Although the general idea of a cream pie may be able to trace its roots back to Europe, the Coconut Cream Pie may actually be an American invention. In the 1800s, as Americans were enjoying tropical fruits such as bananas and pineapple, coconuts also became more accessible in the United States.
Combine sugar, flour, and salt in top of double boiler, add milk and egg yolks; mix well. Place over rapidly boiling water & cook 10 minutes stirring constantly, remove from boiling water and add 1 cup of coconut and vanilla.
Cool slightly, then turn into pie shell.
Beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar 2 tbsp. at a time, beating after each addition until whites stand in peaks.
Spoon your meringue on top and spread out to the edges of the crust. Then, use a knife or spatula to form peaks on pie. Add a small amt of coconut on top and bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) 10 minutes, until browned.
Take out of oven and let cool completely then refrigerate.
Many sources say the first meatball was made in ancient Persia, but this is debated by food scholars. Nevertheless, these meatballs, called kofta, caught on and inspired new recipes as the Persians traded with neighboring countries and exchanged goods and knowledge.
Preheat oven to 400°. Prepare and bake muffin mix according to package directions. Cool completely and crumble; transfer to a large bowl.
Add 1 envelope taco seasoning, eggs, 1-1/2 cups enchilada sauce and meat; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape meat mixture into 1-1/2-in. balls; bake on greased racks in 15x10x1-in. baking pans lined with foil until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes.
Place meatballs in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Combine remaining enchilada sauce, salsa, chiles, 1/2 cup cheese and remaining envelope taco seasoning; pour over meatballs. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook, covered, on low until meatballs are cooked through, about 3 hours.
Notes
Tips
Serve enchilada meatballs with tortilla chip scoops to capture all the rich flavor. The chips and meatballs together taste like mini tacos.
Set these out on the buffet with traditional taco toppings, including shredded lettuce, diced tomato and cheddar cheese.
Pizza dates back thousands of years, believe it or not, tracing its roots back to the flatbreads with toppings that were popular with ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. But modern pizza, the flatbreads with tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings, was born along the western coast of Italy, in the city of Naples.
The Bundt cake derives in part from a European brioche-like cake called Gugelhupf. In the north of Germany and the southern Anglia peninsula Gugelhupf is traditionally known as Bundkuchen (German pronunciation: [ˈbʊntkuːxn̩]), a name formed by joining the two words Bund and Kuchen (cake).
As a literary form, the history of love letters probably began in the early Renaissance. The Age of Chivalry produced a series of discreet correspondences that were based on the chaste compliments and excessive self-deprecation of courtly love.
Preheat oven to 375°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 pie crust. Using a paring knife, cut out long square shapes, about 4" on each side. Transfer squares to baking sheet. Reroll extra dough to make more squares. (You should have enough dough to make about 6.)
Fill the center of each square with a very small dollop of strawberry filling. Fold three of the corners into the center so that the dough looks like an open envelope. Press down lightly on dough to seal. Use a small heart cookie cutter to stamp out remaining dough into hearts, and place a heart in the center of each.
Brush envelopes with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until envelopes are golden, about 15 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
New Orleans Mardi Gras King Cake is so symbolic of the Mardi Gras celebration for residents it is believed that consuming King Cake outside of the Carnival season will result in rain on Mardi Gras day.
The “king cake” takes its name from the biblical Kings. In Western Christian liturgical tradition, the Solemnity of Epiphany—commemorated on January 6—celebrates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. The Eve of Epiphany (the night of January 5) is popularly known as Twelfth Night (the Twelve Days of Christmas are counted from Christmas Eve until this night). The season for king cake extends from the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Twelfth Night and Epiphany Day), up until the end of Shrovetide: Mardi Gras, “Fat Tuesday,” or Shrove Tuesday; the day before the start of Lent. Some organizations or groups of friends may have “king cake parties” every week through the Carnival season. In Portugal and France, whoever gets the King cake trinket is expected to buy the next cake for these get-togethers.
A popular theory holds that Mardi Gras’ origins lie in ancient pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, such as Saturnalia and Lupercalia. Some experts contend, however, that Mardi Gras-type festivities popped up solely as a result of the Catholic Church’s discouragement of sex and meat during Lent.
Try these other Southern recipes
Mardi Gras King Cake
One of our best memories is of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, The King Cake is a great Mardi Gras tradition.
Dark green, purple, and yellow or gold sugars, If desired.
Miniature Baby, if desired.
Instructions
Mix 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast in mixing bowl of stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, on low for about 30 seconds.
Heat milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and milk is between 120°F to 130°F.
With mixer on low, pour in liquids and mix until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time. Continue mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Clean off paddle and switch to dough hook. Mix in the remaining 1 cup flour a little at a time, adding more or less flour as needed to make a soft dough. Add the softened butter, a piece at a time, kneading until each piece of butter is absorbed.
Knead for eight minutes on low. The dough should completely clear the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more flour is needed. If the dough seems too dry, spritz with water from a spray bottle a couple of times, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more water is needed. Every 2 minutes, stop the machine, scrape the dough off the hook, and then continue kneading.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times by hand to be sure it’s smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball. Place dough into a greased bowl. Turn once so greased surface is on top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Filling
While the dough is chilling, make cinnamon filling. In small bowl, combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Combine butter with cinnamon mixture and mix well.
Roll the chilled dough into a 10 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread the filling on half of the long side of the dough. Fold the dough in half covering the filling. Pat dough down firmly so the dough will stick together. Cut dough into three long strips. Press the tops of the strips together and braid the strips. Press the ends together at the bottom. Gently stretch the braid so that it measures 20 inches again. Shape it into a circle/oval and press the edges together.
Transfer the ring to a parchment lined or greased baking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the cake until it is golden brown, 20 – 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes on baking sheet and then place it on a cooling rack to cool completely before icing. To hide the baby in the cake, if desired, make a small slit in the bottom of the cake and put the miniature plastic baby in after the cake has cooled.
Icing
In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth (add additional milk if mixture is too thick or powdered sugar if too thin).
Spoon icing over top of the cake. Immediately sprinkle on colored sugar, alternating between the three colors.
This recipe uses Rapid Rise yeast which eliminates the time consuming first rise in a typical brioche recipe.
Use a pizza cutter to easily cut dough into strips.
The cake can also be made without braiding. Just roll up the dough jelly roll style after spreading the filling.
Mardi Gras conjures up images of fun, frivolity and feasting and no Mardi Gras celebration would be complete with a colorful King Cake. A brioche or sweet roll dough is braided, baked in a circle and decorated with icing and purple, green and gold sugars. Kind of like a crown shaped cinnamon roll all dressed up for a party.
