Friday, February 22, 2008

Put the lime in the coconut, shake it all up!

The name says it all, honey. I tore this one out of the newspaper a few years ago because the words made my mouth water. It may not be the prettiest bird in the flock, but dress it up with a little lime zest or fresh fruit and you're in for a sublime experience!
Lime in the Coconut Custard Pie
13.5 oz. can coconut milk (not lite)
1 c. sweetened coconut flakes
4 eggs
1/2 c. frozen limeade concentrate
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1/4 tsp. salt
9 inch deep-dish pic shell, frozen or homemade
Preheat oven to 400*, and set rack at lowest position. Combine all ingredients but pie shell in a blender and give it a good whirl. Pour into pie shell and bake 15 min. Reduce oven to 350* and bake 40 more min. Cool on rack for 30 min. Refrigerate until cold before slicing.

P.S. I use frozen pie shells and end up with an extra cup of batter. This cooks nicely in buttered ramekins for 10 min. less than the pie. It should be slightly jiggly when you pull it out, this is a custard, not a cheesecake! And whatever you do, don't taste it until it is cold.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Chicken Barley Stew

I know, it's been while, but I finally got my pictures from husband's computer. I guess if I expect to keep my visitors, I must entertain them, so I'll be posting a few times this week. First, here is dinner last night. This one is a quicky and but for the barley, you probably have all ingredients on hand. Oh, and if you think you don't like barley, you are probably wrong.
Chicken Barley Stew
1 tsp. oil
1 c. chopped onion
2 c. (or 1 can) chicken broth
2 c. water
1/2 c. quick-cook barley
2 tsp. chili powder
2-3 c. frozen corn, green beans, peas
2 c. shredded chicken
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tb. dried parsley or cilantro
Saute onion in oil 5 min. Add broth and water, bring to a boil. Stir in barley and chili powder. Simmer 5 min. and add veggies. Anything is really fine here. I use some frozen, some canned (never canned peas--they are icky). Cover and simmer 5 min. until barley is tender. Stir in chicken (or beef or turkey, cooked) and tomatoes (spicy ones are good). Add parsley now. Heat through and serve.