Coconut Cake & Thyme Fried Chicken

Every New Years day we have our Christmas with Nate's Mom's parents, aunts, uncles and cousins.... we had a very yummy late lunch and for dessert I brought Paula Deen's Coconut Cake. I got this from a cook book my mom gave me for Christmas... it took FOREVER to make, but it was soooo worth the time! This three layer coconut cake was amazing and soooo pretty!!!

1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow pudding cake mix (I did not have cake mix, so I made yellow cake from scratch. it was soooo yummy!!)

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups sugar

12 ounces shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350*Make cake by following directions on the package but substitute milk for the water. Divide and bake in three 9-inch round cake pans for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then remove from pans.Stir together sour cream, sugar and coconut. Spread between slightly warm layers, piercing each layer as you stack them. Store cake in container in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. This allows cake to soak up moisture from the coconut.On the third day, prepare icing for cake.

ICING
2 unbeaten egg whites

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons light corn syrup or 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/3 cup cold water

dash of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Additional coconut to top icing (about 1/2 cup )

Place all ingredients except vanilla and additional coconut in top of a double boiler, but do not place over heat. Beat for one minute with an electric hand mixer.Place over boiling water and cook, beating constantly, until frosting forms stiff peaks (about 7 minutes). Remove from boiling water.Add vanilla and beat until it reaches spreading consistency (about 2 minutes).Frost sides and then top of cake. Sprinkle with additional coconut.

Last night for dinner we tried Thyme Fried Chicken from the biggest loser cookbook.... sooo yummy!!!

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp ground thyme

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs

Directions
Marinate chicken breasts in buttermilk for 6 hrs to overnight.

Preheat oven to 450F. Lightly mist medium sheet pan with extra virgin olive oil spray.In small bowl, mix the mustard, thyme, garlic powder, salt, pepper.

Remove chicken breast from buttermilk and sprinkle on the thyme mix. then roll in the panko bread crumbs.

place chicken in pan, and lightly spray the top of the chicken with olive oil spray. Cook for ten minutes and then flip the chicken, spray the other side with olive oil spray and cook for another ten minutes or until chicken is white.

We had this with rice pilaf and broccoli. It was very good! (just for the record anytime anything calls for salt (ESPECIALLY DESSERTS!) I always omit it, I think seasonings, butter and oil all have more than enough salt... and I never ever bake with salt!)