Coconut Corn Flake Kisses

Posted on May 17, 2016

Are you guys ready? Ready to have your mind’s blown with this crazy recipe??

I’m not joking. This is like a French Macaroon, meets an American coconut macaroon, meets rice crispy treats (just made with corn flakes). Your brain and tastebuds are about to go… BOOM.

Grams was the queen of baked goods. Cooking in general. But man, every time we came to visit, grams was always sure to make your favorite meal and dessert. There were always cookies, pie, cakes, you name it… it was there. She loved experimenting in the kitchen and her desserts were no exception. I couldn’t even tell you how many different types of grandma cookies I’ve tried over the years. This recipe is one of my kitchen experiments. I’ve never seen anything like it, so what the heck?! Figured we’d give it a try.

This is actually perfect for kids. It’s a fun interactive recipe and it kind of like a healthier version of rice crispy treats. You know pretty much everything that is going in it. You could use any cereal for this and make it gluten free too!

Now again, I have used a recipe from gram’s mother’s cookbook. This recipe is originally from a Mrs. S. F. Henderson of Apollo, Pa. And yes… I know it’s spelled Cocoanut in this book but know that’s the old fashioned way of spelling coconut. This is the same with a ‘moderate oven.’ This is an old school terms for an oven at 350°-375°. So without further ado, I give you this unique 70+ year old recipe!

Cornflake Coconut Kisses

2 eggs whites, beaten very stiff (stiff peaks)
1 cup sugar
2 cups of “Kellogs Corn Flakes”
1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut (found it very cheap in the bulk bins at Wegmans)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°. Separate eggs. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Whip in one cup of sugar. Carefully fold in corn flakes, coconut and vanilla. Make sure that everything is combined and coated well. This is a very ‘loose batter.’ Don’t worry. Trust me, as long as everything is coated, this will cook.. puff up and stay together. Once everything is combined, drop balls of about 1-2T of the mixture onto parchment paper. Make sure to space out drops evenly. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool and enjoy this craziness 🙂

Ever wonder what it looks like when we’re shooting? Here’s a bird’s eye view. Anyone who tells me their space is small hasn’t seen where I shoot. Especially when the hubs is 6’5″ and sitting on the floor lol. He’s doing such a good job hand modeling though, isn’t he?

Photography and writing by:

Alysha Yoder Photography

(b) www.alyshayoderphotoblog.com

www.alyshayoderphoto.com (e) alyshayoderphoto@yahoo.com (p) 610.762.7810

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Joan and Tim – 4.16.16

Posted on May 11, 2016

What a wonderful wedding to start the season with! These two lovebirds have been together for 17 years! After a long romance in the summer of 2015, Joan proposed to Tim on their boat with the light of a thousand candles and their children’s cheers from their dock. While neither was looking for love, Joan and Tim met out on the water where Tim was captioning the boat Joan had been assigned to. With a mutual love of the water, biking, and hiking, it was a match meant to be!

There wedding day couldn’t have been more beautiful (especially considering the previous weekend it had snowed!). Along with their family, they made a lot of the decorations too! Even creating custom cocktails for the event (mojitos and Italian guava bellinis). They even had the florist create a beautiful floral piece around a piece of driftwood they had found. The wedding was held in their backyard right on the water in beautiful Calvert County, Maryland. It was rustic, but chic with tiny touches of elegance throughout. They even set up a popcorn machine with Italian sodas and a movie screen to boot!

Guests watched these two get hitched, with heartfelt speeches from their children and touching moments between them. Joan’s grandson even walked her down the aisle. After their first kiss was shared, a big family hug was had by all! Hugs, laughter and smiles were shared between friends and family at the reception. You couldn’t find a sad face in the crowd! At one point, Joan even tried to pull Tim into the water! What a fun wedding this was! I couldn’t have been happier to have this be my first wedding of the season. So without further ado, I give you Joan and Tim’s wonderful Maryland wedding:

This is one of my favorite wedding moments. The bride’s granddaughter had drawn her a picture and she’s giving it to her grandma right before the wedding. The look on her face as she gives Joan the picture is just priceless.

Photography and writing by:

Alysha Yoder Photography

(b) www.alyshayoderphotoblog.com www.alyshayoderphoto.com

(e) alyshayoderphoto@yahoo.com (p) 610.762.7810

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Fresh Basil Dressing

Posted on May 5, 2016

So yes, I’m a little late this week. I know. Here in PA, it’s been rainy, gross, and all around dreary the past nine days. Not only am I sluggish, but my motivation has been literally… nothing. So I slacked. Fail Alysha. But I hope I can make it up for you with a summer family favorite. I figured, if it can’t be bright and cheery outside… at least I can make something a little bright and cheery for you!

Now, when tomatoes are producing a million a minute in the family garden, we ate this every other night growing up. Sometime this summer, I’m going to show you all the different ways this recipe can actually be used. It’s like a miracle dressing, and it’s super super easy to make. It can stay in the fridge for a week or if you’re a busy parent, like my mom was, she’d make HUGE batches and freeze it.

Full disclosure, this recipe did not come originally from grandma. Although she definitely made it. My mom originally got this from her friend, Jean Barker. It’s been floating around the family ever since. If you’re looking for a fun and delicious recipe for Mother’s Day, this is certainly a crowd pleaser. Add some mozzarella and toasted almonds and it’s like a deconstructed caprese salad with a twist! The hint of sugar with some red wine vinegar makes this sweet and tangy.

Trust me. Pure dressing winner.

On the plus side, this is also vegetarian, and very allergy friendly. You could substitute soaked cashews, almonds, or pine nuts for the parmesan. Thus making it gluten and dairy free. So grab some fresh ingredients, and away we go to awesome dressing land.

Fresh Basil Dressing:

2 T red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic (who are we kidding, we always added enough so you could smell us for miles, 4+ will do for those who like it strong)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil (I’m lucky enough to have some beautiful EVOO we brought back from Greece)
Variety of tomatoes
Mixed Green

Here’s the easy part. You literally put this all in a food processor and blend until smooth. Drizzle over your salad. Add other veggies and toppings to taste. Boom. Done.

Tips:

If you want it to be more ‘liquidy’ you can add more olive oil or vinegar.
If you don’t have a food processor, I use my Magic Bullet or my blender.
Salad is awesome with mozzarella and toasted almonds or pecans. Capers also make a great addition.