Recipe #335: Coconut Cake

Blogging has become a chore lately. Life in general is a chore because there is so much going on right now...testing, closing out the school year, my brother's graduation, life has been really busy, so finding moments to type up the recipes falls to the very end of my to do list, then gets shifted to the end of the next days too! But the year is almost up. I don't know what this will turn into after June first, because I am certainly not going to pursue this again! We now have a ton of recipes we love and this next year will probably be spent revisiting some of the favorites and being so thankful that I can go to some of my stand-by recipes when i cook for guests!

So i thought that maybe typing up a fun recipe would get me in the mood for the several I should do tonight!
Coconut cake is a Schaeffer favorite and definitely not a Will favorite so when Mary had bought the ingredients for Donnie's grad party I asked if I could make it to count it as a recipe! This is one of mary's favorite cakes to make! It was so delicious. It is best if you make it the day before!

You need:
1 white cake mix and necessary ingredients
1 small tub of cool whip, thawed
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups coconut

• make and bake cake according to package directions
• when the cake it done, take it out to cool.
• meanwhile, mix milk, sugar, and 1/2 cup coconut in a small saucepan for about a minute or two
• poke holes ALL over the cake, the more holes the better.
• pour milk mixture all around on top of the cake. Cover and leave in fridge overnight.
• A couple hours before serving fold in 1/2 cup of coconut into the cool whip
• spread cool whip all over top of cake
• top with remaining cup of coconut
• refrigerate a couple more hours.
• it looks really pretty when you do a layered cake, but this 9x13 was perfect for an outdoor party!

Recipe #205: Black Magic Cake

This is a Schaeffer family favorite! My grandma makes it all the time! The magic is in the cup of coffee you add to make it a bite of heaven each time! Normally my grandma puts some jam etc in the middle, but we didn't this time. I can take credit for making the cake, but my sister frosted it to perfection!

You need:

2 cups sugar                                
1 3/4 cups flour                          
3/4 cup cocoa                              

2 tsp. baking soda                                    
1 tsp. baking powder              
1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup strong black coffee

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk  (1 TBSP white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup)

1/2 cup vegetable oil  

1 tsp vanilla

• Grease and flour 2 9 inch pans
• mix together sugar, flour, cocoa, soda, powder, and salt
• then add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla
• mix for two minutes then pour into the prepared pans
• bake for 30-35 minutes at 350

Frosting:

1 stick of butter or oleo (softened)                   3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup cocoa                                                      1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk
Beat until smooth. Frost layers and sides of cake.

Recipe #201: Coffee Cake

I decided we needed to have a special Christmas breakfast, and after talking with Will about what he liked and didn't like, we decided on coffee cake, eggs, and bacon. So of course I turned to my mom's delicious coffee cake recipe, and this morning while the boys were still sleeping, I got up and started making it! About half way through I hear the pitter patter of little footsteps and Alex came into the kitchen with the sweetest smile ready to start a new day! (Will had helped him get out of our bed, where he usually ends up most mornings!)

This recipe makes 1 9 inch round pan, so be sure to double it if you are feeding a crowd!

You need:
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

streusel topping
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 Tbsp butter, melted

• mix batter well
• mix topping in a separate bowl
• grease pan
• fill with 1/2 of batter then sprinkle topping on top
• then add rest of batter and rest of topping
• bake for 25-30 minutes at 375

Recipe #154: Katsudon

Katsudon is one of my favorite Japanese dishes. The warmness of the bowl makes me so happy! I had made this years ago and really wanted to make it again, but didn't have the recipe. Instead I found this AMAZING :) youtube video that will rock your world! :) I used it mostly to get info on how to make the sauce. Overall it maybe took me 35-40 minutes to make this meal, definitely less time then I might have imagined!

You need:
Pork cutlets, I actually cut about four pieces from a pork tenderloin
4 eggs
2 cups panko
flour
onion
oil for frying

sauce:
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp (ish) dashi
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp mirin
2 tsp sugar

• pound pork a little bit to flatten
• dip and coat well in flour, egg then panko.
• place in heated pan with oil, cook until dark brown on both sides
• place on top of a cooling rack with a paper towel underneath to catch the access oil.
• in a smaller fry pan, add ingredients for sauce
• heat for a bit, then add onions and cook until tender
• cut pork into strips, but not all the way through 
• add pork on top of onion and sauce. 
• Beat 3 eggs a bit poor on top of pork.
• Allow eggs to cook a bit. 
• In a deep bowl, put some rice, then add some sauce, onion, and pork to the top.
• Enjoy!!

Recipe #152: Chicken Enchiladas

My mom found a recipe and this has become a family favorite! I went looking for the recipe though and couldn't find it, so I tried to remember what she did and this is what turned out! :) It was delicious, Will and I fought over the leftovers and he won! :)

You need:
2 chicken breasts
5-8 tortillas
1 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

• boil and shred the chicken
• in a bowl, mix together salsa and sour cream, add chicken
• in an 8x8 pan (fit 5 tortillas perfectly) add mixture to a tortilla shell, roll up and hold in place with seam down
• continue until pan is filled up.
• I had extra of the chicken mixture so i actually spread it on top, or you can take a 1/2 cup salsa and spread on top of tortillas
• top with cheese
• bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cheese has melted

very yummy!

Recipe #132: Hearty Hamburger Soup

This is a recipe my grandma passed along that she has made for 55+ years! My mom has made it for ages too, and after a quick phone call to Japan to check about a substitution and we were good to go! :) We are all feeling a little under the weather and soup was just the thing! I also got to pull out my pumpkin tureen in honor of the cool, fall air. It was a win all around!
I halved the recipe, but I will write down the whole thing...

You need:

3 Tbsp butter or oleo                         
1 medium onion chopped                  
1  1/2 lbs ground beef                                   
1 can (1 lb.12oz) tomatoes ( I used diced with green chilies to give it a kick)                                   

3 cans (10 1/2 oz) consomme plus 2 cans water  (for the half recipe i substituted 3 beef bouillons and  about 4 cups of water)              
10 peppercorns

1 Tbsp salt

4 medium carrots

4 celery tops (I omited this)

6 sprigs parsley (or a tsp dried)

1/4 tsp thyme

I also add in 3/4 cup of barley, or you can add rice, pasta etc!

Melt butter in soup kettle--toss in chopped onions.cook until they are limb but not brown.
Add the ground beef and stir it around until it loses its red look
Pour in the rest of the ingredients.
Cover and cook over a very low heat for about 45 min.
Delicious with bread right out of the oven!

disclaimer...my camera is really old and takes terrible pictures! the soup is really delicious, although my camera can't capture it! :)

Recipe #117: Meatballs in #118 Sweet and Sour Sauce

My mom made this, and of course mine things never turn out as good as hers! Meatballs especially...I wonder if it is cause I use ground turkey instead of hamburger...

Anyways for the meatballs you need:
1lb meat
1 egg
1 onion
salt/pepper
1 or 2 slices crumbled bread
1/4 cup milk (or less)

• mix ingredients and roll to the size you want
• turn several times to brown 
• once done move to a plate lined wiht a paper towel to let oil soak out

for the Sweet and Sour Sauce you need:

1 cup water

pineapple can liquid

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup vinegar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4-1/3 cup flour

• mix dry ingredients then add all liquid but water. Stir together
• Stir in water until it thickens 
• add a bit of ketchup to help sweeten (i did a small spoonful)
• add pineapple chuncks, green pepper and meatballs

Recipe #113: Apple Crisp

Nothing says fall like an homemade apple crisp made from hand picked apples!
Please note...I only pick and use Fuji Apples because no other apple can compare to the wonders of Fuji apples! :)

You need:
Apple filling
6 cups apples (or another fruit, peaches or blueberries are great too!)
2 cups sugar
6 Tbsp flour
2 tsp cinnamon

Topping
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups oats
3 cups flour
1 cup butter
1 cup shortening

*I had a lot of topping left over this time, so if you want to decrease the recipe a bit that would probably be okay!

• Combine filling and put in a 9x13 pan
• mix brown sugar, oats and flour in another bowl
• cut in butter and shortening
• mix together until you form a crumble topping (your fingers work great! :) )
• sprinkle on top
• bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes or when top looks brown

The trio of Apple desserts last night! Apple crisp on the left, apple pizza on the right, apple sauce in the middle!

Recipe #106: Yakiniku

I had some beef in the freezer. I am the worst when it comes knowing how to work with beef, but i was in the mood for asian, so I sliced it thinly and made an easy japanese dish...its easier in Japan because we buy premade sauces but I had found a recipe online that tastes pretty similar...now i just need to figure out how to get the right kind of meat like we used in japan!

You need:
Thinly sliced beef
Yakiniku tare:
3/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp grated apple
2 scallions, thinly sliced (i actually left this out)
2-3 cloves garlic, grated
4 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp black pepper

• Mix the yakiniku tare together. 
• Allow the beef to marinate for at least 10 minutes
• Cook for about 10 minutes or until meat is cooked through

I had let it simmer for a while, to let the rice finish cooking. The sauce thickened up a lot so next time i might add in a little water so its not so thick, and so that it is more like how my mom made it, but Will seemed to like it that way!

Recipe #103: Banana-Blueberry Cake

This has become a regular for my mom, I was a little nervous trying it myself! it is from a recipe found here, but my mom added the blueberries!

you need:
1/3 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup blueberries
powdered sugar

• cream shortening and sugar
• add eggs, one at a time. beat well then add vanilla
• mix in bananas
• combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a little bowl
• alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream to banana mixture, stir until just combined
• add walnuts
• pour into a greased and floured fluted tube pan. add blueberries to the top (they should sink to the bottom but mine didn't...)
• bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until done (mine took about 40 min)
• cool for 10 minutes in pan and then remove to cool completely
• dust with powdered sugar before serving

Recipe #77: SUSHI! (norimaki)

I love making sushi, it is so much fun. I started making it in college when i was missing the wonderful tastes of home, but not willing to pay American sushi prices! I don't like to do much raw fish at home, that makes me a little nervous, but it tastes great with veggies and all sorts of other delicious things!

You need:
about 3 cups cooked rice
sheets of seaweed
rice or sushi vinegar
good insides include: avocado, crab, tuna fish, lettuce, cucumbers, cream cheese, carrots, shrimp, etc.

you will also need a rolling mat. they often come with little sushi kits. one time in a pinch i used a straw place mat...and that worked out too! :)

First put some rice into a bowl and add vinegar. for the 3 cups i used a 1/4 cup or less. it depends on how vinegary you want the rice. Let it cool slightly but not too much.

put a sheet of seaweed on your rolling mat and cover about 2/3s of it with rice. spread the rice out in a thin layer...mine was a little too thick (rice was kind of hot and a little too wet) so it was a little heavy on the rice, but that was okay!

Next layer your toppings on the rice, kind of in the middle of the rice so they are in the center of your sushi.

start rolling! lift up the edge of the mat and use it to start rolling the sushi up, As you roll the sushi keep pulling the mat out, and i tend to squeeze it a bit to make sure it is really tight.

YOu are done! put to the side and roll a couple more.

Alex "helped" out too with Alex sized mats! He had snack time while I rolled my sushi and was a very good sport!

Once you have a couple, take a serrated knife (those always seem to work best for me) Cut the roll in half, then place side by side and cut into smaller rounds. (the fatter the sushi the smaller you cut)

Enjoy your sushi! Mine turned out more like futomaki (fat rolls)
make sure you have your soy sauce and wasabi on the side! (oh the stories i can tell of my friends and wasabi, remember...a little goes a long way! :) )

Enjoy!!

Recipe #67: Ramen Salad

You will recognize parts of this recipe from the other day's asian cole slaw found here. You will need to ramen part and the dressing recipe...I am to tired to repeat it now!

The recipe calls for:
romaine lettuce
1 head of broccoli
green onion
1 cup pecans
browned ramen
dressing (directions for ramen and dressing found here, in case you weren't paying attention at the beginning. :) )

I used:
romaine lettuce
cucumbers cut into strips
walnuts
browned ramen
dressing
(it's what I had on hand!)

• tear up the lettuce.
• cut up cucumbers
• add ramen and walnuts
• pour dressing on top and mix.

this time though I just added the romaine, cucumbers, and walnuts to individual bowls but left the ramen and dressing off and Will and I put in how much we want...soggy, leftover lettuce and ramen really doesn't taste so good! But fresh...Delicious!

Recipe #66: Curry Rice

Curry Rice is an all time favorite Japanese food. There is something so satisfying about the thick sauce and chunky vegetables. I literally could eat it every day of the week. Unfortunately, Will gets a little tired of that as leftovers for the week, so I end up needing to cook again.
I normally just make it on a pot on the stove, but I was using pot roast meat because that was what was in my freezer so I wanted to make sure the meat didn't get too tough.

You need:
1-2 boxes of curry rue. It looks like this. You can even find it at Walmart now.

Carrots, I used a bag of baby carrots
7-8 potatoes, cut into pieces
half an onion
beef or chicken cut into small pieces

• Put all of the cut up veggies and meat into the crock pot.
• Add enough water to cover the top of the veggies, etc.
• put curry rue on top, mix up
• cover and heat on high for about 3 hours. Half way through I added another half a box of the curry because I like it thick.

Always hits the spot! Curry rice is the one dish that the Japanese always serve with a spoon! It improves with age too! :) I separated the rest into two tupperware--one for now, one to freeze so that Will won't have to eat this for the next two weeks!

Recipe #61: Chicken Biscuits

This is another one that my family really enjoyed growing up. Pretty much because my brother loved the chicken/white sauce combo... It really doesn't take that long either if you cook the chicken before putting it all together in the oven...
You can make it with just chicken, but I added some vegetables, so I didn't have to use as much chicken. I made it in a 8x8 dish so if you are making it for a family you would want to at least double everything.

You need:
2 chicken breasts
1/2 white sauce recipe and ingredients
one tube of buttermilk biscuits (or make your own using the recipe found here)
some veggies--i used about 1/2 cup cut up carrots and 1/2 cup frozen green beans
a little shredded cheese if you want to add that on top

• start boiling chicken, when finished cut into pieces
• While chicken is boiling make a half recipe of the white sauce. once it is finished add carrots and beans and let simmer
• preheat oven to 350
• Add chicken to the 8x8 dish, then pour white sauce and veggies on top
• Top with the biscuits in the tube
• add a little cheese on top of the biscuits
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until biscuits are done on top. They might be a little gooey on bottom, but taste really good that way! 

Finished!

Perfect with Asian Cole Slaw (look for Recipe #62) and some fresh melon!

Recipe #58: Chocolate-Coconut Whole Wheat Pancakes

Last night was another "breakfast for dinner" night at our house. I grew up with my mom making delicious pancakes for us on a regular basis, however, on special occasions, like birthdays, we could choose chocolate chip pancakes. Once I grew up I realized that I didn't have to wait for a special occasion to eat chocolate chip pancakes, and so now it is fun to add that to the normal mix if Will and I feel like something sweet!

Here is my mom's whole wheat pancake recipe. If you are feeding a family use the full recipe. I used the half recipe for will and I but we had some left over. The fourth would have probably been best for two people.

	Full Recipe	Half Recipe	Fourth
Flour ( ½ white, ½ wheat)	4 cups	2 cups	1 cup
Sugar	4 Tbsp	2 Tbsp	1 Tbsp
Baking powder	4 tsp	2 tsp	1 tsp
Baking soda	2 tsp	1 tsp	½ tsp
Salt	2 tsp	1 tsp	½ tsp
Oil	8 Tbsp	4 Tbsp	2 Tbsp
Milk	4 cups	2 cups	1 cup
Eggs	4	2	1

So choose your measurements and mix them up. I have an electric fry pan or a griddle as well that I use and I set it to about 300 to heat up. You can do it on the stove as well.
Get your chocolate chips ready or any other ingredients you want to put in.*
I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour the pancake batter into the heated pan.
Immediately sprinkle your "add-ins" onto the pancake.
Wait for it to start bubbling a bit before you turn it over.
After a couple minutes take it off the heat!

You can also mix up the full batch of dry ingredients

*some other great add-ins are: chocolate chips, coconut, blueberries, mashed bananas and nuts...
With the sweet pancakes we like to add powdered sugar on top instead of syrup so the syrup doesn't overtake the chocolate taste etc...

This was the first time I had used coconut with the chocolate chips and it was AMAZING!

Recipe #56: Honey Baked Chicken

I made this a couple of nights ago and am just now getting around to posting! Lets just say once school gets back into full swing this is going to be pretty hard to keep up! :)

This recipe came from a cookbook of family recipes we made for my sister a couple of years ago when she was getting married. Then it became a regular dish in my other sister's house and after eating it there a couple of times, I finally made it at home!
The recipe said to use a whole chicken, cut up and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes which was probably the thing that made me always turn the page quickly, I never have that much time to get dinner ready, but using chicken breasts cuts the time almost in half!

You need:
3 chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces--I cut it into 3 pieces. You can also use more because there is plenty of sauce
1/3 cup melted margarine
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 tsp salt
1tsp curry powder

• Preheat oven to 350
• Arrange chicken pieces in a 9x13 dish
• Mix the rest of ingredients together.
• Pour over chicken and make sure chicken pieces are coated.
• back for about 40 minutes or until chicken no longer runs pink.

We had a lot of sauce with ours, but then it tastes really great with the rice so if you just do three pieces of chicken and don't like a lot of sauce you could probably half it, or just do more chicken so you have more leftovers for the next day! :)

Recipe #42: Banana Bread

Oh banana bread. I hope for over ripe bananas in each bunch so I can put them in the fridge and save them for a banana bread feast!

I always make multiple loaves...in my recipe book i have all the conversions so I will go ahead and list them here. I have found in general that two bananas equal a cup.

	1 Loaf	2 Loaves	3 Loaves	4 Loaves	8 loaves
Margarine	½ cup	1 cup	1 ½ cups	2 cups	4 cups
Sugar	1 cup	2 cups	3 cups	4 cups	8 cups
Eggs	2	4	6	8	16
Flour	2 cups	4 cups	6 cups	8 cups	16 cups
Mashed bananas	1 cup	2 cups	3 cups	4 cups	8 cups
Boiling water	½ cup	1 cup	1 ½ cups	2 cups	4 cups
Baking soda	1 tsp	2 tsp	3 tsp	4 tsp	8 tsp

Combine margarine, sugar, and eggs
Add soda to water in small bowl.
Add flour, bananas and water alternately. I normally have each ingredient in a different bowl so it is easier to add to the main bowl.
Bake at 350 in a well greased pan.
45 minutes or until done for loaves
20-25 minutes for muffins or mini loaves
12-15 minutes for mini muffins

I used the 4 loaf measurement and made 2 loaves and 36 muffins! More food for the beach next week!

of course we will eat a loaf until then!!

Recipe #37: Baked Spaghetti

To go with our loaf of bread I had to make something to complement it! Baked Spaghetti was a dish that a missionary friend made quite often and was my brother's favorite. It had been a long while since i had eaten it, but enjoyed it very much and have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow!

You need:

16 oz. Jar of spagetti sauce
A box of spaghetti noodles (Don't overcook because they also cooks in oven).
2 cup cheddar cheese (actually I used mozzarella )
1 can cream soup
¼ cup water
¼ cup parmesan cheese
Italian Seasoning and dried parsley flakes

• Place ½ of cooked spagetti in in greased 9x13 pan.
• Top with ½ of meat sauce. 
• Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Repeat layers. 
• Mix soup & water and pour over casserole. 
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese & a little Italian Seasoning & parsley flakes. 
• Bake uncovered 35 minutes at 350. 
• You can also ½ this recipe. (which is what I will probably do next time)

Recipe #32: Taco Rice

Growing up in Japan we did not have easy access to tortillas or taco shells. So the missionaries in Japan learned to improvise and taco rice was born! (We had a different name for it, but taco rice is a little bit more culturally appropriate! :) ) It is basically tacos on rice, but oh so delicious!

There are two ways you can make the meat up, depending on how many people are eating!
Take your pick of ground meat--beef, turkey whatever.
1. For a small crowd--Will and I, I usually just get a taco seasoning packet and make that up.
2. If there is a crowd, I follow my mom's idea and mix it with spaghetti sauce.

But either way it is really your preference. If you like it saucier use the spaghetti sauce, spicier use the taco seasoning.

Before you start the meat though, make sure you have a pot of rice going.
Once the meat is cooked and simmering in whatever seasoning you chose, work on your toppings.
Tonight we used: Tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. Corn is a great idea too, so is guacamole!
Choose your chips too! In Japan we could only get a hold of doritos but here we use tortilla chips. Tonight I used old taco shells that I wanted to use up!

To serve: First get some rice. Don't get too much, because once you put on the topping you will have a huge pile! Then add the meat. Next put on the rest of your toppings. You can crunch your chips into smaller pieces or leave them on the side to scoop up some of the rice etc.

And there you have it!

Recipe #28: Oatmeal Cake

Do not let the name of this fool you! It is one of my all time favorite cakes and I rarely make it because when I do, I could probably eat the whole thing myself! Fortunately I have an excuse to make it because we are having a dessert thing at church tonight. Perfect excuse! I guess the easiest way to describe it is that it is like a spice cake.

You need:
1 1/4 cup boiling water                                            Topping:
1 cup quick oats                                                      1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine, softened                                     3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup brown sugar                                                   1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt

• First pour water over oats and let stand
• cream together margarine, brown sugar, white sugar, and eggs
• add oatmeal mixture, stir
• mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
• pour into a 9x13 pan
• on top sprinkle the sugar all over the top of the cake. this creates almost a barrier that keeps the nuts and the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom. make sure you carefully sprinkle the sugar all over the top of the cake. 
• then carefully sprinkle nuts and chocolate chips on top. 
• Bake for 30 min at 350. Stick a fork in middle to see if it comes out clean.

a great variation of a topping is to add coconut. an even better topping would be coconut and chocolate chips together. unfortunately Will does not like coconut so I don't often use the coconut version. It would be delicious though!

Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, the chocolate chips still sink to the bottom. If that happens, just add some more chocolate chips to the top while the cake is still warm, so you still have a pretty topping! I never had problems with that until we moved into this house and I made cakes in this oven...not sure why.

But I added more chocolate chips and you can't even tell! Plus it makes it more chocolatey!