A Week in Kauai

Aloha from Kauai! I am writing from our Hawaiian getaway again just because I could not wait to share a few photos from our trip thus far. Please don't hate me for posting all the beautiful vacation pictures! To be honest, it has been a bit colder than usual, as we are here during the island's rainy season. It's actually difficult to jump in the ocean most days! So, you know...you are not missing anything ;)

Despite a few rainstorms, our time on the "garden island" has been beautiful. We are staying in a family friend's timeshare on the north side of the island, in Princeville. Every day we swim in the gorgeous Hanalei Bay, which is less than a 10 minute drive from our rental. My daily routine has consists of waking up around 6:00 a.m. which is MAGICAL for me since I am incapable of waking up early in my normal California time zone. So I get to see the sun rise, eat my daily breakfast of yogurt, raspberry jam, and Anahola brand Hawaiian granola (see below) and then hit the beach, weather permitting.

Here is a little peek at what life on Kauai has been like this week...

 

Visiting the Kīlauea Lighthouse, which is part of a National Wildlife Refuge area

 

 Enjoying a fresh coconut at the Waipa farmer's market

 

My new breakfast obsession. Move over favorite oatmeal - this Anahola Hawaiian granola is full of addictive honey, walnuts, and coconut. The good news is that you can buy it on Amazon; the bad news is that it's twice the price as here on the island.

 

 We hiked the gorgeous Nā Pali Coast Trail...

And got super duper muddy. Don't worry, I washed off in a river that apparently contains dangerous parasites. If I don't post in another week, you'll know why.

 

Have you ever had shaved ice with ice cream underneath? It is my new favorite hot-weather treat. This was taken at Wishing Well shaved ice in Hanalei, a spot that celebs like Tom Hanks have also supposedly visited.

 

And finally, the mysterious Kauai chickens. These adorable little chicken families are ALL over the island, so if the sun does not wake you up, the rooster crows will. I love the baby chicks!!

Banana Cake with Honey Frosting

Aloha dear blog readers! I have to confess to you that I am writing this post from the first few days of a family vacation in Hawaii. I know, I know...what a rough life! I am so excited to be here with Stuart and my parents, soaking in the ocean views and relaxing after Stuart's second completed quarter of grad school. When I return, I plan to post all about our trip here on the island of Kauai, complete with photos. But for now, I wanted to share with you a dessert I made that channels some delicious Hawaiian flavors like banana and coconut. Introducing: banana cake with honey cream cheese frosting! 

Ingredients:

FOR THE CAKE:
1.5 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4  cup coconut oil (or canola oil)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (or yogurt or sour cream)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup shredded coconut

FOR THE FROSTING:
8 oz cream cheese
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup or more powdered sugar (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 8x8 square dish or a 8 inch round cake pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients except for the sugar. Set aside.
3. In a second bowl, whisk sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla extract and applesauce together. Mash the bananas with a folk and mix into the wet ingredients. Add the shredded coconut. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
4. Pour into your greased dish and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool completely.
5. To make the frosting, whip the cream cheese, honey and sugar with an electric mixer until well combined and creamy. Trust me, this frosting is amazing.
6. Frost the cake as desired and enjoy!

 

I did a bit of very basic decorative piped frosting around the edges, but you can experiment with your own frosting decorations :)

12 Cooking Facts You Never Knew

I recently received some "junk mail" in the form of a sample copy of Cook's Illustrated magazine. I never really know how some places get your address, because we always get the most random things. But I actually enjoyed this bit of junk mail. What started as just a quick flip-through before tossing it in the recycling turned into a detailed read of almost every page.

Many of you may already know of Cook's Illustrated and the myriad of facts they provide to home cooks. The publication falls under the domain of America's Test Kitchen, the culinary group that is famous for testing out 10 different recipes for chocolate chip cookies (for example), and then reporting back about which baking method resulted in the "best" cookies. They apply this tried-and-true testing method to almost every dish and cooking product you can imagine. 

Below are a few fun cooking & food facts I learned from this issue that you may not know....

1. To keep cut fruit from getting soggy, keep it in a salad spinner or colander so the juice can drain into the bowl beneath.
2. Use large coffee filters to line a cake pan instead of parchment paper - no need to cut the paper!
3. For the best roast chicken in under an hour, cook in a skillet at 450 for 25-35 minutes, then turn the oven OFF and let it continue to cook for 25-35 more minutes or until meat temp reads 160 degrees. 
4. Thicker asparagus spears actually have a slightly better taste than thinner ones.
5. The best eggs are scrambled with a bit of half-and-half, for only 1-2 minutes.
6. The smoothest hummus is made if you microwave the chickpeas for 1 minute before pureeing.
7. Land O'Lakes butter was rated highest for supermarket butter brands in a recent taste test (this is thanks to their specially patented wrapper that keeps the butter's flavor fresh).  
8. Spices lose their freshness after one year.
9. Baking powder & baking soda lose their oomph after 6 months.
10. Olive oil lasts for only about 3 months once opened; 1 year unopened (so don't buy in bulk at Costco).
11. Vinegar and vanilla extract last pretty much forever.
12.  Store butter, nuts, cornmeal, and yeast in the freezer for best results.

I hope you had time to cook something fun this weekend! For breakfast this morning I made this amazing apple oven cake again - one of my favorite weekend dishes. I also made two other dishes (one sweet, one savory) that I will be sharing soon!

Oatmeal Power Breakfast

What are your favorite weekday breakfasts? On food blogs, it seems that breakfast items featured are often great for a special breakfast or weekend. But what about those 5 other days of the week? When I was young, I was a skip-breakfast and go kind of girl. But of course, now all you hear is that talk about how breakfast is THE most important meal of the day. So even though I usually don't get hungry in the morning until after 9 or 10, I try to have some breakfast foods around that will power me up and get the job done.

The bowl of delicious-ness pictured above is hands down my favorite way to start the day. As usual, I like it because it is a super healthy dish that tricks you into liking it because it tastes so good. When you think of oatmeal you might think of a watery bowl of gruel-like substance. But really, oatmeal has the potential to be so much more. It's all in the toppings.

Ingredients:
Oats of your choice: I use Quaker Oats (from the giant red container shown above)
Fruit of your choice: My favorites are banana slices or blackberries
Nuts of your choice: I like pecans or walnuts
Sweetner of your choice: I use real maple syrup or agave
Other toppings of choice: Coconut flakes, raisins, etc. are all great, but all you really need is the fruit-nut-sweetner combo. 

Directions:
1. The night before, mix 1/2 cup oats with 1/2 cup milk in a bowl. Cover and put in the fridge overnight. If you aren't the type to plan ahead, just cook the oats according to package directions. It will taste just as good.
2. In the morning, add a splash more milk to your bowl (If you let the oats sit overnight) and heat oatmeal in the microwave.
3. Add your toppings and enjoy. I promise, this power breakfast means you won't be hungry again until lunchtime!

Easy Mongolian Beef

Today marks the 86th Academy Awards, and Stuart and I are settling in for a fun evening with friends where we will be eating Costo pizza and competing to guess which movies will win each category. I hope you all have equally fun evenings ahead! I can't wait to see the red carpet gowns and write down a big list of movies to watch this spring.

Something else I have been craving as spring rolls in is Chinese food (wow, I just noticed the phrase "spring rolls" in this sentence as I re-read it which was completely unconscious!). I used to LOVE Chinese food when I was young, and we miraculously had an amazing Chinese restaurant where I grew up in Nevada. I always secretly laughed to myself when we ordered the "pu pu platter" appetizer, which was delicious...I know, I was the model of maturity. Since then, I have never found Chinese food that I liked as much as Nevada's "Mandarin Gourmet," even when I lived in the Bay Area during college.

While perusing Pinterest the other day, I came across this recipe for Mongolian Beef, and I knew I had to try it. I followed the recipe pretty closely, with the addition of a bunch of freshly steamed broccoli and a side of fluffy white rice. It was no Mandarin Gourmet, but it sure satisfied my craving in a big way!

 

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil or coconut oil
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 cup water
1 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 pounds flank steak, sliced
1/2 cup cornstarch
Green onions, sliced
Broccoli, steamed
Cooked white rice

Directions:

1. In a small pot over medium heat, add 2 tsp. of oil and sauté ginger and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil and let boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, toss sliced flank steak with cornstarch, shaking off the excess. Place in fridge for 10 minutes to allow coating to stick better on the beef.

3. After 10 minutes, in a heavy bottom saucepan, over medium high heat, add 1/2 cup of oil and add the beef to the pan, in batches, to sear the outside on all sides, but barely cooked in the middle. Remove and let drain on paper towels as you finish up the rest of the beef. Pour out any excess oil and discard.

4. Place the saucepan back on the burner, turning down temperature to medium heat, and pour in the sauce from earlier. It should come to a boil immediately. Add in the steak and coat with the sauce. Continue cooking beef and sauce at a boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken gradually and the steak will finish cooking. Add in the scallions.

5. Serve hot over white or brown rice.