Crack that Coconut!

Several weeks ago I purchased the tropical fruit package from Bountiful Baskets and included was a coconut. My first reaction upon seeing it was, "what the heck am I supposed to do with that!?!" I had never worked with a real coconut before, just the bagged shredded coconut you get in the supermarket. So on the counter it sat, watching me, staring at me, mocking me.

Occasionally I picked it up, walked over to the trash can, but no, I didn't throw it out. I refused to be beaten by a mere coconut. I would shake it and hear the liquid inside; that's a good sign that shows that the coconut "meat" is still fresh and moist. Then I decided to do the insanest thing possible; I gave it to my dog to play with. He loved tossing and chasing it around the yard, but then I noticed that he had stopped and was licking it profusely. He had cracked it and lapped up the leaking liquid.

The coconut was small and I didn't give much thought to cracking it open and trying to do something with the liquid myself. Remember, I was looking at it as a protagonist; an enemy that needed to be conquered. Yes, I could have gotten a hammer, cracked it open in a proper way, etc, etc, etc. What fun would that be? Anyway, I grabbed the coconut, took it out to the driveway and let it drop and split open completely it did. The outdoor cats enjoyed the treat of the spilled coconut liquid and I felt good spoiling them a bit.


Right, so what do I do now? Finally went on the internet and looked up how to handle a coconut. I gave the two parts a good wash in water to remove any dirt. Now most sites said to roast the coconut between 400F to 450F, so I took the middle of the road at 425F and preheated my oven. I placed the two halves, open ends downward, into an aluminum baking pan. Now the coconut has a rather "hairy" exterior, so I covered them with a sheet of aluminum foil, leaving the ends open for air circulation. How embarrassing it would have been to have the hair on the coconut catch on fire.


I roasted the coconut for 20 minutes; the edges of the meat closest to the shell will start turning brown. Removed the pan from the oven and let them cool till I could comfortably handle them. Using a meat mallet to whack the shell and a butter knife between the shell and meat, I removed the meat from the shell; it will break apart if you're not gentle in the procedure.


The meat will have a firm brown skin on it and this can easily be removed using a vegetable/potato peeler. Again, be gentle as it can break apart easily.




The final tool you'll need is a grater for shredding the deskinned coconut meat. Now you might want to use a food processor, but the meat is very moist, so don't be surprised to constantly be cleaning your blades. In this instance, a grater is just more logical and efficient to use.

After shredding, I was able to fill a quart size freezer bag; squeeze the air out before sealing and it will last about six months in the freezer.

All in all, I probably will try this again, but this time I will be more careful and save the liquid. Whether I use it immediately for baking, or drinks like a pina colada, or freeze it into cubes, I'll still not waste it.

Mary Cokenour

You'll Skor Big with this Cake.

For Fathers' Day, my friend Heidi makes a particular cake for her hubby, Sean, called Skor Cake. Now she got this recipe from a mutual co-worker, Becky Hall Hughes, and I'm glad Becky shared this delectable treat. It's a simple recipe using boxed cake mix, but the results are a sugar high you won't care if you die from. It is a very rich and sweet cake, as you've gathered, so cut the pieces small (16-20), but you'll get a huge satisfaction.

The recipe does call for broken up Skor candy bars, but if you cannot find those, use Heath Bars instead. Also, if your supermarket or local WalMart carries it, in the baking section you'll find bags of Skor or Heath Bar pieces. They're smaller and more uniform in shape, but that just means you get to pour more over the cake. I don't see a big problem with that!



Heidi Murphy’s Skor Cake

Ingredients:

1 Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar of Mrs. Richards Butterscotch/Carmel topping
1 regular size container of Cool Whip
5 to 6 Skor bars crushed to small pieces

Preparation:

Bake cake per instructions on box; let cool for about 15 min or so; then poke holes into it with a wooden spoon handle. After holes are poked, open sweetened condensed milk and pour over whole cake evenly.

Do the same with the Mrs. Richards Butterscotch/Carmel topping; pour over cake as evenly as you can. Cover the cake and refrigerate overnight; it just makes it taste better.

When ready to serve, cover the top with Cool Whip; then sprinkle Skor pieces on top.


Cut (about 16-20 squares) and enjoy!

Mary Cokenour

Hidden Diamonds in Monticello, Utah!

Pack up your vehicles with camping gear, gather the family and/or friends together and head on up into the Abajo Mountains overlooking the town of Monticello, Utah. There be diamonds up yonder!!!



The cool water of Monticello Lake reflects like diamonds in the bright sunlight. A soothing breeze flows throughout while nature enjoys life in this scenic vista.


Publicly owned by the Manti-La Sal National Forest, access to Monticello Lake is unrestricted and there are many areas set back in the trees for primitive camping. Dalton Springs is 2 miles east and has 16 campsites, picnic areas, drinking water and vault toilets; user fees are charged. Buckboard, 1 miles east, is more primitive and has 13 campsites.


Besides camping, take advantage of the many trails for hiking and ATVs.  Some trails are unmarked, so don't be surprised if you come upon hidden Indian ruins.  Look, take photos, but please don't touch as these are sacred grounds.









This area of the Abajo Mountains also has two other lakes.









Loyd's Lake, a reservoir constructed back in the 1980's which offers a walking path around the lake itself; and camping areas.











...and Foy Lake, 14 miles west of Monticello, located 8350 miles above sea level within the mountains itself. This is primarily a fishing lake and there are a few camping areas nearby.






Surrounded by this wonderful forest land and its spectacular views (the above photo is overlooking Monticello itself), it is surprising to know that, only a half hour drive away from Foy Lake, is the desert and the road that leads to Newspaper Rock and the Canyonlands.



The main fish available at the lakes is Lake Trout, and being a food blog, I would be remiss in not giving you a recipe for this delectable edible. If you're camping and using an open fire for cooking, trout can be fried up in a pan, or use the pan as a mock oven by wrapping the fish in heavy duty aluminum foil.

Clean off any scales from the body, trim off the fins, and slit open the body underneath. Clean out the entrails and wash thoroughly with cold water. A simple seasoning mixture of salt, ground black pepper and dill can be sprinkled inside and out. While cooking, squeeze lemon juice over the fish; or, if using the wrapped with foil method, add the juice before sealing. Cooking time should be 10-15 minutes depending on the method used. Trout meat is white, firm and sweet tasting; the cheeks are a treat and the cooked eyeballs a delicacy.

So enjoy the diamonds found upwards from Monticello, Utah; and all nature has to offer.

Mary Cokenour

More Fun with BACON!!!

Being in the mood for a bacon and egg breakfast for the weekend, I pulled the thick cut maple bacon out of the freezer for defrosting. At the same time, I pulled out a package of lean ground beef to make meatloaf for dinner.

After getting home from work, it was just one thing after another; them came the time to make dinner. Looking at the ground beef, I started to reconsider making the meatloaf and I thought of other recipes. I really like those Tamale Stuffed Peppers, but alas, no fresh peppers in the fridge. I could make my Mexican Shepherd's Pie; very similar to the stuffed peppers, but as a casserole. Heh; I spotted the now defrosted bacon, a picture formed in my mind and I decided, "why not!?!"



That's right, Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf and I used many of the ingredients from the Tamale Stuffed Peppers to give an extra Mexican twist. Hey, if I can put bacon into or on top of cupcakes, why not a meatloaf? ...and so it began.


Now the first major decision I made was to use a roasting pan with a rack instead of a baking dish. I lined the pan with aluminum foil, inserted the rack, but also put a sheet of foil over the rack. I pricked a few holes here and there on the sheet to allow any excess oil to drip through; the meatloaf wouldn't absorb the excess oil or cook in it and burn the bottom.  The foil also kept the meat mixture from dropping through and falling apart.


Second decision was to trim the slices of bacon and not tuck them under the meat mixture. I felt that being hidden from the heat would keep them undercooked and I wanted the bacon crispy.



The bacon added moisture to the lean ground beef, cut easily without crumbling and did not stick to the foil at all. Every bite was infused with the maple flavor of the bacon; but after swallowing a strong bacon flavor coated the tongue. You were still able to experience the flavors of the Mexican ingredients too. As a garnish, some cool, freshly made salsa was just right.

Yeah, I like playing with bacon.

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with a Mexican Twist

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 cup each diced onions and tomatoes
1 cup whole kernel corn
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup diced bell peppers
¼ cup diced chile peppers (medium heat)
¾ cup each plain bread crumbs and cornmeal
½ cup milk
2 Tbsp New Mexico chile powder (medium heat)
10-12 slices thick cut bacon (maple flavor works well)

Preparation:

Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil; place rack inside; place piece of foil over rack and prick several holes to allow for oil drainage. Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine all ingredients except the bacon. Remove meat mixture to foil covered rack and carefully form a loaf. Drape bacon strips over loaf, but do not tuck underneath the meat mixture; trim off excess.

Bake in oven for 2-2 ½ hours, or until internal temperature reaches 180F. Carefully transfer loaf to serving platter and cut into slices; bacon would have shrunk and can be used as a guide.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Chinese Spaghetti?

Lo Mein is a popular dish in most Chinese restaurants and take outs.  The noodles are made from wheat flour and are similar in shape to an Italian pasta, namely spaghetti.  Lo Mein noodles can also be flat and wide resembling fettuccine pasta.  In Cantonese, lo mein means "stirred noodles", basically cooked in boiling water and then mixed with a sauce.  Chow mein noodles are stir fried, so tend to have a drier, crisp texture to the noodle.

Personally I have never tried making lo mein myself as I thought it was too complicated.  However, my mother had found lo mein noodles (the flat, wide type) in her local supermarket and sent me several packages.  Well I was now committed to making the attempt, as I didn't want to waste the product.   It was also another reason to break out the Wok and try something different.

There are so many recipes online for Lo Mein, balanced between extremely easy to very complicated; some with a few ingredients, some with too many to count.  I basically went with what I know we like to have in our Lo Mein whenever we order it at a Chinese restaurant.  I let my husband and son choose what protein they wanted; chicken, beef, pork or seafood.  They chose shrimp, but happily chimed in "Yes!" when I mentioned I had crab meat and scallops also available; so we combined all three.  I used chicken broth in the sauce, as I didn't have any fish or vegetable stock in the pantry; the taste was not compromised in any way.

While it was good, we all agreed that we would rather have had the noodle that resembled spaghetti.  The flat, wide noodles absorbed too much of the sauce; and were cumbersome to eat, so now we know better for next time.  The vegetables I used balanced well with the seafood, but I will probably add bok choy if using beef, since beef has a more overwhelming flavor than seafood.

All and all, another cooking adventure that I gladly shared with my family.  Enjoy!



Lo Mein

Ingredients:

1 lb lo mein noodles (thin or flat)
4 Tbsp peanut oil, divided in half
½ cup each thinly sliced bell peppers and onion
¼ cup green onion, cut at an angle
1 ½ cups bite sized pieces chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, scallops, crabmeat (or any combination)
1 cup stock (chicken, beef or vegetable depending on protein used)
6 Tbsp oyster sauce
6 Tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp each minced ginger and garlic
½ tsp ground white pepper
1 cup straw mushrooms
1 cup bean sprouts

Preparation:

Cook lo mein noodles according to package directions; set aside, but keep warm.


In a large Wok or skillet, heat 2 Tbsp peanut oil; add bell peppers, onion and green onion; sauté till softened. Remove and set aside.


Add remaining 2 Tbsp peanut oil; sauté protein for 2 minutes before adding 2 Tbsp each of oyster and soy sauces; cook another minute, remove and set aside.



In same Wok or skillet, mix together 4 Tbsp each oyster and soy sauces, cornstarch, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and white pepper. Bring to a boil and let cook 2 minutes to thicken; add back sautéed vegetables and cooked protein; add mushrooms, sprouts and lo mein noodles. Mix together thoroughly and let cook together for 3 minutes; tossing frequently to coat and heat through.

Makes 6 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Completely Grilled Dinner.

For the first barbecue of the season, I surprised my husband and son with a completely grilled dinner - potato, corn on the corn and New York Strip Steak; all cooked on the grill. Normally I would have baked the potato in the oven and cooked the corn in a pot of water on the stovetop, but I didn't want to deal. I went on line for advice, found closely related instructions and then worked it out with my grill, since I knew better how it acted.

The potatoes were large baking potatoes, simply seasoned with sea salt and olive oil; wrapped in aluminum foil. First I washed the potato, then slit it lengthwise first and halfway down to its center. On a rectangular piece of aluminum foil, I put one tablespoon of olive oil in the center of the foil and sprinkled on 1/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt. The potato went on top of the oil; another tablespoon of oil over the potato and another 1/4 teaspoon of salt sprinkled over it.

I folded the top and bottom of the foil over the potato and creased it the entire length of foil; basically making an envelope.

Lifting one side, I draped it over the potato and pressed it down. I then began rolling it, making sure to keep the creases together and rolling tightly. The oil would keep the pototo moist, add flavor, but the foil needed to be tight to keep the oil from leaking out onto the grill.

The complete package would be placed on the grill seam side up.

For the corn on the cob, I removed the husk and silk; giving it a light wash to make sure all the stray silk pieces were removed. The foil method was the same as for the baking potatoes, but the change was the fat used. I placed the cob on the aluminum foil, on either side I placed an ice cube and a half tablespoon of butter. The ice cube would melt, help steam the corn for tenderness and help the butter create a sauce. I lightly sprinkled ground black pepper, garlic powder, fine sea salt and crushed dried parsley over each cob. Then I wrapped each one up in the same manner as the potatoes.

Cooking time: now my grill has an upper shelf and that is where I placed both the potatoes and the corn. The potatoes would cook for one hour and 15 minutes, while the corn would take 45 minutes. I knew the steaks would take 12 minutes, so I had it all timed to finish together. The steaks were simply seasoned on both sides with a sprinkle of fine sea salt and ground black pepper each. The grill shelf over the burners was already sizzling hot, so I placed the steaks on, about 3 inches apart. Closed the lid, waited three minutes, then gave the steaks a half turn (no, I didn't flip them yet, just repositioned them); closed the lid again and waited another three minutes. Now I flipped them and repeated the process for the other side to get medium done steaks.

So there you have it, a complete dinner done on the grill without complicated prepping.

Mary Cokenour

Make your Holiday Barbecue Hot and Cold.

Memorial Day, we honor all those who fought for our country; all those who gave their lives to keep us free. This holiday also is the jumpstart for the summer season; even though the calendar still tells us that it's springtime. Family and friends gather for games of touch football, volleyball and horseshoes; picnics in the park or barbeques in the backyard.

This won't be a long post, for like you, I'm going to be enjoying my day off. A simple dinner of grilled chicken breasts with a chipotle citrus sauce glaze and a side dish of "confetti salsa". The salsa is a freshly made salsa, the ingredients cut small and they're colorful just like confetti, hence the name. The cool, fresh salsa is a perfect balance with the hot, spicy chicken breasts.

To cook the chicken, trim off any excess fat and season both sides with salt and pepper. Get your grill up to medium heat, about 300F; lay the chicken bone side down first and cook for 3 minutes. Flip it over and cook another 3 minutes; flip it over to the bone side again and slather on a generous dose of the chipotle citrus sauce, close the barbecue lid and leave it alone for 5 minutes. Now slap on another layer of sauce, cook another 5 minutes with lid closed and you are done. The glaze will be sweet and spicy; the chicken moist and juicy.

Now if you cannot grill outside, this can be done inside under the broiler. First preheat your oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil. Salt and pepper the chicken, place it bone side down on the pan; 3 minutes, flip, 3 minutes, flip, but take the pan out of the oven now. Set your broiler to high; slather on the first layer of sauce and place the pan under the broiler for 5 minutes; repeat with sauce and cooking time and like the outdoor grill, you are done!

Now remember, I use boneless, skinless chicken, so if you're using bone in and skin on or off, you'll have to adjust your cooking time for the added thickness. Using a cooking thermometer is your best bet on making sure the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Oh yeah, this sauce and salsa works great with pork too.

Enjoy the day!!!

Confetti Salsa

Ingredients:

3 medium sized tomatoes, ripe and firm
1 ¼ cups whole kernel corn
1 small red onion, diced
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
¼ cup each diced red, green and orange bell peppers
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp fine sea salt
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup chopped, fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Cut tomatoes in half and scoop out fleshy pulp and seeds; cut into strips and dice. Steam the corn over boiling water until just tender; place in refrigerator to cool. Into a medium mixing bowl, add all ingredients and gently mix. Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Makes 4 cups of salsa.

Mary Cokenour