•  The kids were occupied so I started in on the coconut.  First with a knife…that didn’t work.  Then with a bigger knife…that didn’t work.  I began making some progress once I used a combination of the big knife and fork, but way to slowly!

• So I moved from the kitchen to the basement floor where I could really start doing some damage  I finally started making some good progress with a hammer. A few big cracks with the hammer busted up the husk enough that I was able to work a screwdriver down in between the coconut and husk and peel back the husk in small sections.  And…….finally……after about 40 minutes…..the coconut is free!!!!!!!!!!

• My husband said “what did you do, it looks like  a coconut crime scene down there!”  Ha!!!

• I used a wire brush to clean off most of the fuzz.

• Once the fuzz was cleaned off I used the biggest drill bit my husband on his workbench and drilled 1 hole through the end of the coconut with 3 dots.  All of that work (and it’s not done yet!) for less than 1 cup of liquid!!!

• Once the liquid is drained wrap the coconut in a towel, place on a cement surface and crack it a few times with a hammer.  You’ll end up with this…

• Wiggle the tip of a pairing knife in between the flesh and the hard outer shell.  Once separated, you’ll still have a thin brown skin to remove.  I used a vegetable peeler to remove this skin.

• I plan to use the coconut in cake and cookies so I grated it with a cheese grater.

• It was an adventure for sure, but I totally recommend doing it at least once!  It was cool to see the process through instead of just buying a bag of shredded coconut

1. Clean and quarter 8 to 10 red skin potatoes.
2. Over medium heat, heat 2 Tablespoons of canola oil in a medium skillet.
3. Add potatoes, herbs, salt and pepper.
4. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender.
5. Once tender, remove the lid and turn up the heat to medium, stir occasionally until potatoes are golden brown.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
3. Mix all ingredients with your hands in a large bowl until completely combined.
4. Divide the mix into 12 equal parts and press into the muffin pan.
5. Bake 30 minutes.
6. Top with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes.
7. Let stand 10 minutes

Serve with Skillet Red Potatoes

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Microwave the tortilla shells on high for 30 seconds .

Line each of the 8 muffin cups with one tortilla.  Carefully fold back the edges of the tortillas, leaving opening in the center for the filling.

Bake the tortillas for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a large skillet, drain.  Stir in salsa; bring to a boil.  Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.

Spoon meat mixture into tortilla bowls, top with remaining ingredients.

Unroll one can of Pillsbury crescent rolls and press in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.  Be sure to press all the seems together and cover the whole bottom of the casserole dish with dough.

Layer ham on top of dough.

In a medium size bowl whisk together 6 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk and a dash of salt and pepper.

Pour the egg mixture over the ham and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until center is set and edges are golden brown.

In a large skillet brown the ground beef and drain.

Add water, ketchup and onion powder and mix well.  Bring to a boil.

Stir in the macaroni noodles and cover.

Simmer on medium-low heat 8 to 10 minutes or until the macaroni noodles are tender.

Stir in the Velveeta; cook until melted, stirring occasionally.

Serve with fresh green steamed vegetables.

Prepare the chicken breast by cleaning and removing any excess skin, veins and cartilage (it seems like anymore boneless skinless chicken breasts aren’t really all that skinless, not at my grocery store anyways).  After I’ve cleaned the chicken breasts I pat them dry with a paper towel and cut each breast in half long ways, making two thin cuts of meat out of each breast.  If you plan to make the dish on another day you can store thinly sliced chicken breast in a ziploc bag; store in the freezer if you don’t plan to use the chicken in a day or two.

To begin making the dish combine hot water, butter and stuffing mix in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet cook the chicken on medium-high heat 5 minutes on each side or until browned on both sides.

In a small bowl mix the soup and sour cream and pour over the chicken in the skillet.

Then top with the stuffing mixture and cover.

Cook on low heat 10 minutes or until chicken is done (165 degrees).