German Chocolate Frosting

I’m not cake’s biggest fan. In the world of dessert-calorie-currency, I’d rather spend mine on other desserts. Like apple or banana cream pie, maybe some coconut cheescake, or any flavor of Ben & Jerry’s.

I revealed this fact to Chris during our courtship, and his reaction was complete and total devastation. No, really though. He’s the proverbial fat kid who loves the proverbial cake. It was almost a deal breaker. Somehow, we pulled through those dark days with our mutual love of frozen custard.

For a little “Hurrah!” to mark making it past the two-month mark of matrimonial bliss, I decided to bake Chris a cake. But being the selfish gal that I am, I chose a flavor I prefer: German chocolate cake. It’s smothered in coconut and pecans and a lot of butter. What more could a gal ask for?

I found a recipe on Rachel Ray’s site that looked promising—fairly simple but with real ingredients (butter, mmm…). But since it’s the frosting I really love, and less the cake, I chose a box mix for the cake. The recipe includes the cake and the icing, but I figured, let’s walk before we run, yes?

The Recipe:

1 cup sugar
4 medium egg yolks
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 ounces fresh or frozen and thawed grated coconut
1 1/2 cups finely ground pecans, walnuts, or almonds
1/4 cup warm milk

“To make the frosting, combine the sugar, egg yolks, and evaporated milk in the top of a double boiler. Stir with a wire whisk until the yolks are fully incorporated. Add the butter. Place over simmering water and bring to a boil (see Note below). Simmer for 12-15 minutes longer, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Add the vanilla, coconut, and nuts. Cool.”

The Result:



For a first attempt, I think it went swimmingly. Although I did scald the milk and was afraid it might turn out grainy, this recipe is robust enough to survive my rookie mistakes.

Taste Tester (Chris) says: “That cakes tastes like straight sugar and butter and coconut. And by that I mean it was awesome.”

So it couldn’t be that bad.

Adobo Chicken

Steve has another Steve that he works with and they have taken to sharing recipes with each other. This is one that we got from him, and we really love it! Delicious!

2-2 1/2 lbs. Chicken Thighs
1 C. Soy sauce
1/2 C. White vinegar
1/2 - 1 Tbsp. fresh ground black pepper (adjust amount to desired spiciness)
2-3 Tbsp. Brown sugar
5 Garlic cloves, minced
4 bay leaves

Combine the soy, vinegar, pepper, brown sugar, garlic and bay leaves in the bottom of a large pot. Place the chicken skin side down in the pot and bring the sauce to a boil. Immediately turn down the heat to a medium low, or simmer and cover with the lid. Cook for 1 hour, turning the chicken at 30 minutes. Serve with steamed rice.

We are still in love with Jasmine rice and it is great with this. The chicken just falls off the bone! I also like drumsticks along with the thighs, they are easier for the kiddos to eat. I have cooked a split chicken a couple of times in addition to the thighs and drumsticks, so I double the sauce and put in about 5 lbs of chicken total. I cook that up in a deep electric skillet, and it works really well. I have to adjust the temperature a couple times to keep it simmering instead of boiling. The chicken breasts from the split chicken are a bit dry, but with the Asian flavor of the sauce they are awesome in Chinese Chicken Salad!

Thai Chicken Curry

1 can coconut milk
1 T. green or red curry paste
Mix together, then add:

¼ C. brown sugar
1 T. fish sauce
1 ½ T. basil (dry)
1 ½ t. lime juice
1 C. snipped cilantro

Then add:
1-2 C. Chicken (already cooked & cut up)
2 C. Veggies

Serve over rice.

Notes from Kelly Peterson, who gave me the recipe: "Above is the recipe as I received it.
I really like the Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk (HEB). I have also used the juice from an entire lime, and it works great. I use frozen veggies (there’s an organic medley at Costco that I love with carrots, corn, green beans, and peas). It works best to set them out for a few hours to thaw before adding them to the curry. I hope you like it!"

Kristin's note: I don't care for fish sauce, but you might love it like Kelly's family does.

Thai Peanut Sauce Recipes

These are awesome, but made "as is," the spicy peanut sauce had more heat than the rest of my family cared for. They don't like it as spicy as I do.

Spicy Ginger Chicken
From Sherry Johnston

6 T. soy sauce
1 T. honey
1 T. ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. minced ginger root
1/4 tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Cooked Jasmine or sticky rice
1 recipe Spicy Peanut Sauce

Combine first 7 ingredients and mix. Pour marinade mixture over chicken breasts and refrigerate and marinate for at least 30 minutes (2 hours or more is ideal). Grill or bake chicken and serve with rice. Spoon Spicy Peanut Sauce (recipe below) over the chicken and rice.

Sherry’s Tip: Make enough chicken to have a couple extra chicken breasts and chop those to use on Thai Pizza (see Sherry’s pizza recipes in “sampled” section) the next night.

Spicy Peanut Sauce
5 T. creamy peanut butter
¼ C. soy sauce
2 T. lemon juice
¼ C. brown sugar
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in food processor or blender (or stir it up really well).

Note: For Sherry’s family (2 adults, 3 children), one batch of this recipe will serve as the topping for their Spicy Ginger Chicken one night and the sauce for Thai pizza the next night. You may need to double the recipe to have enough for both nights, depending on the size of your family and how much sauce you like.

Thai Pizza – Spread Spicy Peanut Sauce (recipe in “additional recipes” section) over crust. Top with mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses. Add chicken (leftover Spicy Ginger Chicken from recipe in “additional recipes” section works well!), chopped cilantro & shredded carrot pieces (if desired). Top with a little cheddar & parmesan.

Coconut Chicken Curry

from Karalee Garber

2 pounds chicken breast, cut into strips or cubes
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 ½ Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. curry powder
½ onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 potatoes, medium dice
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
3 Tbsp. sugar
Jasmine rice, cooked

After chicken is cut, season it with salt and pepper, set aside. Heat the oil and curry powder in a large skillet, over medium-low heat, for 2 minutes. Turn heat up to medium and stir in onions and garlic, cook until onions are translucent. Add chicken and cook until it is no longer pink. Add the potatoes, coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar and stir to combine. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes or until potato chunks are tender. Serve over cooked rice.