Coconut Rice Custard

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Lately, I’ve had a major sweet tooth.  I’m the kind of gal that, when presented with a sweet treat and a savory treat, I’ll go with savory every time.  Now I can’t get enough sweets!

And before anyone wigs out, I’m currently under doctor’s supervision with my blood being drawn every month.  Right now, there isn’t a medical reason for my sweet cravings.

So I’ve been on the hunt for easy desserts that aren’t super-nauseating sweet.  I came upon this Coconut Rice Custard dish and figured: (a) I like coconut flavored sweets, but not coconut – go figure – and (b) I love rice pudding.  This seemed to be the best of both worlds.

Of course, I seemed to ignore the “easy” portion of my criteria.  Custard is not the easiest thing in the world to make.  It needs to be constantly monitored and involves a hot water bath.  These are things I overlooked as I got started.

 

© You Want Me to Cook?
Coconut Rice Custard

The whipped cream isn’t part of the custard.  My custard turned out a little dry, probably because I over cooked it slightly.  However, you can see the rice and the custard is still held together well instead of being hard like a rock.

Bacon-Egg Breakfast Bites

Want to get a copy of the recipe that is commentary free?  Go here.

I confess.  I love bite-size breakfast.  The funny thing is that I never eat on the run.  I just like bite sized food.

I’m sure there is a therapist somewhere that read that and said, “She needs help.”

I do not deny that fact.

One difficult thing about bite size breakfast foods is that they can kind of be a pain to make.  Like a GIGANTIC PAIN.  I’ve done recipes like these Bacon-Egg Breakfast Bites from Pillsbury before and sworn that I would never make anything like that ever again.  Yet as I am flipping through April’s issue of Bake Off winners, I immediately gravitated to this recipe.

© Pillsbury

As I look at this picture, I remember why.  I get to eat bacon and tater tots… for breakfast.  Of course, there is no guarantee that my breakfast bites are going to turn out the same way.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Bacon-Egg Breakfast Bites

But they did!  Well at least they were very close.  Mine don’t seem to have the same lovely golden color of the ones Pillsbury produced.

They did make me reaffirm that I don’t want to make anything like this again, though.

What I Made: June 5

So 2 days in and I already fall behind.  Figures.

It doesn't mean I haven't eaten in two days.  Nope, I've been busily cooking, taking pictures, coating my pug in Fondant...  you know, the basics.  What?  You've never spilled melted marshmallow on your dog before?

For the record, I'd highly advise against it.

So this day, I made myself a little lunch.  I made Bacon Fried Rice from a recipe I got from Cooking.com.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Bacon Fried Rice

If you don't read my blog regularly, let me let you in on a not-a-secret: I LOVE BACON!  I overcooked it a wee-bit this time, but it still was delicious.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Salad

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 25, 2011

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Lemon Chicken Soup with Salad recipe originally published by Food Network Magazine – April 2012.

I really love a soup/salad or soup/sandwich combo, but my husband does not.  No matter what kind of soup I make, he never eats it.  Still I’m searching for a soup that he’s going to, at a minimum, eat a bowl.  I happen to love chicken and rice soup so when I saw this combination “lightened up” version of the soup with a refreshing salad, I decided to make it.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Lemon Chicken Soup and Salad

The soup was nice and creamy without being heavy.  In fact, there’s no cream or milk in it!  I’m terrible at the meat-to-soup ratio.  I always end up with more broth.  Still, it looks comforting and delicious.

Bacon Potato Omelet

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – September 4, 2011

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Bacon Potato Omelet recipe originally published in Taste of Home Holiday Collection 2008.

My husband rarely cooks, but he makes a MEAN breakfast.  His eggs come out perfect sunnyside-up.  The bacon is oh-so-crisp.  There are hash browns that make my mouth water.  Of course, this is the exact menu we have each time… not that I mind at all.  On occasion, I do enjoy mixing things up a little and that’s when I take over.

So when I look at the ingredients of this recipe, it mimics very closely my husband’s "Breakfast of Success."  I love omelets!  I LOVE me some bacon!  And everything is better with cheese.  I decided to give my loving husband a break and made this yummy looking Bacon Potato Omelet.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Bacon Potato Omelet

I was ridiculously proud of the way it looked when I was done.  Usually my omelets are broken, oozing messes.  They’re in one piece, but they’re never what I’d call “pretty”.  Yeah, I know it all looks like mush in our stomach, but I do enjoy looking at nice looking food before I eat it.

It looked perfectly cooked and was almost identical to the picture published with the recipe.

Skirt Steak with Mustard Sauce and Puffed Cheddar-Rice Casserole

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 17, 2011

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For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of the Skirt Steak with Mustard Sauce recipe, please click here.

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of the Puffed Cheddar-Rice Casserole recipe, please click here.

Skirt Steak recipe originally published by All You – February 2011

Puffed Cheddar-Rice Casserole originally published by All You – February 2011

When I was still motivated enough to try to cook an entrée AND a side, I matched these two delightful recipes together.  I was driven by the yummy skirt steak recipe.  It was quick recipe and the picture in the recipe looked delicious.  However, I didn’t want to do a salad & potato… it seemed like a cheat.  I do that on a regular basis anyway.

I kept flipping through the magazine and found the puffed cheddar-rice casserole and it looked appetizing and was different.  Who doesn’t like cheese and I had never really attempted a soufflé type of dish.  The two seemed like they would pair together nicely and a meal was born.

Before I get into the recipe, I thought I’d talk a little about your neighborhood butcher.  I went through school with the grandson of the local butcher in the tiny town I grew up in.  The nicest guy you’d ever meet, and unfortunately he recently passed away which was a loss to the town (RIP Mr. Welch).  If you don’t see what you’re looking for in the meat case, don’t be afraid to ask him/her if they have any in the back or if they can cut you what you are looking for.  Just be nice about it… they are busy and usually covered in raw meat juice.  If they can’t cut it for you, they will be more than happy to let you know what cut of meat can be substituted for your dish – which is what happened in this particular case.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Skirt Steak with Mustard Sauce and Puffed Cheddar-Rice Casserole

I was so happy with the way my steak turned out.  It looked juicy which is usually an issue for me.  I ALWAYS seem to dry out my steak.  Also, the sauce smelled great and I’ll admit to “accidentally” sticking my finger in it to try it before I took the picture.

The rice casserole, well it didn’t look as appetizing as I hoped.  It seemed a little dry when I was taking it out of the dish.  I thought it was going to be a little more oozy-cheesy and fluffy.  I still was optimistic about the taste though.

Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta with a Soft Egg and Chive & Cheese Breadsticks

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 14, 2011

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For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of the Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta with a Soft Egg recipe ONLY, please click here.

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of the Chive and Cheese Breadsticks recipe ONLY, please click here.

Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta with a Soft Egg recipe originally published by Cooking Light – January/February 2011

Chive and Cheese Breadsticks recipe originally published by Simple and Delicious – December/January 2011

I’m writing this post angry today.  I decided to make myself an omelet for breakfast this morning and it sucked.  It made me cranky.

Then I got a headache that will not disappear.  This made me surly.

Now I’m watching the Bears game and it isn’t making it any better.

Okay, focus… I’m going to focus… I promise I won’t be a Debbie Downer and I’ll just get to the recipes.

I love pasta and I enjoy finding recipes that don’t involve the traditional pasta sauce.  I remember the first time I took a chance on pesto and fell in love, so when I saw the recipe for the Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta in Cooking Light, I was ready to take a chance.  Also, I was intrigued by the soft boiled egg.  I’ve got the technique for hard boiled down and this presents a new challenge.

I decided that I wanted to have savory bread with this dish.  Regular bread and butter just didn’t seem like they would cut it.  Luckily I didn’t have to look too hard – the recipe for the Chive and Cheese Breadsticks was in the next magazine that I read.  My meal was complete.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta with a Soft Egg
and Chive & Cheese Breadsticks

My pasta looks okay.  I’m a little disappointed in the pasta color though.  I used regular pasta in this case, so it shouldn’t be as brown as it is.  The goat cheese on top looks messy… like it doesn’t belong there.

As for the breadstick, this was one of the prettiest ones in the bunch.  Nicely browned and it held the twist.  However, if I’m being honest, I have to admit that not all of them looked like this.  In fact, not many of them looked like this.

Overnight Brunch Egg Bake

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 13, 2011

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Recipe originally published by Pillsbury – Tuesday, March 18, 2008.

One of the things I really liked about this recipe from the beginning is its honesty.  It tells you right in the title “you have to let this set overnight.”  So don’t blame Pillsbury if you wake up on Christmas morning expecting to whip this little ditty out as the centerpiece of your Christmas breakfast.

The recipe itself is a basic egg casserole with all the yummy ingredients in it – onions, red peppers, mushrooms, and LOTS OF CHEESE!!!  But that wasn’t the only thing that attracted me to it.

See, I’m not a morning person.

In fact, I’m not an early afternoon person.

I hit my stride about 7:00PM.

Still, I have a husband who gets up semi-early (someone has to walk the dogs - hehehehe) and eats breakfast every morning.  I do enjoy preparing his meals, and I know he likes it a lot too, so I like to make him breakfast at least on the weekends, but I HATE getting up early enough to actually get it done before noon.  This recipe allowed me to assemble a meal when I’ve got my most energy, wake up, stumble down to the stove, put the casserole in the oven, take a nap on the couch with an alarm set and voila!  Breakfast is ready!

© You Want Me to Cook
Overnight Brunch Egg Bake

This recipe lists the things you can garnish the casserole with.  I chose not to garnish it, mostly because it was just my husband and I.  Looking at the picture… Cripes I should have garnished.  I also had a small issue with the ordering of the layers.  The cheese on top is my mistake.

Overall, it just looks… solid.  Not necessarily appetizing.

Breakfast Biscuits

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? on February 20, 2011.

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Recipe originally published in Good Housekeeping, February 2011.

I’m not one for spicy food.  I like a little kick, but too much seems flavorless to me.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t knock anyone who likes the spice, I’m just saying I don’t care for it.  The reason I bring this up now is that when I read through this recipe, I didn’t realize how much of a kick pepper Jack cheese had.  I had the biscuits in the oven when I sampled my cheese and started wondering if I was going to like this or not.

I made the entire recipe of biscuits (I’m not going to save a ½ container of refrigerated biscuits), but since I cook for only two of us, I cut the eggs in half.  I could have made the entire dish, but I don’t care for scrambled eggs as leftovers.

My finished product: © You Want Me to Cook? Breakfast Biscuits

Picture published with recipe: None

This is a quickie recipe from Good Housekeeping that didn’t post pictures – again.  I have a vision in my head of the chefs running around screaming, “the Breakfast Biscuits are done.  What is next?  No, throw it away; I’m in a hurry here!  It’s QUICKIE RECIPE TIME!”  At least my picture looks gorgeous.  Golden-browned biscuits with fluffy eggs is my idea of a breakfast.

Egg Scramble with Maple and Black-Pepper Bacon

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? on February 6, 2011

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These recipes had been on my mind for awhile.  First, the egg scramble had sounded delicious, but I didn’t want to make a breakfast dish that served 10 people.  Problem solved when I read the recipe in more detail and saw that you have to make it half at a time.  Bravo!  Then there is the bacon.  As much as I’d like to eat an entire pound of bacon for breakfast, the intelligent part of my brain tells me that isn’t a good idea.  I like to listen to that part of the brain every now and again.  So one day, I decided to make these two together.  Now don’t think it went completely smooth.  Nope, I had issues, but nothing too horrible that I wouldn’t make both or either again.

Egg Scramble recipe only.

Egg Scramble recipe originally published in Taste of Home, November 2007.

My finished Egg Scramble: © You Want Me to Cook? Egg Scramble

Picture published with recipe: © Taste of Home

My eggs look slightly drier than theirs did, most likely because I had to wait for my bacon to be done to eat.  The look of the picture aside, I had light and creamy eggs and good vegetable distribution throughout the dish.  Will they pair well with the bacon?  Let’s see!

Maple and Black-Pepper Bacon recipe only.

Maple and Black-Pepper Bacon recipe originally published in Gourmet, December 2008.

My finished Maple and Black-Pepper Bacon: © You Want Me to Cook? Maple and Black-Pepper Bacon

Picture published with recipe: © Gourmet/Epicurious

Bacon makes everything better.  This recipe was challenging, but as you can see, I must have done something right.  It turned out crisp, sweet, salty and spicy… oh, and gorgeous.

Breakfast Upside Down Cake

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – December 25, 2010

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Recipe originally published by AllRecipes on March 27, 2007.

I’ve made it my mission to start eating breakfast more often.  I could list a million reasons why I don’t eat it, but here’s the main two:

• I am not hungry in the morning
• Breakfast food doesn’t interest me

Now, it is possible that reason #2 actually drives reason #1; therefore, I have been looking for interesting and yummy breakfast dishes that make me say “hey, I think I’m hungry for breakfast!”  This had it all, potatoes, bacon, eggs with cheese, onion and red bell pepper.  I decided to make this for breakfast on Christmas day.  It was a great choice.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © AllRecipes.com

One of the things about allrecipes is that almost all of the photos are user photos.  That means there is no control over the picture quality or how the dish was prepared.  I followed the recipe as was written.  This is the closest picture I could find in all the photos uploaded to allrecipes.com.  It looks like the chef included sausage in their casserole and omitted the red peppers.  Some of the others looked similar to mine, although they used a round pan (more on that later).  I absolutely think mine looks much more appealing.