Cocinando con Alena

I made the first pan of pineapple bars on Wednesday and I had to sample and OMG!!! I had to go back 3 more times. This dis was made for the Thanksgiving dinner, well, I had to make another pan. Just to say this was a hit with family and friends and this will forever be a dessert for holidays dinners.. Recipe >> Pineapple Bars with Coconut Drizzle @ laughingspatula.com

Here is one such recipe that is gluten-free, low-fructose and low-FODMAP. The only issues with this recipe may be with the dairy products. Hard cheese, such as cheddar, and heavy cream are very low in lactose and I don't seem to have much issue with them. I'm really not sure if I'm lactose intolerant. I was always a big cottage cheese eater and recently stopped eating it and I feel maybe just a tad better. I'm still not sure if it's enough of a difference to go completely dairy-free, though. I love cheese and I love this casserole. It started out as just a chicken and potato casserole, but then I made some changes to it and I decided that it was so similar to the ingredients in a loaded baked potato, I would just call it that! Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole serves 4 Ingredients: 3 - 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced (about 1.5 lbs. or 4 1/2 cups) 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced 4 slices bacon, cooked crisp, c

Just made this last night. I used digestive biscuits for the crust as graham crackers are hard to find in Korea. I also used an 8″ springform pan and simply adjusted the recipe by multiplying the amounts by 0.8. [Though if you want to be extremely exact you should multiply by 0.79 ;)] I halved the sour cream topping recipe as well. Wrapped the pan in three layers of foil – and am really glad I did, because water leaked through the first two layers. All turned out perfectly!  Recipe >>  Perfect Cheesecake @ simplyrecipes.com

Just made this last night. I used digestive biscuits for the crust as graham crackers are hard to find in Korea. I also used an 8″ springform pan and simply adjusted the recipe by multiplying the amounts by 0.8. [Though if you want to be extremely exact you should multiply by 0.79 ;)] I halved the sour cream topping recipe as well. Wrapped the pan in three layers of foil – and am really glad I did, because water leaked through the first two layers. All turned out perfectly!

Cilantro Pesto Grilled Shrimp INGREDIENTS:     cilantro pesto ( recipe below )       about 20, wild medium size shrimp (Peeled & De-veined)     7 x 8′ wooden skewers    Cilantro Pesto Recipe( Makes 2 cups ) :     2 bunches organic cilantro – packed     2 cups organic baby spinach – packed     1 organic lemon – zested     1/2 organic lemon – juiced     2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts – toast in a dry heated saute pan for 3-4 minutes stirring periodically until browned     1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese     1 1/2 cups organic olive oil     sea salt and fresh ground pepper for taste Directions ( Cilantro Pesto ): Add all pesto ingredients in a food processor, except for olive oil. Blend and gradually pour in olive oil. Season with about ¼ tsp. sea salt and ¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper. Done. Directions ( Shrimp Skewers ): Soak the wooden skewers in water for at least 2 hours. This will help prevent them from going up in flames when they

I just made this for my husband’s birthday cake. We all loved it (seven of us were at his party). I traded the cool whip for an altered WilliamsSonoma recipe for Seven Minute Frosting ( http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/seven-minute-coconut-frosting.html ). And I altered the cake as well: For the Coconut Cream Poke Cake I used Duncan Hines white cake mix, 2 backyard jumbo eggs, 3 TBS sour cream, 3 TBS oil, 1 c water. Mixed, baked, & cooled. POKED & Cream of Coconut (Roland brand) heated a little and poured on. Chilled. 7minute frosting (WilliamsSonoma) untoasted coconut on the frosted cake use only: 4 egg whites, 1/8 salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 3/4 c sugar, 1/4 c dark Karo syrup. Whisk in vanilla & then continue to whisk & heat over hot water (doubleBoilerStyle) until the whites are hot to the touch. Beat till room temp & thick. Frost the cooled coconut cake. Top w/soft UNtoasted coconut. Recipe >> Coconut Cream Poke Cake @ dessertnowdinnerlater.

My original intent was to make these sugar cookies and roll them in orange sugar to be festive for October, but I couldn't find any orange sugar in my baking cabinet. They still came out pretty though. They are similar to the chewy Pepperidge Farm cookies, but they aren't quite as thick. I try not to eat much sugar, but I've already had 4 of these. That's how good they are! Chewy Sugar Cookies Ingredients: 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 egg 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll roun