Outdoor Wednesday ~A Taste of the Tropics

So maybe my post title is a little deceiving..but bear with me til the end and you might get a little inkling of truth. We are experiencing very frosty temps here in the Pacific Northwest. The thermometer registered a whopping 10°F when I left the house for work this morning. Luckily (from a commuting perspective) we have been precipitation free, so snow or icy roads to contend with. There has been some pretty frost though.


Now I know some of you that grew up in or live in areas that get tons of snow and very cold weather every year are saying whats the big deal!



But there is something magical to me to see all of the icy sparkles


The crystal formations are pretty cool too


The green beneath the frost seems so unlikely


And the contrast with red is stunning


The most amazing are the signs of summer trying to hang on


Just barely......


So are you shivering yet??? How about that taste of the tropics I promised to warm you up...or at least a taste of a really good candy bar (coconut lovers turn away). This hot chocolate featured in this months Food Network Magazine is like a Mounds in a cup.....so rich and coconutty. A little of this stuff goes a LONG way..so beware and look for your tiny cups.


Cocoa Colada

1 14 oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
4 oz chopped milk chocolate
1/4 cup toasted coconut

Bring milk and water to a simmer over low heat. Add sugar and chocolate and whisk to melt. Spike with coconut rum if desired (I didn't have any but did add a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla) Top with toasted coconut.




These were great with a few shortbread cookies! I used a recipe shared by my friend Susan at Savoring Time in the Kitchen. Its utterly amazing what 3 simple ingredients can be transformed into. Don't skip the sugar sprinkling step...I think it makes the cookie!!

Shortbread Recipe

1 cup soft salted butter
1/2 cup Baker’s Sugar (superfine)
2 cups all purpose white flour (you can substitute ½ cup of rice flour and 1-1/2 cups AP flour for a different texture)

Cream the butter until very light and fluffy. Cream in the sugar a little at a time until the sugar dissolves (this takes a while).

Mix in about 1-1/2 cups flour gently by hand. Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead in only as much flour as is needed to make soft shape-able dough that holds together well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out about 1/3 inch thick and cut into shapes with a knife or cookie cutters, or pat into a 1/3 inch thick round (or rectangle) pan by hand (I use a 9x9x2 pan), prick with a fork every 1-2".

Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 300 degrees for 30 to 50 minutes, (depending on the size you are making...cut-outs will take less time, pan shortbread will take more time) until pale golden brown all over. I like to sift more superfine sugar over the top when they come out of the oven. Let sit for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack. If you are making pan shortbread, cut into small squares with a very sharp knife right away, then allow to cool.

Check out all of the other Outdoor Wednesday posts over at A Southern Daydreamer