Mini Coconut Cream Pies

July 1, 2015 by hipfoodiemom 83 Comments

Recently, I was reading one of my favorite blogs and started thinking about what my life would be like if I weren’t working from home. If I had never quit my full-time job and became a food blogger and still had an office job in advertising. Let me re-phrase that. . quit my high stress, working crazy long hours with some crazy, demanding clients, but job that I loved, job.

What would my life be like if I were still working and couldn’t be home with my kids? Would I like it better? Would I be more stressed out? Would my kids be better off?

I have to trust that things happened for a reason and even though sometimes I feel like it’s harder to work from home because there’s really no separation of work and home and that hopefully one day I will look back and know that this is how my kids were supposed to grow up.

With me being here when they get home from school. With me being able to schlep them all around Madison when they have horse back riding camp and are carpooling with two other kids. With me being able to volunteer in their classrooms and attend class field trips.

Some days I hate it. I hate being home. . because work is work and work can be stressful sometimes and I can’t always drop everything to play Barbies with them when they want me to.

But on a day this week when we got back from the library and were able to sit outside with my neighbor and admire her garden and just chitchat and not have to worry about anything and coming back into the house to get dinner ready. . and pinning the kids’ summer reading program charts (that we had just picked up from the library) to our bulletin board and hearing Phoebe reading a book to Madeline as I was making dinner, made me realize how grateful I am to be home with my kids.

Sure, I’ll always have days where I’m stressed out and the kids are driving me crazy and I’ll want to toss them out the window but hopefully there will be more days where I’ll just want to hug and kiss them and hold them tight.

Because they are my people. They are my children. They are a reflection of me and my husband, Paul.

We’re here today to celebrate my dear friend, Zainab. She’s having a baby boy and I am so happy for her. Like, so happy I could cry every time I think about the miracle of childbirth, holding your baby for the first time, knowing your baby’s smell and watching them sleep for hours.

Bringing a little person into this world is life changing and people aren’t joking around when they say “your life will never be the same.”

For Zainab and Justin, my wish is that their lives only get better, stronger and filled with more love. And for her baby boy, who I’m sure will give Zainab the easiest childbirth ever and be the best baby ever . . you are so lucky little one. You have parents who are going to love you. Love you no matter what. So be good to them. They are your family.

Zainab loves coconut so I thought mini coconut cream pies were in order. And ok, yes, I kind of overdid it with the shredded coconut. I couldn’t help myself.

Because I love coconut too.

This fabulous coconut custard recipe comes from Allie from Baking A Moment. . she was my consultant on this recipe. . I chilled my coconut custard and then filled my mini springform pans and then froze them overnight so they would hold their shape. The freezing overnight probably wasn’t necessary but I wanted to ensure these babies would hold up for their photo shoot.

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