Coconut Shrimp welcomes Football Season

Isn't buying a deep fryer is like buying cigarettes? I'm not one for fried foods and it seems like a messy way to cook but I was feeling adventurous and gave this recipe a whirl. I used a large saucepan with a lid to prevent any oil splatter and it worked like a gem! These shrimp would be perfect for a party or potluck. Butterfly the shrimp to serve as a main dish for added presentation, if you care.

Coconut Shrimp


1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup beer
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups flaked coconut
24 shrimp
3 cups oil for frying

In medium bowl, combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, beer and baking powder. Place 1/4 cup flour and coconut in two separate bowls.

Hold shrimp by tail, and dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour. Dip in egg/beer batter; allow excess to drip off. Roll shrimp in coconut, and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a deep-fryer. (OR add an inch of Canola oil to a large sauce pan or stock pot and heat until bubbling slightly.)

Fry shrimp in batches: cook, 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Using tongs, remove shrimp to paper towels to drain.

Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce. Try 1/4 cup orange marmalade or pineapple preserves with about 1 tsp Dijon mustard and 1/2 tsp horseradish. Add all to taste and I promise, you will never order prawns out again!

*This recipe is surprisingly simple and takes very little time but the 30 minutes in the frig is crucial if you want the batter to stay on the shrimp when frying. Use extra large shrimp and you have fewer to drudge and fry!

Creamy Cinnamon-Sugar Dip

This dip is so wonderful because kids and adults both love it! Serve with fruit for the mommies and Teddy Grahams for the kiddos and you have the perfect playgroup snack. Greek yogurt is low in sugar and high in protein, so tell your babe to eat up!!

Creamy Cinnamon-Sugar Dip



1/4 c. cream cheese
1/4 c. greek yogurt
1 TBSP brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 TBSP milk

Mix all 5 ingredients together in a bowl, until smooth. Viola!

Delish Side Dish 2!

I love potatoes in every form. If you do too, you MUST try this simple, flavorful, easy dish. This are Heaven wrapped in tin foil.
Pioneer Woman's Potato Bundles



4-5 Russet potatoes, cut into chunks
Yellow or white onion, cut into chunks
Butter
Heavy cream (or milk)
Kosher salt
Paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Pile potatoes and onions on a square of foil. Add 2 tablespoons butter, splash on some cream, then sprinkle (GENEROUSLY) on salt, paprika, and black pepper. Wrap bundles tightly and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until extremely tender.

Delish Side Dish 1!

Since zucchini is always on-sale during the summer, I have probably made this dish once a day for the last 2 months! I love it for lunch instead of a salad.
Japanese Zucchini



1 handful chopped white onion
1-2 medium zucchinis, cut however you like
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Sautee onion in a pan with a tiny bit of oil for about 5 minutes. Stir in zucchini, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and sesame seeds. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until tender.

Stuffed, Wrapped Jalepeno Appetizers

If you haven't experience the goodness that is the Pioneer Woman, you are missing out. She knows that fattening food keeps a man as easily as a roll in the hay. :P Looking at her site makes me nostalgic of my Texas roots and her mention of her husband always reminds me of my cowboy uncle. These are a Sunday staple in Dallas. My football fan friends love these! They whip these up, as though it were merely openin' a bag of chips!

Cream Cheese Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped, Jalapenos


Ingredients
Fresh Jalepenos
8 oz block of cream cheese
package of REAL bacon, cut in 1/2 if using large jalapenos, or 1/3 if using smaller ones.

Directions
Cut jalapenos in half and clean out the seeds and membrane. Leave seeds if you like it hot! Spoon cream cheese into jalapeno like you would peanut butter to celery. Wrap with bacon slice and hold in place with a toothpick.

Bake on a pan with a rack (or a broiling pan) so the bacon grease can drain, for 25-30 minutes. Broil for a few minutes following until bacon is crispy brown around the edges.

Voila! Serve hot and room temperature. Perfect for parties!

Notes
*When cleaning out a jalapeno either be mindful of the seeds or wear latex gloves so your fingers don't hate you the next day. Leave a few seed in if you prefer some heat.
**I only had large jalapenos but smaller are better because the bacon overlaps.
***Husbands love these!

Lemon Bars

Nothing enhances life better than flour, sugar, and butter! Two of my girlfriends introduced me to this recipe a couple years ago. You could actually pay Kevin for car repair with lemon bars, which one of them did. :) We eat these gooey and straight from the oven because we can't wait for them to cool! But once cooled, the crispy edges are delish!

Bake Sale Lemon Bars
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Combine the flour, 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, and butter. Pat dough into prepared pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, until slightly golden. While the crust is baking, whisk together eggs, white sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. Pour lemon mixture over the hot crust.

Return to the preheated oven for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until light golden brown. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares.

Lemon Poke Cake

Don't mid that it is COVERED in sprinkles, because the cake is delicious. Preston loves sprinkles, so for his birthday, I decorated this cake with only him in mind. He was ecstatic! I aimed to make a cake that, once the inch deep layer of sprinkles were scraped off, was still pleasing to the adults. You can't go wrong with lemon desserts in the summer!


Lemon Cake with Creamy Lemon Frosting
1 package lemon cake mix
1 (3 ounce) package lemon flavored Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip
1 (3 ounce) package instant lemon pudding mix
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for a 9x13 inch pan. Poke holes in cake while still hot with the round handle of a wooden spoon. (I had to assure my husband that I wasn't ruining it) Make gelatin with only 1 cup of boiling water. Pour liquid gelatin over cake while hot. (I had to assure my husband that it wouldn't be soggy. He remained unconvinced.) Cool cake completely.

Beat together whipped topping, pudding mix, milk and vanilla extract. Ice cake once it is completely cooled. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

*My cake-pessimistic husband loved this cake, even with the sprinkles. And said "you have to make this again."