Coconut Cream Pie

This is one of our favorite pies, Mr. J's in particular:

Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (in a can in the Asian section)
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 t salt
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1 t vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 cup whipped topping

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine half-and-half, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Microwave on high, stopping to whisk it every minute or so, until thickened. Stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the vanilla extract.

Pour into pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours, or until firm. Top with whipped topping, and with remaining 1/4 cup of coconut.

Note: To toast coconut, spread it in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree oven 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I'm way behind on my family blog and too lazy to tackle it right now, so I'm updating here instead. Our house-hunting trip was absolutely exhausting but we are now under contract with a house we LOVE. Cross your fingers that the home inspection and everything else goes well, and that I don't lose my sanity with Mr. J now living across the country (we'll join him in six weeks or so).

Speaking of which, before our trip, I made sure to make one of Mr. J's favorite meals, which I also happen to love. Here it is: my take on Chicken Cordon Bleu.
Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 slices swiss cheese
4 slices ham
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Pound chicken breasts to flatten if they are thick. Place a cheese and a ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces well.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and/or bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm with mashed potatoes.

Stay tuned for dessert!

Giveaway Winner!

I used random.org to generate the winning number for the giveaway. The winner is ....

#4 Lovely Domestic Diva! She said:

Our favorite simple meal is a big salad with all sorts of chopped veggies and diced leftover chicken or boiled egg or nuts for protein. No cook, yummy, and my little one loves it (especially if he can pick the veggies).

Frittatas [baked omelets -- so there's no flipping] are another favorite.

Those are both great ideas! Thanks Lovely Domestic Diva! I will email you your gift code for CSN stores right away.

And thanks everyone else who contributed. Since Mr. J is starting his new job down south soon, and I'll be single-parenting for a little while until school gets out and we can join him, I'm going to need lots of easy meals to throw together. No slaving away on anything complicated ... the kids usually appreciate simple foods more anyway. I'll probably do a post soon with all of my (and your) simple kid-friendly ideas so I can have them in one place.

Meanwhile, I do have one extra special meal in mind that I'm going to cook for Mr. J before he moves. So stay tuned for that!