care package: triple coconut macaroons and cherry pistachio bark

care package. it just sounds so sweet and homey that even i, cyncial old hen that i am, can think of nary a sarcastic cluck. care pacakge. in my mind's eye i see a pert, flouncy-red-gingham-aproned mannequin-like-woman proundly presenting a steaming casserole at the camera. care package. when i look into the mirror i see a shambling, ragged-sweatpants-clad, coffee-gulping ball of chaos spitting out a stream of profanities while clutching a burnt and blistering finger. note to self: must not look in illusion-shattering mirror while baking.

the only thing better than unexpectedly receiving these little packages of home-baked badness in the mail is, in my opinon, making them. i always imagine the recipient(s) intial look of surprise, followed by a cautious nibble, and if all is successful, ear-burning curses as they lie belly up on the couch like gigantic, half-rotten beached whales.

and so here are the contents of my little obesity-inducing box of love sent to my father and his wife out in the cold, rainy wilds of the pacific northwest. my father and his wife who have just moved in the mother-in-law...an eccentric, cantankerous, entertainingly (from afar) manic 90-something-year-old, card-carrying member of the communist party given to random bouts of public singing (exclusively american folk tunes). one might not be surprised that they are going through a difficult period of, um, adjustment. an adjustment that awaits many of us as our parents age and we choose not to pack them off to the old folks' home despite years of loudly proclaiming that "the home" is just where they're headed, should they be foolish enough to become feeble with old age.

and as an added golden-years-shattering bonus, insert an adult child and his girlfriend living in the house "temporarily" (and no, neither the child nor the girlfriend refer to yours truly). plus, as if that weren't quite enough, these extra bipends bring along with them three large dogs and one cat, bringing the total cat/dog count up to eleven. beastly, no? is it any wonder poor old pops drives thirty minutes out to town, parks in the lot of fred meyer and huddles in the driver seat, just to get a little quiet time? poor fella, what with the flu and and all. and while i'll openly admit that the image does make me giggle just a little, i am not completely without compassion, thus my little package of care came into being. of course pops claims he doesn't eat sweets but i know better. how many empty bowls of ice cream have i found hidden beneath the claw foot tub?

so if you know someone who could use a little pick-me-up, why not surprise them with an unexpected package? or maybe a *gasp* hand written letter on a cute card just to say hello. that is if you haven't forgotten how to write without a keyboard...


the following recipe is from the folks at cook's illustrated. shredded unsweetend and sweetened coconut are called for, as is cream of coconut. the sweetened coconut can be found in any grocery store, the unsweetened stuff maybe at a health food type store, and for the cream of coconut i recommend going to an asian grocery. you can find the stuff sometimes in the liquor store since it is used for pina coladas, but it's bloody expensive there. at the asian grocery it runs for under a buck a can. for extra prettiness i dipped the bottoms and tops in melted semisweet chocolate.

triple coconut macaroons
1 cup cream of coconut
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
4 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

preheat oven to 350. line a cookiesheet with parchment paper and lightly mist with pan spray. whisk the cream of coconut, corn syrup, egg whites, vanilla, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. combine the unsweetened and sweetened coconuts in a large bowl and toss together. pour the liquid ingredients into the coconut and stir until evenly moistened. chill for 15 minutes. drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. with moistened fingertips, form the cookies into loose haystacks. or you can form them into cool little pyramids, taking care the top isn't too pointy or else it will burn a little and you'll have to cover it with some chocolate! bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. remove to a wire rack after cooling for a few minutes on the pan. at this point you may dip the bottoms and tops into melted dark chocolate and place on waxed paper until the chocolate has firmed up.


this stuff is so easy to make, so open to variation and so durn tasty. many thanks to anne of anne's food for posting the recipe, which i've tweaked a bit. if you'd like to see it as originally written, go here. i think the next time i make this i might put a thicker layer of dark chocolate on the bottom and press in the nuts and cherries while still soft, then add the white choclate once that layer is cool. it would give a more uniform, less rustic appearance.

to make this vegan just omit the white chocolate. i also made one version with semisweet chocolate, macadamia nuts and coconut (the stepmother loooves coconut).

cherry pistachio bark
1 cup dark chocolate
1 1/2 cups white chocolate
1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
1/4 cup roasted unsalted pistachios, chopped

melt the dark chocolate and spread out about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick in a pan and allow to cool completely. you can pop it into the freezer if you're in a hurry. then, melt the white chocolate and add the cherries and pistachios. spread this mixture out over dark chocolate and let cool. turn out of the pan and either cut or break into pieces.