Portuguese Coconut Tarts (Queijadas de Coco)

 

 

   

  Every year, around Easter, I always look forward to all of the usual treats. The Cadbury caramel eggs, my carrot cake decorated with a basket weave design (get it?), and of course, anything and everything to do with coconut. So I was pretty excited when I happened upon this dessert that was completely new to me. 

 Have you ever heard of a Portuguese Coconut Tart? If you can imagine that a coconut custard pie and a coconut cupcake had a baby, it would be this. Caramelized and golden on top and custard-y in the center, it's one of the most delicious coconut somethings I've every tasted. True story! I saw the recipe on a short video from Celia Rego, who makes traditional Portuguese dishes, and immediately wanted to make them (mainly because I've never met a coconut I didn't like.) They're super simple to make too! All it took was a few simple ingredients that I just happened to have on hand, and it came together in no time. You don't even need cupcake liners to bake. SO easy!!

 Full disclosure... I may or may not have tweaked this recipe ever so slightly, because I can never leave well enough alone...but I still listed the original recipe as is. I kid you not when I say I had to stop myself from eating them and I PROMISE I'll be making them again and again!

If you like coconut, this is absolutely something you need to try!!

 

 

8oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick butter, room temperature

6 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tbs flour

14oz sweetened shredded coconut 

 

 

Heat oven to 350ºF. 

Using a mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix in the sugar, then the flour until smooth. Now stir in the coconut by hand, adding a little at a time so it doesn't clump together. 

  Grease and flour a muffin tin, or spray with baking spray. Fill each cup completely. Tap your pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden on top. Cool completely before removing from pan. 

 

 

 

Tips:

There are other versions that have different amounts of sugar and eggs, and there are some that use milk instead of cream cheese. This recipe was so good I don't even feel the need to try any other! 

The only thing I added was a tsp of vanilla extract, and a tsp of coconut extract. I didn't add them to the list of ingredients because I wanted to post it as I first discovered it, but I think the vanilla and coconut extracts were a delicious addition and this is definitely how I'll always make them. Actually....now that I think of it... I wonder how this recipe would turn out if I made them in a mini muffin tin... Hmm.. Only one way to find out!

No Bake Lemon Icebox Pie

 

 

  What do you do when you need to come up with a dessert, such as a fabulous light and fluffy pie, but you have neither the time nor the know how? What do you do? You take ALL the shortcuts and you make this recipe, THAT'S what you do! It only takes a few store bought ingredients, and it comes together in minutes. And it's SO delicious!!! You'll be amazed at how big of a pay off you get despite all the shortcuts. 

 Yes, of course, you could make your own crust by crushing the graham crackers, adding sugar, and melted butter and then pressing it into a pie plate... and you could make your own lemon curd or pie filling... and your own fresh sweetened whipped cream....

 But sometimes you just don't have time for all of that! This recipe solves that problem. I promise you I wouldn't recommend something unless it's worth it. And btw, even though we're taking a few shortcuts, this still counts as a homemade. There. I said it. 

 So if you're short on time, or if you're not a baker at all, try this recipe and everyone will love you for it. ENJOY!

 

 

 

1 ready-made 10" graham cracker pie crust

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk 

1 22oz can lemon pie filling 

1/2 cup lemon juice

Zest from one lemon

1 8oz container Cool Whip, thawed

 

 

  Using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, and zest. Using a rubber spatula, fold in l/2 of the lemon pie filling by hand. Now do the same with half of the Cool Whip.

 Pour the filling into the ready made pie crust, smoothing over the top. Refrigerate for an hour or two. Remove from the fridge and spread the other half of the pie filling over the cream filling. Decorate the top with remaining Cool Whip. Garnish with a fresh lemon slice, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Even better, make it the night before so it'll set up in the fridge overnight. 

 

But for the quickest method, forget the extra chilling time. Just pour the cream mixture into the crust, smooth over the top, then carefully spread the remaining pie filling on top. You could even get fancy and give it a little swirl. Now decorate the top with the remaining Cool Whip. You'll have more of a mousse texture instead of a slice of pie, but it's delicious now matter how you do it. 

 

 

 

Tips:

The only thing I'd change about this recipe (if I were feeling so motivated) is that I'd make my own graham cracker crust. The store bought ones taste great and they're super convenient, but I do like a thicker crust, which also lends itself to serving a slice of pie in one piece without so much crust breakage. But you do you!

Btw, if you're wondering why it's called an "icebox" pie... Before there were today's electric refrigerators, there were iceboxes, which were insulated wooden boxes with a top compartment for large blocks of ice that cooled a lower compartment as the ice melted. So I guess now this pie should be called a Refrigerator Pie, but we don't need to be that technical. 

Joey's Cabbage and Potato Bake

  I was in the mood for something warm and comforting and homey and casserole-y. Usually that means some kind of noodle, but since I already had pasta earlier in the week, I figured I'd do potatoes instead. I was inspired by a recipe I saw on a blog called Hungry Happens, but then of course I didn't follow it. I just started throwing things into a pan.
 I decided to go with baby potatoes and baby carrots just because they’re easier. No peeling! And the cabbage.. well, I think that was originally gonna be a batch of sauerkraut that didn’t happen. From there, I just added some spices that I thought would work. And guess what! They did! It came out so flavorful and tasty, I had to go back for more. This was definitely one of those times where simplicity was best. Nothing too complicated, all in one casserole dish. Perfect.
 Now, I will say that this made a giant casserole, just because I used the whole head of cabbage, and the whole bag of carrots, and the whole bag of baby Yukons. (I mean, what else was I gonna do with half a bag of potatoes, right?) So, you’ll make as much or as little as you want. 
 The other thing is it took much longer to cook than I thought it would. So if you want to speed up the process, you can microwave or steam your potatoes and carrots first before you start. Otherwise, this recipe is simple and straight forward and it’s the perfect comfort food. Serve as is, or with a sliced ham, or any kind of roast. It will absolutely satisfy your craving the next time you feel like having something warm and casserole-y! 



1 small head of green cabbage, cored and chopped
1 lb baby carrots
2 lbs baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved or quartered
1 small onion, chopped
A big sprinkle of each, or to taste:
Salt, black pepper, paprika, dried thyme leaves, celery seed, onion powder, garlic powder
1/2 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

2 scallions, chopped


Heat oven to 400ºF.
Place all vegetables (except scallions) and seasonings in a large casserole dish. Pour broth and cream over all. (I may have added a little extra cream!) Toss lightly to coat. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for an hour or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Remove foil. Top with mozzarella cheese. Place in oven again (uncovered) and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Garnish with chopped scallions sprinkled over the top. Let stand for a few minutes before serving. 



Tips:
 This entire recipe is the perfect springboard for whichever direction you'd like to go. Literally every ingredient in the recipe can be increased or decreased to suit one’s taste. Do you want lots of carrots and not a lot of potatoes? Do you want just cabbage and potatoes and no carrots at all? Do you want to swap out the seasonings for your favorite blend?? Would you rather do Cheddar or Swiss cheese? Or both? 

DO IT!!
You can also add any kind of meat if you want. Diced ham, diced corned beef, smoked sausage, diced chicken, really anything you want!