Coconut Macaroons, Hawaii, Husbands...and Sonrise

Aloha!
let me tell you about a few things I love...


...my husband of 20 years...TODAY...who brought us all back to the place we were married...the Turtle Bay Resort on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. What a guy, what a guy!


...my girls, who have made this trip special just by being the wonderful daughters they always are,


and who also ordered amazing Hawaiian flowers for our anniversary. Thank you, surfer girls!!!


...and i also love coconut macaroons!!! OH. MY. GOSH!!!!!


Every night at the Turtle Bay Resort, they leave the most AMAZING coconut macaroons like you have never had. These are not a blob of coconut but more like a domed coconut cookie, slightly crispy on the outside edges and chewy, melt in your mouth coconut on the inside. Oh heck...they are soooooo good! And to make them even better, they deliver them wrapped in banana leaves.


WOW!!!

Here is a recipe I'm making when we get home. If you like, you can add chocolate chips to the mix or dip the bottom in chocolate. Personally, I wouldn't want anything to take away from that YUMMY coconut flavor but...
Coconut Macaroons:
4 large (120 grams) egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (60 grams) cake flour, sifted
3 cups (300 grams) dried sweetened coconut, shredded or flaked
Coconut Macaroons: In a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt. When this mixture is warm to the touch, and nice and creamy, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, flour, and coconut. Cover and refrigerate for about two hours, or until firm.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place small mounds (heaping tablespoons) of the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool.
Makes about 2 dozen Macaroons.

And just because I like you, here are are a few more yummy things we love from Hawaii...
Possibly the BEST ice cream any of us have ever had.


With flavors like Coconut Cloud Pudding and Mango Cream, you'll be in love with it too!

And when you get hungry for a yummy sandwich, here you go... You really don't even have to measure so precisely and if you don't like the idea of dipping in batter, grill it buttered like a grilled cheese. It'll be good no matter...
Fried Hawaiian Sandwich
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mashed banana (1 medium)
3 oz. cream cheese
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 finely cup chopped macadamia nuts (if desired)
1/4 cup butter
8 slices white bread
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
Dash salt
Instructions:
Make sandwich filling by mixing mashed banana, cream cheese, pineapple and nuts. Use this filling to make 4 sandwiches. Cut each sandwich in half diagonally. Combine milk, egg and salt in shallow dish. Dip each side of sandwich into egg mixture and brown quickly on both sides in butter in skillet. Serve hot.

Lastly, I love that we are going to an Easter "Sonrise" service on the beaches of Hawaii to celebrate our Savior lives!


I hope you, too, have a beautiful, blessed Easter day.
XOXOXO
Suzanne


-"Worry about nothing...Pray about everything".