Coconut Cream Pie made with Dream Whip

There was a small blip in history – I remember it well – when my mom jumped onto the cream pie bandwagon.  It had to be late 80s, maybe even the early 90s, when my mom would prepare these incredible cream pies; Banana Cream Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, Chocolate Cream Pie and so many other creamy flavors – all delicious.  Her secret…(quiet now)…Dream Whip. 

Ever heard of it?  If you are over 40, perhaps you have; Dream Whip is powdered non-dairy dessert topping mix that was invented in 1957 by the Birds Eye Division of General Foods. Yes, non-dairy topping – Ewww!  The sound of anything non-dairy scares me…but don’t give up on this post yet.  Dream Whip has its place in your cupboard, I promise. 

Kraft Foods, who has since merged with Birds Eye, now owns Dream Whip.  Kraft certainly has the whipped topping market cornered; they also own competitor Cool Whip and Redi-Whip, surprisingly.  The Kraft website states “With Dream Whip Topping Mix in your cupboard, you never need to go without a topping!”  Well there you go…you will never have to go without a whipped topping ever again with this fantastic little box of magical powder.  Thank goodness I never have “whipped topping” emergencies. 

Ok, so it doesn’t make the best topping….what is it good for then?   For starters, Dream Whip can be prepared and then mixed into cakes to add moisture and fluffiness.  It can also be mixed with pudding or other pie fillings to become a light, fluffy, dreamy mixture.  This is the absolute best use for it in my opinion.    

Go ahead, give Dream Whip a chance with this Coconut Cream Pie recipe. The addition of Dream Whip creates a velvety consistency that is unlike any other cream pie.  This Coconut Cream Pie recipe has another twist – it uses animal crackers for the pie crust instead of your usual graham cracker crust.  

Dreamy Coconut Cream Pie 

Ingredients: 

• 2 (1 1/3 ounce) envelopes Dream Whip brand whipped dessert topping mix
• 2 3/4 cups cold milk, divided
• 1 cup shredded coconut, toasted
• 2 packages (4-serving size) JELL-O instant vanilla pudding
• 1 ½ cups crushed animal crackers
• 6 tablespoons of melted butter
• ½ pint whipping cream

Directions: 

1.)  Prepare your crust by mixing the animal cracker crumbs together with the melted butter.  Pat them down into a pie plate, covering the sides and bottom.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Once it is baked, set aside to cool. 

Crush these animal crackers for the perfect pie crust

2.)  If you haven’t toasted your coconut yet, do so now.  Simply place shredded coconut in the pan over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until this is browned slightly on the edges.   Set aside to cool. 

Perfectly toasted coconut

3.)  Beat Dream Whip whipped topping mix and 1 cup of the milk in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed 6 minutes or until topping thickens and forms peaks. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups milk and pudding mixes; blend on low speed. Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. 

4.)  Fold in ¾ cup of the toasted coconut.  Set the rest aside for the top. 

5.)  Spoon the mixture into your baked crust. 

6.)  Whip your  cream with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.  Spoon over your pie filling.  

7.)  Refrigerate at least 4 hours.  After it has filling has set, sprinkle the remaining coconut on the top of your pie before serving so it remains crisp. Serve and enjoy. 

A grade school legend...the Peanut Butter Square

Growing up we called them Peanut Butter Squares, some called them Hollywood Squares (anyone who grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) – these little peanut treats are sure to bring back memories of grade school lunches.  

I borrowed this recipe from the Hollywood Squares recipe originally printed in the Cuyahoga Falls News-Press.  After going over the ingredients, I was a bit hesitant in preparing it – it’s really nothing but sugar and fat.  Not the best recipe to be publishing so early in 2010 when many resolutions are already hanging by a thread.  

These Peanut Butter Squares are certainly delicious and very rich.  Kind of like a peanut butter cup on steroids.  One tiny square and your peanut butter craving will be cured.  Yep, I said “peanut butter craving” – I get them all the time.  I usually cure mine with a bit of Skippy Peanut Butter mixed with vanilla ice cream.   Now I have a new medicine.     

Peanut Butter Squares, aka Hollywood Squares 

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups peanut butter
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup melted butter

Topping: 

• 4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
• 2 tablespoon peanut butter

Directions: 

1.)     Combine all ingredients except topping ingredients.  Mix well and place in a buttered 9″x13″ square pan.  

2.)     Melt the topping ingredients together and spread over the top of the peanut butter mixture. 

3.)     Chill until topping is firm. 

Peanut Butter Squares on Let’s Get Cookin’ 

Hollywood Squares on Tasty Kitchen

Shredded Chicken Tacos

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 dried chili peppers
• ¾ cup of your favorite beer
• Salt and pepper to taste

1.    Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot or saucepan and add water to cover. Turn the heat to high, bring to a boil. Partially cover and adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Skim any foam that comes to the surface. Cook until meat is very tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid and set aside to cool.

2.    Strain the solids from the simmering liquid and return to the heat.  Let simmer until slightly reduced.  Turn off heat and let cool. 

3.    While your simmering liquid is cooling, shred your chicken thighs.  Do so by pulling the pieces of chicken apart by hand – this seems to be the easiest and most effective way.

4.    Once your simmering liquid is cooled, add about ½ cup of it back into the shredded chicken and toss.  Your chicken is now ready; you can now assemble your shredded chicken tacos.

Shredded chicken thighs

Shredded Chicken Taco Assembly

What You Will Need:

• Flour or corn tortillas, 6 inch in diameter
• Cheese, shredded –  I like Chihuahua cheese for this recipe
• Lettuce, shredded
• Tomato, seeded and diced
• Cilantro, the leaves removed from the stems
• Sour cream
• Siracha, or your favorite hot sauce

Chihuahua cheese for chicken tacos...delicious

Directions:

1.)   Wrap your tortillas in foil and place them in an oven at 350 Degrees to soften for 5-7 minutes. 

2.)   Lay your softened tortilla down on a plate, add your shredded chicken and top with your favorite toppings.  Be sure to add hot sauce.   

3.)   Eat and repeat.

Ingredients:

Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Pecan Topping

A tip to make this recipe even easier is to buy the pre-wrapped sweet potatoes that you microwave. There is no need to remove the wrapping, pierce or wash – just throw them in the microwave for about 5-10 minutes.  For this recipe I microwaved 4 at a time.

Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, remove them from the microwave and let them cool; you want them cool to the touch so you can remove the inside goodness from the skin.  Once they are cooled, slice them in half and spoon out the inside into a baking dish and mash them with a potato masher.

Mash the Sweet Potatoes With a Potato Masher

This recipe is not only simple, it is nutritious.  Sweet potatoes packed with vitamin A, they are also a great source of vitamin C, iron, calcium and fiber.  The recipe does, however, contain a good amount of sugar and fat in it.  But don’t worry – if you are cooking for someone on a special diet it is easy to adjust this recipe. I was cooking for my mother, so I adjusted a portion of the recipe to suit her diet; I used less of the topping (contains brown sugar and butter) on her portion.  Sweet potatoes are a good option for diabetics as they have the lowest glycemic index rating amongst all root vegetables.

If you wanted to adjust the sugar content even further to make a diabetic friendly version, I would suggest eliminating the brown sugar completely from the topping and replacing the maple syrup with sugar-free syrup.  Sweet Potatoes are naturally sweet so they don’t need much help.

I tried both the full fat, full sugar version and the trimmed version and I must say – they were both excellent.

Ingredients:

Topping:

• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, I use the Pecan Pie glazed Pecans by Emerald Nuts
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

The Rest:

• 6 prewrapped microwavable sweet potatoes
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

1.) Mix the brown sugar, pecans and butter in small bowl. Set aside – preferably in the fridge to chill.

2.) Prepare a glass baking dish with butter. I simply put a bit of butter on a paper towel and wipe. You could even substitute canola oil as well.

3.) Cook your sweet potatoes in the microwave. Remember, you have to pierce sweet potatoes before putting them in the microwave unless you buy the pre-wrapped microwaveable sweet potatoes. Cook on high for about 8-10 minutes until tender to the touch. Let cool.

4.) Once your sweet potatoes are cool, place them in a dish and mash with a potato masher.

5.) Beat eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice and salt in large bowl. Mix in the mashed sweet potatoes.

6.) Transfer sweet potato mixture to prepared dish. Sprinkle pecan topping evenly over mixture.

7.) Bake until sweet potato mixture is set and the pecan topping bubbles, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes and serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

These are so good we had to post them.  Use our Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe to make these heavenly ice cream sandwiches!   We used half a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Vanilla in each.  Yes, these will not be posted under our Healthy Food catagory.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who wants a cookie?   You will… after reading this recipe.  These are my mom’s “famous” chocolate chip cookies – the recipe is adapted from the Toll House Cookie recipe.  She uses jumbo eggs, and a mixture of light and dark brown sugar.  These two changes do something magical to the recipe – they are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten.  Chewy and buttery - with a great balance of flavors.  Not too much chocolate – just enough in every bite. 

This recipe makes 24, 4 inch cookies.  Yep, that’s why we say Chocolate Chip Cookies – Big Style!  That’s one big cookie.

What You’ll Need:

• 2 1/4 cup + 2 Tbs. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup soft butter
• 2 jumbo eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I use half light brown sugar and half dark brown sugar)
• 1 tsp.good vanilla
• 2 cups chocolate chips (nuts and fruit, if you like)

Directions:

1.) Pre-heat over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

3.) Cream the softened butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla by hand until well blended.

4.) Mix in the dry ingredients with a good wooden spoon, be sure not to overmix – this will develop the gluten in the flour and make your cookies tough.   Add in the chocolate chips.  If you are adding fruit or nuts, add them in now as well.  

Who Doesn't Love Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough?

5.) Drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Drop cookie dough on an ungreased cookie sheet

6.) Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 17 minutes* until golden brown.

7.) Check your cookies often.  Rotate the cookies halfway through baking.  Let them rest on the cookie sheet before removing them and placing them on a cooling rack.

*If you choose to not make your cookies “Big Style” you will need to adjust your cooking time.  Smaller cookies will take less time to bake.

Admit it – you want a cookie now, don’t you?

Golden Brown Potato Rolls

I honestly think one of the most hearty, comforting foods you can eat is bread, especially my mother’s homemade Potato Rolls.  So, you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when her Potato Roll recipe ended up in my inbox yesterday.  Thanks Mom!

These freshly baked rolls not only taste great, they smell incredible.  There really is nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread, right?  The potato in these rolls not only adds moistness, but also gives the roll a really fine texture – not so much squishy, but rather “pillowy”. 

Potato Rolls
Makes about 12 rolls

What You’ll Need:

3 cups flour
2 or 3 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup cooked potato
1 large egg
3/4 cup warm water

Directions:

1.) I use a bread machine on the dough cycle.  All the wet ingredients go in, dry ingredients on top.  You could adapt this for a mixer with a dough hook as well.

2.) When the dough cycle is finished, form the dough into 12 or so rolls. 

3.) Put them on a greased baking sheet.  Let them rise until doubled in size. 

4.) Preheat your over to 375 degrees F.  I brushed these with melted butter and fresh rosemary.  You could also brush them with honey and melted butter or leave them plain.  

5.) Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.  Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

A recent Food Network program prompted this sudden exploration in Pot Pie. Growing up pot pie was something that strictly came from the freezer. Thick pie style crust concealing a whole lot of gravy peas and not much more. I can’t say I would ever consider pot pie to be a comfort food…times have changed!

Simple Chicken Pot Pie

What You’ll Need:

2 whole (4 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2.5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 chicken bouillon cubes
4 tablespoons (1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cups yellow onions, chopped (1/2 onion)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup heavy cream
1 package of good frozen vegetables(peas, corn, carrots, green beans)
½ cup pearl onions
Fresh herbs to taste

Directions:

1.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F

2.) Place chicken on baking sheet. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and your favorite fresh herbs.

3.) Cook breasts for 35-40 minutes or till cooked through.

Roasted Chicken for Chicken Pot Pie

4.) After the chicken is completely cooked set aside until cool enough to handle. While chicken is cooling down get going on the creamy sauce.

5.) Warm stock and bouillon in pot and set aside.

6.) Take chopped onions and saute with butter on medium-low heat until translucent…about 10-15 minutes. Then add your flour and cook another 2 minutes, be sure to stir.

7.) Add stock to the flour mixture and cook until mixture thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs to taste followed by the heavy cream.

8.) Your chicken should be cooled by now and will be easy to remove skin and shred or cube breast meat. I personally prefer to shred.

Shred Your Chicken For the Pot Pie Filling

9.) Add the chicken meat and all frozen vegetables to the creamy sauce. Mix well, taste for seasoning.

10.) Pour mixture then into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

11.) This is where one can make another personal taste decision. Puff Pastry or Pie Crust?  I choose Puff Pastry. Why?  Simply because I love the stuff. I simplify this process by purchasing frozen puff pastry dough rather than make my own. Be sure to let it thaw before topping the pot pie filling with puff pastry. Roll sheet of dough out slightly and cover the baking dish edge to edge. I cut two slits in pastry to give it some breathing room…and then bake!  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes or until bubbling and hot…let stand for a bit (as long as you can wait) and serve!

The magic of this recipe is you, the home cook, can tweak it any way you like to make it your own!  Spice up the sauce…choose different veggies…change up the crust. I have a new found affection for Pot Pie and will continue to make it.