New Backyard Addition {Fire Pit on a Budget}

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend? Here at the Butler house we enjoyed a quite weekend by ourselves just hanging out in the backyard. Since moving into our new house there are a lot of things we still need to work on. The Backyard being one of them. Now that we have taken care of weed and pest control it's was time to start working on decorating the backyard a bit.

Starting from scratch is always hard but a fun journey no less. I was challenged by Walmart to see what I could come up with to spruce up our backyard for $150. Since we spend a lot of family time in the backyard I wanted to make sure to spend it on something that I knew we would use.

Awhile back I remembered seeing a Brick Fire Pit at Lowe's, but it was a bit pricey. So this was the perfect opportunity for me to try and come up with something on my own. In the Spring and Fall we pitch up our tent and do a lot of backyard camping, so a fire is a must.

I wanted to start with a ready made fire pit so I went online to Walmart.com and read all their fire pit reviews. We ended up deciding on the Better Homes and Gardens "32" in Fire Pit with a 90% Customer Satisfaction and some pretty good reviews.

Off to Walmart we went and purchased all of the materials. I say materials like it is a lot, but really it wasn't much at all. All that we needed was the fire pit, landscaping bricks and wood. I even put it together all by myself. Since being married I have come to realize one thing if you want something done there will be times that you just have to DIY.

No worries because it was really easy. I didn't want to use just the fire pit as is because it always makes me a nervous wreck thinking of all the things that could happen (tipping over or someone running into it). I thought adding bricks would be the perfect solution. I chose grey landscaping bricks to match our house.

Get started by finding the ideal place in your back yard for your fire pit. Make sure to pick an area where the ground is even and clear from any debris and your house. We started by laying out 10 bricks into a circle. You will want to encircle the fire pit.

We thought three rows of bricks was sufficient. For the second row of bricks you will want to start laying the bricks off center from the first row. This will make your bricks more sturdy. Do the same with your third and final brick layer. Make sure all the bricks are flush together with a tight fit.

Now it's time to add the fire pit. We added the bottom base into the fire pit, but chose to leave off the middle part. There really wasn't a need for it or the fire pit would of been to tall. Finally we added the fire pit bowl and it hung perfectly into the bricks. Add the metal grate and fire screen and your done. Now it's time to enjoy your new fire pit.

Here it is..... our new backyard fire pit on a budget. I think it's a lot safer than just using the fire pit alone not to mention how much prettier it looks. We used the fire pit over memorial day weekend and we had such a great time roasting marshmallows for Smores.

I tried to snap a few photos of the kids in action but the wind had picked up, so I thought it was best to put the fire out. I can't wait until our next backyard camp out.

Note: Make sure to check your city's guidelines on fire pits if you live within city limits. Many cities allow them, and will have the guidelines posted on their city website.

I even had a bit left over to purchase a hanging flower basket and a decorative flower pot for the patio table. Sometimes a little color really brightens up a place. Now that we have our fire pit its a small start and I am itching to do more. Next will be a new umbrella for our patio table, a small backyard garden and something fun for the kids.

What projects are you working on for your backyard?


Here's the Cost Breakdown

Better Homes & Gardens '32' Fire Pit
with Metal Grate & Log Tool- $75.00
Grey Landscaping Bricks - $1.74 x 30 = $52.20
Box of Wood for Burning - $6
Hanging Flower Basket- $5
Flowers & Ceramic Pot - $7.36

Total = $145.56

I am an official Walmart Mom. Walmart has provided me with a GC and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. Participation in this program is voluntary and the opinions stated above are entirely my own. Check out my fellow Walmart Moms for more great ideas on sprucing up your own backyard.

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BBQ Chicken & Bacon Pizza {Potluck Sunday}

Good afternoon everyone. I apologize for adding the Potluck Sunday post so late in the day. I had to run to the doctor this morning so it really threw things off a bit. Better late than never right? Today I wanted to share a recipe for a BBQ Chicken & Bacon Pizza.

Last week was pizza night so I wanted to make my favorite Chicken, Bacon & Veggie Pizza. Well, I found myself running low on olive oil so plans got changed just a bit. I already had the grilled chicken and bacon ready to go on the pizza so I just made a barbecue pizza instead. I love BBQ Chicken Pizza's so I thought adding cooked bacon would make it that much better.

Well I wasn't disappointed one bit because the combination of chicken, bacon, BBQ sauce and onions was perfect. Instead of using all mozzarella I added some Colby jack to the mix. In the end I am kind of glad that I ran a bit low on my olive oil because it gave me the opportunity to try something different. Plus you can't have too many pizza recipes can you?

Today I will be bringing a tasty BBQ Chicken & Bacon Pizza to our Virtual Potluck. Now it's your turn, do you have a recipe you would like to bring to our potluck? If so then you can link up at the end of this post. Please link directly to your post, not your homepage and don't forget to include a link back to Mommy's Kitchen. I hope y'all will take some time and stop by all of the wonderful blogs who have contributed a recipe.

Sorry for the drops of water on the plate, but it started raining on me.

BBQ Chicken & Bacon Pizza
(yields - 1 large pizza)

1 - recipe no fail pizza dough
2/3 - cup barbecue sauce (I prefer sweet baby rays)
1 1/2 - cups grilled chicken, diced (I used packaged foster farms grilled chicken)
bacon, cooked & crumbled
1/4 - small red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 - cup Colby jack cheese
1 1/2 cups - mozzarella cheese
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare pizza crust according to recipe. Roll the pizza dough out on a lightly floured surface and place on pizza pan. (brush pan or stone with olive oil first). Pre bake the pizza crust for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven.

Spread BBQ sauce all over pizza crust and spread with a spoon. Top with chicken, bacon and onion slices and then both cheeses. Place the pizza in the oven and bake until the crust is golden browned and the cheese is melted about 10-15 minutes.

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Cheesy Black Bean Dip & More Memorial Day Recipes

Hi everyone and Happy Hump Day. We only have 2 more days left of school and my kids will be out for summer. Boy has the year flew by. As everyone knows this Monday is Memorial Day, so I am sure everyone will be hanging out by the grill cooking up something delicious. Today I wanted to share an Easy Cheesy Black Bean Dip that I think will be perfect for the upcoming holiday. Really this dip would pretty much go great with any holiday celebration or get together.

This black bean dip is so yummy and a cinch to make. Black beans, mexi corn, chunky salsa and Velveeta all melted together make up this cheesy dip. I love black beans and the mexi corn gives this dip such a great flavor. I have come to realize you either love Velveeta or you hate it. As for me I love it!

Velveeta has always been a staple in our house. I use it in my pimento cheese spread, chicken spaghetti, famous queso dip and almost any of the cheesy dips I have listed here on my blog. If you're a Velveeta lover and looking for a quick cheesy dip you should try this recipe. I also wanted to share some recipes below that I think will go great for a picnic or BBQ. Maybe you are still in need of a few recipes to finish off your Memorial Day menu.


Cheesy Black Bean Dip

1 - 16 oz package Original Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 - 15 oz can bush's black beans, rinsed
1 - 11 oz can Mexican corn
(corn with red and green bell peppers), drained
1 - cup hot chunky salsa

Combine all the ingredients in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes or until the Velveeta is completely melted, stirring after 3 min. Garnish with diced tomatoes. Serve with crackers, pita or tortilla chips for dipping.

Recipe source: Kraft Foods

Before I get to the recipes I wanted to say that first and foremost Memorial Day for me is about remembering those who have sacrificed their lives, past and present for our freedom. I think a lot of people have forgotten the true meaning of "Memorial Day". It's more than a day off from work or school and more than a picnic with friends. You see the military has been a part of my life since the day I was born.

My father who has passed away is retired Air Force. My step dad and oldest brother are now both retired from the Air Force and my brother who is just a couple years older than me is in the Coast Guard. I grew up Military so I have learned to be thankful for the sacrifices that the military has made for their families as well as for their country.While you are enjoying time with your family and friends this holiday weekend please take a moment and remember the ones who are no longer with us.

Like I mentioned above I wanted to share some recipes for the upcoming weekend. Maybe you're hosting a family Memorial Day party or you have been invited to a neighborhood celebration. It doesn't matter I have a few recipes that I think will work out perfectly.

I have thumbed through most of my recipes here at Mommy's Kitchen and found some pretty tasty recipes. I have included recipes for the grill, finger foods, sides, dips, salads and lets not forget dessert. A few of the desserts like the brownies are perfect for pack and go traveling. Which is great if you're in charge of bringing something. Hopefully you will find something to your liking.

Cheesy Hot Corn Dip
Cheesy Queso Dip

Ham & Cheese Pinwheels
My Favorite Potato Salad
Three Bean Salad
Black Bean Mango Salsa
Beer in the Rear Chicken
Honey Lime Grilled Chicken
Soy Honey Chicken
Coney Island Hot Dogs
Low Country Shrimp Boil
Grilled Smoked Sausage Kabobs
Fall of the Bone Ribs
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Grilled Veggie Packets
Quick Pasta Crab Salad
Layered BLT Salad
Fruit Dip

Tequila Soaked Watermelon Wedges,
Margarita Bites & Patriotic Cupcakes
Blackberry Cobbler
Buttermilk Peach Cobbler
Strawberry Shortcut Cake
Summertime Strawberry Pie
Patriotic Delight
Easy Strawberry Ice Cream
Southern Banana Pudding
Mandarin Orange Cake
Easy No Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake
Knock Ya Naked Brownies
Marshmallow Brownies
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies
Smore's Cookie Bars


Beverages
Southern Sun Tea
Limeade
Watermelon Agua Fresca

I hope you enjoy the recipes and have a
Happy and Safe Memorial Day!

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Wingers Sticky Finger Wraps {Potluck Sunday}

Last week for dinner we had these crazy good Sticky Finger Wraps pictured above. I found this recipe a couple weeks back at Life as a Lofthouse. I knew as soon as I saw this recipe that it was defiantly something I needed to make. My first thought of this recipe was that this could be "dinner made two ways".

Anyone who has a picky eater knows exactly what I'm taking about. My son Carson probably wouldn't be too crazy about the sauce, but I'm pretty sure everyone else would love it. No problem I could just pull his chicken strips out before I cover them in the sticky finger sauce. This way I could please everyone.

The recipe for the sticky finger sauce is slap you silly easy. It only consists of three ingredients, Franks Original Hot Sauce, brown sugar and water. That's it! Now make sure to use Franks Original Red Hot because I'm hearing from everyone that's the only one to use.

I toned down the amount of hot sauce by 2 tablespoons just to make sure it wasn't too spicy for my daughter. Really it wasn't spicy at all so next time I will add the full 6 tablespoons called for.

Now I don't have a "Wingers" anywhere near by, so I really can't compare these to the original, but I have to say they were fabulous. We liked them as a wrap and served by themselves, so this recipe is a KEEPER! I have included a few step by step photos, but the full recipe is at the end of this post.

Today I will be bringing these fantastic Sticky Finger Wraps to our Virtual Potluck. Now it's your turn, do you have a recipe you would like to bring to our potluck? If so then you can link up at the end of this post. Please link directly to your post, not your homepage and don't forget to include a link back to Mommy's Kitchen. I hope y'all will take some time and stop by all of the wonderful blogs who have contributed a recipe.

Bake the chicken strips according to package directions. Add the brown sugar, franks hot sauce and water to a medium sauce pan. Cook the sauce over medium heat until heated through and the sugar is dissolved. Add the cooked chicken strips to a bowl that has a cover. Pour that yummy sauce all over the chicken strips and seal the bowl shut. Shake the bowl until all the chicken strips are covered with the sauce.

Wrap the sticky fingers in warmed flour tortilla with desired amount of cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. You can also eat them plain or dip into ranch dressing.

Enjoy

Wingers Sticky Fingers Wraps

6 - tablespoons Franks Original Hot Sauce
3/4 - cup Brown Sugar
4 - tablespoons water
8 - Frozen Breaded Chicken Fingers
4 - Flour Tortillas (burrito size)
2 - cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 - cup Tomatoes, chopped
2 - cups Lettuce, chopped

Bake the chicken fingers according to package directions. While the chicken strips are baking prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan heat the hot sauce, brown sugar and water over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and sauce is heated thoroughly. About 5-10 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and set aside until the chicken strips are ready.

Place cooked chicken fingers in a large plastic container. Pour the sauce all over the and shut with the lid. Shake until all the chicken fingers are coated with the sauce. Place two sauce-coated chicken fingers onto the tortilla. Add desired amount of cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Wrap up and serve. You can also just eat them plain and dip into ranch dressing.

Recipe Yields: 4 servings

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Nutella S'mores {Indoor S'mores}

Are you Nutty for Nutella? Well we are! In our house we try and spread Nutella on whatever we can get our hands on. Most times we just eat it right out of the jar by the spoonfuls. Yesterday after the kids got home from school we made some easy Nutella S'mores. Goodness gracious they were those good.

We recently found a great deal on Nutella at our local Costco. If you have a Costco near you I highly recommend you buying it there. We got two 26.5 oz jars for under $9 that is such an awesome deal. I have been getting mine at the grocery store for $3.97 for a small jar. Well not anymore!

OK now back to the S'mores!!! There's really nothing to this recipe and it only requires three ingredients. Nutella, large marshmallows and graham crackers that's it. Just smear about two tablespoons of Nutella on one half of a graham cracker and then top with one large marshmallow.

Place each graham cracker half on a baking sheet and under your ovens broiler. Now don't try and be like me and cram two marshmallows on your s'more. Believe me when I tell you it doesn't work, so just use one. No worries though I just peeled that sucker off and ate it.

You can also use a toaster oven like we did to make it even easier. Toast until the marshmallow is lightly browned. Remove and top with a second graham cracker half and smoosh down. I am not sure which I like better Traditional S'mores using chocolate bars or with Nutella.

If you're a Nutella junkie then you must make these s'mores asap because they are that good. Before I go I wanted to share another recipe for Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies from the Noble Pig. Those brownies will be my next Nutella venture that I conquer. Don't they just look to die for?

Nutella S'mores

2 - Graham cracker squares
2 - Tablespoons Nutella Hazelnut Spread
1 - Large Marshmallow, toasted

Spread the Nutella on one half of the graham cracker. Top with one marshmallow. Place the graham cracker half in the toaster oven or you can use your ovens broiler. Toast the marshmallow until lightly browned. Remove and add the second graham cracker half. Smoosh down and enjoy.

Makes one S'more! Of course we made way more than that!


Recipe adapted from: Hub Pages

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Simple Sesame Noodles W/Chicken & Snow Peas

The other night I was pretty tired so I wanted to make something easy peasy for dinner. I have been craving Asian food, but then I always am. I remembered this recipe over at someone's blog who needs no introduction....... The Pioneer Woman. Everyone loves Ree, so I am sure this recipe for Simple Sesame Noodles isn't anything new, but it's new to me.

The photos at her site were so mouthwatering that I had to make this noodle dish. The best thing about this recipe is that it's simple just like the title says. Just toss the ingredients together and pour it over hot noodles. It doesn't get any easier than that.

Besides eating these noodles plain you can jazz them up a bit and add chicken, shrimp, pork and vegetables. I added some stir fried chicken and snow peas to make it into a meal. But believe me these noodles are great just served plain or along side grilled grilled chicken or beef.

Next time I make Grilled Soy Honey Chicken I am serving these noodles. I really thought this recipe fell under the category of "chic" food, but I was wrong. My husband and daughter loved them. I have included a few step by step photos, but these noodles really are a snap to toss together. Thanks Ree for another fabulous recipe!!!!

Start by boiling the noodles cook just until al dente. Whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, hot chili oil and canola oil together in a bowl and set aside. Taste and adjust the ingredients as needed. I cut down the sesame oil by one teaspoon, but it is your preference. While the noodles are cooking, saute the chicken.

I tossed the chicken in a bit of stir fry sauce before cooking, but you can leave it plain. When the chicken is cooked through add the snow peas and cook for an additional 3 - 5 minutes then turn off the heat. Drain the noodles and add the chicken and snow peas. Pour prepared sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat. Sprinkle with green onions and toss again.

Enjoy!

Simple Sesame Noodles W/Chicken & Snow Peas

12 - ounces, fluid thin noodles (soba noodles) or thin spaghetti, cooked & drained
3 - boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1 - cup snow peas
1/4 - cup soy sauce
2 - tablespoon sugar
4 - cloves garlic, minced
2 - tablespoons rice vinegar
3 - tablespoons pure sesame oil
½ - teaspoons hot chili oil or chili garlic sauce
4 - tablespoons canola oil
2 - whole green onions, sliced thin

Start the noodles in a pot of boiling water. Cook until al dente. Whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, hot chili oil and canola oil together in a bowl and set aside. Taste and adjust the ingredients as needed. I cut down the sesame oil by one teaspoon. While the noodles are cooking, saute the chicken pieces.

I tossed the chicken in a bit of stir fry sauce before cooking, but you can leave it plain. When the chicken is cooked through add the snow peas and cook for an additional 3 - 5 minutes. Drain the noodles and add to the chicken and snow peas. Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat. Sprinkle with green onions and toss again.

* I used chili garlic sauce in place of the hot chili oil. That's all I had on hand.

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Black Bean Mango Salsa {Potluck Sunday}

Good morning everyone. I am up bright and early this morning because today we are visiting our local peach orchard. The kids and I are really excited. Hopefully I will have my pick of some goodies today. I plan on buying some peaches, cream peas, peach pecan bread and some moonshine syrup for my pecan pies. I ran out over winter and I can't wait to get my hands on it again. Fingers crossed Hams will have some left today. But, before I head out I wanted to get my Potluck Sunday dish posted.

Today's dish is a quick and tasty Black Bean Mango Salsa. I prepared this salsa the other night when we had grilled chicken for dinner. I had 3 lonely mango's left that I had bought on sale last week for .25 each. That was such a steal of a deal.

I remembered this salsa recipe when I was trying to think of something different to make to use up the last of the mango's. Black beans, corn, mango's, red onion, cilantro, and lime juice make up this colorful yet easy salsa recipe. This salsa takes only minutes to throw together and pairs perfectly with any grilled meat or fish.

If you're looking for a quick appetizer this salsa is also great served all by itself with tortilla or pita chips for dipping. Make sure to use sweet ripe mango's and fresh lime juice for best results. The hardest part of the whole recipe was letting the salsa chill for at least an hour before serving. As for me, I couldn't wait and dove right in with some pita chips. Delicious, this recipe is so sweet and refreshing.

Today I am bringing this yummy Black Bean Mango Salsa to our Virtual Potluck. Now it's your turn, do you have a recipe you would like to bring to our potluck? If so then you can link up at the end of this post. Please link directly to your post, not your homepage and don't forget to include a link back to Mommy's Kitchen. I would like to thank everyone who participates in Potluck Sunday every week. I hope y'all will take some time and stop by all of the wonderful blogs who have contributed a recipe.

This recipe is easy peasy to make. Start by dicing up those pretty mango's. This can be a bit tricky so I have included a helpful video on how to cut a mango. This can be done two different ways so pick which is the easiest for you.

Once you have cut and diced the mango add to a medium size bowl. Next add the black beans, corn, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Lightly toss the ingredients together and chill at least 1 hour before serving. Well that's if you can wait that long.

With all the bright colors this salsa is the perfect summer side dish. Enjoy!!!!!

Black Bean Mango Salsa

3 - 4 Mangos - peeled, seeded, and diced
1 - (15 ounce) can bush's black beans, drained and rinsed
1 - (10 ounce) can white shoepeg corn, drained or 10 ounces frozen yellow corn, thawed
2 - tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 - tablespoon red onion, diced
1 - lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Stir the diced mango, black beans, corn, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Chill at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with tortilla or pits chips for dipping or along side of grilled chicken, steak or fish.

Recipe Credit: Bush's Beans

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Yummy Five Chip Cookies & {My Cheapskate Ways}

Everyone loves a good cookie don't ya think? My favorite cookie by far is Oatmeal Scotchies, but I love experimenting with all sorts of cookie recipes. To me cookies that include some sort of baking chip in them are usually these best. I have had this recipe for Five Chip Cookies tucked away in my recipe file for quite some time now.

For some reason this recipe kept getting pushed aside for something else. I can honestly say that it wasn't anything personal against the recipe, but more likely my penny pinching ways kicking into overdrive. You see this recipe calls for five different varieties of baking chips. Heavenly if you ask me but buying five bags of baking chips at one time can be a bit costly.

Well last weekend when I went grocery shopping I finally just bit the bullet and bought them. I tossed all five bags of chips in the cart and buried them somewhere between the toilet paper and the boxed items. Yep that's what I did. I kept thinking to myself "out of site, out of mind". That way I couldn't see them and have an opportunity to change my mind and toss them back on the shelf. I do that more times than I can count.

It took everything for me to just stand by and watch all those chips at $2.98 a bag go rolling by at the register. I just turned around and kept telling myself you can use those chips for more than just this recipe so be strong. I'm happy to say that my cheapskate self made it through and didn't end up snatching all those baking chips from the lady scanning my groceries. Yay Me!!!!!

Yesterday was the perfect day to bake up some cookies for two reasons. One because we were due to get some pretty nasty weather, so I knew the kids would be stuck in the house. And two, because we had an empty cookie jar. In my opinion there's nothing worse than an empty cookie jar gracing your counter.

I prepared the cookie dough while the kids were in school and as soon as they got home we baked up these yummy cookies. I'm so glad that I didn't put all those baking chips back because these cookies are divine. They have a peanut butter and oatmeal cookie base with addition of semi sweet, milk chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate and peanut butter chips.

I hope you too will bite the bullet and purchase all the chips required for this cookie recipe. Take it from Tight Wad Tina they are so worth it. Don't worry the recipe only calls for 2/3 cup of each variety of baking chips, so this will leave plenty for another recipe. Now we have a full cookie jar again.

Before I go I also wanted to let everyone know that today I am Guest Blogging over at Cooking with Libby. I hope you will stop by and check it out. I am highlighting a recipe from the Mommy's Kitchen Archives. I know you will love Libby's Blog as much as I do.

Five Chip Cookies

1 - cup butter, softened
1 - cup peanut butter
1 - cup sugar
2/3 - cup packed brown sugar
2 - eggs
1 - teaspoon vanilla extract
2 - cups all-purpose flour
1 - cup old-fashioned oats
2 - teaspoons baking soda
1/2 - teaspoon salt
2/3 - cup each milk chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate and butterscotch chips

In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 9- 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks. Yield: 4-1/2 dozen.

Recipe Source: Taste of Home

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Thai Coconut Rice & A Wonderful Mothers Day

Happy Tuesday everyone!!! I hope y'all had a wonderful Mothers Day? I know I did. We really didn't do anything special but it was still a great day. My husband and kids took me out for breakfast to my favorite place to eat, Cracker Barrel. The biggest decision was choosing to go out for breakfast or dinner.

I chose breakfast because I was in the mood for some good ole country food. I had the sunrise sampler with eggs, sugared ham, grits, hash brown casserole, fried apples and buttermilk biscuits. Goodness it was a wonderful meal to say the least. Since there was a bit of a wait I got to browse around their gift shop. Of course I found a few things and they were on clearance as well (I always love that). I never come home empty handed from Cracker Barrel.

My Mackenzie was so thoughtful and used her $5 that she got from the tooth fairy to buy me a present. I thought that was so thoughtful of her. She bought me a spoon rest and salt and pepper shakers. She paid for it at the register and had it tucked away in a gift bag all by herself. So Sweet!

Since I chose to go out for breakfast we decided to toss some chicken on the grill for dinner. Before we left for breakfast I started the marinade for the Soy Honey Chicken. I knew just what I wanted to serve with it, Thai Coconut Rice. I have to say I haven't had too much luck in the past when it comes to coconut rice.

For some reason it just never turns out for me. The end result is always really thick and gooey. Not what I wanted. The other day I asked for some coconut rice advice on my face book fan page and received several positive comments and recipes. Thank you to everyone who commented.

I took two recipes and all the advice and came up with a pretty great version of my favorite rice. Everyone loved it including my daughter. I couldn't believe she liked the toasted coconut, because she dislikes so many foods due to their texture. So high five for me!!!!!!!!!! This coconut rice recipe is definitely a keeper.

I also wanted to show you two beautiful Mothers Day Cards my son Carson gave me. Both of them are so cute. On the the first one he had to answer a few question about me.

My mom always says: Thank you
My mom looks pretty when: She puts make up on
(I had to laugh at that one)
My mom likes to cook: Chicken
My mom makes me laugh when: She laughs
I love my mom because: She loves me

The second card had little bumble bee thumb prints on the front. And on the inside it said... My Mom is Thumbody Special. So sweet! I love to get homemade gifts that my kiddos make in school. They work so hard on making them and they mean so much to me. Before I go I wanted to include some step by step photos of how to make the Thai Coconut Rice.

Rinse the rice to remove the starch using a strainer. This will keep the rice from becoming gummy. Over medium heat add the oil to the bottom of a deep-sided pot. Make sure the pot has a tight fitting lid (this is a must here). Add the rice and toast for about 5 minutes (just as you do for Spanish rice). Add the coconut milk, water, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally the first 5 minutes.

After 20 minutes turn off and remove from the heat. Cover with a dish towel and let the pot of rice rest on the stove for about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in the toasted coconut and salt and pepper if desired.

Save a little of the toasted coconut for garnish.

Thai Coconut Rice

• 1 - cup jasmine, basmati or parboil rice, uncooked & rinsed
  
• 1 - tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
  
• 3/4 - cup coconut milk (half of a 13 oz can)
• 1 1/4 - cups water
• 2 - 3 teaspoons sugar
• salt & pepper to taste
  
• 3 - tablespoons sweetened coconut, toasted
  

Rinse the rice to remove the starch using a strainer. This will keep the rice from becoming gummy. Over medium heat add the oil to the bottom of a deep-sided pot. Make sure the pot has a tight fitting lid (this is a must here). Add the rice and toast for about 5 minutes (just as you do for Spanish rice). Add the coconut milk, water, and sugar.

Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally the first 5 minutes of cooking time. After 20 minutes turn off and remove from the heat. Cover with a dish towel and let the pot of rice rest on the stove for about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add a the toasted coconut. Save some of the coconut for garnish.

To Toast the Coconut: I just added the coconut to a small pan (make sure it is dry) and toasted the coconut over medium heat until lightly browned. Spread on plate until ready to use.

adapted from: group recipes

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