Happy Birthday to our favorite Minion, Silas!

Today is a fun day around these parts.  One of our favorite minions turns 2.   This little guy is so much fun and I hope he knows how much his Aunties love him.  Our friend, the Minion Mama, asked us to make a cake for Silas.  So it was done.

For the most part this cake is simple and straightforward - a 2 layer blue velvet banana cake.  Easy Peasy.  Color that bad boy yellow, pipe a white circle, add some black hair and smile and some chocolate licorice for the mask.  Done.

However, one thing I want to address as a public service is silver icing!  Have you ever tried to find silver tint or silver coloring.  I found every color under the sun including gold, no silver.  Dang it.  Let me share what I discovered - use a tiny bit of black.  That's it.  Done - you now have silver.  How did I not figure that out sooner.  

Traveling up the Kona Coast and MacNut Pie

Today is going to be a slow day.  Having little to do other than watching my Gilligan's Islands reruns, I started daydreaming again of a trip back to The Big Island.   When driving from Volcano to Kona the bestie and I stopped at a few places that were highlights and I can't stress enough why random road trip stops are the best.  Along the way we stopped at the Painted Church.  This church was so beautiful I'd consider abandoning my English Garden wedding ideas and hop on a plane to have a small, yet colorful, church wedding in the middle of the Pacific.

The next stop along the way was the Kona Coast Macadamia Nut & Candy Factory.  This was a small building with some displays and a gift shop.  So in the spirit of "shopping local", we grabbed a bag of MacNuts and headed to the next stop ...

The last stop along the way was a bit more deliberate, the Coffee Shack.  Sunset magazine recommended this place and rightfully so.  Everything from the sandwich to the iced Kona coffee to the Mac Nut Pie for dessert was great.  So, today's inspiration comes from the visit to the Mac Nut factory and the Coffee Shack - Mac Nut Pie!

I found a recipe from our good ol' friend Sam Choy's cookbook "Little Hawaiian Cookbook for Big Appetites" that will be tried tonight:

Macadamia Nut Pie

Serves 8

3 Eggs

2/3 Granulated Sugar

1 C Light Corn Syrup 

1 1/2 to 2 C Chopped Mac Nuts

2 Tablespoons melted Butter

1 Teaspoon Vanilla 

1 Unbaked 9 Inch pie Shell

Preheat oven to 325.  Beat eggs with sugar and corn syrup and stir in the Mac nuts.  add butter and vanilla and blend well.  Pour mixture into pie shell.  Bake for 50 minutes or til crust is golden and center is somewhat set.  Test this by shaking the pie gently.  Let cool and chill. 

Wait, what are Haole Brownies?

Holy Moly!  This whole Hawaii obsession is out-of-control.  I came across this recipe from the Kamehameha School District and was intrigued ... I grew up in Tucson and had my list of favorite school meal recipes ... Little Smokies with baked beans, tortillas, and a piece of sheet cake.  Super simple but looking back it was really fun.  So, naturally when I came across a school recipe, I had to try it.  I'm sure somewhere this means something to someone.

Since lord only knows I do not need 48 brownies ... I'm going to half it.   Let's do this!

Haole Brownies Makes 48 2" x 2" brownies 2-1/2 cups brown sugar (packed) 2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2-1/2 sticks (10 oz.) butter or margarine 1 level tablespoon baking powder (double acting) 4 cups all-purpose flour 6 large eggs 1-1/2 cups diced walnuts Cream together brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, butter (or margarine) and baking powder. Add and mix all-purpose flour until incorporated. Add and mix eggs until creamy. Add diced walnuts. Mix on low with paddle for 30 seconds if using KitchenAid-style mixer. If not available, then mix with wooden spoon to incorporate, but if mixing by hand, add eggs before the flour. (A hand held mixer may not be powerful enough for this heavy batter, but try if you like.) DO NOT OVERBEAT! Scrape down sides of bowl and then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes or by spoon for 5 minutes. Grease two 13" x 9" x 2" pans and preheat oven to 375-400 degrees. (Note: If pan sizes are different, pour batter to a maximum of 3/4 of an inch deep.) Divide mix evenly into pans and place on bottom rack and bake. Brownies will rise gradually for about 25 minutes and then flatten.  Wait for 3 minutes after they have flattened completely, then remove from oven and place on rack to cool. When warm to the touch, cut to desired size.  From Kamehameha Food Services:  http://kapalama.ksbe.edu/foodservices/recipes/haole_brownies.html And, as you can see from above I had to sneak a little taste before the rest of the crowd got to it.  Quality Contol.  Well, let's just say, by the time it was time to be served ... The whole top row was gone, vanished.

I'm calling it now ... We invented the Double Decker Bundt Cake.

This past week we were asked to help with a friend's wedding that is to take place early next year, and needless to say ... Totes stoked.   Tonight, I started looking through some ideas and realized one of our favorite weddings is about to come up on their 3rd anniversary.

They asked us for a dessert bar and we came up with a variety of desserts ... But my favorite was a non traditional wedding cake - we came up with a double layered Ricotta Bundt Cake With Browned Butter Glaze .  I still can't find another one any where - so, yeah we invented that.

Ricotta Bundt Cake With Browned Butter Glaze

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, stirred before measuring
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• ***Glaze:***
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla or vanilla bean paste
• 3 to 5 tablespoons whole milk or half-and-half

Heat oven to 300°. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan or spray with baking spray with flour.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter and ricotta cheese with 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar until light. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

Stir in the flour mixture.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the beaten whites into the batter until well incorporated. Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched with a finger.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Glaze with the browned butter glaze (below) or dust with confectioners' sugar.

Glaze: Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Be sure to remove it from the heat as it turns golden, because it can darken very quickly. Pour the butter into a bowl, leaving most of the sediment in the pan. Sift confectioners' sugar into the bowl and add 3 tablespoons of milk. Stir until smooth. Add more milk as needed to make the glaze thin enough to spoon over the cooled cake.

Source:  http://southernfood.about.com/od/bundtcakerecipes/r/r90315e.htm

Happy 3rd Anniversary Jen & Ryan

Kalua Pork

 

During my first go round of the islands I ended up on Maui.  And, while in Maui we did everything a first time tourist should - snorkeling, Road to Hana, Haleakala and the Old Lahana Luau.

When we returned we found some Hawaiian Restaurants that served Kalua Pork and found some at Costco and a few stores in San Diego that sell Hawaiian foods.   But this week Von's has Pork Butt on sale and I'm going to try this myself. 

Most of the authentic recipes call for Banana leaves.  After searching for them and racking my brain I ask my bestie where we saw the sign for them ... She reminded me it was on a truck, in Kona.  Well, I now know where to get them but it's a bit of a swim.

Without any banana leaves or the ability to dig a pit for the hog, it looked like the crock pot version is going to be the winner.  I read about 20 recipes and decided to wing it ... I know it's not traditionally made and the flavor might not be exact but it made my tummy happy. 

Crockpot Kalua Pork

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb Pork Shoulder 
• 1 3/4 tbs Liquid Smoke, Hickory
• 2 tbs White Hawaiian Sea Salt 

Instructions

1. Pat dry the pork roast and poke holes with a fork
2. Salt the entire roast
3. Put in crockpot and sprinkle 3/4 tbs Liquid Smoke
4. Turn on crockpot and let cook for about 6 hours.  You'll know it's ready when you can shred with fork
5. I took out servings for 2 and browned a bit in a fry pan and swerved with some purple sweet potatoes and Hawaiian BBQ Sauce

University of Arizona String Art

Last weekend, I went to an alumni fundraiser for the University of Arizona.  It was a fun event and reminded me why I should be proud to be part of such a great community.  I realized a few weeks ago that I have pretty much every piece of UofA gear imaginable ... Tees, License Plate frame, Mugs, and, the list goes on. 

I decided to try a craft I have seen over and over - string art.  It was really quick, easy and looked great!  The cool thing about this craft is you can literally do any design, any size, any color ... It's all up to you! 

Supplies Needed:

• Various sizes of wood, any size your pattern fits on
• Pattern - I found an outline of the state of Arizona
• Paint, I used white and red for the center
• Nails
• Hammer & awl
• String

Directions:

• Sand and paint wood to desired color
• Once dry, center & tape the pattern to the wood.  
• Use awl to mark where nails will go.  
• Hammer nails into holes created by awl - hammer nail about 1/3 - 1/2 way 
• Tie string around 1 nail ... And weave around nails to create design
• Once finished tie to last nail.

If you prefer to purchase a piece, please feel free to email directly and I can provide pricing for you.

Aloha

Today will not be helping my Hawaii addiction.  Started the day with a text from a friend about seeing Aloha - the new B Cooper movie.  Have no idea what the plot is but it's B Cooper in Hawaii so sign me up.

So after I reserved my tickets online, I brewed some Lion Coffee (the best on the planet) and after reading the reviews online this blog post has done a 90 degree turn from a movie review to a banana bread recipe.

You see, every time I head over to the Islands I grab a big o slice of banana bread.  It just tastes better there - altitude, water, local produce .... I have no idea why but it just does.  On my last trip my bestie grabbed a cookbook by Sam Choy and I used the Mango Bread recipe and tweaked it a bit.   I'm sure the mango bread is great but due to a bit of a mango allergy I'll take their word.  

Here's the original recipe ... And at the end I'll add my adaptation. 

Mango Bread from Sam Choy's Little Hawaiian Cookbook for Big Appetites 

2 C Flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon 

3 eggs, well beaten

3/4 C canola oil

1 1/2 C sugar

2 C pealed and diced mango* 

1/2 C Raisins **

1/2 C chopped macadamia nuts or walnuts ***

1/2 C grated coconuts

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour 2 9 by 5 inch loaf pans.  Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a lg mixing bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar, mango, raisins, nuts, and coconut; combine with dry ingredients and blend well.  Pour into loaf pans and bake until tests done, 45 to 60 minutes.

My adaptation

* 2 very ripe bananas mashed

** Omitted Raisins

*** Used Pecans

BBQ's ... AKA ... Another excuse to make something fancy.

Kind of excited.  Have my first Summer BBQ tonight and I've decided to bake a Lemon Chiffon Cake with fresh Blueberries.  Ohhh, fancy.  A few weeks ago I took a Vintage Cake Class at the San Diego Sur la Table - best idea ever!  We made 2 cakes - Caramel Cake with Brown Butter Icing ( also makes a good "self pity cake" and a Lemon Chiffon cake.  I've attempted the chiffon cake in the past but the results were very, well not good.  After making the caramel cake a few times I'm ready to try this on my own.

How it turned out? Amazing!  

Recipe from Sur La Table Vintage Cakes Class

Lucious Lemon Chiffon Cake

For Cake: 

7 eggs - separated

1 teaspoon lemon juice ( I used 1/2 teaspoon cream of Tartar)

1 c sugar, 1/2 c sugar (1 1/2 c total)

2 c flour - all purpose

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 c vegetable oil

3/4 c whole milk (I used half and half)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon oil (I used lemon extract)

For Frosting:

1 pint heavy whipping cream (1 needed 24 oz)

1 tablespoon lemon zest (used 1 1/2 tablespoon)

1/2 c sugar (I used 3/4 c)

2 pints fresh berries

To prepare cakes:

Preheat to 325

Separate eggs carefully, even a small amount of yolk in whites will prevent them from beating properly

In lg mixing bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar or lemon juice until foamy.  Add 1/2 c sugar and continue to beat to stiff and glossy.  Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk 1 c sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.  

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks, oil, milk, and flavorings.   Add dry ingredients and beat til well blended - about 2 minutes using a stand mixer or longer with a hand mixer.

Gently fold whites into mixture using a wire whip.  Be sure to scrape the bottom of bowl so the batter is well blended.   Pour batter into ungreased pans.  

Bake as follows:

2 10 inch pans - bake at 325 for 50 minutes, then 10 more at 350

2 9 inch pans - bake at 325 for 40 minutes, then 10 more at 350

Angel Food Pan - bake at 325 for 50 minutes, then 10 more at 350

Don't open the oven during the first 45 minutes of baking, the cake will rise above the pan, and then settle back almost even.  It's done when a finger pressed in the middle doesn't leave a print, and you can hear a crackling sound if you listen carefully.  Cool the cake upside down for 30 minutes before removing from the pan.  If you've used a tube pan, set it stop a thin-necked bottle, threading the bottle neck through the hole in the tube.  

To prepare frosting

While cake cools, in a medium bowl, or stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip cream, zest and sugar until medium peaks.

To assemble cake 

Once cool, remove cakes from pans and torte the cakes into 2 layers.  Place 1 cake layer on bottom of plate spread 1/4 frosting and add 1/4 berries.  Add next layer of cake ... Repeat until all 4 layers are done.  The sides of cake are left bare.

Daydreaming... Of Haupia Pie.

A few months ago I escaped the Mainland and headed to Hawaii for a few days.  Ever since I have had a silly dream to pack up head over to a deserted island and open my own bakery.   Fully knowing the pipedream this is I still can't stop thinking of the sweet treasures I found on the islands.  

Malasadas.  Mac Nut Pie.  Haupia Pie.  Taro Pie.

Before this trip I started making my own Haupia Pies but wanted the real thing!   We visited Ted's Bakery on the North Shore.   Creamy Whip Cream then Coconut then Chocolate!  Amazeballs.  I feel that the mainland should have the opportunity to experience the experience as well ... So world, so after doing some research I found the closest thing ... From Hawaii Magazine:

Chocolate Haupia Pie

Ingredients:

1 9-in. unbaked pie crust
1 cup milk
1 can coconut milk (14 oz.)
1 tbsp. coconut extract
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup cornstarch
7/8 cup chocolate (Dutch chocolate, or any chocolate with high cocoa butter content)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Bake crust for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

3. In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, coconut milk, coconut extract and 1 cup sugar.

4. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in water.

5. After bringing coconut milk mixture to a boil, reduce to simmer and slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Continue stirring over low heat until thickened—about three minutes. Divide evenly into two bowls.

6. In another bowl, microwave chocolate until melted.

7. Mix chocolate into one of the bowls of coconut pudding, then pour mixture into the pie crust, spread and let sit.

8. Pour the remaining bowl of coconut pudding on top of the chocolate-coconut pudding mixture and spread smooth being careful nut to mix the two layers. Refrigerate the pie for an hour or more.

9. Whip the heavy cream with 1/4 cup of sugar until stiff. Layer the whipped cream on the pie surface. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2009/8/5/chocolate_haupia_pie_recipe

Embroidered Wood Baby Sign

A few months ago I made a little sign for my cousin and his girlfriend who were expecting a little girl.  I was so excited to be able to contribute to their little girl's room.  This was the easiest project and no one else at the shower had anything like it.

1. I went to Lowe's and select a piece of wood - any size that works for your pattern.   For me - I got a single piece and asked them to cut the piece to 3.   If preferred, craft and hobby stores also have pre-cut and sanded pieces.
2. I printed out the name "Ella Rose" in the font and size I liked.  In this case, it was League Script in 250pt.  Once printed, center and tape to board.   
3. Use an awl to score the board - I placed dots evenly throughout the name.
4. I used a Dremel to drill wholes through the board.
5. Stain the board to the color desired.  Let dry.
6. Embroider the board using 6 strains of embroidery floss.
7. Drill holes to hang sign... Add ribbon.  

And, it's done!  And it was right in time for the little lady's arrival!