Coconut Macaroons (Matterhorn Macaroons)

During the quarantine, we decided to recreate some of our favorite Disney Treats and have a mock Disney Day.  We went for a walk and listened to Disney music, hung a sheet in the garage and used a projector to watch all the rides on You Tube.  We did our own Animation Academy and learned how to draw Mickey & Stitch.  We finished off by watching the Paris Disney Fireworks show, Illuminations.  It's worth the watch if you've never seen it.


Now, one ride we did NOT watch on You Tube was the Matterhorn.  It's not a family favorite.  Last time we rode it in real life, Korry could barely walk afterwards and he had permanent indentations in his knee caps.  It put a damper on the rest of our day in the Happiest Place.  Being 6'5 and having a bad back were contributing factors.  From now on, Korry and I will wait on the bench and people watch while the kids enjoy the Matterhorn.

Here's an official Matterhorn Macaroon from
our Disney trip over Thanksgiving.

That said, we ARE big fans of the Matterhorn Macaroon.  Our tradition is to buy them at the Jolly Holiday Cafe, perched just at the end of main street and at the entrance to Adventure Land.  It's our favorite lunch spot for a turkey or grilled cheese sandwich and bakery items.  It's a great place to catch the parade or fireworks show too.

Here's our version of the Matterhorn
Macaroons.  Sweet & Tasty! 

These homemade Matterhorn Macaroons turned out SO DELICIOUS!  My kids said they may even be better than the original.  They were surprisingly easy to make.  If you've never had these, TREAT YOURSELF!

Matterhorn Macaroons

1 (14 oz.) package shredded coconut
2/3 cups sugar
6 T.  flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 egg whites
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups white chocolate chips

In a small bowl, mix the coconut, sugar, flour and salt.  Stir to combine.  In another small dish whisk the egg whites and almond extract.  Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry and stir until everything is combined.

Form the coconut mixture in to balls (about the size of a racquetball) and then shape into a small Matterhorn mountain.  Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Watch the coconut to make sure it is getting lightly browned, but not burned.  Cool to room temperature.

**You can also make these into smaller, regular macaroons, just cook them for 20 minutes instead of 30.

Melt 2 cups white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth and melted.  Dip the tip of each cookie in white chocolate.  Can also sprinkle on some sanding sugar for an added sparkly effect.

Tigger Tails

"Don't swing on a swing, it's much too frail,
the best kind of swing is a Tigger's tail!"  ~Roo

Our favorite gift shop/bakery in Disneyland is Pooh's Corner in Critter Country.  We always stop in after a ride on Splash Mountain.  You can watch live through a glass window as chocolatiers make caramel apples, dip shortbread, and make Tigger Tails.

We recreated this recipe for our Mock Disney Day.  We didn't want to go through the hassle of making caramel from scratch, so we used meltable caramel that we found in the baking aisle. They turned out really cute and were tasty too!

Tigger Tail Instructions

1.  Thread 3 large marshmallows on skewer.  This recipe made 10 Tigger Tails.  

2.  Melt 1 package Kraft Caramel Bits in a small glass canning jar (according to package directions).  Stir until smooth, melted and ready to dip.  

3.  Dip Marshmallows in caramel and place on pan covered with a piece of parchment paper.  

4.  Refrigerate the tails to help caramel harden (20-30 minutes).

5.  Use kitchen shears to trim off excess caramel from the sides of each tail and refrigerate again.

This is what the tails will look like after you've
trimmed the excess caramel from the edges of
each Tigger Tail.

6.  Melt 1 pkg. Wilton Candy Melts (orange color, vanilla flavor) in a small glass canning jar.  Stir until smooth, melted and ready to dip.

7.  Dip refrigerated tails in the melted chocolate and place back on the parchment paper.  

8.  Place 1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate in a ziploc baggie and microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted.  

9.  Cut one of the corner tips from the Ziplock baggie and drizzle the dark chocolate over the tails to look like stripes.

 10.  Once cooled, you can wrap each tigger tail in a cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon.

Simple Baked Oatmeal

I've always loved oatmeal for breakfast.  This baked version is simple and so good.  The leftovers can be refrigerated and warmed up the next day.  

If I'm keeping it simple, I just pour a little milk on top and eat it plain.  When I'm serving it for a special occasion, we drizzle it with syrup and top with berries.  

SIMPLE BAKED OATMEAL:

3 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

Mix oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, eggs and melted butter.  Pour met mixture in to dry mixture and stir until combined.  Pour in a 9" baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Serve plain with milk or drizzle on syrup or honey.  Top with berries.  During the fall, it's delicious with fresh sliced peaches and drizzled with a little cream.  

Homemade Yogurt in the Instant Pot

Have you tried making YOGURT in your Instant Pot?

Caramel flavored yogurt with granola, sliced
bananas and a drizzle of melted peanut butter

Sweet Cream Vanilla flavored yogurt with
fresh berries and a drizzle of honey

As a Christmas gift, my friend Renae provided breakfast for the staff at school which included a yogurt bar.  She served creamy vanilla yogurt, homemade granola, chopped fruit, nuts and honey for drizzling.



The yogurt was the most delicious, smooth and creamy yogurt I'd ever eaten.  When I asked Renae what brand she had used, she told me that she makes it homemade and was happy to share the recipe.

I've stopped buying yogurt since then and have whipped up more batches than I can count.  It takes time to cook and cool, but otherwise, it's the easiest recipe you'll ever make and it turns out perfectly every time.

The base includes two ingredients and then you can sweeten to your taste.  Renae often makes it plain with no sweetener or she uses honey.  When she's making it to share or give, she adds sweetened condensed milk. Last week I tried 1 can sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup salted caramel ice cream topping.  DELISH!


InstaPot Yogurt

2 (52 oz) containers Fairlife milk, either red (whole) or blue (2%)
1 cup Fage (Total 0%)
2 cans sweetened condensed milk (optional - for sweetness)

In a large bowl or pitcher, stir together all the ingredients until well mixed.  Let sit for 10 minutes. Pour in the metal container of your Instant Pot.  Secure the lid, push the "yogurt" setting and wait for the beep.  Yogurt will cook for 8 hours.  Your Instant Pot will count up the 8 hours and then automatically turn off.  Remove the container and place in the refrigerator for 8 more hours or overnight.

Add either one or two cans sweetened
condensed milk depending on desired sweetness. 
Can also add ice cream topping flavors such as
caramel, pineapple, strawberry or raspberry. 

After the mixture has been cooled in the
refrigerator, stir until creamy

Each batch makes 10 (2 cup) servings

Hawaiian Haystacks

Like everyone in the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned our world upside down.  Our son, who was serving a proselyting mission for our church in Melbourne, Australia was just sent home - 21 months early.  We now have to go on a strict 2 week quarantine, even stricter than the one we've already been on.  We will all work and do school exclusively from home and won't leave the house again until we know that it's safe to do so. 

Two of our three college aged girls came home to quarantine with us while our oldest daughter has opted to stay away as she still has to work every day and doesn't want to put any of her roommates at risk.  With three of our four grown children home, we are spending a lot of quality time together and I've been back in mom mode, finally cooking again and pulling out old recipes.  I'm gravitating to those old comfort food classics my kids loved when they were growing up. 

Hawaiian Haystacks were a special occasion favorite, something my kids asked for on birthdays or holiday weekends.  Everyone can individualize their haystack with favorite toppings and the leftovers taste even better the next day.  The savory chicken gravy recipe I use was shared by one of my best friends, Kristie, who always threw some onions, carrots and celery with the chicken in the crock pot as it cooked and then mashed some of the softened veggies to throw in with the gravy for an added flavor boost.  If you've never made your gravy this way, you have to try it!  Here is the recipe:

Hawaiian Haystacks

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 stalk of celery, chopped
4-5 baby carrots (or 1 carrot, peeled and chopped)
1/2 onion, sliced
2-3 pats of butter

2 small cans Campbells Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. powdered chicken bullion
Drippings from the chicken

In a crockpot, place all the chopped celery, carrots and onion.  Place chicken on top.  Place small pats of butter on each breast.  Salt and pepper the meat generously.  Place lid on crockpot and cook on low for 3 hours until chicken is tender and falls apart.  Remove chicken and shred on a plate.  Strain the juices and reserve.  Place cooked, softened veggies in a bowl.  Remove some (not all) of the veggies and mash well.

To the now empty crockpot, add the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, salt, and chicken bullion.  Thin the sauce with the drippings from the chicken.  Add a little at a time to reach desired consistency.  If you don't have enough drippings, you can use chicken broth to thin the sauce.  Stir chicken and smashed veggies back in and stir.  Continue to cook in crock pot for an additional hour or until gravy is hot and bubbly.

Serve over rice with any of these desired toppings:

Shredded cheddar cheese
Crunchy chow mein noodles
Chopped tomato
Chopped red and green pepper
Chopped green onions
Chopped celery
Slivered almonds
Shredded coconut
Chopped pineapple chunks

Pani Popo

Pani Popo (Coconut Buns) are one of our favorite Polynesian foods.  This recipe was shared with us many years ago by some good friends who have Tongan roots.  While traditional versions of this dish use a homemade yeast dough, we've found that frozen roll dough works well and tastes incredibly delicious.  They are so easy to throw together.  

If you've never tried Pani Popo before, you MUST TRY this recipe.  

Pani Popo:

18 Rhodes frozen roll dough
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour

In a small bowl, whisk the coconut milk, sugar and flour together until smooth.  Pour in the bottom of a 13x9 pan and shake to coat the bottom.  Place frozen dough on top of the coconut mixture, spacing evenly apart and allow to rise 4-5 hours.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 18-20 minutes.  Serve warm or cool.

** To speed up the process, you can partially thaw the dough before placing it in the pan.  Place 9 frozen rolls on a glass plate, space them an inch or so apart.  Spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place loosely over the rolls.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then flip all the rolls over and microwave for 30 seconds more.  Repeat with the remaining 9 rolls. These will only need to rise 2-3 hours before baking.