Work treats - Almond Joy Cups

Work has been very busy and stressful lately, so we put together a little group to bring in weekly treats for a month or so for a little pick me up.  

I was worried about what to pick because this is a larger group than my usual core work group than I bring treats for, and this larger group included vegans, gluten frees, AND gluten free vegans.

But right away I found a recipe that I'd saved on Pinterest that I would likely not have made otherwise because it's coconut heavy which is not a favorite of The Grandfather and one of my core group at work, AND it is vegan and gluten free, hooray!

These Almond Joy Cups are actually pretty easy and only 5 ingredients - coconut, maple syrup, coconut oil, almonds and chocolate!

I made a test batch for friends and family to sample and it was given the thumbs up, so I made 3 batches for the group with the help of The Mister, and the "help" of The Girl.  The Boy was waiting in the wings in case I needed another tester.

I added a pinch of salt and an extra splash of maple syrup to the coconut base and I liked it.

The treats were well received at work and I miscounted and brought in an extra 2 so, whoops, a bonus for the hard working cook!

Cashew Almond Coconut Butter

A while back we were at the bulk store and I bought a little dollop of  bulk pumpkin nut butter.  I took it to work the next day and made some toast and spread it on, and nearly spat the mouthful out.  It was so bitter and awful.  I tossed the rest of the spread.  Soon after I was talking to a co-worker while she made her toast for breakfast and was topping it with some almond butter.  I mentioned my bad experience, and she said she makes her own almond butter every weekend, trying different combinations.  That week was a cinnamon almond butter that she was loving and she told me she'd send me some recipes to try.  She didn't, and because I'm so socially awkward that I couldn't remind her of it, I let it go.

And then, one day The Mister was off to the store to pick up a few things, and I asked him to add some cashews to his list.  I meant roasted and salted ones for eating, but he assumed I needed them for baking, so came home with a bulk bag of raw and unsalted cashews.  I thanked him and tossed them in the cupboard until baking inspiration struck.

AND THEN, one day I came across a Buzzfeed article on making your own nut butters, and one was a cashew butter, and I was like - hey!  I have some!  So I saved the article and the next weekend I was in the kitchen ready to make cashew butter.

I made cashew almond coconut butter and it is good!  I used the recipe as more of a guide, and while it didn't turn out as perfectly as the article's, I was happy.  Of course I am the only one in the family that likes it, but that's nothing new.....

Homemade nut butters 4 ways

Sunday dinner - Chicken with Coconut Pineapple Sauce and Coconut Tea Cake

This was a GREAT Sunday dinner!  We tried 3 new recipes, and they were all hits.

First was Chicken with Coconut Pineapple Sauce.  This was a recipe saved from my recipe collection purge.  I've probably had this recipe at least 10 years.  No idea where it came from.

We served the chicken with salad, green beans and delicious roasted carrots 

from Gwyneth Paltrow's second cookbook.  The book is growing on me, 

but I don't like it nearly as much as I like her first.  

The carrots could change my mind though - so good.  

Dessert was Coconut Tea Cake from Dorie Greenspan, from her very good book, Baking. 

 I omitted the rum, and served with berries and whipped cream.  

It's good on its own, but so tasty with berries and cream. 

Chicken with Coconut Pineapple Sauce

source unknown with some changes from me

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 Tb flour

salt

2 Tb oil

Sauce:

2/3 cup coconut milk

6 Tb pineapple juice or orange juice

4 Tb soy sauce

2 Tb lemon juice

2 Tb brown sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger, minced or grated

Preheat oven to 425'.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  I used a 9x13.

Stir flour and salt together.  Lightly coat the chicken with flour.  Shake to remove excess.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat, and cook chicken until brown and nearly cooked through.

Place in one layer in your baking dish.

Meanwhile, whisk together the sauce ingredients.  

Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

Coconut Tea Cake recipe here, with bonus icing recipe.  I would try this bonus icing recipe.....

Carrot recipe here - although note that the website says the recipe 

is suitable for vegans which it is not, because of the honey.

Bake sales

Now that I have a kid in school we have entered the lovely world of fundraising, donating and volunteering. We do what we can when we can but it never seems enough. 

Ah, mom guilt.

The school has an annual festival in the Spring, and I'm on the list to bake for 

that section of the fundraising. 

Things like this normally put me in a tizzy because I worry that what I bake won't taste good, so I have a few favorites I like to make each time. 

The Pioneer Woman's brown sugar oatmeal cookies are the bomb.  So easy and so good.  It make a huge batch, so I had enough for a plate for the school, one for us, and one for work.  

This time around I added 3/4 cup of coconut, and they were extra delicious.

brown sugar oatmeal cookies

A few years back at a work potluck I tried a Lazy Daisy cake.  Another delicious and easy recipe.  The cake is very flavorful and that buttery coconut topping is heavenly.

Hey, I just realized I made 2 coconut things this year!  We do love our coconut.  

lazy daisy cake

Coconut Cupcakes

I asked The Mister what sort of birthday dessert he'd like, and his 

response was - "Something with coconut". 

I knew just the recipe - the coconut cupcakes from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.  

I'd wanted to try it for my cookbook shelf purge recipe testing, but it didn't make the cut.

This makes a LOT of cupcakes.  

It fed us for the birthday dinner, I sent some home with my parents, gave some to 

our friends, and still had a bunch left over to take to work.  

They sure are good though.  

Warning - the recipe makes a ridiculous amount of frosting.  

More than you could ever want or need.  I halved the recipe and still had a ton 

left after frosting all 11,472 cupcakes.

Recipe: Coconut cupcakes

Coconut Whipped Cream

I finally jumped on the bandwagon and tried homemade coconut whipped cream. 

It requires a bit of planning in advance - you need to refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk overnight, so that the cream gets super thick and cold, and separates from the milk.

When you open the can, scoop the thick cream into your mixing bowl, and save 

the watery milk for a smoothie.

Beat the cream until soft peaks begin to form.  At this point I stopped and had a taste, and then added some vanilla and a spoonful of icing sugar.  I didn't want it super sweet, but just a bit more 

than it was.  Next time I would add just a bit more sugar.  

Just add a bit, beat, and taste again until you are happy.

When the cream is nice and thick, after 5 to 10 minutes of whipping, you're ready to go!

We had ours with fruit for breakfast.  Delicious.

My annoying family told me they liked it, but then no one wanted to have it again, on fruit, waffles, or ice cream.  I had it with fruit a couple more times, and then threw the rest into a smoothie.

The cream holds up very well once whipped.  

It should last a good few days in the fridge.