Lemon Coconut Waffles

These waffles are great to make ahead of time and stick in the freezer. I forgot to add the toasted coconut for the picture, but between the coconut and lemon flavors it jazzed up the everyday waffle.

Lemon Coconut Waffles

(Adapted from Inspired By Charm)

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Waffles:

3 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

3 tbls melted butter

3 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cup buttermilk

1 lemon zested and juiced

Lemon Cream Cheese Icing:

8oz cream cheese (softened)

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 lemon juice (you may need more lemon juice based on the desired thickness of your icing)

Toasted Coconut for Garnish:

1 cups sweetened, shredded coconut

Begin your waffles by mixing all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

Then, mix all your wet ingredients in a medium bowl.

Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

Next, cook your waffles.I used the hottest setting and cook until golden brown.

To make the lemon cream cheese icing, whisk together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add more powdered sugar and less lemon juice for a thicker icing.

Toasted coconut is the finishing touch for these waffles.

Spread your coconut on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes. Stir coconut every five minutes to brown evenly.

Assembly your waffles and your done!

Gumbo Dip

So this is one of those recipes I was really looking forward to trying. The flavor was really good, except it came out really soupy and I’m not sure why. Instead of dumping it I ended up boiling some pasta and used this as the sauce and it was excellent. I’m willing to give it another try to see if it was a one time deal or what it could be that made it turn out that way.

Gumbo Dip

(Adapted from Annie’s Eats)

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4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large bell pepper, seeded and diced I used a 7 ounce chopped tri bell pepper mix

¾ cup sliced okra pods I left out

2 ribs celery, chopped I used a 7 ounce container of chopped celery

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning

1 ½ pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped

8 ounces cream cheese

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

toasted baguette slices, for serving I just used crackers

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, okra, and celery to the pan and sauté until beginning to soften, about 6 minutes.

Stir in the green onions, garlic, and Cajun seasoning.

Cook 1 minute more, just until fragrant. Stir in the shrimp, cream cheese and parmesan.

Stir over low heat until the cream cheese is melted and everything is evenly mixed.

Spoon the mixture into a baking dish.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is browned and bubbling. Serve warm with toasted baguette slices.

Easy Honey Mustard Baked Chicken

As you know I love easy dishes that I can make in advance and then just pop in the oven for dinner and this one delivers. I would even prep it all and freeze it for trips so all you have to do is bake it and make some rice.

Easy Honey Mustard Baked Chicken

(Adapted from Good Life eats)

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1/4 cup of grainy, course mustard

1/4 cup smooth Dijon mustard

1/2 cup honey

3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 of a small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenderloins

salt and pepper

4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary

In a small bowl, combine the mustards, honey, and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil.

In a sauté pan or cast iron skillet, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

I like to use my Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 3-1/2-Quart Round Braiser for this because this piece can be used for the whole recipe and go from stove to oven to table. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until golden and tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 - 2 minutes, until fragrant.

Place the chicken tenderloins on top of the onion and garlic mixture, or if the pan you cooked the onion and garlic in is not oven safe, transfer the onion and garlic to an oven safe dish and add the chicken to it. Salt and pepper the tops of the chicken according to your personal preference.

Pour the honey mustard mixture on top of the chicken. Arrange the rosemary sprigs around the chicken in the pan.

Bake the chicken covered at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Then remove the cover, baste the chicken with the sauce, and continue to cook for an additional 20 - 30 minutes uncovered, or until the chicken is browned on top and cooked through.

Grilled Eggplant with Crumbled Goat's Cheese

For some reason everything taste better when it’s grilled. Especially bringing more flavor to vegetables. My hubby isn’t a fan of eggplant, but he really liked this dish. Maybe because it’s simple, yet packed with flavor with the basil, goat cheese and balsamic. I also like how fancy it looks out on a platter so I’ll be serving this at our next dinner party.

Grilled Eggplant with Crumbled Goat's Cheese

(Adapted from Grilled Vegetables)

Serves 6

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3 eggplants, in 1 inch wide slices

⅓ cup fresh basil, chiffonade cut

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 oz crumbled goat's cheese

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ cup toasted pine nuts

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

Toss the eggplant in half the olive oil and grill it over a medium hot gas or charcoal grill for about 4 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear.

Arrange the grilled eggplant on a serving platter.

Sprinkle the basil, pine nuts, and goat's cheese over the top and drizzle the balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and remaining oil over the salad.

Bourbon Layer Cake with Bourbon Ganache and Milk Chocolate Buttercream

For special occasions I like to make cakes that I normally don’t get to make. We fell in love with the chocolate buttercream icing. This is the closest recipe I’ve had that taste similar to our wedding grooms cake. The cake part was ok, but when you refrigerate it, it becomes really heavy and dense. Honestly I would only make the ganache and frosting again. My decorating skills have also been better, but when you have a fussy baby on your hands you kind of rush it and just make due.

Because this was a cake was for my hubby’s birthday I sprung for the $8 vanilla bean. I wish these where much cheaper, but for a special occasion item I’m ok buying it once in a great while.

Bourbon Layer Cake with Bourbon Ganache and Milk Chocolate Buttercream

(Adapted from love & olive oil)

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For Cake:

1 vanilla bean split and scraped, seeds reserved

1/2 cup (4 ounces) bourbon

2 cups (13.5 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

5 eggs, room temperature

2 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon almond extract

For Buttercream:

4 ounces dark chocolate

6 ounces milk chocolate

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2-3 cups powdered sugar, or more as needed

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Ganache:

4 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon bourbon

Combine the bourbon and vanilla bean together in a small bowl. Steep overnight, or as long as you can before proceeding.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and line 3 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Butter parchment.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

Combine the sugar, butter, and reserved vanilla bean seeds in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Beat on medium speed for 10 minutes, until very light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically as needed. Add almond extract.

Reduce the speed to medium low and add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

Add the flour mixture, one cup at a time, alternating with buttermilk, mixing on low speed until incorporated. Immediately add the bourbon (discard the vanilla pod) and mix until combined.

Divide the batter among prepared pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until tops are lightly browned and springy.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.

Run a small knife around the edges of each pan, then gently invert onto wire racks. Cakes should come out cleanly. Allow to cool completely.

At this point, the cakes can be frozen until ready to use, up to 1 month. Simply wrap each layer individually in a double layer of plastic wrap and then store inside a large zip top bag. Personally, I always make my cakes a few days in advance and freeze them. I find the frozen cake to be much easier to level and frost than fresh cakes.

For the ganache, place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.

Bring cream to a bare simmer over low heat.

Pour hot cream over chocolate, and stir until smooth.

Add bourbon. Set aside and allow to cool until thickened slightly (the room temperature ganache should be about the consistency of peanut butter). If it's too thick, you can add a little bit more hot cream and stir until smooth.

For buttercream, melt chocolates in a microwave or double boiler over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Add cooled chocolate and beat until smooth.

Add heavy cream and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Add more powdered sugar or heavy cream as necessary to achieve desired consistency.

To assemble, level each cake layer by cutting of the domed top with a long serrated knife.

Place one layer, flat side down, on a cake stand or serving platter. To keep the platter clean while frosting, place 4 small strips of parchment or waxed paper just under the edges of the cake. This will allow you to frost the cake and then remove these strips cleanly later.

Spread half of the ganache evenly over top of layer, followed approximately 1/2 cup of buttercream. (I didn’t read the directions right and only did ganache layers)

Position second layer on top and press to adhere. Repeat with remaining ganache, another 1/2 cup of buttercream, and final cake layer, flat side up.

Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream. This "crumb coat" will make frosting the cake easier. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to allow this crumb coat to set.

Remove cake from refrigerator and frost with remaining buttercream, reserving some if you'd like to add any decorative details or borders.