Learn how to unlock intense flavor, crisp texture, and beautiful golden brown color when you learn how to toast coconut. Toasting coconut gives it a nuttiness, sweetness, and complexity that dried coconut lacks – and it’s so easy to do, too!

How to Toast Coconut

Previously I relied on toasting coconut in the oven and in the microwave. Those methods work as well, but lack some of the control of the stovetop method.

The stovetop is my favorite for being able to closely watch and delivering the extra crispy bits. Since I love the crispy bits the most, this method wins for me every time now.

And once you have had freshly toasted coconut, the world is your oyster! Anywhere you’d use plain coconut in a dessert, swap in the toasted coconut for added oomph!

Use it in recipes like Coconut Cookie Bars: chocolate and toasted coconut stuffed inside chewy blondies, could any dessert possibly make me happier? Or sub it for the sweetened coconut flakes in Coconut Rice Krispie Treats for a seriously irresistible twist on classic rice krispie treats.

How to Make Toasted Coconut

To make toasted coconut, you’ll need the following items:

• non-stick skillet
• sweetened coconut flakes
• heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon
• plate

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Stabilized whipped cream is ideal for decorating cakes, pies, and adding into ice cream because it stays fluffy and stable for hours! No worries about it melting into a puddle of sweet cream.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

“Why bother stabilizing whipped cream?”, you may ask. Have you ever decorated a cake or pie with mounds of luscious whipped cream only to have it deflate or melt into a puddle overnight? Stabilized cream to the rescue!

One little addition to your cream while whipping it can save you from this nightmare scenario. Stabilized whipped cream is really just slightly thickened whipped cream with an ingredient to help it hold onto the loft and air you whip into it.

Stabilized Whipped Cream with Pudding

To make this handy-dandy stable whipped cream, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• heavy cream
• powdered sugar
• instant vanilla pudding mix*
• vanilla extract

*Do not attempt to make this using the cook and serve variety of pudding mix. It won’t work the same way!

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One of the most frequent cooking questions I answer is regarding safe meat cooking temperatures. Over the past ten years, the recommendation for pork cooking temp has changed and there’s been a bit of confusion. So, this is a great time to review – and to share one of our favorite pork roast recipes once more!

Pork Internal Temp

145°F with a 3-minute rest provides the optimal eating experience and is the minimum safe internal pork cooking temperature provided by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

I can not encourage you enough to take the time to learn how to use a meat thermometer. (This is an easy-to-use digital thermometer at a great price.) Once you’ve tried cooking pork to medium-rare or medium, the difference in taste, texture, and flavor just might blow your mind.

Pork Cook Temp

The recommended cooking temperature for pork used to be 160°F; for every cut, for every single type of pork. Now, thanks to all of the biosecurity measures and the animal health issues that are of so much importance in the pork industry, we have healthier and safer pork to eat at lower temperatures.

This means that we can safely eat pork cooked to a juicy and never dried out 145°F. And THAT, my friends, is delicious pork.

Per The National Pork Board, the recommendation for cooking pork chops, pork roasts, and tenderloin is an internal pork temp of 145° F, followed by a three-minute rest.

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A hint of sweetness with tons of crunch, caramelized almonds are a deliciously nutty and easy salad topping.

Caramelized Almonds

Salad toppings range from savory to sweet for me. While corn chips are my go-to for a savory salad, caramelized or glazed nuts are perfect for lighter salads.

Especially those with fruits paired with a light vinaigrette, like this Orange Parsley Salad. (If you haven’t tried that one yet, put it on your list to make soon. It’s been a huge hit with everyone who has tried it.)

Do you know what often makes the difference between an everyday salad and the fancier salads that we are willing to pay for in restaurants? A couple of minutes in the skillet and a spoonful of sugar.

That is all that is required to transform a handful of plain sliced almonds into a slightly sweet and crunchy topping perfect for any salad!

Candied Almonds for Salad

It never fails to make me grin when I serve a salad and the first question I hear is, “where did you get these nuts?” These almonds taste better than any salad toppings you can buy in a store and they cost a whole lot less as well.

Yes, you can buy sweetly glazed nuts in the store but trust me when I say they take just minutes. Bonus it makes your house smell amazing as well. Like you spent hours preparing dinner.

Just a few minutes is all it takes to make your salad extra special.

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Crunchy, caramelized walnuts make a sweet snack and a great topping for summer berry salads and ice cream, or a quick topping for muffins. Today I’m showing you how to make candied walnuts!

I recommend doubling the recipe if you have snack-happy kids like mine, as you might catch them snacking on them too.

How To Make Candied Walnuts

It’s easier than you might think to make candied walnuts at home. With just a pat of butter, a handful of walnuts, and a spoonful of sugar, you can stir up a batch of walnuts that are tastier than anything you can buy from the store.

I like to start with walnut halves and then roughly chop them on a cutting board. For bigger pieces, I will just break halves apart by hand if I only need a cup or so.

You can actually use this technique for other nuts as well to get the sweet, buttery toasted flavor that makes for a sweet topping.

Your candied nuts should not be sticky once they are cooled. If they are they probably did not cook long enough on the stovetop. The key is to hit that sweet spot, literally, between being cooked long enough and burnt.

Candied walnuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month. These containers work perfectly!

Candied Walnuts Recipe

1. Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat next to the stove.
2. Add the walnuts and sugar. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine.
3. Continue stirring until the sugar melts and the walnuts are well-coated.
4. Quickly transfer the walnuts to the parchment and work quickly with a spatula to spread them out to avoid clumping.

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