Blue Hawaiian

• 1 oz. Light Rum
• 2 oz. Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz. Blue Curacao
• 1 oz. Coconut flavored Rum or Creme de Coconut
• 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup

On the Rocks

This cocktail can be made on the rocks or blended.  I prefer it on the rocks.  Mix all of the ingredients in a nice glass filled with ice.

Garnish with a mini-parasol, pineapple and a cherry.

Frozen

Mix all of the ingredients in a blender with 1 cup of ice.  Blend until smooth and then pour into a nice tall glass.

Garnish with a mini-parasol, pineapple and a cherry.

A great drink with the flavor of the islands.  You can’t go wrong with this one.

I picked up a couple coconut glasses at the local party store.  I had to get into the spirit of things.

Pina Colada (Makes 2 drinks)

• 1/4 cup coconut rum (I like Malibu)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
• 2 cups ice

Add all of the ingredients into a blender and turn it on until everything is smooth and you do not see any more ice chunks.  Pour into a glass and serve with a maraschino cherry and a pineapple wedge.

I made this drink a couple of times and the first was when Dana’s friend Kristy was in town.  I made it with coconut milk as the local store was sold out of coconut cream.  Needless to say it was not that tasty.  It was a borderline epic failure. However, Kristy drank it like a champ.  Sorry it was not great Kristy.  Once Kristy left, Dana and I tried again this time with coconut cream.  It was delicious and nutritious, the perfect summer time treat.  Ok, not sure about the nutritious part, but it was definitely delicious!

The three layers of cake with the coconut frosting are amazing!

German Chocolate Cake – (From The Joy of Baking)

• 4 ounces (120 grams) semi sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 1/4 cups (270 grams) cake flour
• 3/4 cup (60 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch processed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (240 ml) hot coffee or boiling water
• 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
• 1 1/4 cups (280 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups (450 grams) granulated white sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Coconut Pecan Frosting

• 1 1/4 cups (125 grams) pecans (roasted)
  
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
• 1 cup (240 ml) evaporated milk (can also use light or heavy cream)
• 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups (150 grams) sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

The Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and move the rack to the center of oven. Butter or spray three 8-inch cake pans.  On top of spraying the pans line them with parchment paper.  To see how to line pans with parchment click here.  The parchment will help you remove the cake pans in one piece without break them.

In a double boiler or a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

On a piece of wax paper or parchment, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the hot water/coffee and buttermilk.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the sugar and butter until fluffy (this will take about 2-4 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.

Add the buttermilk mixture and flour mixtures in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat only until the ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the melted chocolate.

Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans and smooth the tops. If you make a little well in the center of the cakes they will cook flat.  Cakes rise the most in the center so creating a well will allow them to rise totally flat.

Bake for about 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Butter or lightly spray a wire rack with a non stick vegetable spray before inverting the cakes onto the rack to prevent the cakes from sticking. Cool the cakes completely before frosting.

Coconut Pecan Frosting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Roast the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned with a nutty scent. Remove from oven, let cool, and then coarsely chop.

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, egg yolks, butter, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, and when the mixture begins to boil and thicken, remove from heat. Stir in the chopped pecans, coconut, and vanilla extract.

Let cool until spreadable.

Creating the ultimate layer cake

Place a dab of frosting on a serving plate.  This will hold the cake in place so that it does not move around.  Then, place one layer of cake, on your serving plate, and cover with one third of the frosting. Do the same for the second layer.

Then add the third cake layer and frost the top of the cake with the remaining frosting (the sides of the cake are left bare).

The finished cake can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days or it can be refrigerated.

Dream Bars II

The crust is perfect.  The top is almost there, but not quite.

Dream Bars #2

• Crust
  • 6 tbs butter – Room Temperature
    
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • pinch of salt
• Topping
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbs flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the butter and the brown sugar.  When light and fluffy add the oats, flour and salt.  Press the crust into a 8×8 pan.  I am using a smaller pan for this as I want a nice thick bar instead of a puny little bar.

Press into a pan

Place the crust in the preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes.

While the crust is blind baking, mix the eggs and brown sugar in a bowl.  Stir in the flour and vanilla.  Mix well.  Then finally fold in the nuts and coconut.  Don’t worry this will be a bit runny.  I decided to remove some of the flour and all of the baking powder as I did not want the bars to have the consistency of a cookie.  The Dream Bars from Pot Belly are moist and chewy.  Hopefully this change will help.

Mix up the filling

Place the chocolate chips over the pre-baked crust.  Then spread the topping mixture over the top of the pre-baked crust.  Spread it out evenly.  Place the pan back into the preheated oven for another 12-15 minutes.  Remove when the top turns golden brown.

Spread out the filling

Let cool before cutting.

Let cool before eating

These are my closest try so far.  Not quite there.  The crust was perfect but the topping still needs a little work.  The topping was not as chewy as I hoped.  The layer of chocolate in the middle is nice, but does not follow the dream bars that I am trying to re-create.  I think these tasted better than the Dream Bar I recipe, however, neither fits the bill for the pot belly dream bars.  Any thoughts, let me know.

Dream Bar Try #1

Not quite the same, but still a damn good cookie bar.

Dream Bar #1 (AKA – First Try)

• Crust
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
• Filling
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbs flour
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the shortening and the brown sugar.  When light and fluffy add the vegetable oil, oats, flour and salt.  If the mixture needs a little more moisture to stay together, add a tad bit more oil.

Mix together and add oil until the mixture comes together

Grease your hands with a tad bit of vegetable oil and press the mixture into a 9×13 pan.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Make sure to grease your hands to press this into the pan, otherwise you will have hulk hands.

While the crust is blind baking, mix the eggs and brown sugar in a bowl.  Stir in the flour, baking powder and vanilla.  Mix well.  Then finally fold in the nuts, coconut and chocolate chips.  Don’t worry this will be a bit runny.

The filling will be a tad bit on the liquid side.

Spread the mixture over the top of the pre-baked crust.  Spread it out evenly.  Place the pan back into the preheated oven for another 12-15 minutes.  Remove when the top turns golden brown.

Golden brown and ready to eat

Let cool before cutting.

These tasted like Dream Bars, but did not have the right texture or consistency.  Not that they are bad, they were actually awesome.  I enjoyed them a ton.  I might actually make these again.  The top was chocolate chip cookie like and the bottom was soft and chewy and the middle was gooey awesome.  While not quite the Dream bars that I wanted, they were tasty.

No-Bake Cookies

The hardest part is waiting for them to set.

No-Bake Cookies - (From Mom)

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 stick Margarine – I tried butter, but they don’t set right.
  
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1/2 peanut butter
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1 tsp vanilla

Place the sugar, milk, cocoa and margarine into a pan and bring to a boil.  Start slow to fully melt the butter and then bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally.  When the mixture starts to boil, set the timer for 1 minute.  After a minute remove it from the stove.

Allow the sugar to dissolve and mixture to boil

Add the peanut butter, oatmeal, coconut and vanilla.  Stir until everything is mixed in.  Let cool for a minute.

Add the uncooked ingredients

Place a sheet of parchment/or wax paper onto a flat surface.  Then using a tablespoon drop the cookies onto the parchment paper.  This should yield about 2 dozen cookies.  Feel free to make them as big as you like.  Remember the bigger that you make them, the longer you have to wait for them to set.

Place on parchment or wax paper to set

After about a half hour they should be set.  Feel free to eat them.  Let them cool all the way before storing them in a airtight container.  Enjoy!!

Lessons learned:  I tried to use butter instead of margarine and it did not turn out well.  The cookies never set completely.  They ended up sticky and gooey.  With margarine they set up quick and easily.