best texture of any cake I've ever made. I'm sure the glaze helped, but the cake was yummy to begin with. 

Would I do anything differently? I would add more unsweetened coconut to the batter or garnish the cake with toasted coconut chips because the orange flavor came through nicely, but I felt the coconut flavor wasn't strong enough. I also should have waited a bit longer to glaze it. The cake was still a bit warm, so the glaze didn't harden the way I expected. Most of it soaked into the cake. 

Do you have a great recipe for an orange coconut cake? I would love to try it out. 

Honey Orange Chicken Recipe with Melora UMF Maunka Honey

I was contacted by ExportX, who I have purchased products on Amazon from before, to review the Melora UMF 15+ Manuka Honey they sell. One evening when I was looking for something different to make for supper, I came across a chicken recipe on Paleo Foodie Kitchen. It was very simple to make and tasted great.*

INGREDIENTS

1 lb chicken breast, cubed into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
2 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp chili sauce
juice from 1 orange (about ½ cup)
fish sauce to taste
green onions, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

• Stir fry chicken pieces in coconut oil over high heat until it starts to brown.
• Add ginger and garlic, saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Lower heat and add coconut aminos, honey, chili sauce, orange juice and fish sauce.
• Stir to incorporate everything together and simmer for 8-10 minutes until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked.

I honestly had never given Paleo a try. I heard about it, but didn't know much. I've never cooked with coconut oil before either. It looks like lard but, when heated, it becomes a clear cooking oil. Coconut oil is said to be good for your heart and for weight loss. 

As far as the Maunka Honey goes, it looked nothing like what I buy in the grocery store. It comes in a small jar (8.8 oz.). It's darker and thicker than the honey you buy in a grocery store, which made it easier to measure and add to the recipe. I also tried some right out a jar. What a fabulous flavor and texture. 

According to the product page on Amazon, "Melora UMF Manuka Honey is sustainably harvested from New Zealand's remote Manuka forests. UMF Manuka Honey is renowned worldwide for its "Unique Manuka Factor" (UMF). The UMF grading system appraises natural markers found in Manuka honey and assures purity & quality."

I'll definitely be using this product again. I'll also be searching out more recipes so I have an excuse to us my Melora UMF Maunka Honey more often.


I received a free jar of Melora UMF Maunka Honey from ExportX. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.


* I did not use the last two ingredients from the list because they were not on hand when I made this dish.

Healthy Recipe Ideas

Part of the challenge of eating better is meal preparation. Honestly, that's probably the hardest part for me. I want to eat right, but I have limited time during the week. On the weekends, when many people I know are preparing their meals, I am working.

Thanks to Pinterest and the Facebook group I belong to, I've discovered some healthy recipes to try. Below are links to some that I plan to make.

Blender Banana Oatmeal Muffins - no refined sugars or added fat.

Oatmeal Energy Bites (no bake)

Burrito Bowls

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

One Pan Balsamic Chicken and Veggies

Balsamic Glazed Steak Rolls

Do you have any recipes to share? Feel free to add links in the comments section.

Recipes for Busy Moms

I don't know about you, but there are days I am simply tired of hearing, "I don't know" when I ask my family what they want for supper. I have popular food items --pasta, chicken and rice, hot dogs and beans--on hand at all times, but I like to try out new recipes that work for my busy schedule. Here are links to lists of bunches of recipes for busy moms:

MyRecipes.com offers more than 50 chicken dinners, kid-approved breakfast recipes, Mexican casseroles, slow cooker recipes and more. Click here.

Food.com has 50 All-Time Favorite Dinners, 10 On-the-Go Breakfasts, and 50 Best Soup Recipes. Click here.

The Busy Mom's Recipe Box is a site run by two busy moms blogging about food. The great thing is they offer an index of their recipes per category so you can browse for things that catch your eye. The Hawaiian Grilled Chicken sounds good to me. Click here.

Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms offers readers recipes, reviews and giveaways. They participate in a weekly blog hop called "Melt In Your Mouth Monday Recipe Blog Hop." Sounds yummy to me. Click here.

Do you have any favorite sites you like to visit for quick and easy recipes? Please share links in the comments so I can check them out.

Flax Chia Garlic Parmesan Crackers

With the announcement that I suffer from osteopenia, diet changes are in the process--less caffeine and salt, more calcium enriched foods, more green vegetables--as are ways to increase my physical activity. Knowing I was already at risk for osteoporosis because of being a thin, white woman who has used systematic corticosteroids for over twenty years to control asthma, my first bone density scan came as a shock to me--and my physician.

One thing my doctor mentioned was adding flax to my diet. So, on a recent shopping trip I bought Good Grains by Carrington Farms® Flax Chia Blend. Since I was already cooking for the World War I Cooking Contest this weekend, I decided to try the recipe on the back of the bag for Flax Chia Garlic Parmesan Crackers, especially since I had all the ingredients on hand.

Flax Chia Garlic Parmesan Crackers

1 Cup Good Grains Flax Chia Blend
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Spoon onto a sheet pan which is covered with greased parchment paper.

3. Cover mixture on baking sheet with waxed paper and even out to approximately 1/8". Use a rolling pin.
Make sure thickness is even around the out edges or that part will over cook. Remove wax paper and even out as necessary.
4. Bake 15-18 minutes until center is no longer soft. Once edges begin to brown remove from heat. Let cool.
5. Once it is cool and crisp break into pieces.

I wish I could say I enjoyed these, but I can't. I didn't like the flavor or the texture. Even with a slice of cheddar cheese on top they weren't my favorite--though much better than eating plain.

The company's website offers a variety of recipes, so I am going to try again to see if I can find something I enjoy. If you cook with flax, I would appreciate any pointers you have.

World Wars: World War I Cooking Contest Recipe for Army Goulash

To celebrate the airing of the The World Wars™ Three-Night Event on History Channel, our family held a World War I Cooking Contest. We were tasked with making an authentic WWI recipe and sharing it with the group for judging. The final episode of The World Wars airs tonight at 9/8C, so I decided it would be a good idea to share the recipe with you.

Army Goulash 

credit: http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/armygoul.htm

1 lb. hamburger

1 medium onion

2 16 oz. cans pork and beans

6 1/2 oz. can tomato sauce

salt and pepper

chili powder

1. Brown hamburger with onions. 

2. Mix in pork and beans, chili powder, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce.

3. Simmer for about 30 minutes

This definitely isn't the most exact recipe, as you are expected to season to taste. In addition, it didn't say whether to simmer covered or uncovered. I went with uncovered. 

Though it didn't win (kind of hard for my family in Texas to taste test this one), everyone who tried it at my son's birthday party--which is where we were this weekend--loved it. The Lil' Diva really enjoyed this dish. Army Goulash ends up tasting like a less spicy chili because it doesn't contain cumin or jalapeno peppers. If you're having a busy night and looking for a quick, yet filling, meal, this will fit the bill.

Visit the website listed in the credit above for historical information about preparations during WWI. 

Copycat Recipes You Can Make At Home

One of the things I promise myself when we go out to eat is that I'm not going to order something I can just make myself at home. Why waste money going out if I can whip the same thing up at home?

But what if I could make a broccoli and cheese soup like Panera Bread or carrot cake cheesecake like they have at Cheesecake Factory?  This article includes links to 25 blogs that offer copycat recipes of restaurant favorites. If you try any of them, let me know.

Pre-made Marinades or Homemade?

This Sunday was Mother's Day and my in-laws' 56th wedding anniversary, so I decided to invite them over for supper. Since unlike most days lately, the sun was shining, I decide to haul out the grill for steak, ribs and chicken. The ribs came from Schwan’s™ so they were fully cooked and pre-seasoned. They also included a package of barbecue sauce. They were delicious.

When I worked outside the house, I would buy those bottled 30-minute marinades. Now, it just seems like cheating. I never measure when I make my own marinades and I no longer follow a recipe. I simply add ingredients I feel work best for the meat I am cooking and go from there. A few times, this hasn't given me the flavor I was looking for, but it works for the most part. The following two marinades are what I've come up with on my own. If they are similar to something you've seen somewhere else, it's not intentional. I haven't gone scouring the Internet to see if what I toss together for my family is like someone else's mix.

Steak: olive oil, red wine, dry mustard, bay leaves, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

If I had to guess at the measurements, here is what I would say:

• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

Toss everything together in a glass bowl, add steak (4- 6 oz.) , cover, and marinate at least 4 hours.

Chicken: lemon juice, fat-free Italian dressing, olive oil, oregano, marjoram, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Estimated measurements:

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fat-free Italian dressing
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon of marjoram
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Toss everything together in a glass bowl, add chicken (3 - 4 skinless breasts), cover, and marinate at least 4 hours.

Do you use those pre-made marinades? Do you have a favorite meat you like to marinade?

Tasty Tuesdays - Honeyed Rock Cornish Hens

This recipe comes from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook Revised and Expanded Edition (The Hearst Corporation, 1980). I received it as an engagement present in 1998, and it's one of my favorites because it provides instruction and not just recipes. For vegetables, it tells you when they are in season, what to look for, how to store them, and how to prepare them.

My family isn't a huge fan of Rock Cornish hens, but I've loved them since I was a kid. They humor me every once in a while by eating them. This isn't the quickest recipe, as it must marinate for at least 6 hours, but if you prepare it one day and cook it the next, it's not bad.

Honeyed Rock Cornish Hens

• 4 1 1/2 pound frozen Rock Cornish hens, thawed
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 green onions, minced
• salad oil
• 1 small head, iceberg lettuce, shredded

1. Remove giblets and necks from inside of hens. Rinse hens with running cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Cut each hen into quarters.
2. In 13" by 9" baking dish mix soy sauce, sherry, ginger and green onions. Add hen quarters to soy sauce mixture and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, turning occasionally.

3. About 40 minutes before serving: In 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, in 1/4 inch salad oil, fry half of hen quarters until tender and well-browned on all sides, about 20 minutes. Remove to platter: keep warm. Repeat with remaining pieces.

4. To serve: Brush hen quarters with honey. Arrange on platter lined with lettuce.

I would typically serve this with white rice--the family doesn't like any other kind--and either streamed green beans or a corn and peas mix. I think asparagus would make a nice alternative vegetable.

Blogging from A to Z - D

Until today, I had never heard of dewberries, but as I was searching for an all-natural item that began with the letter D, I came across them. Then, when I saw how closely these berries resembled blackberries (my hubby's favorite),  I knew I had to write about them.

Dewberry (Rubus sect. Eubatus) can be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. In early spring, white blooms burst forth that turn into small green berries. As you can see from the photo, those green berries ripen into a dark purple-blue color. This berry can be eaten raw or used in cobbler or jam. The dewberry can be cross-bred to create the boysenberry and the youngberry.

Here is a Dewberry Cobbler recipe from Cooks.com:

1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. solid white vegetable shortening (Crisco is recommended)
2 tbsp. cold water

Combine flour and salt, cut in shortening until well combined. Mix in 2 tablespoons water. Mix well with fork. Roll out on floured board. Line pan bottom and sides with pastry, pour in prepared filling and top with a solid or lattice work pastry top.

BERRY FILLING:

1 tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. water
2 c. berries
1 c. sugar
1 tbsp. butter

Stir 1 tablespoon flour into water, add berries, sugar and melted butter. Mix and pour into crust and bake 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. You can find a list of other participating blogs to visit here.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - C

The Blogging from A to Z Challenge continues today with the letter C.  Our family doesn't eat a lot of red meat. We might splurge once or twice a month, but usually it's chicken, pork, and pasta around here. I tolerate fish, so we have that from time to time too.

Because my family knows how much I make chicken, someone was kind enough to give me the paperback version of The Complete Chicken Cookbook by Bay Books. Two of our family's favorite recipes from this book call for corn flour. Now, though I enjoy cooking, I have to admit I didn't know much about corn flour. According to the Kitchen Dictionary on Food.com, corn flour is "a powdery flour made from finely ground cornmeal." This is not to be confused with cornstarch. Corn flour comes in yellow and white (didn't know that either), and is used for breading. It can also be combined with other flours for baked goods.

Since I don't have an Asian store around here and my regular grocery store also doesn't carry corn flour, I usually substitute wheat flour when I make these recipes. Rice flour can be substituted if you don't have corn flour, or you can pulverize corn meal in a food processor.

Here is the recipe for Lemon Chicken from this cookbook.

Prep time: 15 minutes + 30 minutes marinating
Total cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

500 g (1 lb) chicken breast fillets
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons cornflour*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
1/4 cup (60ml/2 fl oz) oil

LEMON SAUCE

2 teaspoons cornflour
1 1/2 teaspoons caster sugar (I use white granulated sugar)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup (185 ml/6 fl oz) chicken stock
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dry sherry

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Cut the chicken fillets on the diagonal into 1 cm (1/3 inch) wide strips. Combine the egg white, cornflour, salt and ginger and add the chicken strips, mixing well. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy-based frying pan, swirling to coat. Drain the chicken from the marinade, add to the pan and stir-fry over medium-high heat until just cooked but not browned. Place the chicken on a plate to keep warm while preparing sauce. Carefully pour the excess oil from the wok and discard.

3. To make the lemon sauce, mix the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of water to form a smooth paste. Add to the wok with the sugar, lemon juice, chicken stock, soy sauce and sherry. Stir over high heat and boil for 1 minute. Add the chicken, stirring to coat it with the sauce. Transfer to a serving platter. Serve at once with steamed rice or noodles and stir-fried vegetables.

NUTRITION PER SERVE
Protein 29 g; Fat 17 g; Carbohydrate 8 g; Dietary Fibre 0 g; Cholesterol 63 mg; 1280 kJ (306 cal)

*I spelled corn flour how they spelled it in the book, but it appears to be two words, not one.

As I mentioned earlier, I usually use wheat flour. I don't know if this is what causes the chicken to brown more quickly, but usually the chicken comes out darker than it's supposed to.

My family usually has their vegetables separate from their main course. That's how it was done at my husband's house, so that's how we do it here. I've served corn, green beans or broccoli with this dish. We also have white rice.

You can find a list of other participants of the Blogging A to Z Challenge here.

Tasty Tuesdays - Slow Cooker Meal: Honey-Lemon Chicken Recipe Inspired by Rachel Ray

This is a new feature I am adding to Books, Products and More! You may not see it every week, but I do cook a lot. I'm not great about measurements all the time, though. At this point, I know my family well enough to season by taste. I don't have a photo of this recipe, except for what appears at Rachel Ray's website. I doctored this a bit and I didn't add the finishes she did, so it didn't look that way when I made it for our church potluck supper. I'll find a way to take photos and cook, but I might need to implore the help of the Lil Diva (10).

As I mentioned, I made this for a church potluck supper. The Lil Diva and my husband had a stomach bug earlier that week, so I didn't get a chance to plan what I would bring. I literally found this on the Internet about 6 hours before we had to be at church. That meant I couldn't go shopping for ingredients I didn't have on hand. I don't use my slow cooker much either. It's old, so it isn't programmable and it weighs a ton. I try not bring anything I haven't made at least once, but this time I had no choice.

You can see the original list of ingredients at Ray's website. You can also watch a video of her making this if you click here.

This is my list of ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)


1 - 1.5 lb. bag of Schwan's Dice Chicken Breast Meat
Salt and ground black pepper

1 lb. of Schwan's Roasted Baby Bakers (potatoes)
1 small onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

1/2 tsp. dry thyme
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup chicken stock or water ( I went with chicken stock.)

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. The chicken was frozen when I used it, and since the diced pieces are so much smaller than Ray's suggestion of bone-in, skin-on thighs, I opted not to fully brown the meat. Instead, I just cooked it until thawed and then seasoned it with salt and pepper.

I lined the bottom of the crock pot with the potatoes. They come in a 2 lb. bag, and I honestly didn't measure to be sure I had exactly 1 lb. I ended up using about 12 - 15 of them. Then I added in the chopped onion, grated garlic, and thyme. I did not season these with salt and pepper as Ray's recipe suggests. The Roasted Baby Bakers are pre-seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, so I didn't feel the need to add anything else.

I placed the chicken over the vegetables and then added the lemon juice, honey and chicken stock. Then this got covered and cooked on high for four hours.

I have to admit I was concerned the meat would be overcooked. I also wasn't too sure about using pre-seasoned potatoes, but it came out great. Even with the liquid generated by cooking, I was easily able to transport this meal without spilling it in the truck; another reason I don't use my slow cooker very often--I hate mess. If I made this again, I would probably up the lemon juice to half a cup or use real lemons.

Feel free to let me know if you make this and how it turns out.

Taking Time for Mom Thursdays

We're back for another Taking Time for Mom Thursday. I just put the finishing touches on a guest post for The Steady Hand Blog that will appear tomorrow. I'm one of those moms who enjoys her time in the kitchen and I love trying new recipes. My mother-in-law is kind enough to share her Greek recipes, but like me, she seasons to taste, so when asked for one of her recipes it usually looks like "a dash of this, a sprinkle of that."

Cooking and baking for your family can be relaxing if you enjoy it. Even if you don't like spending time in the kitchen, when you have a new recipe to try it at least makes cooking fun. Here is my mother-in-law's recipe for pork chops. If you try it, I would love to hear what you think.

Ingredients

4 - 6 bone-in pork chops
Olive oil
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
1 Clove of garlic, minced
Lemon juice

Step 1: Saute chops in large pan on the stove in olive oil and butter. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic while browning.

Step 2: Sprinkle with lemon juice and cover tightly. Allow to cook on low until done. See recommended temperatures from the USDA here.

Like I said, "a dash of this, a sprinkle of that." When I make this, I use 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter to saute the chops. I use very little salt because pork is salty anyway. I probably add a 1/2 teaspoon of oregano. I am liberal with the lemon juice and my husband usually adds more once they are cooked because much of it burns off. It's important to keep the chops covered tightly so they retain moisture.

I serve this with rice and green beans. I make rice at the beginning of the week in  my steamer and then just reheat what I need during the week. I use the microwave to steam the green beans, then add a touch of butter and salt.