Coconut Macaroon Nests

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I can't believe Spring forward is this weekend...what!? Don't get me wrong, I look forward to the longer daylight but I just think the year is flying by and it's only March!

I am such a "bakaholic" and have been obsessed with all the cute Easter goodies and DIY crafty projects that are on the Internet. These caught my eye 1) because I love coconut and 2) because who wouldn't...they are so stinkin cute! I bought a bag of those Cadbury mini eggs just for this project in mind. I had some sweetened coconut in the pantry so it was a no brainer.

1 year Blogaversary! Yahoo!

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One year ago March 7, I made the decision to dive into the blog world. With the help of a couple of family members I chose a name, and sitting on the veranda of our Ocho Rios cottage I created the web site. Trust that the "Sew whats cooking with Joan" website has changed dramatically, since that day. But, my goal to learn about the building of a website and implementing it, stimulating my brain and getting whats in that brain out to you has been successful. Believe it or not, my memory has improved and I am thoroughly enjoying writing the blog. Photography was never of interest to me, however, once I started taking the pictures of food, I became interested in improving the photography of that food. Wee Bear bought me a new camera and I played with settings, and also took some classes from a producer while on board a cruise ship.

Pork Shepard's Pie!

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St. Patrick's day is around the corner~Here's a twist to the traditional Shepard's pie that I think you will enjoy using "the other white meat"! This Shepard's pie which is typically made with mutton or beef, is lighter using pork. Because the shoulder has so much flavor you can opt to braise it in water instead of stock. I like using Yukon gold potatoes because they have a medium starch make up and can better absorb butter and cream. When it comes to cooking for a crowd, you want a all in one dish. Cooking many courses becomes difficult and overwhelming. This dish is perfect for a crowd and can be made in individual casseroles or one big one. I made individuals, then froze several for quick dinners going forward.

adapted from Chef Ryan Poli 

Bruleed Meyer Lemon Bars

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I got my lemon fix this week and made these treats! They are delicious and the caramelized sugar on top gives it a little something special both in taste and in presentation. 

These are very simple to make. The only hard part is waiting to eat one as they have to cool a couple times between stages. I used a food torch to caramelize the sugar on top but if you don't have one, you can broil them in the oven. Just pay close attention during the broiling process as they can burn quickly.  

Baby Arugula, Frisee Salad with goat cheese crouton!

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 I love salad every possible version of salad, so much that Wee Bear frequently calls me a rabbit! I love to create my own salads or twist a version that I have eaten at a restaurant or learned from one of my many classes. In this case, I am giving you a tutorial straight from a class. This one from Chef de cuisine Joe Worrell at Chochise-Geronimo, Desert Mountain. Chef Worrell began his culinary career in 1992 at Ugashi Japanese of Portland, Oregon. Joe joined Desert Mountain in 2005 as the Sous Chef at Cochise/Geronimo Clubhouse and then in August 2007 took the helm as Chef De Cuisine of Apache Clubhouse. Joseph has now returned to Cochise/Geronimo as of February 2013 as the acting Chef de Cuisine taking over responsibility for all clubhouse catering as well as the club sponsored events.... he is amazing!

Lasagna two ways! Figure friendly!

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Everyone loves lasagna and today I am giving you two options. One that I created 40 years ago and a healthy update that I recently created, that I love just as much! Lasagna is an EPIC dish! Sure it looks like a mass of cheese, pasta and meat sauce, but it is so much more than that. It is a cold weather, comfort food "Go To"!! In forty years of serving this dish to family and friends, everyone......EVERYONE has fallen in love with it! It is easy to make and figure friendly. However, my updated version is even friendlier! 

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

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I have been dying to try out my whoopie pie pan and came across a recipe for a chocolate whoopie pie from iVillage. I was originally planning on making something I could use my meyer lemons in, but couldn't resist the temptation to make these little cookies! This was my first time making and tasting a whoopie and I now know that I will be making them often and experimenting with different flavors. It was interesting to discover that whoopie pies originated in the Pennsylvania Amish country. The Amish women would bake these desserts (known as hucklebucks at the time) and put them in the farmer's lunch boxes. When farmer's would find these treats in their lunch, they would shout "whoopie!". Cute story I thought! 

The original recipe from iVillage used a Swiss Vanilla Filling, but TT really enjoys chocolate so I opted for a basic chocolate butter-cream frosting. Here is my version of the original recipe.

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting