Impossible Coconut Pie with Bittersweet Chocolate

Here is another recipe inspired by JennyMac. I made it for my eating machine--he loves coconut. JennyMac's blog post reminded me of all those "impossible" Bisquick pies from the 1980's, both sweet and savory, the premise being that it makes its own crust.

JennyMac adapted her Impossible Coconut Pie from the original, which is certainly her prerogative, and something I do more times than not, when "following" a recipe. But I was curious to see the original. An online search proved this recipe to be extremely popular. Many, many people recommended using a blender to combine the ingredients. But I say Nay! a bowl and spoon work just fine. I did take my pie one step further and smear some melted bittersweet chocolate on the top.

I ate just a bite of the pie so I could blog about it, and the rest is for Pritchard Parker. It is very custardy and reminds me of the old-timey egg custard pies my Grandmother used to make.

Impossible Coconut Pie
1 cup coconut
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup softened butter
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Combine all ingredients well. Pour into a buttered pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees, until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cobb Salad on a Croissant

For this sandwich, I bought some mesquite smoked turkey from the deli. Leftover roasted chicken would be even more perfect. I really love putting together great sandwiches.


Cobb Salad on a Croissant
Split croissants
Turkey or chicken
Lettuce
Bacon
Tomato slices
Avocado slices
Sliced hard boiled egg
Drizzle with blue cheese dressing

Presidential Visit

So President and Mrs. Obama were in Asheville for a weekend getaway and the whole area was buzzing with excitement. Friday, I started following a local blog about their visit. Around 1:00 I heard Air Force One (which was impressively loud). There were no politicians to meet the Obamas at the airport and no photo ops - this was strictly a weekend vacation for a married couple.

The couple went straight from the airport to 12 Bones Smokehouse, which is a very funky restaurant down on the river, in West Asheville. The Obamas waited in line to order with everyone else. They ordered ribs, which are THE best you could possibly ever imagine, along wth some delicious sides. (This restaurant has the most amazingly delicious sides.) The woman taking their order, handed over their tea glasses, and their table number stand. Mrs. Obama hung the number stand - #99 - on her husband's shirt pocket and proceeded on to the urns to fix their glasses of sweet tea, while he paid.

They went for a hike on the gorgeous and astounding Blue Ridge Parkway (my personal favorite thing about living in these mountains). They stayed at the Grove Park Inn, which is old, historic, luxurious, but not exclusive (you may be familiar with their annual Gingerbread House Competition.) They toured the Biltmore Estate (a requisite when visiting Asheville.)

Sunday morning, I was thinking of driving over near the airport to see if I could sight Air Force One, when I learned that before President Obama left town, he was going to visit Billy Graham. Aha! You can't go see Billy Graham without passing by our house. So I just stayed put and saw the Presidential Motorcade twice from my own front yard. It was impressive, I tell you.


There were several pairs of these.

Several of these.

Blackhawk helicopter overhead, which incidentally was audible all weekend. As you can see, it was a beautiful day.

If you can zoom in on that open window, you will see a Secret Service Agent pointing an automatic weapon right at me. Also in the open rear hatch are two more Agents with automatic weapons on the ready. And there were a multitude of other support vehicles. Serious, serious business.

Baby Artichoke & Sausage Pizza

I first made a deep dish pizza several weeks ago on Super Bowl weekend and since then I can't seem to stop. Well, actually this is just the fourth one. I have used different "toppings" each time, although in this case, I would call them stuffings, and we have loved each one. The crust is from All Recipes, link below, ignoring the actual baking directions.

In this pizza, I used baby artichokes, sliced black olives, roasted garlic tomatoes, sweet onions, and sausage. And cheese, of course. Here is a good link about baby artichokes from Ocean Mist.

This is not the thin and crispy pizza I traditionally make. No, this crust is soft and billowy and this pizza is much like a stuffed sandwich.

Baby Artichoke & Sausage Pizza
1 recipe Quick and Easy Pizza Crust
1 lb. hot and spicy bulk sausage, browned and drained
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated, plus extra for topping, if desired
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
8 - 10 baby artichokes, cooked, quartered
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 - 1 1/2 cups roasted tomatoes with garlic
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese



Stretch and fit pizza crust into a lightly oiled black iron skillet. If the crust seems too springy, less it rest about 5 minutes, then try again. Add the browned sausage and press into the crust which also helps the crust hold its shape. Top with 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, the sliced onions, and the sliced baby artichokes.

Top with the olives.



Add the garlic roasted tomatoes.


Cover with the Parmesan cheese and any additional mozzarella cheese desired. Sprinkle with a little oregano.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until browned, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Let the pizza cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Start Homemade Vanilla Extract Now to be Ready for Christmas Baking

I was recently inspired to make my own Vanilla Extract by JennyMac's blog. For the life of me, I don't know why I've never thought of this before. I've made lots of herbal tinctures and extracts, yet it never clicked in my mind, to apply the same principal to a culinary extract.

JennyMac discusses the savings at her blog, and while my math comes up differently, there is an astounding difference in cost (as are all things homemade). I whined to myself last December, during my cookie baking extravaganza, every time I had to buy another bottle of vanilla extract. This year I will smile.

Vanilla Extract
6 best quality whole vanilla beans
2 cups vodka

Split vanilla beans, lengthwise, and place into a bottle which has a tight-fitting lid. Pour the vodka over the beans, seal and shake well. Shake every couple of weeks. Store in a dark place for approximately 6 months.

Watch for an update in a couple of months. . .