Coconut Cake with a twist!

This coconut cake recipe is the best I've ever had! It is super moist and so incredibly easy to make. The recipe calls for white cake mix but this time I made it with yellow cake instead. I think I like it best with the yellow cake mix! Both are very good, it's just a personal preference.

Ingredients
1 package white cake mix
1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut (found in mixed drinks area)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (8 ounce) package flaked coconut

Directions
1.Prepare and bake cake mix according to package. Remove cake from oven. While still hot, using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
2.Mix cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk together. Pour over the top of the still hot cake.
Let cake cool completely

then frost with the whipped topping and top with the flaked coconut. Keep cake refrigerated.

SOOOO YUM!

I'm linking up to Balancing Beauty & Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday

Lemon Chicken with Croutons

Lemon Chicken with Croutons

A friend of mine, Margaret, shared this recipe with me last year and it has become a family favorite. I have very few baked whole chicken recipes that I just love but this one is special. YUM! The homemade croutons make it stand out and the lemon flavor....I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

I had misplaced the recipe shortly after Margaret gave it to me so I googled around and found out it's actually a Barefoot Contessa recipe! That explains a lot, right? :) Makes you want to try it now? Just wait...I found a video of her actually making it!!!! *twirls*

It's super easy to make but I sooo wish I would've watched it before attempting it my first time.

Ingredients:
1 roasting chicken -- (4 to 5-pound)
1 large yellow onion -- sliced
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons -- quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter -- melted
6 cups bread cubes (1 baguette or round boule) -- (3/4-inch)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Take the giblets out of the chicken and wash it inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers. Toss the onion with a little olive oil in a small roasting pan. Place the chicken on top and sprinkle the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper. Place the lemons inside the chicken. Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels, brush it with the melted butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

Roast for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Cover with foil and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. (The onions may burn, but the flavor is good.)

Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until very hot. Lower the heat to medium-low and saute the bread cubes, tossing frequently, until nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add more olive oil, as needed, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the croutons on a serving platter. Place the whole chicken on top of the croutons and slice it, letting all the pan juices and onions distribute over the croutons. Sprinkle with salt and serve warm.

1st Recipe: No-Bake Cookies

Look at this picture of deliciousness right here!

YUM!!! Are you drooling? Yeah, I know. Trust me, they really are that good. I made these for my son's teacher at daycare. She requested them for her birthday so I was more than happy to oblige!

My mother has made No-Bake Cookies for as long as I can remember. So, every time I take a bite into this piece of heaven, it takes me back to my childhood. What better way to start off this recipe blog, right? :)

The thing I love about making these is I already had all of the ingredients on hand so no special grocery trips for me! I love it when that happens!

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (may also use creamy)
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

A couple of tips before you get started:

• It is SOOOO important to have all of the ingredients ready and to have the wax paper prepared on the counter (preferably right side up--I made this mistake and my counter tops were waxy, lol). Once you turn on the stove there is little to no time for prep.
• Very important to use the 1-minute quick oats, too.
• The trick to getting these to the perfect consistency is letting it boil for 1 1/2 minutes. I time it from the moment it starts to boil and then immediately take it off the stove. Any more or any less and the cookies will either not harden or they will crumble to pieces. I also put mine in the fridge to help harden.

ENJOY them while you can because they will disappear quickly, I promise! :)

Thanks, Mom! :)