MYO Dishes: Step by Step

Hosted by "Designs by Gollum"
There are a lot of MYO or "Make Your Own" dishes that you assemble before eating. Like tacos, nachos, and the like. They are delicious and fairly inexpensive. Today, I am sharing another MYO dish that though it is so easy to make and I've been married for over 12 years, I have only made this three times since January, this year. Please don't ask me why, I can't even begin to tell you why. ("Brain" tells me not to blame her, she has nothing to do with it. She thinks it's very yummy!)

Hawaiian Haystacks
1 lb of chicken breasts
2 cups of water
2 tsp cornstarch
1 can of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken
2 stalks of green onion, tiny slices
1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes
1 can of mandarin oranges
1 can of pineapple chunks
1 large tomato, diced
1 tsp. sea salt
Steamed rice

Variation: Pulled roasted pork
Parboil chicken breasts in 2 cups of water, chicken broth, sea salt.
Pull out chicken and dice or pull into little pieces. Set aside. Keep broth heated in low.
Add cream of chicken to the broth. Bring up to boil.
Add in chicken, stir to smooth out broth and add pepper.
Braise for 20 minutes, turn off heat.
Mix cornstarch with some broth until smooth and mix back into the chicken. Stir well.

Cut up all the veggies and open the canned fruits. Set them in separate containers. Start assembly.

Put the chicken at the bottom then add steamed rice.
Add in the cheddar cheese then the coconut flakes.
Add green onions then the crunchy chow mein noodles.

Lastly, add the diced tomatoes, mandarin oranges and pineapple chunks, and "voila!"

You have a delicious and economical

Hawaiian Haystacks!

A very big bundle of thanks to Michael Lee for hosting another week of delicious photos!

TABLESCAPING IDEA: ("Brain" must have been hungry to come up with this...) Make a MYO dinner buffet where the food toppings are on different levels, acting as your centerpiece! Better yet, have a separate table to do this on so you can just enjoy everyone in full view for a great evening of conversations and memory-making on the main table! Great job on this one, "Brain". Let's do this soon!

Thanks for stopping by and joining me enjoy this yumminess! Try it and you won't be disappointed! It's a great meal to go with your tropical table!

I've been asked these questions way back, but since I'm a bit overloaded, I had to reread every post to find them again.

"Do you set tables for other people, or is this just a hobby?"

The answer is, for now, it is a hobby, but yes, I have set tables for other people before that weren't captured on digicams, so when I come across those pics, I will post them and have you see the ones, I've done prior.

My goal is to setup a business to help bride and grooms have great hostess tables for their weddings without having to spend a whole lot of money coordinating the rest of the guest tables. I will be renting out my dishes to them so they can have a beautiful and unique table while the guest tables coordinate for a lot less. This is an economical way to have a beautiful reception without sacrificing their style and theme.

"Where do you keep all of your dishes?" "How do you keep them all organized?"
I used to have a china cabinet that housed most of my sets, but since we live in an apartment right now and don't have much space, I do the following:

Place many of my dishes in the highest shelf of the pantry. Dh stacks them up nicely for me.
I use Corelle for everyday as they stack nicely. I use plastic drinkware as I have small children.
I keep two sets on shelves in the dining room for two upcoming holidays and I swap each month. I use all of my dishes to test out their versatility.
Seasonal sets go with the seasonal decor.
Solid colored sets often get used as chargers.
I assign a minimum of two holidays per sets I purchase. It guarantees that I will use them and will eat on them.
I take pictures of each one and have an inventory of manufacturer and pattern name.
I have dh stack them up according to size and weight.