Menu Plan for May 7 - 14

Is it Monday already? Where did this weekend go so quickly?

I must admit, I felt sort of guilty for not blogging much for the last two weeks. But, in the same breath, I have to tell you that I truly enjoyed the first week with my kids while they were off from school on spring break....and then the ol' allergy/sinus infection caught up with me last week. I'm on the rebound and ready to blog again. :)

While the kids were on vacation, we planted containers full of herbs and flowers. We also filled our Topsy Turvys with tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. So far, so good! (More about our planting coming soon!)

We have a busy week ahead of us - my son's soccer games wrap up this week. We're waiting to hear about playoff dates. He will be busy taking EOGs (end of grade tests) on Wed., Thurs. & Fri. and I will be proctoring at his school for the tests, too.

Good news that my husband will go back to having his usual days off - Thursday and Friday. We survived with him having Mondays & Tuesday off but his regular-to-us days are coming back none too soon. :)

On with the menu for this week!

Saturday - hot dogs and sweet potato fries

Sunday - out to dinner for Mother's Day

Monday - Mediterranean pasta and meat sauce and salad

Tuesday - Thai style pork kabobs, cooked potatoes and a side veggie

Wednesday - chicken nachos and taco rice

Thursday - Tuscany cavatelli  and salad

Friday - grilled pork tenderloin, spinach parmesan risotto and side veggie

Saturday - meatloaf and macaroni & cheese

If you stop by to check out my menu, please take a minute to say "Hi"! I love meeting new friends!
I'll be sure to jump over and visit your blog, too!

Linking up to:

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope that all Moms out there are enjoying their day!

Hugs,
Tami

April Cookie Carnival Round Up

It's that time again! Time for another Cookie Carnival Round Up!

The two recipes chosen for this month were:

Iced Pink-Lemonade Cookie Pops
and
Toasted Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Filling

April was a busy month for everyone so only two of us participated in baking.

Tessa @ The Cookin' Chemist said "We had some friends over yesterday for the first barbecue in our newly finished backyard, and these cookies turned out to be the dessert hit of the party! I have to admit that the coconut-pineapple combination in these proved to be pretty awesome!"

Tami @ Tami's Kitchen Table Talk said "The shortbread cookies are stacked with pineapple cream filling in between and on top of the cookies. I could sit and eat the pineapple filling with a spoon! It's that good!"

If you're looking for a light and very tasty cookie for a party, shower, or a girls' get-together, I highly recommend these cookies! They are not only really pretty but delicious, too!

The Cookie Carnival is open to everyone who loves to bake! You don't even need to be a blogger to join in on the fun! Click here to find out more information on how you can bake with us starting this month!

Check out all of the gorgeous cookies from previous Cookie Carnival Round Up!

May Cookie Carnival - Guest Host

Hi Everyone!

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, I'm going to be busy, busy, busy working at both of my kids' schools. For that reason, Krista, from Meet the Swans has offered to fill in as a guest host for the Cookie Carnival this month. Thank you so much, Krista!!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me.

If you enjoy baking cookies, why not give the Cookie Carnival a try?!?

There are two different recipes to choose from each month. Pick one or both and bake along with us!

For more information on the Cookie Carnival, click here!

Happy Baking!
Tami

April Cookie Carnival - Toasted Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Filling

One of the Cookie Carnival recipes this month is Toasted Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Filling by Anna Olson of the Food Network Canada.

I wasn't sure that I was going to find the time to make these cookies this month. Since it is raining today and we couldn't get out to clean and wash the car like I'd planned, I decided to make the cookies since I had everything on hand. I'm really happy that I did.

The shortbread cookies are stacked with pineapple cream filling in between and on top of the cookies. I could sit and eat the pineapple filling with a spoon! It's that good. The little cookie stacks would make a perfect Easter dessert served in single serving cups.

When reading the recipe, I thought that it might be a little more work that I really wanted to do but it ended up being a really simple recipe that came together quickly.

Toasted Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Filling
from Anna Olson on Food Network Canada

Ingredients:

Shortbread1/2 cup sweetened coconut, fine shred
1 cup and 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
dash salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

Pineapple Cream
1/2 cup cream cheese at room temperature
1/3 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2/3 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
pineapple slices (I omitted)

To make cookies:

Shortbread

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Spread coconut on an ungreased baking tray and toast for 10 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool. (I did not toast the coconut first. I just added it to the dough out of the bag.)

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter in pieces and pulse just until dough is crumbly.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle toasted coconut over. Work coconut into dough until dough comes together.

Dust work surface again and roll out dough into a rectangle about 1/8 –inch thick, and cut into circles using a cookie cutter or small glass.

Use a spatula to lift cookies onto a parchment-lined baking tray and bake, on the center rack of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, just until edges of cookie color slightly.

Cool cookies on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Pineapple Cream

Beat cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Beat in icing sugar and vanilla. Stir in pineapple and fold into whipped cream. Chill until ready to serve.

To assemble:

To plate, place a cookie on a plate with thinly sliced pineapple. Then spoon or pipe about 2 Tbsp of pineapple cream onto cookie and top with another cookie. Spoon or pipe another 2 Tbsp of cream and serve or refrigerate until ready to eat.

**Note** The recipe says it makes 12 cookies but I ended up with 14 cookies using a 3 inch cookie cutter. If you were to use a 4 or 5 inch cookie cutter to be able to hold the pineapple slice, you would most likely get 10 - 12 cookies. 

Would you like to have fun baking with us in the Cookie Carnival? Click here to find out what it's all about!