Appetizer #7 - Coconut Chicken Bites

 The Year of Appetizers

Appetizer #7 - Coconut Chicken Bites

    This recipe comes from 2007's The Taste of Home Cookbook, from Reader's Digest. I had to modify the recipe, because I once again, did not have all of the correct seasonings. I'll list what I used in italics and what the original seasonings were that I did not use. Even with my substitutions, I really liked these little bite-sized nuggets. They would be yummy with a hot honey sauce or a hot orange marmalade sauce. Instructions for the sauces will be below. 

P.S. Sorry for my plain-jane photo. 

Ingredients:

2 cups flaked coconut

1 egg

2 tbsps milk

3/4 pound boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into nugget-sized pieces

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp celery salt (If you don't have this, use regular salt like I did)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin (I used chili powder)

Oil for frying

Directions:

Finely chop coconut in a blender or food processor (This took awhile for me, because I tried using a blender and it did not work great). Pour coconut into a bowl and set aside. Combine egg and milk in a separate bowl until well combined. Pour flour into a small bowl and toss the chicken a few pieces at a time, in the flour. Dip floured chicken pieces in the egg mixture and then in the coconut. Place chicken pieces on a tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Fry a few pieces of chicken at a time in 2 inches of oil (heated to 375 degrees) for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. They should be golden brown. Drain fried chicken bites on paper towels and place in a bowl. Combine seasonings and sprinkle over chicken bites. Toss to coat chicken bites and serve warm with or without a dipping sauce. I actually opted to mix my seasonings in with the flour, before coating in the egg mixture and coconut. 

Dipping Sauce #1 - Hot Honey Sauce:

Heat 1/2 cup honey in a microwave until it is a little bubbly. Remove from the microwave and add sriracha sauce to taste.  Add more or less honey and sriracha. It really depends on how much sauce you want and how sweet or hot you want it. 

Dipping Sauce #2 - Hot Orange Marmalade Sauce:

Follow directions above, only use orange marmalade. 

Coconut Chicken Bites

Pie Number 13 - Miracle Custard Pie

 The Year of Pie

Pie Number 13 - Miracle Custard Pie

    The recipe says it makes it's own crust and I wanted to see what happened. The recipe is in Better Homes and Gardens: All Time Favorite Pies 169 Recipes!, published in 1978. The pie was tasty and I enjoyed it overall.  I didn't care for the crust, which really wasn't a crust. It's just that the bottom and sides of the custard mixture, thickens a bit and is a different texture than the rest of the pie. I would recommend letting it cool way down, before serving, because it will help it come out of the pan better. It was still a little too warm when I cut into it, to try it out. This was yummy with a good dollop of whipped cream on top. 

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter or margerine, cut up into little bits

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flaked coconut

ground nutmeg

Directions:

The original recipe uses a blender to mix the ingredients. I used a bowl and a hand mixer and a wooden spoon. 

In blender or with a hand mixer, combine milk, eggs, sugar, flour, cut-up butter or margarine, vanilla and salt until well-mixed (don't over blend). Stir in coconut and pour this mixture into a greased 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle nutmeg lightly over top and bake in an oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool and chill before serving. 

Miracle Custard Pie

Miracle Custard Pie
(The pie set up nicely, but my piece fell apart a bit, because I didn't wait long enough for it to cool)

Pie Number Eight - Chocolate Crested Coconut Pie

 The Year of Pie

Pie #8 - Chocolate Crested Coconut Pie

    I'm back! It's been another few weeks which have been bonkers and I haven't been baking pies. I've made cookies, banana bread and I've made a simple hamburger gravy, but I haven't made pie. I did try a Cream Pie, but it was such a failure, that I'm not even going to write about it.  This custard pie however turned out pretty good. I made it a about three weeks ago and it was yummy. The recipe comes from Parade - 50 Favorite Desserts.  I can't find an exact publication for this small recipe booklet, but from experience, my best guess is that it was published in the early/mid 1960s.  It was pretty simple to make, so try it out. Especially if you like coconut. 

Ingredients:

4 eggs slightly beaten

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flaked coconut

2 tablespoons sugar

1 square, melted unsweetened chocolate 

2 tablespoons hot water

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare your pie crust and set aside. Combine the first six ingredients (eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, milk, vanilla and coconut). Set your pie pan on your oven rack and slowly pour your coconut mixture into the pan. Gently slide the shelf into the oven. I stupidly filled the pie shell at my counter and proceeded to make the biggest, fattest mess. I had to cool and clean the oven and start over a few days later. The second try turned out good. Bake for 30 minutes or until the custard is set; while the pie is baking, combine the 2 tablespoons sugar and melted chocolate. Gradually stir in the hot water. At the end of the 30 minute baking time, remove the pan and pour the chocolate evenly over top (this was difficult for me to spread out, so I chose to do a drizzle design instead and I liked how it turned out).  Turn your oven to 300 degrees and bake  an additional 7 to 10 minutes. If you like, garnish with additional flaked coconut. 

Chocolate Crested Coconut Pie

Chocolate Crested Coconut Pie

McGregor Cake

 McGregor Cake

I've got a bonus recipe for you and boy am I glad I made it.  This cake came out better than I'd hoped. It is moist, and sweet, but not too sweet. You have a little crunch from the pecans and chewiness of the coconut. It is sooooo good.  Don't walk, run, and make this cake! I found this recipe while looking for a recipe to use for my #FiftyTwoInTwentyTwo project.  The recipe is in a thin, paper, recipe pamphlet, produced by Crisco Oil, in 1965. There's a little bit of prep work, but it is so worth it. Be careful when you get to the broiling part. I either had the rack too close to the top and/or just plumb broiled it for too long. I checked on my pan about half-way through the final step and the top was burning! I removed the pan and frantically scraped off the topping and managed to save the cake. Luckily I had enough ingredients to re-do the toppings and when I put my pan back in to broil, I watched it really closely and I think I just broiled for two minutes.  

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup Crisco Oil (or other vegetable oil; I actually used canola oil and it was just fine)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Frosting Ingredients:

1/4 cup soft butter or margarine (I used butter and softened it in the microwave)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup flaked coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13x2 inch pan. Add boiling water to oats in a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes. Thoroughly combine sugar, oil and eggs. Stir in the oatmeal. Sift dry ingredients and add to the batter, followed by 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans. Spread the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 30 to 5 minutes. You can use a toothpick to help ensure the cake is done. For the frosting, combine butter/margarine, 1/2 cup brown sugar, evaporated milk, pecans and coconut. Immediately spread with the frosting and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned. 

McGregor Cake

McGregor Cake

The artwork on the cover page of the Crisco Oil recipe pamphlet