The Little Foodie

Paleo Porridge

2013-05-08T02:11:00.000-07:00

I think there should be more support groups.

"Dishwashing Deadbeats Anon"
"Put the Clean Clothes Away Before the Next Laundry Day Self-Help"
"Chocolate Addicts United"
"Stop Counting the Number of Essays You Have Left To Grade 12 Step Program"

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a team of people in the same boat as you telling you about their journey and giving you tips and love for stuff you already know you should be doing?

And let's face it, a little public view and peer pressure wouldn't hurt to keep us honest.

I've recently joined a support group of crazy called Whole 30, and a few friends and I have a facebook group page where we, yes, post pictures of every single thing we eat. And we argue about the finer stricter points of Whole 30 so that we can obsess, just like real addicts. It's pretty great.

After I finish my Whole 30 month, I think I'm going to need a sponsor.

Paleo Porridge (Print this!)
If you're doing Whole 30, don't use this in place of a meal, but I do like to keep a few jars of this around so I can have a snack to grab right after school or mid morning. Also, examine your almond milk and be shocked, like me, when it has all sorts of carcinogens, sugars, or gums. If you're lucky you'll have a store with an acceptable brand.

1 Cup almond milk (or 1/2 C coconut milk thinned with water)
1 to 2 Tbsp chia seeds (depends on how thick you like it)
1 Tbsp goji berries
1 Tbsp dried mulberries
1 Tbsp chopped almonds
several slices of banana
optional: other fruits such as kiwi, strawberry

Put the almond milk in a jar or bowl. Sprinkle the chia seeds on top. Add the goji berries, mulberries, almonds, and banana slices.
Put the lid back on and shake the jar several times to distribute. If you're using a bowl, stir thoroughly.
Keep the jar in the fridge until ready to eat, but soak at least 20 minutes. These can stay in the fridge for at least a day, maybe more (mine always get eaten sooner). Before eating, add some other chopped fruit, if desired.

Paleo Shamrock Shake

2013-03-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

Generally, this diet has definitely made me want the nasty processed stuff less than usual. But the thing that always gets me--

LIMITED EDITION HOLIDAY SPECIAL ONLY GOING TO BE AROUND WHILE YOUʻRE ON A DIET AND YOUʻLL ALWAYS WONDER IF ITʻS GOOD

in bold.

A while ago it was the Oreos in every possible new flavor... And I love Oreos. So that was killing me. I caved and ate the lemon, birthday cake, and berry ice cream flavors probably all in the same week.

I started seeing the Shamrock Shake pop up and I thought, oh no. Here it is. Another thing that Iʻm going to have to wait a year for. I adore holiday themed foods. Especially holidays like St. Patrickʻs Day which have very little meaning whatsoever. (Sorry, Irish peoples, if I just offended you.)

To try to talk myself out of it I looked at this: Whatʻs Really In That Shamrock Shake?

Ok, so maybe itʻs not such a good idea.

Iʻm sure even a homemade just pain olʻ icecream shake would be better than that.

So I made my Paleo Version. And Yes, itʻs healthy. I mean, spirulina is some seriously natural food coloring and freaking good for you too.

Iʻve also seen a couple of versions using avocado, which is a fantastic idea. Thatʻs what Iʻm going to try next. Maybe just frozen bananas and avocado and there will be no need for ice cubes. I also like coconut milk but I wasnʻt so sure about coconut milk and mint together.

I really like dates. So good.

This is all it is. Blend it together. Really well. The straw is optional. Be careful with that mint. I prefer not to drink toothpaste.

What is Paleo? and 10 Reasons to Try Eating Paleo

2013-03-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

I once read that if you take a break from blogging, you should never mention the absence, excuse it, or apologize for it.
Here I am, ready to do all three.

1) Hi. Nice to see you again.
2) Iʻve been on a diet and I kind of hate it.
3) Iʻm sorry.

If I didnʻt do those things, Iʻd be that douchey guy in the movie that knocks on the door, sits on the couch like its owner, like heʻd never left, when really he walked out on her three months ago without explanation. And if she said, "Hey, whereʻve you been?" heʻd roll his eyes like caring made her weak. (Yeah. Iʻve seen lots of terrible movies.)

Well, caring is what brings me back. Thank you for caring.

If you follow me on instagram then you probably know allllll about what Iʻve been eating, since thatʻs my record keeper these days. Please let me know if you have an account-- Iʻm all about seeing what youʻre eating too. I have friends that roll their eyes about this (caring about every day food makes you weak) but I really do want to see what deliciousness you had for dinner, even though Iʻd probably tear it out of your hands if you had it in front of me.

I get asked a lot, "What is Paleo?" and I always feel a little silly answering that question, because it sounds kind of crazy.

Basically, itʻs...

Protein (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds)
A lot of vegetables
Some fruit

And thatʻs it.

I donʻt exactly buy all of the caveman theory behind it, so I wonʻt get into that, but here are my reasons for paleo.

The 10 Reasons You Should Try Paleo

1) You will probably lose weight. (I say probably, because if you eat ten pieces of bacon every day Iʻm sure you wonʻt, but in general, youʻll probably lose weight.)

2) You wonʻt be eating sugar.

3) Your normal cravings will slow down. You will probably still be hungry, but the "I need to eat this whole box of doughnuts to fill this void" kind of craving will slow down significantly.

4) You will be eating whole, real foods, which means youʻll feel better that youʻre not eating processed crap and chemicals. Thereʻs a big emphasis on organic as well.

5) You wonʻt feel full and sluggish after meals. I have this problem, where I eat until I am past full. When Iʻm eating Paleo, I NEVER feel that way. When you cheat and have a meal where you eat 4 pieces of pizza, something you didnʻt even think about before, you feel totally sick and you want to never eat pizza again (you will, of course, want to eat pizza again by the next day).

6) Bacon.

7) You will eat so many more vegetables. I feel really happy with myself when I am eating tons of veggies. It just feels right.

8) Your eating will become more mindful. No more of this "Iʻll just grab a few chips..." only to eat the whole bag. Snacking is pretty much gone.

9) Less joint pains. Iʻve read a lot of accounts of paleo dieters claiming that their fibromyalgia and other significant diseases are cured. I even read one account that claimed her plaque was gone. Iʻm not about to believe all of that, but I have been dealing with achy joints for my whole life, and they always seem to flare up when I donʻt drink enough water and when I eat a lot of carbs or sugar. When Iʻm doing well with my Paleo diet, I donʻt have achy joints. Zip. At first I thought it was coincidental, but I canʻt deny it any longer.

10) Youʻre eating and youʻre eating good for you food. I am very wary of diets that just make me feel hungry and sick and I have to count calories all day long and youʻre still allowed to eat all of the boxed jello you want. Iʻm still hungry. Just not sick.

Now, it wouldnʻt be fair if I didnʻt list some cons. The biggest one is that eating is a very social thing, and Iʻm often feeling left out, even at home with my family. 50% of the time Iʻm making something no one else wants to eat and the other 50% of the time Iʻm jealous of what everyone else is eating. Itʻs very difficult to find a balance with that. Then thereʻs all the food I have to say No to, and it really makes it very clear just how much food is part of your social life. Mostly everyone thinks youʻre a bit weird and obsessed. Unfortunately, if youʻre on a diet, you kind of have to be. That can be dangerous too. Thereʻs dieting cross over into lifestyle cross over into eating disorder.

Another big con is that youʻre eating a lot of meat. I used to eat vegetarian and vegan most of the time. Iʻm still struggling with that. I donʻt really like that Iʻm eating so much meat, but I feel very weak and tired if I donʻt. I also donʻt believe that a lot of meat is good for you for the long run. Iʻm definitely going to add back in whole grains when I reach my target weight.

There are other cons, namely dairy, beans, peanut butter, and sugar. Those are huge. And boy, does that suck.

Iʻm not at 100% Paleo. Iʻve been kind of dancing around it because the cons are big ones and especially when I like to cook and bake, itʻs hard. Iʻve been eating about 85% Paleo which means I mess up for about 3 meals a week. I also exercise every day, and I think if you go Paleo you have to do that because youʻre eating so much protein it really needs to go somewhere. I donʻt think this is a sedentary lifestyle kind of diet.

If you are looking for a diet to reverse some of your bad habit eating and are trying to lose weight in a way that isnʻt about crash-dieting, I suggest you try Paleo. Try it for thirty days and see if you think itʻs worth all the hype. And then write to me and mourn all of the things we love to eat that we canʻt.

For now Iʻm all about eating whatever I can thatʻs delicious.

Paleo Fried Rice (serves 2)

· 2 tsp coconut oil

· 1 Cup Cauliflower stalk and leaves

· 1 red or yellow bell pepper

· 1 small onion

· 1 small carrot, peeled

· 3 cloves garlic

· 1/2 C ham (not deli meat—from a slice of whole ham)

· 3 slices bacon

· 1 ½ tsp coconut aminos (very similar to soy sauce)

· ½ tsp sesame oil

· salt and pepper to taste

· 1 medium zucchini, grated

· 2 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Chop the cauliflower stalk, bell pepper, onion, and carrot into very small dice, about ¼”. Heat the coconut oil in a wok over high heat. Toss all of the vegetables in at once and stir fry, tossing around vegetables quickly with a wooden spoon. After a few minutes, the onion should start to become translucent and the vegetables start sweating.

2. Mince the garlic and chop the ham and bacon in very small dice as well. Add the garlic and meats to the pan and keep tossing together. Keep frying until the veggies seem mostly dry, a couple of minutes more.

3. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Stir and then make a little pocket on the side of the pan for the eggs. Pour in the eggs and stir them around to cook like scrambled eggs. Once the eggs are cooked add the zucchini. Toss until the zucchini is just tender. This goes from fresh and light to soggy, quickly. Serve while still hot.

Donʻt worry, Iʻm not going to become an exclusively Paleo blogger. Youʻll just be seeing a lot more Paleo for a while.

Sunshine Paleo Muffins

2013-01-10T09:08:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year to you!

I suppose this means we have to eat healthy again, don’t we?

Sigh.

Gulp.

Slumped shoulders.

I’ve been living up my Christmas Break baking extravaganza (I won’t even tell you how many Lilikoi pies I’ve made and how many cinnamon rolls I’ve eaten) and maybe I’m just trying to make myself so sick that I’ll be happy as a clam to give up all ~~good food~~ really not good for you food for… a month. At least.

But I can’t just give up baking completely.

These are normally called “Morning Glory” muffins. There are a million versions on the internet. I kind of like mine the best because I’m not super into chunky nuts, but I like raisins in the right proportions.

They don’t taste like normal muffins. I won’t lie to you. They’ll do in a pinch, and especially if you are the kind of person who normally eats nine muffins in a sitting and are trying to be the kind of person that only eats one.

Ok, two.

FINNNNNNNE, I’ll have another one, but only if you stop looking at me like that.

Bake a bunch, save a few. They’re great for snacks when you need something to grab.

Sunshine Paleo Muffins

makes 11 muffins

1 Cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed
3 eggs
1/4 C honey
1/4 Cup applesauce
2/3 Cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
2/3 Cup shredded carrot
1/2 Cup raisins or cranberries or dried cherries or none at all, if you prefer
1 1/2 Cups almond flour
1 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
coconut oil, for greasing the muffin cups only

Preheat the oven to 350. Wipe the inside of a 12 muffin tin with coconut oil.
Whisk together the sweet potato, eggs, and honey in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together until combined.
Scoop the batter into the muffin tin cups with a standard sized ice cream scoop (about 1/4 C per muffin).
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from tin and serve.

Open Faced Breakfast Sandwich

2012-12-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

I only had eyes for Christina at the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival in September.

Oh, yes, we’re totally on a first name basis. And I told her she was my rock star.

She is as gracious in person as she is in her book.

I lurked around her table. I barged in on people at a nearby table and pretended to look around. I was the most obvious stalker possible. She was a total professional. A few of the slow poached eggs broke before they could be served and she sent them back to be redone. I haven’t figured out how to make these eggs—I’ve tried twice—but this is the second time I’ve gotten to eat them and they are even lovelier than I remember.

I’m a girl that’s squeamish about uncooked egg white but slow poached eggs, done in the shell and then broken and slid out right before consuming, are creamy, even though they appear underdone. The yolk is the perfect temperature and bursts like a little sun. I’ve said before that she’s a genius with salt in her recipes. I watched that genius in action. She’s not afraid of salt; she pinched it up and made it rain.

My heart sang, “Let me wash dishes for free in your kitchen. You don’t have to share your secrets, I just want to eat your crumbs. I will never leave if you teach me how to sprinkle salt.” It’s a miracle I came home that afternoon.

I accidentally took a swig of her coffee milk. I thought it was chocolate, but it wasn’t.

(oopsitwastasty)

Did I say there was onion pineapple marmalade and bacon? There was. Sorry to torture you like this.

Too bad I can’t kidnap her and make her be my personal chef. I’m sure if I did that she would still be super nice to me, as she was to everyone. I can’t say the same for all the famous people that were there.

Not to mention that I would be the fattest person alive, at which point she could escape.

I went with the 59th best thing and made myself a breakfast sandwich, with one half of a multigrain English muffin.

It’s about 300 calories. Was completely compliant with my diet. You could probably even put some turkey bacon on it.

Nowhere near as good as Christina’s, but I still have a memory.

A dream.

An inspiration.

Hello Musubi!

2012-12-07T00:15:00.001-08:00

A couple of days ago I got a package.
Look what was in it. (ok, so the towel is already wrinkly, because I don’t know how to use kitchen towels properly, but it’s perfect in real life.)
You’re jealous. I know. I’m lucky enough to have Shar as an “pen” pal and she sends me the best packages (noodles from Chinatown, curry leaves, and even lemons and limes from her garden). These are her new designs for this season. Do you see how ingenious this is? Rice kitty, nori wrap on the onigiri shaped body… Crazy Cute.
Shar, the creator of shirts, towels, and all things kawaii, will be at Moanalua High School this Saturday from 9-2, and there are free shuttles from Aliamanu middle school. She says that this is a huge show with over 200 vendors.
If you miss her there, the last show is at Moanalua Middle school...from 9-2. Mahiole street in Moanalua Gardens on December 15th.
If you’re not lucky enough to be in Hawaii and want to order, email me and maybe she’ll be willing to ship to you. But poor you, not living in Hawaii. You miss out on all the fun.

Picky, picky.

2012-11-27T20:30:00.001-08:00

How do you like his wings?

This little guy hates food.

He eats: macaroni and cheese, bread, rice, fruit, beans, cheese. Anything white or light brown.

He won’t eat: meat, vegetables, anything green. 95% of what I’m cooking these days.

I don’t make him anything special. I put out what I’m making for dinner and I rarely even give him a plate, because he looks at what we’re eating, and takes off. I also rarely make any of the foods he does eat, other than beans, so he skips meals pretty constantly, even though the doctor has told me “He’ll eat whatever you give him if you don’t give in.” I think it’s a lie that “kids will eat when they’re hungry.” The kid is definitely hungry. He eats like a monster if we serve anything he actually likes. He’s also a pipsqueak when his height is compared to his weight. Jake and I both have recently started just feeding him whatever the fattiest caloric things he will eat when we have them.

If I put a food into his mouth, he spits it out before he tastes it, or just closes his lips so tightly I can’t get it in. He doesn’t care how many times he goes in time out and he doesn’t care about the bribe of dessert. He wants the dessert, so badly, and he will scream about it, but he will NEVER eat that bite of food you want him to eat.

I just can’t understand this. Part of me gets that there are people in this world that could care less if they eat their spaghetti with canned tomato sauce (and I know some of them), but also part of me thinks if they just could taste something better, they would be instantly converted.

I guess it’s not true. Some people don’t care about food.

I can barely believe it. Like, if I make some Korean tacos, there is no way Mozely will even try it. And I think there are people out there that even if I got them to take a bite of this Korean Taco, that they would prefer Taco Bell in a heartbeat. Mozely better not be one of those people when he grows up. He and I will not get along.

My favorite taco truck, the Tiki Truck, has “crack sauce” (the recipe of which I would pay a pretty price), and I just try my darndest to make a creamy coleslaw to remind me of it, especially now that he just announced he’s closing down the truck until further notice.

I wrote an article about Korean Tacos that is coming out in the paper tomorrow. These aren’t the pictures that I submitted for that article but they look pretty good too. I am missing tortillas as of this moment, because I went back on my Paleo diet.

(Remember tip #1? Man, I’ve been repeating that one a lot lately.)

So here’s my thought about food, for today, but they relate to diets too.

Tip #5: Try something new.

Some Paleo and Clean Eating people I’ve been paying attention to, that actually make good looking food.

Andy Doanut

PaleOMG

Ghitae

and Emma, a friend from High School who was an exchange student from Australia. Her food is wonderful.

By the way, I’m on Instagram. A lot. It’s the new Facebook and food blog. I’ll see you there.

Paleo Banana Pancakes

2012-10-25T00:02:00.001-07:00

Tip #4: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

I think this is going to be a hard one to swallow for most people. I am not someone who likes routine, but let’s face it, dieting is all about routine, because the more choices you get to make the more likely you’ll make some bad ones (I’m talking about eating, nothing else), and being tired is not going to help one bit.

I never go to sleep at the same time or even wake up at the same time. But I’ve been doing this more now, and I have to admit I’m kind of liking it. I know for sure I’m going to get 8 hours of sleep every night (occasionally this doesn’t work out) and I naturally wake up in the morning and I feel way less tired than if I have to wake up to an alarm. I hate alarms way more than I hate diets or not sleeping enough.

This is advice given by everyone who knows anything about sleep and energy, and most of us still totally ignore it. I often want to stay up later, and I really miss being able to do more after the kids are in bed, but if you try it for a week and don’t like it, then no harm done. It’s one of the best changes I’ve made since starting this whole thing.

I’m still really tired. Dieting and exercising like a maniac every day is going to make you tired. But at least you’re body tired and not brain tired, if you know what I mean.

I feel a little better about waking up at the crack of dawn to do my ridiculously tiresome exercise when I look forward to eating some of these. I don’t make them every day, so I pretend that they are a cheat breakfast. But they’re not. Even better.

I miss breakfasts (and lunches and dinners and desserts) so much. I love some french toast, cinnamon rolls, a bagel with cream cheese (! Oh! Do I dare dream?). At least I still get to eat bacon.

My sis and bro in law posted a paleo banana pancake and I’ve been playing around with it ever since. I thought, if there’s a way I can eat a pancake every once in a while, I’ll be able to keep doing this, right?

Paleo Banana Pancakes

Coconut oil
1 banana, mashed with a fork
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 C almond flour (* or coconut flour works here—just add 1/2 C almond milk)
2 Tbsp almond milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
cinnamon (to taste)
1 tsp vanilla

Heat a skillet or large frying pan on medium. Sprinkle some coconut oil into the pan (about 1 tsp) and move the pan so that the oil coats the surface.
Mix all of the ingredients together.
Use a 1/4 Cup measuring cup to pour batter into the pan. I can fit 3 in a pan at once. Flip the pancake when the edge looks dry and the bottom can be easily lifted off of the pan.
Serve immediately. These taste better when hot. Can be served with a smidgen of maple syrup.

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushrooms

2012-10-12T21:30:00.001-07:00

Some days you really fall off the wagon. You wake up in a pissy mood because there are more tasks than minutes, and your daughter can’t find her shoes because she leaves every pair she wears in the car that your husband took to work so you’re really late to work and dropping her off, and after third period you realize some kid in your class actually used their gum to make little sticky stands on the bottom of your water bottle, and at noon you realize that there isn’t enough food in your lunch sack because you were being optimistic this morning, and when you get home everyone is eating Limited Edition Lemon Oreos while you search frantically for something to put in your mouth before you cry.

Then you spend the 5 hours you have after school, even though you have a billion things to do, shopping and planning and cooking to make the best amazing yogurt dessert so that you can win a trip to NYC to see Bobby Flay, even though you can’t eat yogurt. Then you make your husband drive to the studio to get your photography lights and set everything up and spend even more time taking pictures and editing them. And you sit down with minutes to spare to enter said contest, only to realize that the deadline was midnight Eastern Standard time, not Pacific Standard time.

I had a day like that this week.

You know what I did?

I ate my dessert. Yogurt and coconut panna cotta and crumble with a lilikoi top. And it was amazing. It would definitely have won that contest. Paleo diets don’t stand a chance against really bad days.

But I’m back on the wagon.

Tip #3: Start over. Again.

I started off again strong the next day and when someone offered me cookies, twice, that day, I knew I’d feel bad about messing up. I think especially with something strict like this, you have to be very committed to it, but you also have to allow for some mistakes.

Put most of your savings in the bank of health, and you’ll have a little to spare for the occasional Doritos splurge or those lemon bars you’ve been wanting to make.

It doesn’t hurt if your diet allows for bacon wrapped Enoki mushrooms.

I’ve used this recipe on my blog before, but I’m really reveling in the fact that I can eat bacon whenever I feel like it. Ok, so maybe I don’t eat it whenever I feel like it, but I eat it pretty dang often.

I’m not super into trying to force every food into a substitution for Paleo, so I try to find, as often as possible, foods that already fit the bill. I think I’ve done well trying to eat mostly normal looking foods, rather than trying to trick myself that vegetables can be cut and cooked to look like carbs.

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushrooms (wrapped in lettuce leaf)

Good as a snack, appetizer, or part of a meal

1 package of Enoki mushrooms, stems trimmed
4 pieces of bacon, cut into thirds
romaine lettuce

Split your mushrooms into little sections to go inside your bacon slices. Wrap the bacon around the mushrooms. You can either secure this with a toothpick or you can be like me and just plan to sear it on the overlapping edge first.

2. Heat a non stick pan to medium high heat. Put the bacon wrapped enoki into the hot pan, the ends facing down. The sear should help seal it. Keep rolling the little bundles around as they begin to golden in the pan until the bacon is cooked. The mushroom heads should get golden.

3. Wrap in pieces of romaine lettuce and eat immediately.

Canned Salad, 3 Ways

2012-10-04T18:19:00.001-07:00

Amaya said to me, “I think you should stop your Paleo diet.”

“Why?”

“Because I feel bad eating food in front of you.”

I wish everyone in my family felt bad about the seemingly more than ever amounts of carbs and sweets that are in our cupboards lately. Most of these extreme eating plans require you to purge your cupboards but most of these people are not married to a Jake. But we can’t all look like Greek gods and eat Pop Tarts for breakfast, granola bars for snacks, and cookies for dessert now can we.

It’s when I start looking through our carb-laden cupboards that I start feeling weak in the knees. I can’t say enough about having something planned when you’re on a diet.

Tip #2: Take Away Choice and Plan Your Meals (especially when you’re feeling strong)

I’m strongest in the morning. I don’t have much temptation to eat crap before 11 am. It’s easiest for me to follow my diet when I’m at school. That’s because any meals or snacks I have are already packed. I don’t get a choice. I’m a person who hates planning dinners for the week. I want to look in my fridge and make something. I want to go shopping for whatever whim I have that day. I really dislike having no choices, but this does make it way easier.

I still end up having a choice for dinner, but one choice is easier than many choices.

The “Salad in a Jar” has been making the Pinterest crowd rounds, and I decided to try them out for my lunches.

I can’t really stand to eat only a salad for dinner, but salad for lunch is fine. It was a lot of work to make 5 salads, but I appreciated not having to prepare anything for the rest of the week. If I wanted it to be easier, I would make the same 5 salads and change it up every week. Now that I’m eating Paleo, I would need to change these recipes a bit, but there are a million variations on this theme.

The basic principle is, wet and heavy on the bottom, dry on the top. That didn’t quite sound right, but it is. The pieces at the bottom soak into the dressing and make it extra good. The lettuce should not be touching anything wet. This one was the last salad I had that week and it was still perfectly fresh. I used old peach jars, and some large canning jars.

Canned Cobb Salad

Dressing:

1 T greek yogurt
1/2 t mayo
1 t mustard
1/8 t honey

Whisk the ingredients together and put in the bottom of a large, tall jar.

1/4 C shredded carrot
1/4 C peas (cooked)
2 T minced onion
3 T broccoli, chopped, florets only
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 boiled egg, chopped
1 T sunflower seeds
1 1/2 C romaine lettuce, chopped

Layer the salad in the order as shown, into the jar. When ready to eat, empty it out into a large bowl.

Tex-Mex Canned Salad

2 t balsamic
1 T salsa
1/4 C bell pepper, diced
1/3 C shredded chicken
1/4 C cooked corn
1/4 C black beans
2 T cheese
1 T olives, sliced
2 1/2 C romaine lettuce, chopped

Mix the balsamic and salsa together and spoon into the bottom of a large jar. Layer the other ingredients in the order as shown with the lettuce on top.

Canned Japanese Salad

Dressing

1 T white miso paste
1 T water
1 t rice vinegar
1 t sugar
1/2 t peanut butter
1/8 t sesame oil

Whisk the ingredients together until well blended. Put the dressing as the bottom layer of the jar.

1/2 C chicken
1/4 C thinly sliced bell pepper
2 T pickled daikon and carrot (prepared or homemade)
3 T edamame beans, cooked
1/4 C sliced cucumber
2 T green onion (white and light green parts only)
1/2 C thinly sliced cabbage
1 1/2 C romaine lettuce

Layer the ingredients in the order shown in the jar. Eat within 2 days.

Mango Tart with White Chocolate Pastry Cream (and Lilikoi Glaze) and Momentum

2012-10-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

I am currently in survival mode.

I’m 80 days into diets and exercise and I’m looking for a more appropriate name for what I’m doing, perhaps, the, “I hate food” phase.

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs and looking at a lot of tumblrs of a completely foreign variety for me. There’s a group of people that get off on how ridiculously healthy they can be and not be turned off by the fact that their food looks like dog barf.

It makes me realize that you have to be a little obsessive to lose a significant amount of weight. I’m not even the least bit interested in “thigh gap” so I know I’m not in danger of eating disorders, but you have to think about food and exercise pretty constantly. It’s easy to see how people cross that barrier between healthy and unhealthy thinking about the human body.

There’s something to be said for momentum. I’ve always been pretty fit, and still can run and hike despite any of my sizes, but now that I’ve finished Insanity once I can’t seem to stop myself from waking up at 5:30am every morning. I also am not interested in any workout that seems easier than Insanity.

I went from a diet of five 300-calorie meals a day (including carbs and occasional desserts) to Paleo about a week ago. I don’t think this will be a forever thing for me, but I’m trying it out for a month. So far I hate it but it’s more effective. The momentum helps keep me going.

I made this tart several weeks ago. It was a little easier to cheat on that diet. A huge thing I’ve missed while I’ve been doing all of this is the lack of pretty food.

I’d like to get momentum for blogging again. I’m starting a series of posts of foods that have been getting me through these last couple of months and what helps me stick to it. Probably most of you don’t have the same difficulty with all of this that I have, but if you do, I totally get it. It sucks. And almost nothing anyone says helps.

Tip #1: Gain Momentum. Make a commitment to a week (making a public announcement helps) and pretty soon you’ll feel like you have to do it because you’ve been doing it so long. Because, yes, a week feels like forever in the “I hate food” phase. You can email me and complain about it if you like. I know that’s what I like to do.

Does it seem weird to start a series of diet posts with a gorgeously fatty dessert? Not in my mind.

When I’m 30 lbs lighter, I might eat a whole one myself, if I ever get there.

Mango Tart with White Chocolate Pastry Cream (and Lilikoi Glaze)

1 tart crust (pate sucree), baked and cooled (I used the Cook’s Illustrated recipe), still in the pan.

1 recipe chilled White Chocolate Pastry Cream (Recipe Below)

1 mango, thinly sliced

1 recipe lilikoi glaze (recipe below), still warm

1) Assemble the tart by filling the crust with the pastry cream. Spread it evenly over the bottom of the tart. Fan the mango slices starting from the middle and working outwards. Dip a brush into the glaze and flick the glaze all over the fruit. Chill until serving, several hours is best. Remove the tart from the pan just before serving.

White Chocolate Pastry Cream (adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Pastry Cream Recipe)

1 Cup cream
1 Cup milk
6 Tbsp sugar, divided
pinch table salt
5 egg yolks
3 Tbsp cornstarch
4 oz chopped white chocolate
3 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Heat cream, milk, and 4 Tbsp sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until simmering.
While the milk is heating, whisk together 2 Tbsp sugar with egg yolks until the sugar dissolves and it looks very creamy. Whisk in the cornstarch and stir rapidly for 30 more seconds. The liquid should be pale and thick. Once the cream and milk is simmering, temper the yolks by slowly streaming in 1 Cup of the hot cream as you whisk. Whisk constantly while doing this. Then combine the yolks into the pan, whisking as you pour, and stir constantly until the pastry cream becomes thick and barely begins to bubble. This should take about 30 seconds. Don’t wait too long or the cream will curdle.
Take the pan off the heat and toss in the white chocolate. Whisk constantly until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the unsalted butter.
Put the hot pastry cream in a pan or wide bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface and let the cream chill in the refrigerator until very cold, about four hours or overnight.

Lilikoi Glaze:

1/2 Cup lilikoi puree
1/3 Cup sugar

In a small saucepan, whisk together the lilikoi and sugar over medium high heat. Stirring often, bring the lilikoi to a high simmer. Stir until the lilikoi is reduce and thick enough to spread. Make sure the lilikoi glaze is still very warm when you apply it to the mango. Flick and paint the glaze on the top of the mangos.

Voodoo and other Dieting Dilemmas

2012-07-28T20:27:00.001-07:00

I get angry when I am on a diet. I’ll tell you why. When I’m dieting:

1) Nabisco comes out with three new flavors of Oreos. WTH, Nabisco. I want to punch your face.

2) Foodland’s weekly reward is a box of Love’s doughnuts. I am canceling my Maika’i membership immediately in retaliatory disgust.

3) My kids start eating tons of crap food, so much so that Amaya actually groans when Jake pulls out a box of Mac and Cheese. I just want to dive into that Mac and Cheese so I feel like she is being the whiniest girl on the planet.

4) I am eating tons of lettuce. When I am rich I am going to go buy up the salad industry and put it in a trash can.

5) I am not cooking. It’s barely called cooking when you’re eating 300 calorie meals and weighing chicken breasts. Poor girls, they’re only 4 oz.

6) I have not lost one pound while being on this diet for 15 days, 6 hours, and 18 minutes (and doing Insanity). I hate my scale so much but I also feel completely co-dependent.

7) I hate food blogging and all the people I follow on Instagram that take pictures of their food. You people suck.

8) I hate other people eating food. Don’t eat food around me. Even if you are eating salad I will hate you.

9) Editing these pictures was torture.

10) I never have fun.

It’s true. People who eat have more fun.

When we were in Oregon (Before Dieting: B.D.), I was standing in line at Voo doo Doughnuts, experimenting with stuffed burgers, enjoying my mother’s gourmet Japanese cooking, tasting salted caramel ice cream from the Salt and Straw cart, and having lunch at the food truck pod near my dad’s office. I don’t care if Voo Doo Doughnuts’ actual doughnut isn’t the best there is—the toppings save them. Yes, that is a fried fritter topped with chocolate and peanut butter and chocolate chips. Yes, that is a Easy Peasy Lemon Keesey. Yes, that is an Old Dirty Bastard with Oreos. Yes, that is a maple bacon doughnut. I got a little lazy with the photos because I was trying to stuff my face in doughnut orgy.

Portland has a lot of good sandwiches, which is probably my favorite meal. And that sandwich in the bottom right corner is, actually, a Big A** sandwich. Fries in a sandwich. Tell me that is not the best sandwich you have ever tasted through a screen.

Except the one just on the left of that might beat it. The Schnitzelwich is the European Katsu sandwich, and I appreciate the Horseradish sauce. If I was near this food truck pod I would be in big trouble. My dad and I had a cook off of burger recipes for our July 4th BBQ. I’m not sure which I liked better, but I really like blue cheese in burgers, and American cheese on burgers is much better than cheddar, despite my preferences for real food over colored cheese gelatin. Real pineapple beats out canned pineapple, though.

I’m really lucky my family likes food as much as I do. We even took the kids to two fancy restaurants and ate pork belly dishes at both places. I was much too busy eating to take pictures, so you’ll have to settle for my Instagram (yes! I hate myself!). Mom wanted to try this watermelon popsicles recipe she got off a food blog. It was super cute. I would like to try to make more of a sherbet style one. Lime sherbet, by the way, is highly underrated. Jake and I also ate all through our anniversary, and hiked to a few waterfalls in between. I have been married to this man for 11 years. I really don’t get tired of him at all, which is the wonder of being married to someone this awesome. He’s been good about picking up the slack since being on a diet makes me completely lazy and pissy. Kind of like what I would be like if I actually had PMS.

Amaya said a couple of days ago, “I want some chocolate, because I’m on a diet. That’s what you eat when you’re on a diet.”

I looked at Jake with my most evil stare and said, “Not. One. Word.”

A Disneyland Adventure

2012-07-14T21:22:00.001-07:00

Today I am breaking my number one rule about narrative writing:

“Don’t write about Disneyland.”

I have a few other rules (no broken bones, trips in general, or the time you almost died), but I totally freak about Disneyland essays. There’s always one kid who isn’t listening or just assumes that the rule does not apply to his or her Disneyland vacation. Kids think that Disneyland is the greatest place on earth and who would not want to hear about riding on Space Mountain and spinning on the Tea Cups, because this was the greatest and most exciting vacation of all time. I just can’t stand event driven essays. It’s all about “and THEN,” and then, and then, and then…

We get it. But obviously I didn’t get it. I thought there was no point.

It is a purely hedonistic glee where you completely do not care about anything beyond the gates of Disneyland, except maybe California Adventure. And when you leave you just want to come back.

I was a total Disney unbeliever. I assumed I was going to be ho hum about it all and sick of it after day three. I could remember liking it as a kid, but kids are easy to please.

When we got there I totally tricked Amaya into going on The Pirates of the Caribbean and Splash Mountain. We were running from Fast Pass to Fast Pass and my eyes welled with proud tears when Amaya told me how much she loved Captain E.O. and that she wanted to go to it again.

I’m already planning a trip for when Mozely is old enough to go on Space Mountain and appreciate the night time sky in Peter Pan’s flight. Even the Finding Nemo submarine ride had fantastic sights. I don’t know how people even think of this stuff. Disney Engineers or Ride Makers or whatever they’re called—they’re geniuses. We even saw a Broadway version of Aladdin in a theater. Every little detail is amazing, every worker is nice, and it’s completely contagious. We left the stroller with stuff in it wherever, and not one person messed with it. I wasn’t even worried about losing Amaya after the first few hours, because it just felt like everyone could be trusted.

Damaris and I took the three kids. Amaya was the perfect age to go, I think. If you go there with kids, get the parent swaps after you get fast passes. The system is perfect. We rarely waited for more than 15 minutes, and even though we waited for an hour for Toy Story Mania (the longest by far) it was totally worth it. We went on the supposed busiest days of the year.

Several times Amaya said to me, “This is the Best Day EVARRRRR!” I felt the same way.

If you’re interested in a Disney Vacation check out Enchanting Vacations and get hooked up with Lindsey. She can book your vacation, hotel, food, and/or just park tickets. She also sent me a complete itinerary for each day with waiting/walking/riding times for all the best rides as well as advice on fast passes, etc. She’s the Disney guru and helped me with all of my questions. It’s a totally free service, and I could not find cheaper tickets anywhere else.

We also went to Legoland before the Disney adventure. It was perfect for the kids but didn’t live up to Disneyland, for sure.

The San Diego Zoo was fantastic, and thanks to Full Circle Foodie’s darling Kimmie, we got a deal and a tour guide. She also tipped us on to the just barely opened Bardot, which sells Love on a Stick (aka Ice Cream bars), but it really is love on a stick. I had the Ebony and Ivory, first, a mascarpone cheese ice cream with dulce du leche covered with milk chocolate. I was in love with that stick, for sure. Amaya got the kid’s sized Cotton Candy beauty. We weren’t sure we had enough, so we went ahead and got a box of them to take back and eat later. Thank goodness for a friend with the same obsession with food (especially one who can keep up with me eating Trader Joe’s Jo Jo’s). The kids picked Oreo bars and we sampled the Southern Belle (key lime pie with crust and a layer of frozen meringue, covered in white chocolate). Absolutely gorgeous in my mouth. I’d go back right now. But only if you throw in Disneyland and great friends, too.

Eat @ Heeia Pier

2012-06-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

I’d heard about Heeia Pier about a million times before we actually made it out there. For one, I’m never in Kaneohe during the middle of the day, and two, I am total moron. For not coming here sooner.

Don’t be a moron. Eat at Heeia Pier.

Most people don’t take the Kaneohe Bay Drive Road. It’s much quicker to go the highway route, and has less curves. Sometimes you’ll get stuck behind a tourist (slowing down at every view) or just Gramma Tanaka on a Sunday drive. But it is a nice view, and if I wasn’t usually racing everywhere I went, I would take this road slow, too.

We decided to hit the pier to go fishing, as Jake just recently got Amaya a fishing pole, and eat at Heeia pier too. I won’t lie. I went for the food.

Fishing is a funny thing for us. I mostly only like my fish raw, and I only trust other people to serve it to me that way, so we don’t buy fish. And then there’s the fact that Jake doesn’t like fish either. We were planning on a catch and release session, but there wasn’t any catching to do.

An older guy caught two fish in the first 20 minutes that we were there, and we didn’t see anyone else catch a thing. We didn’t try too hard, but the kids liked being there anyway.

We also realized that fishing is one of those things adults want to do with kids—fun in theory, but mostly impractical. Between Mozely trying to climb down right by the edge of the water and Amaya running around, not even holding the pole once, we gave up pretty quick.

I went ahead and ordered. I’d heard about The Cheekeater through other Hawaii foodies, and asked for it, since it’s not on the menu. We got guava chicken and grilled beef and a tomato/eggplant salad.I took the pictures in broad daylight because I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth in.

The salad came out first. I didn’t wait. little crispy (fried? toasted) rice grains dotted the well seasoned smoky eggplant and fresh tomatoes. The flavor combination was unreal. I had to try not to eat it all. When my brother in law accidentally dropped 1 little tomato I cried. He got me another salad.

I claimed the first bites of the hamburger. The Cheekeater is named after another chef (his nickname). The burger itself was soft, lined with onions, and so tender it practically fell to pieces as I ate it. The bun was toasted to a perfect crisp. I kept noticing how crispy the inside of the bun was as I was eating—it didn’t turn into a pile of mush at all.
The burger also had thin slices of portugeuse sausage, bacon, browned spam (or some spam similar product, shredded lettuce, cheese, fry sauce, tomato, and the most beautiful egg ever. The yolk ooze put me over the top.

I didn’t share much. Maybe a few bites. I encouraged the boys to order another. I could have eaten another one, even though I was stuffed.

The guava chicken and beef were also so yummy, but I really only had eyes for that burger. I almost felt bad for them, having to be compared to the Cheekeater.

Bread Salad (Panzanella)

2012-06-21T11:02:00.001-07:00

Don’t forget to enter my OXO Salad Dressing Shaker Giveaway HERE. It’s my new favorite kitchen toy.

I first heard about this kind of salad several years ago. I was intrigued by the idea but food blogs were still mostly non-existent and I didn’t have a recipe. I decided to just try to make a bread salad.

Well, I didn’t know what the helk I was doing. I ended up with a good flavored mushy salad.

Yesterday Jake said, “Remember when you didn’t know how to cook?”

What? I thought I could always cook!

Ok, so I made a mushy salad, a LONG time ago. It’s great what years of practice and lots of food blog reading can do for a person.

This is barely a recipe. I did not measure, and I don’t think you should either. Taste, taste, taste!

Bread Salad (Panzanella)

Cut 5 or 6 Cups of hearty, rustic bread into 1” pieces. I cubed, but you can tear.
olive oil
salt
6 smallish, locally grown tomatoes (Roma sized) that have NEVER been in the fridge and are ripe
1 Japanese cucumber (less seeds/water, but you can use whatever) peeled and cut into half moon chunks
Sherry vinegar (balsamic would be acceptable)
fresh Mozzarella cheese, cubed (more than a cup)
3 large handfuls of Arugula
Sunflower Sprouts
Thinly sliced red onion
More olive oil
Minced garlic (if you can handle it raw)
sugar
pepper and salt to taste
A few Tablespoons of thinly sliced basil

Heat the oven to 400 degrees and lay the bread cubes onto a baking sheet. Pour olive oil (lots, like half a cup) over the bread and toss, rubbing it with your fingers. Sprinkle salt over the top. Toast the bread in the oven for several minutes, tossing the bread once during cooking to toast both sides. Remove when they are crouton like and golden. Let cool on the sheet. They should seem too dry. They’ll soak up liquid and soften later.
While the bread is toasting, cut up the tomatoes and reserve the juices as much as possible. Put the tomatoes in a metal strainer/colander over a bowl. Toss the tomatoes with salt and let the juice seep into the bottom bowl for about 15 minutes. Put the onion in the tomato juice bowl.
Put the cooled bread pieces, strained tomatoes, cucumber, arugula, sprouts, and cheese into a large bowl. Whisk a couple of glugs of olive oil, garlic, and a few Tablespoons of sherry vinegar into the bowl of tomato juices. You may want to add a little teensy bit of sugar here. Your call.
Pour the dressing over the whole salad, add some salt and pepper, throw in the basil, and toss the salad lots of times. The bread should start taking up some of the liquid and softening. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve immediately.

Passion Fruit Dressing and an OXO Giveaway!

2012-06-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

I only like salad if I have some real ingredients to put in, like roasted tomatoes, hearts of palm, steak strips, or Pammy’s Dressing.

My friend Pam has a salad on her table every night, and more often than not it’s dressed with her special homemade sauce. I’d drink the stuff if no one was looking.

I really dislike store bought dressing. I keep one bottle in my fridge for emergencies, but generally I’d prefer to pour it down the sink than in my salad bowl. I try to pilfer Pam’s dressing when I can but now I finally can make a bottle of my own. The last time I made it I didn’t have orange juice concentrate, so I improvised with some Lilikoi. I went to salad dressing heaven.

Thanks to OXO, I now have a salad dressing shaker in the fridge at all times.

My favorite, truly functional features:

1) Flip top lid, no drips with a tight seal. Plus a spout that ensures you don’t have salad dressing dripping over the side.

2) Liquid measurement tick marks

3) Screw top, so you can clean it easily.

I love it. And now you can have one too.

OXO sent me an extra salad dressing shaker so I can pass it on to you.

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me about your favorite salad or dressing ingredient(s). If you have a link to a recipe, I’m always looking for inspiration!

You can get up to two extra entries for tweeting and/or following this blog.

Passionfruit Dressing (Lilikoi Dressing) (slightly adapted from Pammy’s recipe)

2/3 Cup olive oil
scant 1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp no salt seasoning
salt to taste
3 Tbsp lilikoi puree
1/2 tsp honey or more to taste (I like mine sweeter)
1 Tbsp water
pinch of dried parsley
2 Tbsp dijon mustard (not Grey Poupon)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Whisk or shake all ingredients together until uniform. You may need to shake again before serving.
Tip: If your dressing gets very cold, it may separate or be difficult to pour. Wait until it warms to room temperature again, or put it in the microwave for a few seconds and shake.

OXO sent me this product for free. All opinions are my own.

Apple Pie Push Up Pops and a Shabby Apple Giveaway

2012-06-11T22:16:00.001-07:00

I’m a popsicle addict making a transition. Push up pops are my new drug.

I have many happy memories of sherbet flavored push up pops, as a child, as an adult, and as a mother. I was pretty ecstatic when I walked into a craft store looking for plastic cake wraps and walked out with push up pop molds.

I’m excited not only because I have the most dang (!) amazing (!) push up pop ever, but because I have a giveaway for you.

Dresses from Shabby Apple are the cutest around, not to mention swimsuits, and they’re giving one of my fabulously patient readers a $50 gift card to Shabby Apple.
But so as not to leave anyone out, you can use a coupon code for 10% off for your obsessions, like these Little Girls Dresses from Shabby Apple.

Just use the coupon code: littlefoodie10off

In honor of the giveaway, I decided to make apple pie push up pops and I’m so glad I did. I don’t even like Apple Pie. I’m trying not to devour all of these. They’re apple pie a la mode.

Why did I only make four? Weep. Weep. I shared with Mozely at least. He’s fighting off a cold and the terrible twos at the same time. It’s been a hard couple of days. Poor us.
Yeah, poor us, eating our fabulous Apple Pie Push Up Pops and shopping at Shabby Apple. It’s enough to make a grown woman veg out in front of multiple episodes of Vampire Diaries.

(that’s my story, and I’m sticking with it. Don’t judge.)

I must love you a lot, to be sharing all this with you.

To participate in the Giveaway, you’ve gotta do two things for me. Easy Peasy.

1) “Like” Shabby Apple on Facebook. Just click here and do it.

2) Leave me a comment telling me your MUST HAVE from their site.

Only US residents are eligible. Giveaway entries end on June 17th, 2012.
You can earn an extra entry by tweeting this giveaway! Just leave a second comment telling me you did so. Tell me your twitter handle so I can follow you back!

My friend just wore the North Shore turquoise dress from Shabby Apple for the wedding two weeks ago and she was a show stealer. I’d steal it from her if I could lose *cough* a few pounds. Right after I eat all these push up pops.

Apple Pie Push Up Pops (makes 4)
Print This

1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, cut into thin slices
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
1 Cup full fat PLAIN yogurt
1/4 Cup milk
3 Tbsp sugar
3/4 Cup Graham cracker crust, baked, cooled and crumbled. I used this recipe, but you can use your own.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add the apples and stir, often, until the apples are softened. Put the sugar in the pan and stir again and cook until the liquid becomes bubbly and the apples are swimming in a lovely, caramel sauce. Stir in the cinnamon and remove from heat.
Mix the yogurt, milk and sugar together. It should be very sweet (it gets less sweet as it is frozen). You may want to add more sugar if you have a very tart yogurt.
Fold the apples into the yogurt. RESIST EATING IT ALL. You can spare a bite or two.

4. Layer the graham cracker crust at the bottom of your push up pop mold. Slightly more than one tablespoon per pop mold will do. Pour in some of your apple pie yogurt, and then put in another layer of crust in each mold. Finish the top off with the rest of the yogurt. Make sure to freeze these standing up! I use the Zoku that’s already in the freezer to hold them up, but styrofoam cups turned over or cake pop stands will probably do! Freeze for a few hours. Eat.

A Momofuku Wedding Cake

2012-06-05T17:44:00.001-07:00

In the last 6 months I’ve been making more than my share of cakes. I think I’ve filled my quota of cakes, in fact.

Now that I’ve discovered the goodness of the Momofuku cake, and because I’ve recently bought 500 feet of acetate cake strips on-line, there will be no end to the cake baking at my house.

I roped my husband into making the chocolate marshmallow cake for Mother’s day. He was cursing my name while lovingly mixing and baking for 6 hours on the Saturday night before.

Poor thing. I didn’t feel bad as soon as I bit into it.

The roasted marshmallows were the key. I ate too many pieces.

Then I made the chocolate chip lilikoi curd cake that Christina Tosi made for David Chang’s birthday. Jake didn’t like the chocolate and passion fruit flavors together but I was ecstatic. The chocolate crumb was so rich and I love how Tosi pairs crunchy and creamy and tart together.

I learned a lot about baking.
1) So much easier to weigh the ingredients.

2) Quarter pan size is not the same as half sheet pan size. Oops.

Some friends asked me to make the cake for their son’s wedding. The Springs are family to me and Austin is the same age as my brother. I said yes, even though I am terrible at decorating.

Luckily another friend took the decorating part over.

I had a real wedding cake baker, of Paradise Pastries, to help consult on the structure.

Jake kept Mozely busy and I stayed up late only a few nights in a row. Austin and his sister, Noelle, helped bake the cakes and all the parts, hours of work, and especially, hours of stirring slowly thickening curd on the stove top.

We only had one mishap.

Lesson #3: Eggs are necessary in this cake.

We still ate part of it, even though it dripped all over the oven floor, caught on fire, and filled the house with smoke.

11 lbs of butter later we had a wedding cake.

It takes up a whole fridge. Just in case you were considering making your own.

Birthday Cake Layers (without the sprinkles) and Lilikoi Curd, Birthday Cake White Frosting, and Milk Crumb. It could only be upstaged by the bride and groom.

I’ll be posting a lot more. Promise.

(Next week I’ll have a Shabby Apple Giveaway, and after that, an OXO giveaway. What a great way to kick off the summer, right?)

The Humans are Alive, the Computer is Dead

2012-01-31T00:33:00.000-08:00

Shortly after my last post, we set up our desk, I immediately pulled the computer out of hiding, and then flipped it on, nearly giddy about finally returning to the internet.

Then some error message came up about the computer being really hot.

Ohhhhhh, really? Ok, I'll just ignore that.

Then I decided, just in case, to check the temperature of the computer through the bios.

I can't remember exactly what it said, but there was some panic in my mind. Something about one hundred forty something.

Like, Really super duper hot. Which is weird, because this computer has two fans.

At that point the computer decided to take matters into its own hands, because obviously I was incapable of making a real decision.

It turned off. And then never turned on again.

I haven't buried the thing yet, because I'm vacillating between kicking it in the CPU and paying a witch doctor to reanimate it.

Either way, I haven't been blogging.

I had been cooking. Lots and lots of cooking. Until last week. Now I'm lots and lots of dieting. Which is depressing when you want to cook.

I finally decided to shoot jpeg, so I have a few pictures to show for myself, even if I have nowhere to store the pictures, for now.

This is a poor place to do a review for Christina Tosi's new cookbook, Momofuku Milk Bar, but I think you should run to your nearest on-line book store and buy it. You may be temporarily baffled by the fact that you will need to locate glucose for half of the recipes, but you should do it. You should follow Every. Single. Request. Christina Tosi makes in her recipes. Because if you do, you will be rewarded. You should measure every ingredient on a scale and force your husband to drive to Foodland to buy King Arthur Bread Flour at 11pm on a Saturday Night. You should spend an entire Saturday going to three stores to find CLEAR imitation vanilla. You should study, for hours, her directions, ingredient descriptions, and the products you will need to bake her amazing desserts.

Just bring a napkin to wipe up your drool.

Follow every letter to the T, and you will be rewarded.

Amaya said, "Take a picture of me eating!" So I'm including it, even though I botched up the focus.
Even she has been missing being a part of my blog.

(my instagram wannabe picture.)
Carrot Cake, graham frosting, liquid cheesecake, milk crumb, layered.

All I Want for Christmas

2011-12-24T15:01:00.001-08:00

After searching the entire island of Hawaii and Internets of Amazon.com for 2 months we have finally bought an acceptable computer desk.

I was stoked. I would finally get to blog. I only have photoshop for my raw photos on my desktop.

But no! The table is unfinished and has to be stained. Jake says it will take a week. He could tell I was disappointed and got started on making it right away.

I couldn’t take it. So I am sitting on the floor with the keyboard, sweating after dragging all of my desktop computer parts out of the extra room where 20 unpacked boxes still sit. The computer is covered with furry dust and is screaming at me to update five billion virus scanners and security updates and also wants to reformat my camera card.

I don’t care. I am blogging. And we finally have curtains. I am happy.

I got an early Christmas present when Dianne Jacob came to give a workshop on food writing.

I don’t recommend moving and trying to organize a workshop at the same time, just FYI, but it was totally worth it in the end. About 5 bazillion people had to help me out, a lot, to make it happen, and I owe them so many favors that I will be repaying in baked goods for the rest of time.

Dianne was even better in real life, which is really hard to believe, I know, because I already liked her so much. She was warm and funny and really has such great taste, as she loved my Lantern Ilima lei. It matched perfectly.

We picked her up at the airport before the workshop and ran into Chinatown to get some food. She bought my friend and I each two char-siu buns (which are ten thousand times better in Chinatown than 7-11) and we got a couple of smoothies to go.

At the workshop she prompted our creativity with writing exercises, examined a favorite post, told us the hard truth about cookbook writing, and we shared our frustrations with blogging.

I think the advice that stuck with me the most, weeks later, has been: “Have an opinion. it’s so much more interesting.”

She has lots of opinions and she conveys them in a smart and funny way. It’s possible to be positive without being gushy, I’ve decided. I was really trying to learn from that. I’ve been fired up again to write more and write well.

Dianne bought me lunch nearby. We ate some garlicky ong choi and some stir fried mochi (only in Hawaii!). Dianne said that the mochi had great char from the wok. She told me the technical term but I can’t remember. My internet research led me to Wok Hei.. That smokiness was the smooth edge between burnt and savory. It made me want to go to Chinatown every day.

Catherine Toth met us for the last five minutes of lunch and gave us cake pops. I unfortunately had to share with my kids. I have no idea why I didn’t take a picture of how cute she is and how cute her cake pops were. Shame on me.

After the workshop we went to eat again with the ladies and gentleman from Les Dames I drove Dianne to the airport again, and raced home with a head full of food writing. I have too many New Year’s resolutions that have nothing to do with dieting.

I have been making way too many of these.

In between batches there are neighborhood kids trying to “Catch That Chicken!” whilst scrambling underneath our house.

Then there’s the Jackson chameleon in our car port. He must’ve been looking for his relatives.

We are alive, eating, and Hawaii-living.

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas?

Island Style Filled Chocolate Bon Bons

Lilikoi Filling

1/2 Cup lilikoi puree
1/4 Cup white chocolate chips
5 marshmallows
1/2 Cup powdered sugar

Heat the lilikoi puree, white chocolate, marshmallows, and powdered sugar in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring after each. Once it is completely melted, whisk in the powdered sugar. It should be very thick soup. Let cool for 5 minutes and then put in the fridge until you need it. If it is too liquid you can add more powdered sugar. I put in even more lilkoi puree to one batch for extra punch.

Christmas Style Filled Chocolate Bon Bons

Eggnog Filling

3 Tbsp eggnog
1/4 Cup white chocolate chips
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 Cup powdered sugar

Heat the eggnog and white chocolate chips in the microwave for 20 seconds, stir, and return to the microwave for 10 more seconds if needed. Whisk in the cream cheese and powdered sugar and beat until thick. Put in the fridge until needed. Add more eggog for stronger flavor (but you’ll need a little more powdered sugar).

Peanut Butter Bonbons

1/2 Cup chocolate chips, melted
1 Cup natural style peanut butter
2 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 Cups powdered sugar

Combine the melted chocolate, peanut butter, and cream cheese in a stand mixer (with the regular paddle). Beat it together for 30 seconds, scraping the sides twice. Add the powdered sugar and mix again until it is crumbly but can be rolled together in your hands.

Making Bonbons

You’ll need some plastic molds that are dome shaped. I had success with many different domes. Milk chocolate is the hardest to unmold because it is so soft. Darker chocolate and even white chocolate for some reason is easier.

For the chocolate, it does work with chocolate chips but I recommend going with something a little better. I used Trader Joe’s huge dark chocolate bar (well, just a part of it) with good success.

Get a glass bowl with a lip and place it over a sauce pan that has an inch or so of water in the bottom. The bowl should not be touching the water (this is a double boiler). Heat this over medium heat until the water is simmering. Place about 1 Cup chocolate pieces in the bowl, and stir with a silicone spatula until melted and very shiny. If you have a candy thermometer heat the chocolate until about 110 degrees. To tell the truth, I don’t use mine usually. I heat it until it’s pretty hot when I stick my finger in it, but I can still barely stand it.

(Don’t you love my instructions?)

Then remove the chocolate from the heat, throw about 1/3 cup more of chocolate pieces in there, and stir it around until the chocolate is all melted.

Immediately put a little dollop of chocolate into a few of the molds (work with only a few at a time as to not let the chocolate cool down too quickly) and then start brushing it (yes! with a paintbrush!) in the inside of the mold. You don’t want the light to show through the chocolate. You may have to do two coats with a cooling in the refrigerator session in between.

Once you’ve painted the inside of the molds (up to the top! But not over the edge.) place them in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

When the chocolate is hardened in the molds then add the filling. Fill just under the top level so you have room to drop a little more melted chocolate over the filling. You will probably need to reheat the chocolate to hot again over the double boiler before doing this. If the chocolate is too cool with this last step, the chocolate will not harden properly and will feel too soft.

Put the chocolate molds back in the fridge and wait until they harden. Then pop out the chocolates. Usually I have to kind of tap and press a little on the molds to pop them out. The milk chocolates were the hardest—I ended up freezing them for a little while to get them out.

Clean your molds between batches. Do NOT put them in the dishwasher even though you just got a new dishwasher and you think it’s a miracle. Lesson learned.

Now, what do you do if you have some leftover chocolate?

Why, I can think of at least one thing.

In with the New

2011-12-01T21:30:00.001-08:00

Obviously it's not yet January 1st, but we're getting started with The New a little early around here.

Maybe you'll forgive me for my long silence when you hear we've been moving into a new house.

My new favorite things?

A double oven.

And a dishwasher.

And some new kitchen towels.

Mozely's favorite thing is pulling the towels off the handles. Funnest. Game. Ever.

Yessssss. It's all about the new kitchen.

How I lived this long without a dishwasher, I'll never know. I mean, I know plenty of people throughout the history of time have lived without a dishwasher, but now that my husband and I won't have to be passive aggressive about who should be doing the dishes next, my life is way better.

My entire existence has been so difficult lately that I'm ready for some relief. Between remodeling, babysitting, working, being sick 3 times, and everything else, I'd say that I wouldn't immediately recommend packing up all of your crap on top of that. And my, what a lot of crap one has when you start actually examining how many boxes it takes up.

I'm not even going to tell you how many boxes it took to pack up my cookbooks. Eek. And my kitchen. Double eek.

In between all of the madness, I got the sweetest package in the mail from one of my readers and now e-mail buddies.

These pictures do not do them justice. I received them and packed them right before we moved, and then couldn't find them. I couldn't find the lens I like (packed away), and then I couldn't edit the pictures in photoshop (desktop packed away). Uh, did I mention we moved in 2 weeks ago and I still haven't even started unpacking anything except the kitchen?

Anyway, I love these towels. They are huge, which is so important for kitchen towels, plus they are cotton and they absorb liquid so well. And they are crazy cute. Shar draws these herself and has them printed. I'm afraid to use them too much because all of my towels are nasty stained, but she promises that they wash so easily even if you do wipe up chocolate off of kids faces or try to clean your oven. Ok, so maybe don't clean your oven with it. She is so reliable and does things right when she says she will so if you want to order some of these from her she will send them to you. If you are in Hawaii or coming to Hawaii she will be selling at the upcoming craft fairs:

Aliiolani Elementary, Saturday Dec. 3rd

Okinawan Center at Waipio, Dec. 7th

Moanalua High School, Dec. 10th

Her too-cute towels were recently featured in the Advertiser as one of the "Things We Love" feature they run on Fridays. I couldn't agree more.

I'll be back to posting regularly and I'm excited to be re-energized with writing and blogging because

DIANNE JACOB IS COMING TO TOWN!

Seriously, it is like all kinds of Christmas around here. This is so much more exciting to me than Santa. I told my husband I don't even need any Christmas presents.

(except a kindle. because we have way too many freaking books. I know you agree with me. just give in already. maybe we need 2. oh, and then, naturally, we'll need to buy some ebooks.)

If you are still wanting to sign up, we have limited spots available, plus we made a few changes and were able to drop the price to $75. I'm also excited about the group that is coming. I think the socializing at lunch might be my favorite part.

Come back around on Tuesday. I've got a Lilikoi Bar recipe for you.

Just to keep up our Christmas cheer.

Thanks to Foodiacs, Down to Earth and Mama T, Harvard Common Press, and Mutual Publishing for providing food and giveaways at our upcoming workshop!

Halloween is about Yes.

2011-11-01T01:19:00.001-07:00

Yes.

Yes, I did make popsicles with Pop Rocks. Lemonade base.

Awesome. And crackly.

Yes, I did buy $30 shoes for my daughter for Halloween.

I looked around and even the low tops were $30.

Fantastic.

Yes, I did buy makeup just so I could wear it on Halloween because I don’t own makeup.

And Yes, I did look like a $2 you-know-what because I don’t know how to put on makeup.

Cool.

Yes, I did make Candy Bar Cookies.

No. No picture.

Yes. I ate them all. I had a little help.

Scrumpdidlyumptious.

How was your Halloween?

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

2011-10-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

I have a problem with pumpkin. Call me an addict. When the season comes around I want to bake pumpkin non-stop. Poor husband isn’t as in love with the sweet, wet squash as me. No matter. More for me.

I made two pumpkin cakes in two days. The first one was a bust (I still ate it), and the second was sweet victory. I was inspired by the infamous pumpkin crunch cake that is floating around the internet, which has very little pumpkin flavor and HORROR of horrors, is made entirely with boxed cake mix and is essentially a dump cake. I know, it’s tasty, but this just blows all of those others out of the water.

I think this cake needs no other explanation than the sum of its parts:

Pumpkin cake layers (thanks to David Leite for his perfect pumpkin cake)

Pumpkin pie layers

Cream cheese frosting layers

Crunch in the frosting

Amaya said, “Thank you for making this cake! You make the best food Mommy.”

Dang it. She tricked me into giving her another piece.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake (click to print)

If you don’t know David Leite’s website, Leite’s Culinaria, you’re in for a treat. Tested, awesome recipes, and David’s writing make a great website. This was the best pumpkin cake recipe I’ve made as most pumpkin cakes are dense, soft, and not suited for layering, however tasty. This one was perfectly pumpkin-y without being too soft.

This is a really long recipe. So worth it. Husband approved, and he only got one bite because he’s off sugar until Halloween.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees

Prepare two 8” round cake pans. Place cut circles of parchment paper at the bottom of the pan and butter the bottom and edges.

Pumpkin Pie Layers:

1 Cup and 2 Tbsp canned pumpkin
1 Cup canned table cream (found in Latin food aisles or supermarkets)
2 eggs
1/3 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spices

Whisk together all of the ingredients and divide equally between the two cake pans. Cook for 15 minutes in the oven. While it’s cooking prepare the pumpkin cake layers.

Go to David's web site to get the cake recipe:

David Leite’s Pumpkin Cake Make just the batter.

I did not put in all of the spices. Just the cinnamon and just a pinch of black pepper. I'm sure it's good with all of it though.

1. Remove the pumpkin pie layers from the oven. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees.

2. Spoon the cake batter over the pumpkin pie layers, evenly and gently. You don't want to mix the layers. Smooth it out with the back of a spatula and firmly hit the pan on the counter a few times to remove the air bubbles.

3. Return the cakes to the oven and bake for about 37-45 minutes. Check the cakes with a toothpick or sharp knife after 35 minutes and remove when just done. The toothpick, when removed from the cake, should have just a few crumbs clinging to it. If it comes out with raw batter, cook for longer. This part really depends on your oven. If your oven cooks unevenly, probably rotate the cakes a couple of times during cooking.

While the cakes are cooking, make the cream cheese frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

12 oz cream cheese, softened slightly (1 and a half boxes of cream cheese)
8 Tbsp butter, still cool, but not cold
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 Cups powdered sugar

1. In a food processor/cuisinart fitted with the blade, process the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream until uniform and whipped. Add the powdered sugar and process until completely mixed, about 20 seconds. You will have to scrape down the sides a couple of times. Put it in the fridge until ready to use.

When you remove the cakes from the oven, turn on the broiler and prepare the crunch. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from their pans. Run a knife around the edge of the cakes and invert to remove. Let cool completely.

Crunch for pumpkin cake

1 cup yellow box cake mix
8 tbsp butter, divided
½ Cup walnuts, chopped into small pieces
½ Cup brown sugar

1. Sprinkle the nuts and cake mix over a quarter of a baking sheet. Don’t worry about being exact, but the cake mix should be in an even layer. Break up the largest pieces of cake mix, but little pieces are fine.

2. Drizzle four tablespoons of butter over the cake mix. It’s ok if it isn’t completely wet, just try to sprinkle it over as evenly as possible.

3.In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar and remaining butter. Spread this evenly over another unused portion of the baking sheet in a thin layer—about 1/8”.

4. Broil for 3-5 minutes, pulling it out when the brown sugar layer is bubbly and glossy and the cake part looks still yellow but just barely getting browned on the edges. You have to watch this very closely and it depends on the heat of your broiler.

5. Let the crunch cool completely. Then use a metal spatula and remove the brown sugar layer to a cutting board and chop it up. Mix the pieces in a bow with the cake crunch part and set aside for assembly.

Assemble the cake.

1. Place the first cake on a serving platter with the pumpkin side up. Put about 1 cup of frosting on the cake and spread over the top of the cake. Layer the second cake on top of that with the pumpkin pie layer on top, again.

2. Spread another cup or more of frosting on the sides and top of the cake in a thin layer to seal in the crumbs. Put the cake in the fridge for an hour or two to let seal.

3. Remove the cake from the fridge and put another layer of frosting on the whole cake—use as much of the rest as you like—I didn’t quite use all of the frosting.

4. Sprinkle the crunch all over the cake, also on the sides. Serve. Serves a lot, or just you. I won't tell.

Chobani Greek Yogurt and Granola Popsicles

2011-10-19T10:16:00.001-07:00

I have a confession to make.

I eat breakfast in the car.

Sometimes I drink a smoothie, but often enough I’m holding a bowl of something and trying to drive at the same time.

This is all while I’m racing to get Amaya to school on time (we’re on time at least twice a week) because getting ready in the morning is like the movie Groundhog Day. We start the same way every day and I can’t figure out how to do it right.

Now, if I have to eat breakfast in the car, wouldn’t it be nice to have something that didn’t require two hands? And included all my favorite breakfast foods?

Granola, yogurt, honey.

Now we’re talking.

I really only love plain yogurt, and I love Greek yogurt, except for that yoplait one because that stuff is made thick with GELATIN instead. What’s up with that?

Chobani has tons of protein and active cultures. The plain yogurt has a tartness that I can’t deny and when I taste flavored yogurts I find myself wondering if it’s really yogurt. I like it when I open up a package of Greek yogurt and I can see that thick cream. Yum.

I’d love to eat this in the car on the way to work. Popsicles for breakfast are awesome.

Chobani Greek Yogurt and Granola Popsicles (makes 3 Zoku popsicles)

1/3 Cup Chobani plain Greek yogurt
2/3 Cup milk
1/2 Cup granola
2 tsp honey or to taste
extra honey for drizzling—optional

Stir together the yogurt, milk and honey. Pour a teaspoon of granola into the bottom of each popsicle mold. Place the popsicle stick in the mold.
Pour some of the liquid over the granola and when it reaches half way up the mold, add more granola (1-2 Tbsp per mold) and then fill it up with the liquid. Sprinkle the rest of the granola on top.
Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Remove and drizzle with honey if desired. Serve.

For fun I also tried some non-Zoku ones, and the granola of course got soggy, but it was nice, like oatmeal. (I know, you’re thinking, Frozen Oatmeal? but it was chewy and good. I like the berries as well. This one was a better serving size for breakfast.

Let’s face it, I eat a big breakfast.

Chobani Greek Yogurt and Granola Popsicles, Non-Zoku version (serves one)

1/4 cup Chobani plain Greek yogurt
5 Tablespoons milk
1-2 tsp honey
1/4 Cup granola
2 Tbsp mixed berries (can be frozen)

Combine the yogurt, milk and honey in a small bowl. In a pint glass jar, layer the granola, liquid and berries. Place the popsicle stick and freeze for a few hours until firm.
To serve, run the outside of the jar under warm water for 10 seconds. Pull out the popsicle and eat.

Chobani yogurt is perfect for cooking and baking and freezing. I like greek yogurt much better than sour cream, even! I looked over the recipes for Chobani kitchen and found a Thai curry I want to try (which would be a REALLY great way to save some fat on coconut curry). You should check it out.

Do you use yogurt in your cooking? How?

This post is sponsored by Chobani. All opinions and content (except links) are my own.

Red Curry Noodles

2011-10-13T20:33:00.001-07:00

This recipe is crazy easy and delicious.

Just make sure you make enough, or your munchkin will finish it off for you.

Even if she just lost a tooth.

(in fact, this recipe is probably good for people with a loose tooth.)

Sometimes I do long for an evening with the rain hitting softly against the closed windows, and a sweater. We don’t get those in Hawaii too often (rainy evenings I mean. I suppose there are sweaters for rooms with too-much air conditioning.). I can’t remember the last time I was inside my house with the windows closed.

This bowl reminds me of the comfort in a warm dinner.

Make it your dinner. Adjust the flavors. Don’t be afraid of tasting and testing. I had to try a couple of times to get it right, but I think I’ve hit the right combination of ingredients that will make this a success at your house. The first time I made it I used yellow curry paste, but I think the red is better.

Use whatever vegetables you have. This could be great with snow peas, carrots, mung bean sprouts… Add some cilantro if you are so inclined. Chicken if you’d like an omnivore option.

Try some different types of noodles. I know this would be delicious with rice noodles. I think thicker is better.The first time I made it I used regular ramen noodles, but they just were too soggy. Chinese noodles with egg as an ingredient just stood up better to the curry, and were a little thicker. The noodles clung to the sauce so well. I love that velvety soup. I could drink it.

I did.

Here’s my fake instagram picture. ‘Cause I’m jealous of those ihappy people.

Red Curry Noodles (serves 2-4) print this recipe!

I used a fairly mild red curry paste. I used more than 2Tbsp of the paste and just had a hint of spice. I’ve had very spicy pastes as well. If you don’t know the strength of your curry, start with less than 1 Tbsp and work your way up. Or make your own. Then you’ll know how spicy it will be.

1/3 Cup coconut cream (can be scraped from the top of an unshaken can of coconut milk)

About 2 T Red Curry Paste (I used Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste)
1/2 onion, halved and sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 1/2 Cups broccoli, cut into pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp, or more, fish sauce (if you don’t like the taste of fish sauce, use less. I like that little bit of funk, myself)
1 can coconut milk

1 Cup water
1 Tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste
1/2 Cup tofu, cubed (optional)
Sriracha sauce, optional
2 packages dried Chinese noodles (16 oz each package) or other kind of noodle

1. Heat up 2-3 quarts of water in a large saucepan for the noodles.

2. Heat 1/3 Cup coconut cream in a fry pan over medium heat. When the cream starts bubbling and glistening, add the curry paste. Stir it with a wooden spoon until mixed well.

3. Toss in onion, bell pepper and sauté until softened and just slightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, fish sauce, coconut milk and water. Stir. Add brown sugar and broccoli and bring up to a simmer. Cover but stir occasionally as it cooks.

4. While the curry cooks, cook noodles in boiling water until al-dente and drain. Run cold water over them.

5. Add water to make it the right consistency (should be more like soup) and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt or fish sauce or brown sugar if needed. Add the tofu, if using, in the last couple minutes of cooking. Stir it in gently. If you want it to be spicier, add sriracha sauce to taste and stir.

6. As soon as the broccoli is cooked through, take it off the stove. Serve the noodles in a bowl and ladle the curry over the top of the noodles. Serve immediately.