Ryon Grant is in the dog house.  Why?  Let me tell you a tale.  Sit back.  Grab a drink [or focaccia grilled cheese] and listen to this tale. 

I got a new debit card two months ago.  [Remember that.  It comes up later.]  For some reason my pin wasn’t working but I thought I would get a new one in the mail.  [You know how they mail the card and the pin separate?] 

Didn’t think much of it. 

The bank we use is in Michigan, so I sort of rely on my debit card for things.  Fortunately, we also have a bank down here that I can use to cash checks.  Which I have been doing for two months since my debit card isn’t working. 

But it started to become a pain to drive across town to cash a check.  The other day I was in a hurry and needed cash so I started driving to the bank.  And guess who didn’t have her check book? 

Yea, this girl. 

So I called my bank in Michigan to ask about the pin and they said it should work fine, that when they send a new card it shouldn’t change the pin.  Cool, Ill try again and call back if it still doesn’t work. 

Still doesn’t work. 

At this point I’m sort of frustrated.  I call Ryon to rant.  He asks me “what pin are you using?”  I told him my pin.  [Duh.  The same one that I was before my card expired.]

And he got quiet.  “That’s not your pin.”

Me: “WHAT DO YOU MEAN.”

Ryon: “The bank called me and asked to reset your pin and I gave them this one [insert super secret pin here.]”

Silence.

Me: “You mean you changed my pin TWO MONTHS AGO and didn’t tell me??”

Ryon: “You are every women in the world tooo meeee..”

Doghouse!

*For this recipe you need to whip up a batch of homemade Focaccia bread. 

Cheddar and Parmesan Focaccia Grilled Cheese

Yield: 2

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Ingredients

• 4 pieces of sliced focaccia bread
• 1/4 cheddar cheese
• 1/4 Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

Heat a skillet and add the butter to the pan.

Place the cheese between two slices of bread.

Grill on one side for about a minute, or until the cheese starts to melt and the bread crisps up.

Flip and continue until cheese is completely melted.

Let cool and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 7676Cholesterol: 129mgSodium: 14460mgCarbohydrates: 1321gFiber: 73gSugar: 137gProtein: 280g

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Be sure to check out:

• California Orzo Salad
• Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Scones
• Avocado Egg Salad Grilled Cheese

Annnnd guess what today is!  Its another episode of #blogfilmfood!  Our movie this movie was:

Julie and Julia!  So I admit, I have not seen this movie yet.  Sad, I know!  But Julia Childs was a fan of good food, and this cheddar and Parmesan focaccia grilled cheese totally counts as good food!  Here is what everyone else brought to our monthly par-tay!

• Kelli brought Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
• Brenda brought Mini Apple Tartin
• Kirsten brought Buttery Bruschetta
• Miranda brought Omelets!

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I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before but my mom and I do everything together.  We shop together, cook together, chase the kids together.  On one of our shopping trips we bought a bought called the Coconut Oil Miracle (affiliate) at Sams because it had a section about Crohns.  [Which we both have.  See?  Everything together!  Kidddddding!]  It basically said to eat more coconut.  I said “will do!”

On of the first recipes we tried was coconut macaroons.  They were gone in a few hours.  Ryon was at work and I told him I was making them and when he got home – gone.  Not one left.  [To be fair we didn’t make that many.  And to be even more fair we dipped them in chocolate.]  

So I texted him and told him I was making these chocolate covered macaroon bars and promised to save him some.  I rethought that promise after I ate two of them and forced myself to not eat a third.  What I’m trying to say is these are dangerously delicious.  I would make these for a group instead of hoarding them for yourself.  But its your call either way.  I won’t judge anyone who makes a whole pan for themselves.  Been there, ate that.   

And if that isn’t enough chocolate for you, be sure to check out what the other ladies whipped up for our movie night!

• Brenda made Brownie Bites with Marshmallow Cream Cheese Topping
• Jessica made Samoa Caramel Corn
• Kirsten made Homemade Chocolate Bars
• Miranda made Blueberry Truffles
• Kirsti made Chocolate Ice Cream
• Kelli made Salted Caramel Fudge
• Jenna made Dark Chocolate Cake with Red Wine

Coconut macaroon bars

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Ingredients

• 14 oz shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 sticks of butter, melted
• 2 1/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs
• 10 oz of chocolate bark
• 2 oz of white chocolate bark

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350.
Combine the butter and the graham cracker crumbs in a bowl.
Press them into the bottom of a greased baking pan. [Mine was 9x13 I believe]
Put the dish in the oven for 8 minutes.
While the crust is cooking, combine the coconut and the almond extract in a separate bowl.
Take out the crust, let cool for a few minutes and press the coconut on top of the crumbs. [see notes]
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges of the coconut mixture are browned.
Remove and let cool.
Put the chocolate bark in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. [I only had to do mine twice.]
Cover the coconut layer of the bars.
Repeat the process with the white chocolate bark, but drizzle it on top.
Let cool and enjoy!

Notes

When pressing the coconut, I used a silicone spatula with cooking spray on the back so that it wouldn't stick and pull up the crust.

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I had never used wonton wrappers before so I hunted some down in my grocery store.  [They were around the salad/lettuce/fresh produce at my store just fyi.]  Then I had to figure out how to cook them.  The package says to either add them to slightly boiling water or to fry them.  So of course I tried to bake them first.  

Yea, totally not the way to go.  There is a reason they don’t have that option on the package – it turns them into cardboard!  So making these “healthy” by baking them was out.  I tried the boiling water method next.  Nope.  Came out like soggy goo.  It wasn’t pretty.  [Although they were tasty!  I might have eaten two soggy caramel banana wontons.  No judgies.] 

Finally I gave in and followed instructions and fried them.  Best idea ever!  Or maybe the best idea ever was to drizzle them with salted caramel sauce.  All I know is that these didn’t last long at our house.  I actually had to make more for pictures.  My mom came over and ate the last two and then said “Dang, I hope you didn’t need to take pictures of these.”  That’s ok mom, I can now say these caramel banana wontons are mom tasted and approved!  

Caramel Banana Wontons

Yield: 12

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Ingredients

• 2 bananas, sliced
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 12 wonton wrappers
• oil for frying
• caramel sauce for drizzling

Instructions

Put the bananas, coconut oil, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small sauce pan. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Preheat your oil in another pan.

Place about a tablespoon of the banana mixture onto a wonton wrapper and seal the edges. *see notes

Fry on each side for about 15 seconds, or until the wonton is crisp and golden.

Drizzle with caramel sauce and enjoy!

Notes

I found the best way to seal the wontons is make a triangle shape using a paintbrush and water.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 723Cholesterol: 9mgSodium: 581mgCarbohydrates: 135gFiber: 11gSugar: 49gProtein: 13g

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If you loved this recipe, we would love for you to leave a review to help others!

Here are what the other ladies brought to the party:

• Spring Pork Spring Rolls from Brenda at Meal Planning Magic
• Homemade Sesame Candy from Jessica at Family Fun Journal
• Flank Steak from Kathy at Penney Lane Kitchen
• Chicken Lo Mein from Kristi at Mom’s Confession
• Blueberry Cheesecake Eggrolls from Miranda at Involuntary Housewife
• Chicken Lettuce Wraps from Kirsten

And if you want even more recipes like this check out: 

• Butterscotch Pecan Beer Bread
• Cinnamon Roll Cookies
• Strawberry Cake with Lemon Buttercream (This was last month’s #blogfilmfood recipe!)

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The ladies that are hosting our Blog Film Food are:

•   Brenda from Meal Planning Magic: Self taught meal planner showing ways to eat healthier, get organized and have fun along the way.
•  Jessica from Family Fun Journal: Fun ideas and projects for your family and home.
•  Joanie from Zag Left: Enjoying food, wine, and life. Taking the road less traveled.
•  Kelley from The Grant Life: Mixing food and family. [That’s me yall!]
•  Kirsten from Kirsten Oliphant: An eclectic celebration of chaos.
•  Kristi from Mom’s Confession: Family Recipes, Simple Crafts, Organizing Tips
•  Miranda from Involuntary Housewife: Putting Pinterest to the test one mess at at time.
•  Kathy from Penney Lane Kitchen: Celebrating life’s occasions big and small.

Basically a few of my favorite people.  We all met at Blog Elevated this past year and have become great bloggy and real life friends!  We even have plans to get together for a real life Blog Film Food dinner! 

I had made strawberry cupcakes for Ryley’s birthday in February and all my friends loved them.  So when my friend had a birthday get together at her house this month – she requested them.  I made a dozen strawberry cupcakes and one strawberry cake to take to the party.  [With lemon buttercream frosting.]  It worked out perfectly for both the party and our Blog Film Food movie pick! 

Can’t you just see a bunch of your friends gathered around the cake with someone tries to cut it?  [Secretly wishing for the biggest slice?]  That’s how it happened at the birthday party.  After dinner we all kind of stared at the cake waiting for it to be cut.  And don’t worry, I gave everyone nice big slices. 

If there was any leftover, I would offer you slice.  [I’m a horrible #blogfilmfood host!]  But this delicious confection flew off the cake stand faster then you can say “Steel Magnolias!” 

Strawberry Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

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Ingredients

For the cake

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups of washed, cut strawberries

For the frosting

• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 4 -5 cups of powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• juice and zest of two lemons

Instructions

For the cake

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream the butter and the sugar.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating in between.
4. Add the vanilla, oil and milk.
5. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the wet ingredients.
6. Mix until all lumps are gone.
7. Add the strawberries and mix on the highest speed for 1 minute.
8. Spray pans with cooking spray.
9. Pour mixture into pans.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.
11. Let cool completely.
12. For the lemon buttercream -
13. Beat the butter until smooth.
14. Add the powdered sugar slowly to the mix.
15. Add the lemon, zest and milk.
16. Continue to mix until smooth and slightly thick.
17. If too thick, add a bit more milk. If runny, add more sugar.

To assemble

1. Frost the top of one cake.
2. Add the second layer and frost both pieces.
3. Garnish with additional lemon zest.
4. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 8428Cholesterol: 1304mgSodium: 2756mgCarbohydrates: 1355gFiber: 19gSugar: 1097gProtein: 62g

Did you make this recipe?

If you loved this recipe, we would love for you to leave a review to help others!

• Apricot Sweet Rolls
• Ricotta Cake
• Strawberry Chocolate Chip Thumbprint Cookies

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