Hawaiian Haystacks

INGREDIENTS
Coconut Rice
2 cans reduced fat coconut milk
2 cans* jasmine rice
*use the coconut milk cans to measure rice

Chicken Gravy
1 can coconut milk, divided
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded chicken**
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup whole milk

Toppings

Pineapple tidbits
Sliced black olives
Crunchy chow mein noodles
Shredded coconut
Slivered almonds
Shredded cheese
Shredded carrots

Mandarin orange segments
Frozen green pees, thawed
Diced bell peppers, green, red
Diced tomatoes
Diced green onions
Diced celery

**Make this as easy or involved as you like. Rotisserie chicken is delicious, and so is frozen chicken made in the instant pot and shredded. I guess you could even go the canned chicken route.

DIRECTIONS

In your rice maker, combine jasmine rice and coconut milk, and cook according to package directions. The rice will be moist, and has the potential to burn on the bottom.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 can coconut milk and sour cream. Whisk until combined and then set aside.

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter.

Add the garlic, continually moving garlic around until lightly browned. Add flour, and whisk in the pan for 1-2 minutes. The longer you cook this portion, the more flavor you will impart on your gravy.

Add salt, black pepper, and onion powder, milk, and half of the coconut milk.

Whisk until combined, and bring to a simmer.

Cook until gravy starts to thicken up, about 2-3 minutes.

Whisk in remaining coconut milk, and the sour cream.

Add chicken, and stir until the gravy has warmed through.

Place all of your toppings in individual bowls, or in rows on a sheet pan for people to pick their own toppings.

To Serve:

Bed of coconut rice, top with chicken gravy and pile toppings as high as your tummy will let you.

Pumpkin Cake with Brown Sugar Caramel Frosting

Recipe adapted from: Our Best Bites
INGREDIENTS
Brown Sugar Caramel Frosting
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, divided
(2 sticks, and 1 stick)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1 lb powdered sugar

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat two sticks of butter, brown sugar, cream, and salt over medium heat until sugar has dissolved, and mixture is combined.

Turn heat up to medium high, and bring to a boil. Let mixture boil for 1 minute, pushing mixture down from sides of pot. Reduce heat, and let simmer for about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat, and carefully* pour into a mixing bowl to cool. While the mixture is cooling, add remaining stick of butter 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until melted.
*Hot, simmering sugar is way hotter than simmering water.

When caramel has cooled to lukewarm, carefully incorporate  powdered sugar until fluffy and soft.

Use immediately, as frosting will thicken upon standing.

Okay friends, this frosting is my new favorite thing ever. It came about because the penuche frosting from my original post with this sheet cake has a tendency to become a little grainy, and is extra sweet. So I found the recipe for brown sugar caramel frosting from Our Best Bites, doubled the recipe, and added an extra stick of butter to give the sugar something to stay dissolved in. I also omitted the vanilla, because my vanilla was lost in our recent kitchen remodel, and I haven't made my way to Trader Joe's to purchase more. The extra butter does require that the cake stay fairly cool, because the butter makes the frosting extra soft and it will melt all over the place. But if you're looking for a frosting that has a warm, caramel flavor WITHOUT being sickly sweet, this is your jam.

The Grey Stuff

Recipe Adapted from The Disney Diner

INGREDIENTS
2, 3.3 ounce packages, instant white chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1, 14.3 oz package Oreos (regular)
3 tablespoons instant chocolate pudding mix
1, 16 oz tub Cool Whip

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and whole milk. Add the packages of instant white chocolate pudding. Whisk it together, and place in the refrigerator to set, about 10 - 15 minutes.

While the pudding is setting, place Oreos in a food processor, and blend until fine. Set aside 1/3 cup of the crushed Oreos.

Remove the pudding from refrigerator. Add the crushed Oreos to the white chocolate pudding, and mix in the 3 tablespoons of chocolate pudding mix. Gently fold in the Cool Whip, and voilà! The Grey Stuff!

To Serve: The Red Rose Tavern in Disneyland served their version of The Grey Stuff over a lemon shortbread cookie, red velvet cupcake, topped with a fresh raspberry. It was freaking delicious. I didn't have the patience to make lemon shortbread cookies, so I made red velvet cupcakes, topped with raspberries, and then I piped The Grey Stuff using a Wilton 1M tip, and topped with pearl sprinkles. I totally forgot to sprinkle some crushed Oreo on top, but you should.

Midnight Cookies 'n' Cream Ice Cream

Inspired by Chocolate Midnight Cookies
by Häagen-Dasz in Downtown Disney
Recipe Adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

INGREDIENTS
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (100% cacoa)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 cup evaporated milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 ounces crushed Oreo Cookies

DIRECTIONS
Combine 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
Chop the chocolate and place it in a medium bowl.
Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
Combine the remaining milk, cream, evaporated milk, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add the cocoa, whisking until it is incorporated, and continue to boil for 4 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the chocolate. Add the salt and whisk until the chocolate is melted.
Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon resealable plastic freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until the mixture is chilled through, about 30 minutes.
Pour the ice cream base into the ice cream maker and process until thick and creamy per the machine’s instructions.
Gently stir in crushed Oreo Cookies, place in a quart sized container, topped with parchment paper before regular lid, and then freeze for a minimum of 3 hours in the freezer.
Scoop, and serve to all your favorite people.

The first time I took my niece, Peggy, to Disneyland, all she wanted for a snack, all day, was ice cream. And I just kept forgetting to take her to get some- there are waaaay better things to eat in the land of happiness than ice cream. So after our first day, while walking through Downtown Disney on our way back to the room, she noticed the Häagen-Dasz and reminded me that all she wanted was ice cream. So we made that quick pit stop. She was kind of being a butthead, didn't know what she wanted, so I chose for her. And I chose the first ice cream that I saw an advertisement for and that is what she got. She kind of pouted a little bit, and then she got the ice cream. And good heck, was it good! So, as I was making ice cream this last week, my facebook kept popping up that a year ago I was in Disneyland. Which made me crave this ice cream, so I made it happen! This is seriously SO good! You should definitely make it today!