Teriyaki-Coconut Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

I have made this recipe about 4 times, and I absolutely love it.  I love this recipe because you are not just getting flavorful teriyaki chicken, but teriyaki coconut chicken.  I love all things coconut, and we have alot of recipes in Hawaii that use coconut milk.  This one will not disappoint.  I made this for my parents when they came for a visit, as well as for my sister and her husband during their visit.  It pairs nicely with white rice, and a salad using my amazing Asian dressing.  I have never made this recipe using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but I'm sure it would be just fine.  I love the way the boneless, skinless thighs taste in this recipe.  And the good thing, is that if you are afraid of overcooking the chicken on the grill, you can't over cook thighs.

Teriyaki-Coconut Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

1 c soy sauce
3/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c water
1/2 can coconut milk (freeze the rest for later use)
1/2 onion, sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Combine all ingredients into a freezer ziplock bag.  Add chicken, and let marinade at least 8 hours, or up to 12 hours.  Grill chicken until done, enjoy!

 Recipe adapted from here.

Mimi's Honey Bran Muffin (Copycat)

If you have been to Mimi's Cafe, you should know about the Honey Bran Muffin that they give you when you order soup or salad.  I love this muffin, with it's sticky gooey outer layer, and moist inside.  *Now, if you don't have powdered milk, just use 1/4 c milk and 1/4 c water*.  The muffins become more gooey the longer they sit.  I think this muffin is as close as I'm going to get to the original Mimi's Cafe Honey Bran Muffin in Hawaii.

Mimi's Honey Bran Muffin (Copycat)

Dry Ingredients:
 1 c flour
1 c wheat bran (I bought mine in the bulk bins)
4 tsp dry milk* (see note above)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:
1/3 c dark brown sugar
1/4 c honey
2 tbs molasses
1/4 c oil
1 egg
1/3 c raisins (you could use prunes as well)
1/2 c water *(see note)
1 tsp orange zest

Glaze:
3 tbs sugar
3 tbs dark brown sugar
3 tbs butter, softened
2 tbs corn syrup
2 tsp water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl.  Divide glaze mixture among 12 muffin tins, making sure to coat the sides and bottoms, set aside. In a blender or food processor puree raisins and water together. Add puree to the rest of the wet ingredients, and combine well.  Add dry ingredients to wet, and mix until combined.  Divide batter evenly between the 12 muffin tins.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tops of muffins are just set set. (Do not over bake!) Immediately invert muffins onto wax paper or foil, and let cool.

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Honey Oatmeal Cookies

Can cookies really be healthy?  My answer is NO.  But can it be full of more nutrition, have less sugar, and butter than an average cookie and still taste good?  My answer is yes!  This recipe turned out really good.  I was super skeptical, but I loved the flavor and texture of this cookie.  I ate two, and I was super full for the rest of the day!  Probably because of the oats, peanut butter and banana.  This was delicious!  I found this recipe here.

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Honey Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/4 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

4 tbs butter, softened

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c sugar

1/3 c peanut butter

1 tbs honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 banana, mashed completely

2 c quick oats

Peanut Butter/Honey Glaze

3 tbs peanut butter

1/2 c powdered sugar

1 tbs honey

2 tbs milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.   In another bowl combine butter, and sugars.  Add peanut butter, and honey, mix till combined.  Add mashed banana, egg and vanilla until combined.  Add dry ingredients to wet, combine, and then add oats.  Scoop batter by the tablespoon onto baking sheet.  Flatten dough slightly.  Bake for 7-9 minutes or until tops are just set.  Remove from baking sheet and cool completely.  Mix together glaze ingredients until spreadable consistency.  Spread a little bit of glaze on each cookie.

Picture courtesy of http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/

Cream of Chicken Soup from Scratch

I have had it with Campbell's cream of chicken soup in the can! I can't stand the flavor, texture or smell of it. I made creamy white enchiladas a couple of months ago using cream of chicken soup, and I couldn't stand it. Each to his own though. It may not be worth it for you to make your own,but it certainly tastes better to make your own. I saw on pinterest, someone calling it "Cream of Crap" soup, I'm a believer. Instead of 15 ingredients in the can, when you make your own, there is only 4-5 at most. I made this for Hawaiian Haystacks, and it was delicious! This made 4 cups of soup. So you could scale this way down to fit the recipe you wanted.

 Cream of Chicken Soup from Scratch (4 cups) 

8 tbs butter
8 tbs flour
4 c chicken stock
3 c milk
1/2 c minced onion
juice of half a lemon

In a pot melt butter, add onions and let cook until onions are translucent. Add flour, and whisk for a minute, letting the flour cook. While whisking, slowly add the chicken stock, and milk, whisking the entire time so that you don't have any lumps. Cook, stirring constantly over medium low heat until thickened to desired consistency. Add lemon juice and pepper at the end.

Reeses Pieces Nutty Buddies

There was a sale recently here in Hawaii on Chex cereals.  I loaded up on corn and rice Chex not only because they are good for breakfast, but also good for a quick sweet treat.  This recipe doesn't actually have the candy Reeses Pieces in it, but the mixture you put onto the Chex cereal tastes just like Reeses Pieces, which I'm a huge fan of.  Of course, you could throw in some Reeses Pieces candy into the bowl, but trust me there is no need.  I also feel like the corn Chex works best for this, as it adds better flavor.  The key to a good nutty buddy mix is the amount of powdered sugar you use.  You want the Chex mix to not be white like the powdered sugar, but just be coated enough to wear the Chex mix is not wet anymore from the chocolate mixture (like a fudge coating) I have made this in small batches when I have needed a sweet fix at night after the kids go to bed. DELISH!

Reeses Pieces Nutty Buddies

8 cups Corn Chex
1 c white chocolate chips
3/4 c creamy peanut butter
3 tbs butter, softened
1-1 1/2 c powdered sugar

Place corn Chex in a large bowl.  In another medium sized bowl melt white chocolate in the microwave, stirring 15 seconds at a time.  Add peanut butter and softened butter, and microwave for another 15 sec, or until chocolate/peanut butter mixture is smooth.  Pour over corn Chex, and coat the cereal.  Place 1 cup of powdered sugar into a large freezer ziplock bag.  Place Chex mixture into bag, and shake around to coat the Chex with powdered sugar.  Add more powdered sugar if necessary.