Coconut Cream Pie

I often choose coconut cream pie over cake on my birthday. One year, my mother-in-law made my birthday pie and added whip cream into the pudding mix. I had never thought to do that before! It was Devine! 

Coconut Cream Pie
1 - 3.4 oz Box of Instant Pudding, Vanilla Flavor
1/2 C Coconut Flakes
1/2 C Whip Cream

Make pie filling according to directions on box

Add in the good stuff: coconut flakes and whip cream.

Spoon into a baked pie crust.

Top with whip cream.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad

DIY: CAFE RIO SWEET PORK SALAD RECIPE

Being a die hard Cafe Rio fan, I was skeptical of this taste-a-like Cafe Rio Recipe. Although it isn't the "real thing", it has become a family favorite. Your taste buds, and little buds won't be disappointed!

Cafe Rio Salad Recipe

Sweet Pulled Pork:

1 (3-5 lb) boneless pork loin roast or chicken

1 Cup salsa

1 Cup packed brown sugar

Place ingredients in a greased 3.5-4.5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours (or until tender). Shred pork or chicken with a fork or potato masher



Cilantro Lime Rice:

1 cup uncooked rice

1 tsp butter or margarine

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp grated lime peel (zest)

1 can (15 oz.) chicken broth

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tsp granulated sugar

3 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan, combine rice, butter or margerine, garlic, lime peel, chicken broth and water.
Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes until rice is tender.

Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, sugar, and cilantro.

Pour over hot cooked rice.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing:

1 cup sour cream (add first)

1 envelope Ranch salad dressing

1/2 envelope Fiesta Ranch salad dressing

2-3 big tomatillos husked and cut in half

1 clove garlic

Juice from 2 limes freshly squeezed

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

BTW: This is what tomatillos look like (I hardly ever cook Mexican food so I had to do some research before preparing this meal.) Just a helpful hint in case you didn't know :)

Black Beans:

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp grpund cumin

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup tomato juice

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you smell it).

Add beans, tomato juice and salt. Continually stir until heated through.
Just before serving, stir in cilantro.

Right before serving get a griddle out, or frying pan and heat up some tortillas. We recommend using uncooked flour tortillas. You can find these at Walmart or any local grocery store. This will be the base of your Cafe Rio Salad.
Now the fun part... I always layer my salad in the following order

1. Tortilla
2. Chicken/Pork
3. Rice
4. Black Beans
5. Lettuce
6. Dressing

Dig in and enjoy this scrumptious rendition of the famous Cafe Rio Salad homemade style!

DIY: Roasted Garden Veggies

Here's an easy and very tasty way to make those garden vegetables disappear.  OH MY YUM!

Drizzle olive oil on veggies. 

Dust with Salt and Pepper.

Sprinkle Parmesan, Romano, or Feta cheese.

Roast @ 400 degrees for 20ish min.

Chop up and devour!

I LOVE mixing these roasted garden veggies with with warm garlic and lemon infused pasta.  

Try these veggies with this chicken recipe...

 or this pasta recipe

Picture courtesy of OURBESTBITES.COM  

-Megan

DIY: Perfect Fail-Proof Chicken

I need my chicken to be tender and delicious. This simple trick works every time without fail. Say goodbye to tough nasty chicken for ever more.

I use this method for cooking my chicken every time weather if is for chicken tacos, chicken Alfredo, or chicken for the main dish.

First marinate or season your chicken anyway you like. This time I marinated my chicken with a little garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and rosemary. In the past I have rubbed taco seasoning on each side of the chicken breast. I have also use BBQ sauce. The skies the limit with how you can flavor your chicken really.

Next, heat up a skillet on med-high, with a little olive oil in it, and brown both sides of the chicken breast. I like the outside of the chicken to be nice and crisp.

Now that both sides of the chicken in nice and brown, pop them in an oven that has been preheated to 425 degrees for 20-25 min (depending on the thickness of your chicken).  

When they are finally done I take them out of the oven and let the rest for about 5 min.  This makes the chicken even juicier and more tender than if you were to cut into it right away.

Easy as that...

-Megan

Lemon Drums

My kids will grab these by the bone and have at it. Besides the finger licking yummy-ness, this is probably one of the easiest meals I make.

Lemon Drums

Ingredients:
1 TBL lemon zest
Juice from two small lemons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp thyme (dried)
1/2 tsp rosemary (dried)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2-3 lbs chicken drumsticks
4 TBL melted butter

Directions:

In a gallon size Ziploc, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add drumsticks, shake in bag to coat, and marinade in the fridge for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour seasoned chicken into a 9x13 baking dish and brush on melted butter.  Bake for 50 minutes.

-Stephanie

White Bean & Ham Soup

Have you had ham for dinner lately? Don't throw away that bone! Instead, make this incredibly delicious White Bean and Ham Soup. You will be left wondering how it can have so much flavor without adding any dried seasonings. It's sure to please the entire family.

White Bean & Ham Soup

Leftover ham and bone

Water

1 lb Dried Navy Beans

1/2 onion, chopped

1 rib of celery, chopped

1 carrot, shredded

Directions
Remove large bits of ham from bone. Cover bone with water in a pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove from heat and remove the bone from the water (stock). Let cool. Scrape away remaining ham from bone. Refrigerate stock and ham bits until ready to use.

Prepare 1 lb of white navy dried beans according to directions on the package.

Combine beans, stock, onion, celery, carrot, and ham drippings in crock pot. Add enough water to cover the veggies. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 1 hour before soup is finished, add ham bits.

Enjoy a hearty bowl of soup for dinner tonight! Special thanks to my mother-in-law for providing this recipe.

Stephanie