Drink Recipes: Coco Loco

I came across the Coco Loco drink about a year ago when entertaining some friends on Memorial day, and now it's one of my favorite tropical drinks to make.  This is a great drink to try in the coconut drink cups I posted earlier. There are a few different recipes out there, but I decided to come up with one of my own renditions.  The main ingredients behind the Coco Loco is the use of coconut (or cream of coconut), rum, and milk.  There are several different recipes I came across that add everything from pineapple juice to whole bananas.  In the recipe I developed I used different ingredients that I felt enhanced the coconut flavor but didn't turn it into a different drink.  I tried using pineapple juice but this made the drink seem to much like a pina colada. I also tried adding a whole banana but this over powered the coconut flavor and made it taste like a banana daiquiri.  Although I did use creme de bananas in my recipe, this was more to bring out the flavor of the coconut.  I also used a small amount orgeat in my recipe, just enough to enhance the coconut flavor, but not too much to overpower it with the almond flavor.

Coco Loco

2  oz. light rum

1 oz. creme de bananas

1/2 oz. cream of coconut

1/2 oz. orgeat

1/2 c. milk

2 c. ice

In a blender, add the ice and remaining ingredients.  Blend well until the ice cubes are crushed to the consistency of shaved ice.

Recipe: Crock Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken

I made a delicious and really easy crock pot chicken dinner the other night, which can be served several different ways, but really brought the flavors of the Caribbean right into our home. It made the house smell delicious! Keep in mind, the sauce was not the prettiest sight (somewhat resembling green baby poo), but once it cooks, pop it on a sandwich bun, wrap, in a salad, or over a bowl of rice, and VOILA! Dinner in minutes after swim lessons on a weeknight!

We found this jerk seasoning at the Milwaukee Public Market, www.milwaukeepublicmarket.org/ where The Spice House (www.thespicehouse.com) has a stand with awesome exotic spices and spice blends, like the jerk seasoning. (By the way, if you live in the Milwaukee area and need a cheap place for a date, the Market was awesome! Lots of vendors and restaurants, and parking was free on the weekends.) Jerk has always been enticing to both Chris and I since we both like experimenting with spices. We never had a recipe that called for jerk seasoning, so with a little experimenting, I made up a crock pot recipe on the fly.

Crock Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken*

1 whole fryer chicken, cleaned and patted dry

1 onion

1 can chopped green chiles

1/4 c. olive oil

4 T. jerk seasoning

2 T. agave nectar (or honey)

2 T. lime juice

Place whole fryer in crock pot. In a blender, combine remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour over chicken, and let cook for 3-4 hours on high. When it's really smelling good and delish, pull out the chicken, and start shredding, removing all bones. Return back to the crock pot to soak up the beautiful flavors of the juice. Serve over cooked rice.

We tried it on cooked rice and it was awesome because the rice soaked up the juice as well. The shredded chicken would probably be great on a salad or a sandwich bun too.

*Although I didn't get to try, another idea I had was to use the sauce as a marinade for chicken or pork, and then grilling it...bet it would also be delicious!

ENJOY!

-Allie

Coconut Drink Cups

Make sure to add a straw, your friends will appreciate it!

Nothing says the tropics like coconut drink cups!  There is something unique and whimsical about drinking out of a coconut rather than an everyday glass.  Last year I had the opportunity to share this experience with several of our friends and it turned out to be a huge success.  It was quite the challenge at first trying to crack off the top half of the coconut shell. Most of the research I did required taking a machete or chef's knife and chopping off the top half of the coconut. So after a few attempts resulting in almost hacking off one of my digits, a huge mess, and obliterated coconuts; I thought there has to be an easier way.  Using my engineering and woodworking skills, I thought why not saw the top of the coconut off.  Sure enough it was easy, clean, and most of all safe. Listed below are a few easy steps with detailed pictures that show how it's done.


Tools (make sure to clean all tools with warm soapy water before using): 

• Power Drill
• Hand Saw 
• Paring Knife
• Straws (Your friends will appreciate not having to put their lips on the edge of a coconut!)

First:  Look for three indentations on the coconut.  Drill holes into two of the three indentations. Drain the coconut water.

  

Second: Saw off the top half of the coconut with hand saw (Note: most coconuts come with a score mark around the center. Try to saw halfway between the score mark and the end of the coconut, otherwise the cup will be too shallow).  You may need to score the shell with a knife since the shell is very hard and the saw can slip.  I like to use a vice to secure the coconut while sawing (Note: make sure not to apply too much pressure to the vise otherwise the coconut will crack).

 

Third: Wash out debris and use paring knife to clean rim.

Last: Make a stand for the coconut and add your favorite tropical drink.  To make a quick and easy coconut stand, take a 2 x 8 1/2" strip of cardstock of your choosing. Create a circle out of the strip, and tape in place. By using decorative cardstock, you can add to the whimsy of your coconut drink!

The Start of a New Journey

Aloha, this is my first attempt at blogging and I'm looking forward to the journey.  The idea behind this blog is to share ideas that can bring paradise closer to home.  Living in Wisconsin, the winters can be long, dreary, cold,and boring.  Some days I daydream of taking a trip somewhere far away to a tropical island. Unfortunately, our family finances don't allow for such luxuries.  So I thought, why not bring paradise closer to home; and no I don't mean building a ginormous greenhouse with a pool, sand, and palm trees. What I'm going for are the simple things.  For me it's a song, a meal, or some type of decor that takes me back to the tropical paradises I've once visited.  Hopefully visitors to my blog will be inspired to bring paradise into their homes.