Girl Scout Cookie Day!

Today is the day I've waited for, when chocolate mint crispiness and toasted coconut caramel joy are delivered to my workplace in tiny, overpriced boxes. Special thanks to my sister Jenny for introducing me to Samoas during high school and converting me from my previous dislike of coconut to my current enjoyment of the stuff. She was was also the creative force behind another chocolate coconut treat that got us through the Samoa-free months of the year. The procedure is as follows:

1) Bake a 9x13 pan of brownies.

2) Frost with a can of German chocolate (coconut pecan) frosting.

3) Hide it.


The final step may only be necessary if you live in a big family, but stashing them to eat later only adds to their deliciousness.

As a final note, here is one of my favorite coconut-themed recipes. I didn't think I liked rice pudding either, until I made this. I cook some any time I have milk I need to use up.

Coconut Rice Pudding

1/2 C rice
2 C milk
2 C coconut milk
1/3 C sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Wash the rice in several changes of water and put in a pot. Add milk and coconut milk and slowly bring to a boil, stirring as needed to prevent burning. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour or until it has thickened to a pudding consistency. Add sugar and vanilla and cook 5 more minutes. Serve warm or cold, for dessert or breakfast, especially good served with mangoes.


Rinsing the rice washes off a starch layer they add in processing to keep it from getting too sticky. I use lite coconut milk because the regular stuff is like a layer of shortening with some milk on top. It's in all supermarkets I've seen, in the Asian aisle. The original recipe is on the back of the yellow package of Golden Star brand jasmine rice. I think it's best using jasmine rice, but it's still great with normal short or long grain rice.

Happy cooking.