Sunday Sweets (Coconut Macaroons)



Coconut Macaroons

This Sunday I have an easy, fun recipe to share. I love coconut! Something about it seems very summery to me. I have seen several recipes for macaroons on Pinterest, on the web, and even on the shredded coconut bags! These macaroons are sweet, chewy, and really addicting.  The edges are the best part. They get brown and a little bit crisp. So, so good! I made this recipe for a small 4th of July get together. This recipe makes around 40 nice sized macaroons.

 

In a large mixing bowl, I start out with 4 bags of shredded, sweetened coconut. I used the great value brand, which has about 7 ounces of coconut per bag. In total, I have about 28 oz of coconut.

 

 



 

Next, I add 1 and 3/4 cups of sweetened condensed milk. 

 

Then, around 2 teaspoons of vanilla.

Mix the three together and set aside.

In another small bowl, add 4 egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Beat eggs using a mixer until you get stiff peaks.

The egg whites should look like this:

Next, fold the egg white mixture into the large bowl of coconut.

After lining baking sheets with parchment paper, I use two tablespoons to shape the mounds. I kept my macaroons around an inch apart. They don't spread too much in the oven. I baked them for 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Just make sure the tops and bottoms are a nice, golden brown before removing from the oven. After cooling for around five minutes, I drizzled white chocolate over them. I think it added a little extra yumminess. Since these were for a 4th of July party, I wanted to dye my chocolate red and blue. Unfortunately, the chocolate seized up when I added food coloring (water based food dye makes chocolate seize up, per Google search). I ended up with blue, play-dough like white chocolate. Needless to say, I stuck with just white colored white chocolate. I have also seen these dipped in semi-sweet or dark chocolate. I think either would be pretty darn good!



Coconut Macaroons

Here is the recipe I used:

28 ounces shredded coconut (sweetened)
1 and 3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
White chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. In a large bowl, combine shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract.
3. In another bowl, beat egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
4. Gently fold egg whites into coconut mixture.
5. Using tablespoons, make mounds of coconut on baking sheet. Keep them about an inch apart.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Pull them out when they are golden brown on top and bottom.
7. If desired, dip or drizzle chocolate on macaroons.

Cheers to a happy 4th of July!


Tuesday Dinner Ideas (Crockpot Beef Stroganoff)

Today I am posting a recipe that I found by happy accident. Jon and I worked at a German restaurant for several years when we started dating. The Hot Springs Brau Haus had an excellent 'goulash' entrée. While searching for a goulash recipe, I came across an older blog post at the crockstar. The recipe was for an easy to make Beef Stroganoff. I ended up trying it out, and have made it several times since then. (Although I never have gotten around to making an actual goulash recipe!)

I made this on Sunday for Father's Day. It makes enough for us to eat it for dinner at least two times.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

2 pounds cubed stew meat (I used one pound regular stew meat and one pound lean stew meat)
2 cans condensed golden mushroom soup
1 large onion, diced
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (you can adjust up or down depending on taste)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon paprika
8 ounces cream cheese
Egg noodles

Combine soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce, water, and spices in crock pot. Stir in stew meat. Cook on low for around 8 hours. Just before serving, turn crock pot up to high. Cube and add in cream cheese. Stir until combined.

Serve over egg noodles.

Cheers to easy-peasy crock pot recipes!

Weekend Update and Happy Father's Day!

We had a pretty low-key weekend at the Cromer house. My mother had a heart catheterization on Thursday, so I stayed home on Friday to watch miss O. Everything went well, and the doctor did not find any blockages. We are lucky that my mom is able to watch Olivia during the week, because day care is outrageously expensive! We spent Friday and Saturday at home, doing laundry and watching movies.
Sunday was Father's Day. I have been lucky enough to have had a good father of my own, and have a husband who is a great father to our daughter.
Here are a couple pictures of me and my dad from my wedding (in 2010).

 

 

Olivia loves her dad (and she looks just like him)! She was really excited about helping pick out his card and Father's Day gifts. I can't believe that she has grown up enough to be helping pick presents. Time flies by so quickly.



I made a special dinner for Jon while he went fishing. The menu included crockpot beef stroganoff (from the crockstar, via Pinterest) and a Kentucky Butter Cake (from an old church cookbook). Both recipes were definitely a success! I shared the recipe for the Kentucky Butter Cake yesterday, and I will share the beef stroganoff recipe tomorrow. I am feeling rested from the three day weekend, so here's hoping the week goes by without complications. Cheers to Mondays!

Sunday Sweets: Kentucky Butter Cake

Wow, it has been awhile since I last blogged!
I've wanted to try a recipe for Kentucky Butter Cake for awhile. Butter...vanilla...sugar....I figured I couldn't go wrong! I used a recipe from an old church cookbook. This cake is very dense and moist, similar to a pound cake. The flavor is very similar to cookies you can get in a tin around Christmas time (Danish Butter Cookies). The butter sauce/sugar on the cake forms a layer almost like a crust. It is so, so yummy! I made it on Saturday night, and let it set up in the fridge to eat on Sunday for Father's Day.

Here is the recipe:
For the cake:
1 cup of butter (room temperature, but not melted)
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk

For the butter sauce:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons of water
2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Pre heat oven to 325.
2. Grease and flour baking pan. (I made sure my Bundt pan was very 'greased' so the cake would slide out easily.)
2. Blend butter, sugar, and eggs.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter/sugar/egg mixture until all are combined.
5. Stir in vanilla.
6. Put batter into cake pan. (The batter is really thick. I used a serving spoon to ladle it in and smooth it out).
7. Bake for 60-70 minutes. A toothpick should be able to be inserted and removed clean.
8. Use a knife to poke holes all over cake.

Once the cake is out of the oven, make the glaze.
1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Stir constantly.
3. Once butter is melted and sugar is dissolved (don't let it boil), pour warm glaze over cake.

4. When completely cool, flip out onto a pan.

The recipe suggested serving with fresh fruit, but it tastes great on its own. I dusted a little powdered sugar over the top and called it done. This recipe got all thumbs up from the family.

Cheers to a sweet finish to the week!