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Chocolate Coconut Bars

February 5, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

I love coconut almost as much as I do chocolate, so I was practically giddy when I came across this recipe. These yummy bar cookies are so good and can be cut into shapes or squares. A heart-shaped cookie cutter is perfect for Valentine’s Day treats!

Chocolate Coconut Bars

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup plus 2 tbsp melted butter, divided

2 1/4 cups light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large micro-wave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, sweetened condenses milk and 2 tbsps. of butter. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until chips are melted. Stir well – and do not over cook!

In a separate bowl, combine remaining butter with eggs, sugar, flour, pecans, coconut, salt and vanilla extract.

Spread approximately half of the dough on an ungreased 15×10 jelly roll pan. Drizzle the chocolate mixture over the dough then drop spoonfuls of the remaining dough over the chocolate. Drag the tip of a knife through the dough and chocolate to create a swirl pattern.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Use a heart-shaped cutter to create a plate full of delicious hearts!

Happy Entertaining!

Posted in Desserts, Easy Recipes, Holiday Recipes | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

Groundhog’s Day Entertaining

February 2, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

Today is Groundhog’s Day and a great excuse to gather friends for a fun meal.

You might want to start the festivities by highlighting the reason for celebrating the forecasting talents of furry Punxsutawney Phil.

The legend of the groundhog’s forecasting powers is said to  date back to the early days of Christianity in Europe when clear skies on the holiday Candlemas Day, celebrated Feb. 2, meant winter would continue for many weeks. The tradition was carried to Germany, with the German twist being that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas, a hedgehog would cast its shadow, predicting six more weeks of bad weather. Many of Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers were German, and they continued the tradition after noticing a large population of groundhogs, which resemble the European hedgehog.

So gather your friends for an relaxed evening together. Serve a meal with sausage as the main course  and finish  with these adorable cupcakes.

Use any flavor cupcake, unfrosted. Remove a piece of cake the width of an Almond Joy candy from the center of a baked cupcake. Set the candy upright in the hole, then spread a layer of white frosting on the cupcake. For the groundhog’s eyes, trim the ends from a white jelly bean, stick them in place with frosting, then dot them with black decorators’ gel. Add a tiny triangle cut from a watermelon slice candy for a nose, brown M&M’s Minis for ears and cheeks, and a tiny rectangular piece of white jelly bean for teeth. Sprinkle chocolate cookie crumbs around the partially emerged groundhog, and he’s ready to greet his fans.

Happy Entertaining!

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Chicken Enchiladas

January 29, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

Today’s recipe comes from my Mom. She used to make this pleasing dish for a big crowd, but it is so easy to make, you could whip it together anytime you want a delicious and simple meal. It comes together quickly and one of the best things is that you can put it together the night before!

Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces or shredded

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 tsp. onion flakes

1 small can cream of mushroom soup

1 small can cream of chicken soup

1 small can green chiles

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

8 corn or flour tortillas

Mix chicken with celery, onion flakes, soup and chiles. Layer greased 9 x 13 casserole pan with half the tortillas, and then half the chicken mixture and half the cheese. Repeat the layers again, ended with a topping of cheese. Make the night before and let the flavors mix before baking at 325 degrees for one hour. Note – you can sauté the celery and onion flakes with a dash of chicken stock before adding to the mix if you don’t like your celery quite so crunchy.

Happy Entertaining!

Posted in Easy Recipes, Fast Recipes | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

Do I Know Your Name?

January 26, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

The other day I was having the most fascinating conversation with a 5-year-old.  After sharing cooking tips, we moved right into fashion.

Me: “I really like your shirt.”

Her: “My friend gave it to me.”

Me: “It is fun having a friend like that, isn’t it?”

Her: “Yes! And she knows my name!”

She was most excited not about the clothes that her little friend shares, but about the fact that her friend knows her name. That really got me thinking about the people I know and if I truly know their name.

I know their names in the literal sense, but what do I know about the person attached to that name? When a certain name comes to mind, does it conjure up just a face in my mind of that person, or is there a  treasure trove of data that comes along with that name? Even better, does that name stir up any emotion?

If I make an honest assessment, there are many names I am familiar with in that I recognize them and know what person they belong to, but I don’t truly know them. I don’t know them in the sense of what is important to them, what makes them smile, what makes them cry, what drives them to get out of bed each day, what stirs their creativity and sparks their passion?

When you peel away all the layers of social dictates, political correctness, ingrained behaviors and quirks, most of us find at the core a being who wants to be known by others for who they are and the unique gifts they bring to the table.

Think about your friends, family and acquaintances. When you gather with them, who brings you the most joy? The ones you don’t know very well or those you truly know?  I’ve said it before, and will most likely say it again, but relationships are everything.

As you set about entertaining this year, make your guest list a challenge of sorts by mixing together those you know with those you have yet to know. You’ll find in getting to know them, you’ll be richly blessed.

Happy Entertaining!

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