Coconut Challenge

Jamaican night is coming up with the little group that we get together with once a month. Entonces, Kadian and I needed to do a trial run on dessert called Gizzada. Challenge number 1: Getting the coconuts open. First we borrowed Miss Myla's machete. Kadian tried a couple times, but the machete just "tinged off of the coconut like it was hitting a rock.

Remembering that my dad used to crack open coconuts when I was a kid, I knew it had to be possible. After a few failed attempted,  I finally got a good whack in...

The next thing we knew there was coconut water going everywhere. Thinking fast, Kadian ran for a cup so we managed to save a lot of it. That's my victory smile.

Pretty happy about our success. The second one was a lot easier.

While this was going on, biscuits were in the oven. Sooo many delightful biscuits--nice and fluffy.

This is when we started singing, "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts...". I broke them down smaller. Since we are not experts and lack really strong sharp knives, getting the coconut out of the shell was challenge number 2.

However, NOTHING compares to challenge number 3. Grating the coconut took (we think) over an hour! Ridiculous. Forget the trial run. This is IT. If I ever do this again, we are using pre-graded coconut. I don't care if quality is sacrificed.

Arduous and finger cramping--not the way forward. I completely understand why my mom has alternate better equipment that she uses instead of graders most of the time.

Notice the piece of coconut on her forehead. There were a few more pieces, but the camera missed them. She flicked some at me, so I had to get her back! Don't even remember what we were "arguing" about.

All that work for one nice container full of freshly shredded coconut. Never again.