In my Best Charlie Sheen Voice “PINNING!” with coconut shrimp rice and cherry almond cupcakes (minus the tiger’s blood!)

This is an obsession that has NOT gone away……seriously…will i ever get sick of pinterest….the number of days i’ve spent on pinterest is alarming! seriously….picture this

*heavy lidded eyes, legs crossed, pajamied and house-coated….promising myself “okay…one more pin…then it’s time for bed….whhhhhaaaattttttttttttttttt? did you see those shoes…i HAVE to pin those…and that purse….oh my gosh…those cupcakes are AMaZING! i’m just gonna click “see more pins” ONE MORE TIME

and the excitement builds as i see this little icon that says “FETCHING PINS…FETCHING PINS” bounce around on my screen …..and before i know it…..3 weeks have passed….and out of those 3 weeks, i only remember saying 3 different phrases

are you as obsessed as i am? and the first picture of me…with that silly righting on the chair…COMPLETE LIE…. i have 13 different recipes that i’ve cooked and photographed…i just haven’t posted them yet….THIRTEEN! i’ll get to those soon enough….but for now i’ll share just two with you! because my family said they were one of the best things i’ve ever made~ (which means nothing to me now….because i think they say that every 3rd meal!)

Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Jalapeno Dipping Sauce (adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything)

1 pound uncooked large shrimp peeled and deveined
2 egg whites
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl beat egg whites with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.
Place cornstarch and coconut on two separate plates. Hold shrimp by the tail and dip and coat the shrimp with cornstarch. Next, dip the shrimp in the egg whites and finally in the coconut coating well.
Place shrimp on the cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until coconut is a golden brown. Make sure to turn it once halfway through (around 8 minutes into cooking time) to make sure both sides brown.
Serve with pineapple dipping sauce (also served with rice pilaf and i had leftover sushi…which i DID NOT share!)

Pineapple Jalapeno Dipping sauce….

1 T lime juice (into the blender)
1 can pineapple tidbits drained (throw into a blender and puree with lime juice)
when done blending add diced jalapenos and stir to mix….(i used jar) it’s up to you how many you’d like to use…and i did not put jalapenos into gracie’s
spoon into little single serving bowls…perfect for dipping!

3 separate bowls….egg whites, cornstarch, coconut flakes

dip into the cornstarch

dip into egg white

dip into coconut

lay on a baking sheet

bake for 15-17 minutes or until coconut is a golden brown. Make sure to turn it once halfway through (around 8 minutes into cooking time) to make sure both sides brown….oh so yummy

and for dessert….we had Cherry Almond Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 pkg white cake mix
1 cup vanilla yogurt
3 egg whites
1 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup 7 UP
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
24 maraschino cherries

Directions

Combine first 3 ingredients, beat on low for 1 min…gradually beat in soda and cherry juice…stir in extract….fill 24 pre-sprayed muffin tins with batter and press a cherry into the batter of each cake…bake for 20-25 min at 350 or until toothpick comes out clean…cool and then frost with

Cherry Almond Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice or milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in maraschino cherry juice and almond extract. Gradually beat in additional powdered sugar. If necessary, beat in additional juice or milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until frosting reaches a spreading consistency. Makes 2 cups frosting