Normally I crave decadent desserts but these lavender apricot thumbprint cookies are surprisingly light and delightful with a lavender cream cheese cookie base, apricot preserves, and white chocolate.

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I’m both excited for cooler temperatures as we transition towards fall but also scrambling to post all the summery recipes I made/remade but slacked on posting thus far. Technically summer isn’t over until September 22 so I have time.

However I’d be lying if I said I didn’t also have Halloween recipes already piling up to post as well. Guess this is my warning to prepare yourself for seasonal swings in recipes.

One such summery recipe are these lavender apricot thumbprint cookies. In the past I have combined the flavors of lavender with orange and white chocolate which results in a surprisingly good Froot Loops-like flavor profile. But I wanted to see what would happen if I used a slightly less acidic fruit in the form of apricots. So I made the lavender thumbprints and filled them with apricot preserves and drizzled them with purple white chocolate because why not?

I don’t think these cookies taste like Froot Loops cereal, but they are refreshingly delicious – somehow light despite being made with cream cheese and taste like you’re hanging onto summer.

I served these lavender apricot thumbprint cookies at our neighborhood happy hour that we hosted last week and they got rave reviews. One neighbor requested I make them for their daughters upcoming birthday!

I hope you give these a try before you dive into fall flavors. Just make sure you use dried culinary lavender, because not all lavender is created equal. If you buy just any old dried lavender it is often a more bitter/soapy tasting variety and could contain more pesticides (and thus not food safe). Save the regular stuff for air fresheners/decoration.

LAVENDER APRICOT THUMBPRINT COOKIES

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Yield: 3 dozen Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 tsp salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp dried culinary lavender
• 1 cup apricot preserves
• White chocolate, melted for garnish

Directions

1. In a stand mixer or large bowl with electric hand mixer, mix ingredients in order until fully incorporated (except apricot preserves and white chocolate). Shape dough into walnut-sized balls (I used my medium cookie scoop). Cover and chill dough in refrigerator for one hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until barely golden.
3. Using the back of a spoon or your thumb, gently push a crevasse into the center of each cookie immediately after removing from oven. (Be careful not to push all the way through the cookie.) Let cool on cookie sheet slightly before transferring to wire rack.
4. Once completely cool, spoon a teaspoon of apricot preserved into the center of each cookie. Drizzle with melted white chocolate* if desired. Let set before serving.

Notes

*I used purple colored white chocolate candy coating.

Source: Adapted from my Lemon Poppy Seed Cheesecake Thumbprints.

Believe it or not, this cast iron pork tenderloin cooks in just about 25 minutes. Complete with Brussels sprouts, Yukon gold potatoes, and an apricot honey-mustard glaze.

This post is sponsored by the Ohio Pork Council. All opinions are my own.

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Would you believe me if I told you that this beautiful cast iron pork tenderloin served with Brussels sprouts and potatoes takes only about 25 minutes to cook? Because it’s the truth. The trick is to first sear the outside by cooking it in the cast iron on the stovetop and then finish it in the oven.

Just make sure you have an instant read thermometer handy. Pork cuts like this tenderloin (and pork chops) should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F no matter what cooking technique you use. If you look at my photo above, there’s a slight blush pink color in the center, and that’s totally safe to eat. I actually took the pork tenderloin out of the oven when it read 140°F because during the 5 minutes of rest time it actually reached 145°F. No dry pork here!

Don’t like Brussels sprouts? You are welcome to change up the sides – maybe add some Texas Roadhouse rolls. This cast iron pork tenderloin would also be great served with Sweet Thai Chile Sauce instead of the apricot honey-mustard, if you prefer. This is why I abstained from including either of them in the title of this recipe. Choose your own adventure.

The reason I know that Sweet Thai Chile Sauce would also be good on cast iron pork tenderloin is because I had it served with grilled pork tenderloin at an event with The Surber’s, owners of a farm right here in central Ohio. There are more than 3500 family farms in Ohio who raise enough pork to feed about 25 million people – that’s over 13% of the population of the US. So even if you’re not in Ohio, when you buy pork at the grocery store or the farmers market, you could be supporting Ohio farm families that produce that pork.

Want to learn all about pork? Head to OhioPork.org for more info, including more pork recipes.

CAST IRON PORK TENDERLOIN

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Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

PORK

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin
• 2 tsp dried thyme, divided
• 2 tsp salt, divided
• 2 tsp ground black pepper, divided
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1/2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, cubed

SAUCE

• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Using paper towels, pat dry the pork tenderloin. Season on all sides with thyme, salt, and pepper; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, toss the Brussels and potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper; set aside.
4. Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the hot pan, then sear the tenderloin for 2 minutes on each side.
5. When the tenderloin is searing on its final side, add the Brussels and potatoes skillet, arranging the Brussels cut side-down.
6. After the final 2 minutes on the stovetop, transfer the whole skillet into the preheated oven. Roast for 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl blend together the sauce ingredients. After 5 minutes, brush half of the sauce over the tenderloin and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
8. Use an instant read thermometer to check the doneness of the pork after a total of 15 minutes cooking time. It is done when it reads 140-145°F. If not, continue to cook and check every 3-5 minutes.
9. When the tenderloin is done, remove from the skillet to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving with remaining sauce.

Source: Adapted from The Practical Kitchen and my Corned Beef with Honey Marmalade Mustard Glaze.

All you need is four ingredients and an hour to have these amazingly flavorful apricot pork chops on your table. It will be a family favorite!

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I’m back with yet another recipe from my mom’s recipe box! This one takes a little longer to cook (1 hour) but the prep could not be simpler. And there are minimal ingredients which are quickly mixed together before baking.

Just four ingredients:

• Apricot preserves
• Russian dressing
• Dry onion soup mix
• Pork chops

As many of the recipes my mom passed on to me, I initially found myself skeptical of the flavor combination. Apricots with Russian dressing? But I should know by now to trust the magic because sure enough this was another winner. In fact, it was an instant favorite for Bob and has been requested to be added into our normal rotation.

The flavor is reminiscent of Americanized Chinese food, sweet and tangy like sweet and sour chicken but with apricots and more depth of flavor. That’s not the most enticing comparison, but I promise it’s absolutely a must make.

The recipe card said to serve with potatoes or rice. We opted for rice this time around which probably added to the Asian-like flavor of the overall dish. Honestly I am not sure if I would have liked it as much with potatoes. But if you try it let me know how it goes!

I also served this with a side of simple steamed green beans, but if you want to elevate them try out Chinese garlic green beans.

Can I use other meat?

The original recipe from my mom was actually called “Apricot Chicken” but next to chicken breasts on the ingredient list she wrote “or pork chops or turkey thighs” so hence the change to “Apricot Pork Chops” for the recipe I shared. I am sure you could also use chicken thighs or wings as well. Heck I bet this would be a killer sauce for wings. What meat would you cook in this recipe?

One year ago: Everything Breakfast Pizza

Five years ago: Cherry-Root Beer BBQ Ribs

Six years ago: Sweet Orange Risotto with Strawberries

Ten years ago: Roasted Potato Salad

APRICOT PORK CHOPS

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Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 1 Hour 1 Hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 8 oz. apricot preserves
• 8 oz. Russian dressing
• 1 envelop dry onion soup mix
• 4 pork chops*

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an x quart shallow baking dish with non stick spray, set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, blend together the preserves, dressing, and onion mix.
3. Place pork in the prepared dish and cover with the sauce. Cover tightly with foil, then bake for 30 minutes, remove foil, and bake another 30 minutes.
4. Serve with potatoes or rice.

Notes

* Could also use chicken breasts or turkey thighs

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Ham is up for Easter with an apricot-honey glaze. Perfect for Easter brunch or dinner!

Would you rather have an Easter dinner or brunch? I’m always torn between the two but good news is an apricot-honey glazed ham is welcome at both!

Even though I love breakfast food, I tend to go for dinner for Easter because I try to not stuff myself silly with sugar for the first meal of the day. Not to say that brunch cannot be savory, if anything it lends itself to that, but that’s just how my brain works.

But back to this ham. Like I said whether you are brunching or serving dinner you need a good ham on the table and with an apricot-honey glaze you cannot go wrong with this one. The sticky sweet sauce caramelizes on the outside, sealing in the juices. Just remember to save that bone for ham bone and potato soup! Although if you don’t want to deal with a bone, maybe try a brown sugar ham steak – great for smaller gatherings or if you don’t like leftovers.

Once your apricot honey glazed ham is on the menu, all you have to figure out next is side dishes – which are your favorites? As you can see from the photo below, I have a slew of other recipes to complete your Easter dinner menu which I will be sharing over the course of the next couple weeks! (Except one recipe: I did not make any alterations to the creamy peas recipe from Food Network and thus won’t try to claim it as my own.)

To keep you up to date, here’s the Easter Menu I’ve shared thus far (updated as I post more):

• Apricot-Honey Glazed Ham
• Black Pepper Parmesan Biscuits
• Creamy Spring Peas
• Herb-Roasted Carrots & Parsnips
• Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Aioli
• Carrot Top Pesto
• Mom’s Investment Salad (aka Ambrosia Salad)
• Raspberry Almond Streusel Pie with Allspice Whipped Cream

Two years ago: Greek Deviled Eggs

Three years ago: Weekly Meal Plan: March 21-27

Four years ago: Greek Potato Casserole

Five years ago: Baked Reuben Taquitos with Thousand Island Dipping Sauce

Six years ago: Raw S’mores Cookie Dough Bites

Seven years ago: Corned Beef with Blackberry Mustard Glaze

APRICOT-HONEY GLAZED HAM

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

8-10 lb. bone-in, spiral ham fully cooked

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup apricot preserves

2 Tbsp coarse mustard

1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Fill the bottom of a a large roasting pan with one inch of water.
3. Wrap the ham in foil and place on the rack of the roasting pan. Cook until the internal temperature is 120 degrees (about 20 minutes/lb). Remove from the oven and raise the temperature to 400 degrees.
4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a medium saucepan, add the brown sugar, honey, mustards, and apple cider vinegar. Cook over medium low heat, while whisking, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat until ready to use.
5. Remove the foil and brush with 1/2 of the glaze, getting in between the slices. Place the ham back into the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove the ham from the oven and turn on the broiler.
6. Brush the remainder of the glaze over the ham. Place under the broiler for about 5 minutes. Let rest about 10 minutes before slicing.

Source: Adapted from Everyday Eileen and Good Life Eats.

Items you may need (affiliate links):

Love Italian rainbow cookies but don’t want the hassle of making them? Try this easy Italian rainbow cookie cake that looks and tastes just like Italian rainbow cookies. 

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Bob’s mom makes the best Italian rainbow cookies I’ve ever had. What really sells me is that she makes half of them with white chocolate. Even though people argue that it is not real chocolate, white chocolate it is my favorite kind of chocolate. Unfortunately she does not share the recipe.

Instead of attempting to come up with my own recipe for these cookies I cheated and made a layer cake version using boxed cake mix. When you can’t have the best, make it easy right? Fake it ’til you make it! I added almond extract, food coloring, and homemade white chocolate frosting to seal the deal.

I could have used store bought frosting to make this cake even easier but I wanted white chocolate frosting, not regular chocolate. Feel free to go the store bought route if you’re not into white chocolate or substitute the white for regular chocolate in the recipe if you want to make it yourself.

EASY ITALIAN RAINBOW COOKIE CAKE

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Yield: 12 Servings Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CAKE

• 1 box dry white cake mix + ingredients on box
• 1 Tbsp almond extract
• Red, yellow, and green food coloring (I used gel)

FILLING *

• 1/4 cup raspberry seedless jam or preserves, room temperature
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves, room temperature

WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING **

• 9 oz. white baking chocolate coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup milk, divided
• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour three 8 or 9-inch cake pans.
2. In a large bowl, prepare the cake mix as directed on the box, adding almond extract. Divide evenly between three bowls. Add just enough food coloring to make one pink, one light yellow, and one light green.
3. Pour each color of batter into the prepared baking pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool on rack for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely.
4. While the cake cools, prepare the frosting. Microwave chocolate with two tablespoons of milk in a microwavable bowl on 50% for 30 seconds - 1 minute; stirring halfway through the cooking time. Stir until smooth and set aside.
5. In a large bowl, cream together shortening, butter and vanilla. Gradually add the sugar, one cup at time, beating on low speed. Add remaining two tablespoons of milk and cooled chocolate. Beat until light and fluffy, adding more sugar or milk if needed to reach desired consistency.
6. Once the cakes are cool, slice off the tops to level if necessary. Place pink cake on platter and carefully spread the raspberry preserves on top. Place the yellow cake on top and repeat with apricot preserves followed by the green cake. Cover sides and top with frosting.
7. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

* I used strawberry jam and peach preserves instead because I already had them. ** Could use store bought chocolate frosting if you prefer.

Source: The Spiffy Cookie original. Frosting from my USA Soccer Cake.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

This month for the Secret Recipe Club I cooked from The Wimpy Vegetarian. On her blog, Susan shares her struggles of cooking for both her vegetarian diet and her husband’s omnivorous one (therefore cooking two separate meals) and how she overcome this dilemma by using her culinary school training to create just one meal with minor adjustments for the meat-loving audience at her table. In other words, on Susan’s blog you’ll find recipes everyone can enjoy regardless of which side of the table you sit.

For example, her recipe for a BBQ (Chicken) Pizza with Poblano Peppers can be made with or without chicken and she states what to change in the directions if you chose to do so. Or there are ways to trick your-meat lovers into eating a vegetarian dish with things such as Spaghetti with Chickpeas and Spicy Roasted Tomato Sauce.

Another recipe that I was interested in making was the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Cardamom but alas I had not gone strawberry picking yet. I did however spy a couple of delicious looking scones and since I recently discovered that I enjoy homemade scones, decided it was a great time to try one.

I chose an apricot scone recipe because apricots, especially dried apricots which are used in these scones, always remind me of my elementary school lunches. Other kids were grossed out by my dried apricots. It didn’t bother me though, they didn’t know what they were missing! At least I knew I didn’t have to worry about anyone stealing my food back then, but I might have to be more protective of these scones.

Two years ago: Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Three years ago: Fried Mac and Cheese

APRICOT HONEY SCONES

Makes 8 scones

Ingredients:

Heaping 1/2 cup dried apricots

1 cup boiling water

2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp orange zest

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/4 cup honey (I used Winter Park Orange Blossom)

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Coarse sugar

Directions:

1. In a medium, heat proof bowl with a lid, place the dried apricots. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and pour over the apricots. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes to soften. Drain and dice into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a large bowl,  whisk together the flour, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter until it resembles moist crumbs.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, buttermilk, and egg. Pour over the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until incorporated and forms a dough.
5. Dump dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead a couple times and shape into a 9-inch circle. Using a greased knife, cut into eight pie-slices.
6. Place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle liberally with coarse sugar. Bake for 15 – 17 minutes or until golden and set.

Source: The Wimpy Vegetarian

Craving something sweet? Try these apricot white chocolate granola bites. They are easy to make and perfect to have on hand when cravings strike.

Sunday late at night I received a phone call from Katie, a friend taking care of my cat Brady during my travels. The first thing I heard was Brady sounding miserable in the background. He has had two spells of constipation in the past few months, and it appeared it was time for round three.

Since the last two times both passed within 24 hours I decided to give him some time and tuna with a little oil to help out. As much as I hate seeing (or hearing this time) him in pain, it didn’t make sense to rush him off to the pet-ER late at night if he was just going to end up pooping in a few hours.

Monday evening he was still wailing, had not eaten a thing in two days and still had clean litter box. So Katie dashed off with him to the vet while I called to give them permission for her to admit my cat since I was boarding my plane home (thank goodness for Katie!). She got there just after 6pm, but still let her in and took their time checking him out even though they would normally be closing for the night.

Good thing too, because had he been forced to wait to be seen until morning, he would have been in serious condition. His bladder was so full, it was the size of a softball and hard as a rock. Poor thing couldn’t pee! And his toxicity levels were off the charts. Thankfully they were able to relieve him with a catheter and stayed overnight. I was told her was a very sweet cat despite his miserable state.

Tuesday morning the doctor called to tell me his levels were much lower but still not yet at normal levels. The catheter was taken out later that afternoon to see if he would be able to urinate himself (sorry if this story just became unappetizing). He thinks the blockage may have been caused by crystals and will need to go on a special diet, but first they needed a urine sample to examine. He stayed overnight again yesterday to recover further and I am waiting to hear from the doctor today in hopes that I will be bringing my little cuddle-buddy home sometime today. My apartment seems so empty without him there.

Thanks for sticking it out through that story. I hope you still want to look at food after that little tale of bowl movements. Maybe you can see some sort of transition between that and some granola bites? Yea? Ok just go with it…

Dried fruit, nuts, chocolate and oats. Typically these are the ingredients which one can play around with in order to produce a favorite granola bar. But there are times when preheating the oven is already too much effort, and passes too much time (but I want it NOW).

These granola bites are perfect for such a time. I tried them out first with the original recipe ingredients, but immediately knew the possibilities were endless. But first I need to restock on my dried fruits and nuts! What do you think would be your favorite combination? I’ve also tried “cookie dough”, banana bread, buckeye, peanut butter, s’mores.

Post updated 1/9/22, photo above is the original.

One year ago: Chicken and Veggie Nuggets

APRICOT WHITE CHOCOLATE GRANOLA BITES

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Yield: 2 dozen Prep Time: 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup unsalted cashews
• 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup agave nectar (or pure maple syrup)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt, to taste

Directions

1. In a food processor, grind the oats and nuts together until you get a flour consistency.
2. Add in the dried apricots and chocolate chips. Pulse until they are chopped up and well blended with the oat flour.
3. Add in the agave and vanilla. Mix well until a clumpy dough forms that you can easily shape into a ball without it falling apart. If it's not there yet, add more agave nectar, just a bit at a time.
4. Shape into 1" balls and lay on a dish lined with wax paper. Place in freezer of refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. Once set, transfer to an air tight container and store in freezer or fridge.

Source: Sunday Baker

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If you’re a fan of pineapple on pizza, you have to try adding a little kick for the ultimate sweet and spicy Hawaiian pizza.

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Can you believe it’s 2012?? Because I definitely cannot. And to start off this fresh start, I completely failed on posting for the first time of the new year yesterday. But for good reason, I came down with a pretty nasty head cold. I’m not fulling recovered yet, but to make up for yesterday I want to share something extra delicious with you.

What are you favorite pizza toppings? Hawaiian pizza is one of my favorite types of pizza, yet I order/make it rarely for some strange reason.

This version uses a combination of sweet apricot preserves and spicy chili Sriracha as the sauce instead of the standard tomato base – it’s fantastic and may have just ruined any chance of ordering Hawaiian pizza out ever again because I have never seen this anywhere else!

Of course, pizza, or fruit of any kind, on a pizza is often a dividing factor in a room. But if that’s the case in your household then I guess that just means there’s more for the pro-fruited pizza eaters.

Pineapple on pizza was like the gateway fruit to pizza toppings for me. I have long since graduated beyond just pineapple but I do still enjoy it in the rotation! Along with the classics as well of course. I just have a wider range of what I will eat which believe me, is worlds away from mu childhood eating habits.

Post updated 8/5/20, photo above is the original.

One year ago: Spinach Tomato Tortellini

SWEET 'N' SPICY HAWAIIAN PIZZA

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Yield: Serves 3-4 Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

1 recipe pizza dough, risen

1/3 cup apricot preserves

2 Tbsp Sriracha chili sauce

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup chopped ham

1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple

1/4 cup chopped jalapenos

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 and move rack to just above the center with pizza stone*. Allow stone to preheat for at least 30 minutes.
2. Roll out pizza dough and transfer to a pizza peel* sprinkled with cornmeal.
3. Warm the apricot preserves in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then stir in the sriracha well and spread evenly all of the pizza crust, cover with mozzarella, then evenly distribute the ham, pineapple, and jalapenos on top of the cheese.
4. Shimmy the pizza off the peel and onto the stone and bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes until the crust is crispy and brown and the cheese is bubbly. Carefully remove from oven, let cool slightly, and then slice and serve.

Notes

*If you don't have a pizza stone or peel, you can just assemble the pizza on a baking sheet.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see!
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Add some tropical flavor to your salad with this Coconut Chicken Salad – coconut breaded chicken tenders and an apricot honey mustard vinaigrette.

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Before I get to the delicious salad I am sharing with you today, I decided to follow Lindsey’s (Gingerbread Bagel) lead and fill out the ABCs of me. You may not care, which is totally fine, but today it provided me with some entertainment.

Also, since I updated this post 9 years later I provided my updated answers, if needed, in italics!

A. Age: 25 (26 on May 4th – hint hint). (2020 – 35)

B. Bed size: Queen. But my sectional couch’s chaise suffices at times. (2020 – no more sectional couch chaise :-( )

C. Chore you hate: Cleaning out hair from the shower drain. (2020 – and dusting)

D. Dogs: I think Jack Russel’s are my favorite kind I’ve ever met. But I’m more of a cat person. (2020 – my husband came as a package deal with a cat and a Jack Russel mix…but now I’m not sure I really enjoy any dogs TBH)

E. Essential start to your day: Breakfast. Doesn’t matter what it is, but I need something in my belly to get me going. No coffee though.

F. Favorite color: Purple. So much so that it has been my hair color for several years. Still a little bit of punk left in me from my high school days. (2020 – still my favorite color but my hair is currently dark green)

G. Gold or silver: Silver. But platinum is okay too ;-). (2020 – both as solidified by my wedding ring)

H. Height: 5’5″ which is why I own so many heels. Yet I wear my low-top Converse more than anything.

I. Instruments you play: I played the flute starting in Elementary school all the way through high school. Tried to teach myself the bass guitar in college but haven’t touched it in years :-(. (2020 – I sold my bass)

J. Job title: Graduate student (PhD Candidate to be technical) – AKA cheap labor. (2020 – Research Scientist, aka lightly less cheap labor)

K. Kids: I have no idea if I want kids or not. Besides, apparently I am one myself because I get carded for Rated R movies still. Hopefully I can retain my youthful look for when it will feel more like a compliment.

L. Live: Memphis, TN for the past four years, and two more to come until I graduate. I can only tolerate the heat & humidity 6 months out of the year for so much longer. (2020 – Columbus, OH)

M. Mom’s name: Anna.

N. Nicknames: Air-In, Rin, Rinny, Nire.

O. Overnight hospital stays: None ::knocks on wood::

P. Pet peeve: Flaky people.

Q. Quote from a movie: ‘The goat?” – “The REMOTE!” – Muppets from Space.

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: Older brother (w/ sister-in-law), and older step-sister.

T. Time you wake up: Weekdays I try to be up by 6:30am to get to lab before 8am, but sometimes I fail due to gross traffic. The weekends I’m usually up between 7:30-9am. I’ve completely lost my ability to sleep in.

U. Underwear: Yes, I am pro underwear. I have the black VIP Victoria’s Secret card to prove it.

V. Vegetables you dislike: Mushrooms, mushrooms, and more mushrooms. And cucumber. I’m actually impressed with myself right now for only listing two. I used to be such a picky eater growing up, the only vegetables I ate were potatoes, carrots and corn. Thankfully my taste buds finally woke up. (2020 – cucumber isn’t so bad but still ew mushrooms. It’s a texture thing the flavor is fine)

W. What makes you run late: Traffic in the morning. Gym at night.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth for routine dentist things, left shin from a bad flag football incident (but not broken thankfully just bruised from the knee down), right wrist broken from snowboarding.

Y. Yummy food you make: Is it okay that I think almost everything I make is yummy? I cannot pick and choose which are my favorites.

Z. Zoo – favorite animal: Elephants, especially when there are babies. I wish they could make mini ones as household pets.

And now for the main event! Coconut chicken had been lingering in the back of my mind for a couple months and I’m glad it finally come out with this! The coconut is perfectly crispy on the chicken and is complimented by the vinaigrette.

The leftovers will make for a great lunch or on top of waffles too. This may be the first time I finish a bag of salad greens before they spoil.

Post updated 8/27/20, photo above is the original.

COCONUT CHICKEN SALAD WITH APRICOT HONEY MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

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Yield: 2-3 servings Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

VINAIGRETTE

• 1 Tbsp apricot preserves
  
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp dijon mustard

CHICKEN

• 1 egg
• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 10 chicken tenderloins
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

SALAD

• 6 cups mixed baby greens
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1 large tomato, sliced

Directions

1. Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients; refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl; set aside.  Mix the coconut, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.
4. Working with one chicken breast at a time, dip the chicken in the bowl with the beaten egg and then coat with the coconut mixture.  Place on the baking sheet.  Once all chicken breasts are coated and on the baking sheet, evenly drizzle with the melted butter.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping once halfway.
5. Divide baby greens onto 2-3 plates. Divide carrots and tomato evenly between each plate. When chicken is ready slice on the diagonal and place on top of greens. Top with vinagrette.

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