I found this AMAZING Zucchini Cookie recipe (after trying several others) and wanted to share it, since the zucchini is growing like crazy in our garden right now!  If you have any other zucchini favs, please share!  Here is the recipe, and the link below is where I got it - there are some great pictures if you want to go on a field trip and see them! :)

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated’s Baking Illustrated and Carole Walter’s Great Cookies
(makes about 4½ dozen 2½” cookies)
½ lb. zucchini
¾ c. lightly packed dark brown sugar
2½ c. old fashioned oats
2/3 c. + 2 T. sugar
1¼ c. flour
¾ t. salt
½ t. baking soda
¼ t. nutmeg
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp (try doing half applesauce or mashed white beans!)
1 egg
2 t. vanilla extract
2 c. chocolate chips
2 c. chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1) Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly butter two cookie sheets.
2) Grate the zucchini using a food processor or box grater to yield 1 c. grated zucchini. Toss the zucchini with 2 T. of sugar, transfer to the mixture to a fine-mesh strainer and set it over a bowl to drain for at least 30 minutes. This draws moisture out of the zucchini and prevents the cookies from becoming cakey and slimy, so don’t skip this step.
3) Meanwhile, place the brown sugar, 2/3 c. sugar and ½ c. oatmeal in the bowl of a food processor and process for 2 -3 minutes until the oatmeal is finely ground. (you could also do this in a blender)
4) In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients and set aside.
5) In the bowl of your food processor (or of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), process or mix the butter until it’s light and fluffy. Add the oatmeal-sugar mixture in three stages, mixing well after each addition. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three stages, mixing just until blended. If you’ve done all this in the food processor, transfer the batter to a large bowl and stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, otherwise just stir the chips and nuts into your mixing bowl.
6) After the zucchini has drained, squeeze it between several layers of paper towels or cheesecloth or a dishtowel to absorb excess moisture. You want to remove as much moisture as possible, so you’ll have to work at it a bit. Fold the shredded zucchini into the cookie batter.
7) Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about an inch or two apart. They’re not going to spread much so they don’t need a whole lot of room. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the sheets for 2-3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. I think these taste best slightly warm, when the inside is still a bit melty and the outside is still a bit crisp, but they’re also quite nice completely cool and pretty tasty even when frozen.

http://whenharrymetsalad.com/2009/09/04/chocolate-chip-oatmeal-zucchini-cookies/#more-936

Bean's Burritos

We've been trying to eat more plant-based meals, which is hard when we've been meat eaters our whole lives. I love it when I find a recipe where the meat is not missed in the least. These burritos were an instant hit with Mike and myself, and I think the kids liked them too. It may seem kind of weird eating a cold burrito-- guess you could think of it more as a "wrap". My sister-in-law Liz made these for us at our family reunion and they are amazing, simple, delicious, light and perfect for summer. You can find the original posting on Liz's friend Janeen's blog (whose nickname became Green Beans 'Neen, which I guess was shortened to Bean, which is why the recipe is Bean's Burritos, but they do also have beans in them! Ha. :) ) Check out her blog for great healthy, plant-based recipes. Everything I've ever tried from her blog has been exceptionally good.

Bean's Burritos

Tortillas (about 6 burrito sized)
1 can black beans (1 1/2 cups if you cook them from dried), rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans (1 1/2 cups if you cook them from dried), rinsed and drained
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 orange, yellow, OR red pepper, chopped
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 avocado, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 tsp. cumin (to taste)
1-2 limes, juiced

Mix ingredients well. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour to combine flavors. Serve cold in warmed tortillas. (Leftover filling is great as a chip dip/salsa)

Have you tried...spaghetti squash?

This is SO good.
The flesh shreds up like noodles and can be served with your favorite
spaghetti sauce over top.
Fool your hubby & kids with this healthy pasta alternative.



My squash came with baking instructions on the sticker,
but basically you split in half, remove the seeds,
dot/drizzle with butter, olive oil (or both)
and generously salt & pepper.

Roast on a sheet pan, cut side up
400 degrees for about an hour, or until tender.
Let cool slightly, then use a fork to scrape up.

See this quick tutorial for a happy squash meal ;)

Mom Salad

This past weekend my mom, and sister came to play.

Had the best time! Ate the best salad. 

Fed the kids (all 7), then set them free to play while we sat with tall glasses of water,

eating and enjoying a few moments of peaceful kid-free bliss.

"Oh ye-ah."

"OH yeah."

"Ohh...Yeah." 

It's what was said.

Gorgeous and healthful. Try a Mom Salad yourself!

Mom Salad

mango

edamame, cooked and shelled

avocado

fresh corn, cooked and cooled

tomato

green or red onion

cilantro

quinoa, cooked and cooled

(Bulgur or couscous would be great here as well)

Combine. Squeeze fresh lime juice over top. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Gently fold together, and that's IT!

Cumin, fresh parsley, and cucumber would also be delicious additions.

You could drizzle the salad with your favorite vinaigrette, but it's fantastic on it's own.

Recipe courtesy of Kristy Imahashi

Never cooked quinoa? Head over to Our Best Bites to see a great tutorial.

(Holy crap! I just visited obb to get their quinoa link

and found out they also have a mango-quinoa salad.

Creepy and weird.

Their version is similar and looks delicious!)

Have you tried...Veggie Straws?

Are they a "healthier" cousin of the evil potato chip?
I don't know, but I like 'em.
I also like Riceworks.

You can find them both at a Walmart near you.
(In the states, at least ;)

Kerry's Nutmeg Muffins

These come together quickly and are delicious.

Kerry's Nutmeg Muffins

1 3/4 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg (or 1/4 tsp fresh grated)

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c sugar

1 egg

1/3 c veg oil

3/4 c milk or buttermilk



Mix dry ingredients.

Whisk together wet ingredients and add to dry;

mix until just combined.

Divide into a well-sprayed muffin tin.

Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes.

Muffins will be slightly golden at the edges.

To keep a moist crumb don't over bake!

While still warm, dip muffin tops in melted butter

and then into cinnamon sugar.

Enjoy warm.

They make great minis too.

Store-bought frosting trick

Want the easiest way EVER to frost your cupcakes?

Karen saved me yesterday by sharing this tip.

 

Microwave your store-bought frosting

(30-40 seconds)

and dunk your cooled cupcakes right into the container.

(I used about half a container for 1 cake mix)

Sprinkle on some adorable mini-hearts,

and you're done!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thai Peanut Noodles

I've been trying a few different Thai-peanut dishes, and I found a winner!




Thai Peanut Noodles
1-2 lb chicken breasts or boneless skinless thighs

3 cloves garlic, minced

⅔ cups soy sauce (divided use)

1 lb noodles (I used whole wheat linguine)

½ cups water

⅔ cups creamy peanut butter

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, or 1 tsp powdered ginger

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)

2 Tbsp honey

1/8 cup sesame oil (or to your taste)

peanuts, chopped for garnish

Stir fry veggies: broccoli, carrot, yellow squash, asparagus, onion, etc.

Refrigerate chicken in 1/3 c soy sauce and 1-2 cloves minced garlic
while you prep veggies - about 10 minutes.
Cook linguine and drain.
(I make sure whole wheat noodles are slightly overcooked so they are soft)
Remove chicken from fridge and discard marinade.
Saute in a tsp or so of oil in a large pan over medium high heat
until no longer pink in middle.
Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Saute veggies until tender-crisp.
(Start with firmer veggies like carrot and onion to give them a head-start, then add lighter veggies)

In a separate bowl, combine remaining soy sauce, water, peanut butter, ginger,
garlic, red pepper flakes, honey and sesame oil.
Add this mixture to the pan, along with the chicken and noodles.
Stir until combined and heated through.

Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted here.
I think it was even better the next day for lunch!

Italian Wedding Soup

Yep...more SOUP!

Italian Wedding Soup

For the meatballs:

1 lb Italian sausage, mild*

1/2 small onion, minced

1/2 c bread crumbs

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

1 egg

Soup:

1/2 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

3-4 carrots, sliced

2-3 large handfuls baby spinach

1-2 qt chicken broth

1-1 1/2 c small pasta

Parmesan, shaved for garnish

Combine meatball ingredients with hands.

Heat a dutch oven or soup pot until hot, add 1-2 tsp olive oil.

Drop meat by tsp into pot and brown in 2 batches.

(I used a sm cookie scoop filling it halfway and using my palm

to form mini-meatballs. These don't have to be very uniform).

Remove meat. Drain excess fat if necessary.

Saute onions until softened, 3-4 minutes.

Add garlic and carrots, cook 1 minute.

Add broth and bring to a boil.

Add pasta and meatballs and simmer until cooked through.

Add spinach and wilt.

Garnish with cheese and serve!

*Feel free to use lean ground beef and or a combination of beef and pork.

If I were using just beef I would add some more spices, perhaps some

Italian seasoning, extra basil and some fresh parsley if I had it.

I loved the flavor the Italian sausage gave to this soup and it had

just enough of a peppery bite in the meatball.

Doctor up this soup to suit your taste - use frozen meatballs and spinach if that's what you have.

This would also be delicious with white beans instead of pasta.

Enjoy...and stay warm!

PS. I promise this soup is not at all greasy like my first picture might suggest.
That's courtesy of my lighting/photography/mad camera skills!

This is my version of one I found here. It's such a fab recipe source!

Have you tried...SMALL SHAPED PASTA?

It's cute, cooks quickly and kids eat it right up.

I also don't have to cut it up any further for my baby. Bonus!

I picked this up in the Hispanic section at Food for Less in Vegas.

It was seriously less than 30 cents a bag.

 

Butternut Squash Soup

This soup was just want I wanted it to be.

It was easy to make, yet elegant, and had a good balance of flavor.

Butternut Squash Soup

2 Tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

2 apples, cored and cut into chunks

1 carrot, thinly sliced

4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

dash of nutmeg, optional

1/2 cup cream

Melt butter in large pot, over medium heat.

Add garlic, onion and ginger. Cook and stir for about 10 minutes, or until soft.

Add broth, squash, apples and carrot.

Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until very tender.

Purée soup using a handheld immersion blender.

(Can also be done in a regular blender in small batches.)

Return pot to stove and re-heat on medium-low heat.

Add seasonings and cream and heat until steaming, stirring as necessary.

Recipe found here.

Balsamic Garlic Chicken

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com.

See the review section to tweak this as you like.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

(I sliced each breast in half lengthwise to make flatter, more even cutlets)

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves garlic

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon butter

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Rinse the mushrooms and pat dry.
Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the chicken
until it is nicely browned on one side (about 3 minutes).

Add the garlic. Turn the chicken breasts and scatter the mushrooms over them.
Continue frying, shaking the skillet and stirring the mushrooms.
Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the vinegar, broth, bay leaf and thyme.
Cover tightly and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter and cover with foil. Set aside.
Continue simmering the sauce, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes.
Swirl in the butter or margarine and discard the bay leaf.
Pour this mushroom sauce mixture over the chicken and serve.

Cupcakes!

Hi Guys! So I'm starting a Karen's Cookies blog, and one of my first posts is all about the cupcakes I made this past week. They were yummy! Here's a preview for ya.

I know, I know… I said that most of the posts on this blog would be about decorated cookies, and they will be! But I’ve had this recent obsession with cupcakes, and I just had to try a few things.

We live in a pretty small city in southeast Idaho. The trends that hit the big cities tend to hit Idaho Falls about 2 years later. So guess what? The cupcake craze has ARRIVED! Just over the last couple of months we have gone from zero to 3 cupcake shops in our town. THREE. In a town of about 50,000, that’s a lot of cupcake shops. But between the opening of the shops, and seeing super-cute, scrumptious cupcakes on blogs like Glorious Treats, I got a cupcake itch. So I bought a few cupcakes from the locals and tried them out (you know… research! Somebody’s gotta do it.) They were ok, but it made me think that I could come up with something more than ok. So I came home, rolled up my sleeves and got in the kitchen where I belong! I made:

Raspberry Vanilla

Chocolate Mint (my 2nd favorite!)

Pina Colada (my favorite!)

Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese

Cherry Almond

Chocolate Chocolate

Lemon Raspberry (wait! Maybe this was my favorite)

Orange Orange

I had way too much fun experimenting with these, and believe it or not, it was one frosting recipe and only 2 kinds of cake. I just spiffed them up with this loveliness:

Because I was in experimental mode, I just divided up the frosting into about 10 small containers and added itty bitty amounts of flavorings to get some fun flavors. I’ll tell you more about that in my next post, where I’ll be posting the recipe and flavoring ideas.

Now a word about cake. For the cake, I used…. um…. Betty Crocker cake mix. Here’s the thing. For 7 years (the height of my cake decorating career), I lived in Oregon, pretty much at sea level. I made excellent scratch cakes, if I do say so myself. Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Cake Bible was my, well, cake bible, and I had excellent results with most of her recipes (have you tried her White Chocolate Whisper cake? Yum!) Then I moved to the mountains (high desert) of Idaho, and I have had NO luck with scratch cakes since I’ve lived here. I’ve been here for almost 6 years, and still no luck. What am I doing wrong, mountain dwellers?? Somebody help me! So anyway, I’ve gone back to box cake mix because it never fails, and then I don’t have to throw away batches of ingredients, which makes me crabby. I do doctor them up a bit. For chocolate, I add a couple extra tablespoons of cocoa powder (Dutch process) to the mix, and use buttermilk instead of water. For white, I use whole eggs (which makes it a tiny bit yellow), also sub buttermilk for the water, and I always add some kind of flavoring, usually vanilla. Personally, I think they’re great cakes. They’re consistently moist and light, and with some added flavoring it tends to hide the fake vanilla flavor that I don’t like in box mixes. For the cakes above, I divided up the batter and added these:

Orange Emulsion, Lemon Emulsion, Pure Vanilla Extract, Almond Emulsion, and Coconut Emulsion

They were all amazingly delicious, and combined with the frosting variations that I’ll show you in my next post, I think I found some definite winning combinations. YUM.

I ate three for breakfast.

Cupcake frosting recipe coming up next!

Ina Garten's Linzer Cookies

Katie brought these to cookie night.
I wish I would have gotten a picture of hers - they were perfect.
Thanks for sharing, Katie!



3/4 pound softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup good raspberry preserves
icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture.
Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together.
Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk.
Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/4-inch thick (or less) and cut with a plain or fluted cutter.
(Use flour to keep from sticking).
With 1/2 of the rounds, cut a hole from the middle of each round with a heart or star shaped cutter.
Place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.
(I didn't chill).

Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly golden.
Allow to cool to room temperature.
Spread raspberry preserves on the flat side of each solid cookie.
Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners' sugar and
press the flat sides together with the raspberry preserves in the middle
and the confectioners' sugar on the top.
(I assembled the cookies and then dusted. The sugar about entirely melted into the jam as in the above picture. By the next day the white flecks were gone. Works for me!)

Recipe courtesy of the AMAZING Ina Garten.

Buck's Brown Butter Icing

1 stick butter
1/2 lb icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
milk 1/4-1/3 c aprox.

Melt butter in a sauce pan on medium heat until browned and fragrant.
(This took me about 3-4 minutes - you're looking for a nutty brown color
but not black or burned. Mine had fine flecks of brown in it.)
Stir in icing sugar (that's powdered sugar for you US folks) and vanilla.
Add milk to a drizzling consistency.
Use over your favorite cinnamon bun recipe.

Recipe courtesy of Heather and Raeni Buck
(They rock!)

Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread Cake

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c butter

1 egg

1 c molasses

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 c very hot water

Cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs and molasses, beat well.

Sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture.

Add hot water and beat until smooth (batter will be very thin).

Pour into a well-greased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake 350 for about 40 minutes or until cake tests done.

Serve with whipped cream and caramel sauce.

We had this tonight at our RS dinner and I quite enjoyed it.

Something different and definitely festive.

They served it with cool whip and caramel ice cream topping.

I'll bet a warm homemade sauce would be awesome too.

Yum!



Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

I found this recipe on Mennonite Girls Can Cook. I have tried many of their recipes and they are all delicious. This one is no exception. Mike and I loved it. The kids were kind of lukewarm about it. Casey loved it, and the girls said it was too spicy, even though I used mild everything. They're wimps. Click on the title of this post to take you to the original MGCC post. Here is my own interpretation of it.

1/2 Cup chunky salsa (mild, medium or hot)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 can corn, drained
1 can (approx 15 oz.) black beans rinsed and drained (I didn't have this, so I left it out, but it would be good)
2 cans (10-3/4 oz. each) cream of chicken soup
2 cans water
1 can (approx 15 oz.) diced tomatoes with jalapenos or green chilies ( choose according to the spice level/heat you prefer) (I used Rotel Mild)
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 zucchini or Mexican gray squash, cubed (optional-- I just had some from Bountiful Baskets I needed to use up, and it was really good in the soup)

1 or 2 6inch corn tortillas cut into strips (or broken tortilla chips)
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 Cup chopped fresh cilantro

I just dumped everything except the tortilla strips, cheese and cilantro into a pot and simmered for about an hour. At first it's kind of a gross throw-up pink color from the tomatoes, but the color gets better as it simmers. :) Right before serving, I stirred in the chopped cilantro, and let people add their own cheese and tortilla strips (chips) as desired. The original recipe was for the crock pot, and if I would have seen it earlier, I would have done it that way. Here are the instructions for that:

1. Stir the salsa, chicken, corn and beans in a 4 quart slow cooker/crock pot.
2. Stir the soup, tomatoes, water, cumin together in a separate bowl. Pour over the crock mixture.
3. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
4. Stir in tortilla strips, cheese and cilantro. Cover and cook an additional 15 minutes

Candy Corn Cupcakes

1 white cake mix

1 c sour cream
2 eggs

1/2 c milk

1/3 c oil

orange and yellow food coloring

Combine ingredients as usual.
(The batter will seem a little thick.)
Divide into 3 parts and color one orange and one yellow.
Spread in even layers in 24 cupcakes or 1 bundt pan*.
Bake according to package directions.

Cool and frost with whipping cream, my favorite frosting,
or if doing a bundt:

Orange glaze
1 c icing sugar
orange zest
fresh orange juice
(enough for a slow drizzling consistency)

*BUNDT cakes pack so much presentation for such little effort.
I highly recommend a flour-spray for effortless turn-out.
Cool 10 minutes from oven,
then invert onto a plate and let cool completely before glazing.

 So Halloweeny, so cute.

Totally delicious.

Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

In the search for the best cinnamon roll recipe in the world, I have collected many recipes, but I've never been completely thrilled with any of them. So over the weekend I combined three recipes to make this one. I thought they turned out pretty doggone good. I think I can stop looking now.

Cinnamon Rolls, Karen Style

1 T. instant yeast (SAF is a good brand)
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup warm milk (or 2/3 cup water plus 2 T. non-instant dry milk)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, margarine, or crisco*
2 eggs (or 3 T. dry egg powder and 6 T. water)
5 to 5 1/2 cup flour

Filling:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2-3 T. good-quality cinnamon (Korintje or Saigon are both excellent)
1 cup raisins (optional)

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup margarine
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 lemon flavor

Mix yeast, water, sugar, milk, salt, 1/2 cup butter, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix on medium-high for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Mix/knead for 10 minutes. Form into a smooth ball and let rise until double, about 1 1/2 hours. (Can refrigerate dough for up to two days before the first rise. Punch dough down occasionally.)

Roll dough into a large rectangle (about 14" by 18"). Spread with 1/2 cup softened or melted butter (softened is a little harder to spread, but melted runs all over the place, so somewhere in between is nice). Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon and spread evenly over the butter and pat down with your hands. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Starting with an 18" side, roll the dough up jelly-roll style. Cut the roll into 12 equal slices.

Arrange slices, cut-side-down in a greased 9"x13" baking pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled (about an hour, but longer if the dough has been refrigerated). Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes (mine were done at 22 minutes).

For the Frosting:

This isn't too scientific, but basically, beat the heck out of it. Beat the butter and cream cheese together for 5 minutes with a paddle attachment, and then switch to a whisk attachment. Add remaining ingredients and beat for 10 minutes at medium-high speed. Frost cinnamon rolls while still very warm.


*I know, Crisco is gross, but it really does make a nice, soft roll dough that stays fresh and soft for days. If you use Crisco or unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp. salt.

Paula Deen Cake

This cake is di-vine.

It's also surprisingly light and very moist.

It has 5 out of 5 stars from 618 comments on foodnetwork.com.

Trust me, this one's a keeper.

Paula Deen Cake

1 yellow cake mix + ingredients to prepare

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple

1 1/3 cups sugar, divided

1 (3.4oz) box French vanilla pudding + milk to prepare

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup flaked, sweetened coconut

Toast coconut on a cookie sheet at 350 until lightly golden, about 10 minutes.

Watch closely so it doesn't burn! Cool completely.

Prepare yellow cake mix as directed using a sprayed 13x9 pan

 and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

While cake is baking, combine the pineapple and 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan,

and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Remove cake from oven and using a fork, pierce holes into cake.

Pour pineapple mixture over hot cake and set aside.

Prepare pudding according to package directions.

Spread pudding over cake and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Whip heavy cream and remaining sugar until stiff.

Cover top of cake with whipped cream and sprinkle toasted coconut on top.

*The coconut on this cake is a must, and I'm not even a huge coconut fan.

Store coconut separately and sprinkle on when serving so it will retain it's light crunch.

Recipe & photo courtesy of foodnetwork.com