Pineapple Coconut Krispie Square

Thank you Spend with Pennies

¼ cup butter
1 (10½-oz) bag miniature marshmallows
3 oz chopped white chocolate
1½ tsp coconut or vanilla extract
5 cups toasted-rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup finely diced dried pineapple

• Place foil in a 9 x 13 pan allowing the foil to hang over the edges of the pan.
• Over medium low heat, melt butter and add in marshmallows. 
• Keep heat on low and stir until melted. 
• Add chocolate and extract and stir until smooth.
• Mix in cereal, 1 cup of the coconut, and pineapple until completely combined and press into the pan. 
• Top with remaining coconut. 
• Cool completely and cut into squares.

Chicken and 3 Cheese Manicotti

Thank you Food Thoughts of a Chef Wannabe

1lb ground chicken 
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and Pepper 
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
2-3 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg
2-3 cups crushed tomatoes or your favourite marinara
1 box Manicotti Shells (14 shells)

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  
• In a skillet, place ground chicken, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.  
• Brown until chicken is completely cooked through.  
• Set it aside and let it cool.  
• While that is happening, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil 
• Add in plenty of salt to the water and a drizzle of oil.  
• Place shells in and cook according to package directions.  
• When they are done, slowly pour out the hot water while running cold water into the pot.  
• When they are cool enough to handle, completely drain, set aside.
• In a large bowl mix chicken, all cheeses (1 cup of mozzarella here) and egg together.  
• Mix until completely combined.  
• Using a small spoon or piping bag with no rip, fill the shells. 
• Fill and place into a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  
• Line them up however you need to, in order to get them to fit.   
• When you have them all lined up, pour over half of your crushed tomatoes or marinara.  
• Sprinkle your remaining mozzarella cheese over the top 
• Add the rest of your tomato product on top.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes, until bubbly and hot all the way through

Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops

Very easy...and very tasty. Thank you Six Sisters Stuff

1 (20 oz) can pineapple rings, juice reserved
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4-6 pork chops

• Mix together the Pineapple juice (reserved from the can of pineapple rings), brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder together in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag until all the sugar is dissolved. 
• Add the pork chops and zip closed. 
• Store in the fridge for 8-12 hours (the longer, the better!).
• When ready to cook, preheat grill to medium-high heat. 
• Remove chops from bag and place on grill.
• Brush pork chops with marinade while they are cooking to let the flavour really soak in.
• Grill until pork chops are browned and no longer pink inside (about 6-8 minutes per side- depending on thickness of chops).
• While chops are cooking, place pineapple rings on grill and cook until they are warmed through and have slight grill marks on them. 
• Serve pork chops with grilled pineapple on top.

Lime-Coconut Cupcakes

Light, flavourful and perfectly coconuty.  Thank you My Baking Addiction

2 cups sugar
zest of 3 limes
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
7 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

Frosting:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest of two limes
1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Garnish:
7 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut; lightly toasted

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
• In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and lime zest and mix together with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened and fragrant.
• Cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. 
• With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, taking care to scrape the bowl. 
• Add the vanilla and mix until well combined.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
• In 3 alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. 
• Fold in 7 ounces (half) of the shredded coconut.
• Fill each prepared cupcake liner to the top with batter. 
• Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. 
• Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. 
• Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.
• While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting.
• Cream together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and lime zest until well combined. 
• Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth. 
• If frosting is too thin, gradually add in a little more confectioners’ sugar until you reach the desired texture.
• Frost the cupcakes and finish with a sprinkling of lightly toasted coconut.

*Lemon zest can easily be swapped for the lime zest.

Banana Bread with Blueberries

Thank you Julia's Album

2 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
 Pinch of salt
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup blueberries

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• In a large bowl, mix mashed bananas, Greek yogurt and melted butter, using wooden fork or spoon. 
• Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. 
• Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. 
• Add the flour last, mix just enough to blend the ingredients; do not over-mix, the lumps will work themselves out.
• Add chopped walnuts and whole blueberries to the batter and mix them in to distribute evenly through the batter.
• Butter a 4×8 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, butter the parchment paper too. 
• Pour the batter in the pan. 
• Bake for 1 hour. 
• Cool on a rack. 
• Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Pina Colada Smoothies

Make your own smoothie “kits” and keep them in your freezer so a piña colada is always just a few seconds away.Thank you I Heart Nap Time

1 can of crushed pineapple in real juice
2 small cartons of vanilla greek yogurt {Toasted coconut vanilla is delicious in this if your local grocery store carries it!}
1 can of sweetened coconut milk
milk

• Create your smoothie "kits" by making yogurt and pineapple ice cubes. 
• Spoon your yogurt and pineapple {juice and all} into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid. 
• You should get 6 yogurt cubes from each container of yogurt and 18-21 pineapple cubes out of your can.
• Once the cubes are frozen, place 4 yogurt cubes and 6 or 7 pineapple cubes into a freezer bag. You'll get 3 smoothie "kits" out of this recipe and each kit makes 2 smoothies.

• Dump the contents of one "kit" into your blender. 
• Add 2/3 cup of sweetened coconut milk and 1 cup of regular milk. If you can't find sweetened coconut milk, just stir some sugar into your regular coconut milk until it is as sweet as you like. 
• Blend until smooth, adding a little extra milk if it's too thick, and serve. 

BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

Great for the barbeque. Thank you Six Sisters Stuff

2 cups grilled pineapple, sliced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper, to taste
Barbeque sauce
Non stick cooking spray
8 flour tortillas
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
Jalapeno slices (optional)

• Grill your pineapple by cutting it into slices, sticking it on skewers and grilling over low heat.  
• Cut into smaller, bite sized pieces and set aside.  
• Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place on a grill or pan on medium heat.  
• Grill or cook on both sides until done, brushing with barbecue sauce.  
• Remove from heat and cut into thin strips or small pieces and set aside.  
• Warm griddle over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  
• Place tortillas on griddle, sprinkle on grated cheese (1/2 cup per quesadilla), chicken, pineapple and jalapeno slices.  
• Top with a small drizzle of barbecue sauce and place another tortilla on top.  
• Flip halfway through cooking.  
• Cook until cheese is melted and quesadillas are golden brown and warmed through.