Cooking Out Loud

One of my greatest passions has been and most likely always be - Cooking! I have taken classes on how to make sushi, cookies, cakes, and appetizers all here in our own backyard. I have taken classes in Savannah, New Orleans and New York too. I have shadowed my grandmother, who was a chef, my ex-wife was a fine cook as well.

Today I began to make sure that I had all my ingredients for Cookin' Men - the fundraiser through Parkview Hospital which benefits Francine's Friends. You know, I was one of Francine's friends - she was a dynamic, powerful and lovely woman - a person I miss dearly. These are the type of fundraisers which make sense all the way around.

The premise of this cooking event is not really to showcase any one person or anyone's skills. Rather to turn the tables in a world where most people think of the lady of the house as the person who prepares all the meals. Practice makes perfect. Well, this event has the men fumbling through the kitchen figuring out the difference of a whisk over a garlic press. Some men cook well and the others have women in their life to help make them look good.

My cooking for this event is so simple it is embarrassing. The one thing I can say, anyone who can open a tub of cool whip can make this dessert. Try it for yourself and see what happens in this sneak preview recipe:

1 tub of chocolate cool whip

1 bar of cream cheese

1 4 oz semi sweet chocolate bar

1 cup of toasted coconut

1 already whipped up pie crust - like Oreo or chocolate

Those are all the ingredients - so melt the chocolate in a microwave. Then in a larger bowl put the cream cheese and mix the melted chocolate to it and mix it until it is well blended. Fold in (that is a fancy way of saying gently put it in the bowl) the chocolate cool whip. You could use a vanilla flavored or a regular flavor but then again, it would not be MY recipe. Do not beat it, just combine them gently. Toss in the coconut, but save a small amount out. Pour into the pie crust. Sprinkle those last few handfuls of coconut on top of the pie. There you have it. Put it in the refrigerator for a couple hours and cut it up, plate it up and eat it up.