Bread Machine Food: Hybrid Baguettes

Baguettes

     1 c + 2 tbsp milk (or water)
     2 tsp olive oil
     2 1/4 c bread flour
     1 c whole wheat flour
     1 tbsp sugar
     1 1/2 tsp salt
     1 3/4 tsp yeast

Place ingredients into bread machine pan in the order specified by the manufacturer of your bread machine.  Set bread machine to dough cycle.  Grease a large baking sheet.  Remove dough and place on floured surface.  Divide in half and shape each half into a long cylinder.  Make diagonal slashes on top surface.  Let rise 40 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake loaves for 20 minutes.  Remove to rack to cool completely.

Hot Cross Buns

I didn't grow up in a house which baked a lot.  And when Kikukat Mom baked, she definitely didn't bake bread.  She blames it on a bad experience with manapua (char siu bao) which turned her off from using yeast.  All of my experience with bread baking has been self-taught, meaning I read it somewhere, be it in a cookbook, magazine, or on a blog.

The foundation for my hot cross buns recipe comes from Mika's blog, The 350 Degree Oven.  Like Mika, I admired "Japanese milk bread".  There was/is nowhere in Hilo which makes Japanese milk bread.  I first had this kind of bread from Panya in Honolulu.  The pillowy softness is what separates it from other local breads (Portuguese sweet bread, shokupan, etc.).

In spite of this blog and the plethora of recipes I've amassed over the years, I don't consider myself a good cook.  I think I've been successful because I can follow a recipe, ingredient-wise, and I am able to take calculated risks when I need to deviate.  Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men have been known to go awry. 

I must've inadvertently copied the recipe incorrectly.  Only when I went back to Mika's blog to check on something did I realize what I had done differently.  This was AFTER I had made both a loaf of hybrid whole wheat milk bread and a batch of hot cross buns!  In spite of my oversight, both turned out great, and I'm posting the full recipe (the ingredients differ slightly from Mika's version).

Hot Cross Buns

     1/2 recipe of tangzhong (see below)

     1/2 c milk

     1 egg

     3 tbsp butter

     2 c bread flour

     1/2 c whole wheat flour

     4 tbsp sugar

     1/2 tsp salt

     2 tsp yeast

     2/3 c dried fruits (fruitcake mix, cranberries, etc.)

     2 tsp flour

Place all ingredients, except for dried fruits and 2 tsp flour, in bread machine pan, following the manufacturer's ingredient order.  Start dough cycle.  Stir dried fruit with 2 tsp flour in a small bowl.  Add to dough at "fruit and nut beep".  Grease a large pan.  When dough is done, divide into 16 pieces and shape into round rolls.  Place on prepared pan.  Let rise for 40 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 13 minutes.  Remove to wire rack to cool.  Cool completely before glazing.

Hot Cross Bun Glaze

     1/2 c + 2 tbsp powdered sugar

     2 tsp milk

     1/8 tsp lemon juice, vanilla extract, or lemon extract

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.  Place in plastic bag, cut a small hole in corner of bag, and pipe crosses on buns.

Tangzhong

     1/3 c flour (original recipe called for bread flour)

     3/4 c water (original recipe called for 1 cup)

Heat flour and water in a small saucepan, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste.  Set aside to cool or refrigerate if not using immediately.

Whole Wheat Milk Bread or Rolls

The foundation for these rolls comes from Mika's blog, The 350 Degree Oven.  Like Mika, I admired "Japanese milk bread".  There was/is nowhere in Hilo which makes Japanese milk bread.  I first had this kind of bread from Panya in Honolulu.  The pillowy softness is what separates it from other local breads (Portuguese sweet bread, shokupan, etc.).  The key to the softness is using a cooked starter called "tangzhong".  Please read Mika's blog for a detailed explanation of what it does.

I must've inadvertently copied Mika's recipe incorrectly.  Only when I went back to her blog to check on something did I realize what I had done differently.  This was AFTER I had made both a loaf of hybrid whole wheat milk bread and a batch of hot cross buns (I will post this recipe another time)!  In spite of my oversight, both turned out great, and I'm posting the full recipe (the ingredients differ slightly from Mika's version).

Please don't be put off by the long recipe.  I've been wanting to do this post for a while, so all the baking times and temperatures for the variations are in the same place.  This is a recipe I use frequently, but I make shaping changes according to how we plan to eat this.  The standard shape for us is the sandwich roll.  These round rolls are perfect for stacking slices of salami or some of the round, paper-thin cold cuts.

I purchased an 11x11" square pan from Amazon.com just so I had a good pan to make these rolls.  When made in the square pan, the rolls touch each other and are great for having with soup, pasta, or stew.

I have even given loaves away as thank you gifts (seriously).  If you can spare a few minutes to learn a braiding technique, an oblong loaf or a round loaf can look unbelievably impressive.  One recipient told me she and her daughter finished the entire loaf in half-a-day (I gave it to her at work and the next morning, she told me it was gone).

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Whole Wheat Milk Bread or Rolls

     1/2 recipe of tangzhong (see below)

     1/2 c milk

     1 egg

     3 tbsp butter

     2 c bread flour

     1/2 c whole wheat flour

     4 tbsp sugar

     1/2 tsp salt

     2 tsp yeast

Place all ingredients in bread machine pan, following the manufacturer's ingredient order.  Start dough cycle.  Grease a large loaf pan (9 x 5"), a square pan (11 x 11"), an oblong pan (9 x 13"), a round pan (9"), or a flat, sheet pan.  When dough is done, divide dough and shape as desired.  
large loaf pan (grease and flour pan):  Shape dough into a traditional loaf shape or make a short, 6-strand braid).  Let rise for 40 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
square pan:  Divide dough into 16 pieces.  Shape into balls and place in 4 x 4 arrangement.  Let rise for 30-40 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 13 minutes.
oblong pan:  Divide dough into 15 pieces.  Shape into balls and place in 3 x 5 arrangement.  Let rise for 30-40 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes.
round pan:  Shape dough into round ball or make a fancy braided round.  Let rise for 40 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
flat, sheet pan:

• sandwich rolls:  Divide dough into 12 pieces.  Shape into balls and flatten.  Place in 3 x 4 arrangement.  Let rise 30-40 minutes  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
• hotdog buns:  Divide dough into 10 pieces.  Shape into ropes.  Place in 2 x 5 arrangement.  Let rise 30-40 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
• hoagie rolls:  Divide dough into 8 pieces.  Shape into long ovals and flatten slightly.  Place in 2 x 4 arrangement.  Let rise 30-40 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Loaves/Rolls may be finished with a "wash".

• melted butter:  brush on for a soft finish
• milk:  brush on for a soft finish
• egg yolk + 1 tbsp water:  brush on for a shiny glaze
• egg white + 1 tbsp water:  brush on for a binder to adhere sesame seeds, poppy seeds, rock salt, etc.

Tangzhong (cooked starter)

     1/3 c flour (original recipe called for bread flour)

     7/8 c water (original recipe called for 1 cup)

Heat flour and water in a small saucepan, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste.  Set aside to cool or refrigerate if not using immediately.

My favorite Drop Biscuits

What an awfully long week!

Commencement was all-consuming.

I did no cooking all week.  I couldn't even bring myself to cook this weekend.  Maybe I will recover sometime this week.  Maybe not.  Thank goodness for graduation party invites.


If I had been able to get off my ass yesterday, I would've made these biscuits.  Instead, The Help went to Jack In The Box and got me a biscuit sandwich.  It was awful.  If I hadn't been so lazy. . .

Actually, I don't think I was lazy.  I think I was tired.  Super tired.

Graduation was long.  It had to be.  The broadcasting demanded it.  I'm sure if I had a child graduating this year, the length would've been a minor irritation.  Unfortunately, every minute matters when you're wearing heels and standing for the entire evening.

Remind me not to take this beast on next year.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

My Favorite Drop Biscuits

     2 c flour (may replace up to 1/2 c with whole wheat flour)
     1/2 c powdered sugar
     1 tbsp baking powder
     1/2 tsp cream of tartar
     1/4 tsp salt
     1/2 c butter
     2/3 c buttermilk, milk, or cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Cut in butter until crumbs are the size of peas.  Gently stir in buttermilk.  Using a #20 disher (full+), plop dough onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-9 minutes, just until tops begin to brown.  Remove to wire rack to cool. 

Amaretto Custard Bread Pudding

OMG!  This past week was brutal.  The kids in school were awful.  I'm certain they were high on Halloween candy all week.  They were hyper and difficult to settle.  I called several parents, and I came very close to submitting a disciplinary referral.  It would have been my first for the school year.  But I decided I could deal with the infraction in a different way.  I made a call home and the kid caught heat when he got home. . .or so he told me.

I also spoke with several students about respecting personal space.  Some students think nothing about going right up to others (both minors and adults) and sitting so close they are practically on the lap of the other person.  Other students persist in trying to grab items from others, perhaps not realizing that at some point, their hands or ON the other person's body.  They needed to be sent the message that "no means no".  I don't think they take "no" seriously when they hear it, erroneously always assuming that an acquaintance won't see their invasion of space as assault/attempted assault.

A few years ago, there was a similar incident with another student.  Several teachers made excuses for the student, saying "___ is just like that.  ___ means no harm."  I considered not saying anything then, but what jarred me was the thought that if my own child had been the victim, would I want a teacher to turn away, rationalizing their inaction at attempting to curtail the inappropriate behavior?  The answer was clear, and that is why I decided to make sure the perpetrator received consequences for his/her actions.  I hope any teacher who has my child in class will apply the same principle.

What I find most bothersome is that some students see nothing wrong with their own behavior and say, "oh, dats my friend.  They don't mind."  That kind of delusion will bite them in the ass one day.

Speaking of biting, my jaw seems much better, but now a different pain has replaced the achy jaw.  I think I have another cracked tooth.  I don't know how it happened.  Oh, never mind.  I know how.  I will need to wait until late November to see my dentist.  Anyway, until I can get a dental appointment to repair my tooth, I'm trying to eat soft things (no Cape Cod potato chips for me)

With the weather getting cooler, I find the luscious custard texture of bread pudding very comforting.  It's also soft enough that I'm not wincing when I chew.  The rich sauce makes this an extra decadent dessert.  Who would've thought stale bread could taste so good.

Now to prepare myself for another week of kids high on OLD Halloween candy. . .

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Amaretto Custard Bread Pudding

     1 lb bread, cubed (about 10-12 cups of cubes)

     1 qt milk

     6 eggs, reserve 1 yolk for sauce

     1/2 c sugar

     1 c cranberries

     1 tbsp vanilla

     7 tbsp amaretto, divided

     1/2 c butter

     1 c powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13" baking dish.  In a large bowl, pour milk over bread cubes.  Beat eggs (except for 1 yolk) and add to bread cubes.  Add sugar, cranberries, vanilla, and 3 tbsp amaretto.  Stir gently.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes.  Begin preparing sauce 5 minutes before bread pudding is done.  Heat butter and powdered sugar in a small saucepan over low heat.  Stir constantly until butter is completely melted.  Add 4 tbsp amaretto and reserved egg yolk.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  When bread pudding is done, poke holes all over bread pudding.  Pour sauce over and let soak in. 

Lavosh

This past week was an eating out week.  3M and I enjoyed a tasty lunch at Hilo Rice Noodle and the very next day, we had a nice breakfast at Coqui's Hideaway.  When we were hiding away, I saw LAMN's aunt having lunch with her lady friend.  Seeing LAMN's aunt, coupled with the ongoing conversation with 3M about our days in the Pacific Northwest, took me on a journey back to college days with LAMN.

LAMN's mom, unlike Kikukat Mom, would write to her nearly daily.  She would also send care packages with HOMEMADE goodies in them.  In case my mom is reading this, let me say that my mom sent me care packages too, but they were usually filled with purchased snacks...won ton chips, crack seed, colored popcorn, etc.

Okay, now where was I?  Oh yeah...LAMN's mom would send  care packages with HOMEMADE goodies in them.  One goodie stands out above everything else...her lavosh.  Mmmmmmmm. . .it was like a sweet cracker, which was ono enough to eat plain, without any cheese spread, potted meat, or fruit butter.

LAMN's mom's lavosh was very different from my first introduction to lavosh, the one at the now-gone Gourmet Hut Hawaii in the old Kaiko`o Mall.  They sold lavosh in waxed-paper wrapped parcels.  If you went in and requested a sample of a spread, it was likely given to you on a small piece of lavosh (or Carr's crackers).  The lavosh there was not something you'd eat plain. . .it had to be topped with a spread.

LAMNs Mom

Now, several local companies make lavosh.  If you go to the local snack aisle (by the bakery) at KTA, you can find many different varieties/flavors of lavosh.  All pieces are nearly identical in size.  It's lavosh like the kine LAMN's mom made...local kine lavosh...somewhere between a cookie and a cracker.

A few years ago, I tried to make lavosh (local kine).  I remember seeing a girl doing a 4-H demonstration on lavosh.  She couldn't have been older than 13, so I didn't think it would be difficult.  My attempt turned out to be an epic fail.  The dough was sticky, and no matter how I tried, I couldn't get it thin enough to be crisp.  And to make matters worse, even with sticky dough, the poppy seeds went all over then dang place.  I had poppy seeds all over the floor!

Being older and wiser now, armed with a Dyson and having discovered the magic of parchment paper, I thought it was good time to give it another try.  This time, I added the poppy seeds in the dough (no more having to sprinkle it on each piece).  While I was able to roll the dough thinner and not worry about how I was going to get it on the cookie sheet, the baking time was still something I needed to work on.  The 8 minutes called for in the original recipe was not anywhere long enough to yield a crispy product, and soft lavosh is not acceptable in my book.  I fiddled with the baking time in order to get snapping-crisp lavosh. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Local-Style Lavosh

     2 3/4 c flour
     1/2 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp baking soda
     1/2 c sugar
     1/2 c butter
     1 c buttermilk
     3 tbsp poppy seeds (or sesame seeds, or combination)

Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar together.  Cut in butter until crumbs form.  Stir in buttermilk and poppy seeds.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Using a #40 disher (a generous tablespoon), scoop dough into balls onto floured surface.  Flour hands well and smooth balls.  Flour dough balls well.  On a piece of parchment paper, roll ball of dough out as thinly as possible.  Repeat with remaining balls of dough.  Place lavosh, parchment paper and all, on cookie sheet.  Bake for 23 minutes.  Remove lavosh to cooling rack and cool completely before storing.

Bread Machine Monkey Bread

PI'm still here!  Thank you to all those, from near and far, who expressed concern for our safety.  Natural disasters aren't fun, but Hurricane/Tropical Storm Iselle brought the opportunity to hear from my friends all over the world. . .Adamstown, Pitcairn Island; Fredericksburg, Virginia; Mililani, Hawaii; Kennewick, Washington; northern and southern California; Tucson, Arizona; McKinney, Texas. . .the list goes on and on.  I can feel the love!

The Kikukat house sustained only minor damage.  Two cypress trees fell against the house.  One of those trees fell from my neighbor's property onto the gutter of the garage.  The other tree, also a cypress, fell against the gutter near D2's bedroom. I was worried about the tall, decaying trees in bowels of another neighbor's property, but those, miraculously, are still standing.

In addition to the crazy howling and whipping winds, we experienced several power outages.  The longest lasted just under an hour, so we were very fortunate.  Other customers were without power much longer.  In fact, some of my friends who reside in the Puna (south southeast Hawaii)area still don't have electricity (it's been 4 days!).  The pictures they've posted on facebook were horrific.  Even more horrific is the absence of the state government in showing some compassion.  The governor (soon to be booted, as he lost his re-election bid in the primary on Saturday) was too busy usurping the mic at the headquarters of his challenger to even mention how much the people of Puna have been through.  Hilo (east Hawaii) was fortunate to be spared the full onslaught of Iselle.  Scroll down to the "pussyfooting" section if you want to see pictures of the effects of Iselle in east Hawaii.

I called the Rents to ask how they fared.  Kikukat Mom said Kikukat Dad had already called the cable company to ask how to bring his tv back online.  She also reported that their beloved kitty, Oreo, was safely sequestered indoors and would be taking his meals there until the storm threat was over.  When I called, he had just been served his breakfast.  Apparently he eats when the Rents eat.

All this storm stuff makes me thankful.  I'm thankful I still have a roof over my head.  But I need to move forward, and that means shifting my mental focus back to work.  Work....work......ugh.....this school year just did not start right.

Last week I took the high road.  I really wanted to bitch about work and the assholes who try to bring the rest of us down.  I still want to, but I won't (at least not too much).  There are too many around.  I won't have enough space/time to talk about all the dipshits, Iselle notwithstanding, who attempted to make my life miserable this past week.  The biggest joke was having an inexperienced person check the work of competent, experienced, veteran teachers and questioning us on our decisions and calculations.  Shit, I'm doing YOUR work!  YOU are supposed to know these things!  I just can't remember any time in the past (other than the year I spent at the school in the "goat herder" section of town) when the school year got off to such a rocky start.

When I applied for my current job, I was told by a friend at the school that the real monkeys at the school are not in my class.  So in the honor of the un-named "monkeys", this weeks post, monkey bread, is dedicated to them.

The original recipe for this appeared in Betty Shimabukuro's By Request column in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 2001.  Since then, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin merged with the rival daily, Honolulu Advertiser, and is now known as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.  Not so creative, but I guess everyone (except the people who got laid off) was happy. 

Over a decade has passed since that recipe was published, but I finally got around to making it.  And I am stupid for waiting so long.  As far as doughs go, this was one of the easiest doughs to work with. . .if you tried my manapua post and did okay with the dough, then this one will be a piece of cake.  If you are a fan of the monkey bread served at Mariposa (Neiman-Marcus), I need to forewarn you that while this recipe is delicious, it will not produce a replica of Mariposa's monkey bread.
Although I like things made "from scratch", I don't have the patience nor the technique to knead dough by hand.  And while I've tried to do bread in the kitchenaid mixer, I just cannot get around how convenient it is to use a bread machine.  For those of you who enjoy feeling the dough between your fingers (or seeing it in the bowl), then follow Betty's recipe.  If you are like me, then use my cheater's method for the bread machine.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Bread Machine Monkey Bread

adapted from Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2001

     1 c milk

     1 c butter, divided

     3 1/4 c bread flour

     1/4 c sugar

     1 tsp salt

     4 tsp yeast

In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, heat milk and 1/2 c butter in the microwave for 1 minutes.  Pour liquid into pan of bread machine.  Microwave any remaining solid butter (from the 1/2 c) until melted and add to pan of bread machine.  Add flour, sugar, and salt (in whatever order recommended by your bread machine).  Make a well and add yeast.  Set bread machine for dough cycle and start.  When dough cycle is complete, turn dough onto floured surface.  Punch down and let rest for 5 minutes.  While dough is resting, melt remaining 1/2 c butter in a small bowl.  Roll dough out to 1/2" thick and cut into diamond shapes with a pizza cutter.  You should have about 48 pieces.  Grab 4 pieces and pinch them together.  Dip one side in melted butter, and turn and dip the other side in melted butter.  Place a buttered side down in ungreased muffin pan.  Repeat until all 12 muffin cups are filled.  You should have some melted butter leftover.  Let rise 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from muffin pan and brush with remaining melted butter.  Makes 12. 

coconut trees swaying near the canoe sheds (Hilo bayfront)
8-7-14

canoes moved away from the storm surge (Hilo bayfront)
8-7-14

Hilo Farmer's Market deconstructed
8-7-14

Downtown businesses boarded up with plywood

Kress Building windows taped and awaiting the arrival of Iselle

near Country Club Drive (Kaumana)

Bread Pudding

Well, we voted on a bell schedule.  It was one our school developed which is quite similar to the current bell schedule.  Now we need to hope it passes muster (some brass has to approve it).  If it passes, I'm going to be happy.  I think it's a sound schedule, and it really is workable.

I spent the better part of the week agonizing over how to motivate the students to do better on schoolwide reading assessments.  I certainly don't want to be called the albatross of the language arts department!

My sweet tooth escalated this week, and I ended up making several desserts.  One thing I made was bread pudding.  For some reason, we always seem to have odds & ends bread pieces in the freezer.  Not wanting to waste, I think I'm the one who keeps throwing bread (still in the bag) into the freezer, thinking I'll eventually get around to making croutons.

I accumulated enough bread slices to make the volume requirement for this recipe.  But this recipe is so delicious that it wouldn't be a bad thing to buy bread just for a pan of bread pudding.  Of course, there was one occasion where I bought a loaf of French bread on the way home from work.  When I got home, I realized the bread was old and hard (perhaps this was the reason for the discounted price).

What to do?  Make bread pudding of course!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Kikukat's Bread Pudding

     1 lb bread, cut or torn into 1/2" cubes (about 12 cups)

     1/2 c dried fruit

     6 eggs

     1 c sugar

     2 tsp vanilla extract

     1 block butter, melted and cooled

     1/2 tsp cinnamon

     1/4 tsp nutmeg

     4 c milk, heated in microwave for 1 minute

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13" pan.  In a large bowl, toss bread cubes and fruit.  Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg using a whisk.  Gradually whisk in milk.  Stir egg-milk mixture into bread-fruit mixture.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 40 minutes.

When I was younger, I liked eating cold bread pudding.  I liked the cool, creaminess of it.  But as I got older, a heated chunk of bread pudding with a generous pat of melting butter is my favorite way to eat it.

 

Hilo welcomed Chinese New Year this weekend with a festival at Kalakaua Park.  We arrived just after 10 am, and it was already crowded.  There were a handful of food booths and a whole bunch of craft fair type booths.  The only quasi-Chinese foods sold were shrimp chips and gao.  I was tempted to buy a bag of shrimp chips, but I changed my mind when I saw them sodomized with odd flavors like garlic and furikake.  The gao booth was another scene of corruption.  In addition to traditional gao, they had the audacity to sell green tea-flavored and chocolate-flavored gao.  Popo would've fainted! 

The Big Island Shaolin Arts Lion Dancers culminated their trek throughout downtown Hilo with a performance on Kalakaua Street (between the park and the East Hawaii Cultural Center).

I didn't buy anything at the festival, but on the way back to the car, I bought 2 Kendama from the Irie Smoke Shop (on the advice from one of my favorite students).

I remember taking the Ds to "feed the lion". . . feels like a thousand years ago!

Banana Muffins (or Bread): Version Two

Its Memorial Day, and in spite of having the day off, I am still not on vacation :(  I have 3 more days of work.  While its not "regular" work, it is still work, and it sucks as much as regular work sucks.  Actually, it might suck even more than regular work.  Based on preliminary directions we were given, the next three days appear to mostly be sessions of blecchhh.  I was also asked to destroy whatever I work on during the three days, as I'm not supposed to be taking any of it with me.  I wonder if Ichabod Crane will shoot me with one of those Men In Black flash guns which purge memories. 

These next three days will likely be the longest days of the school year.  We have three full days of professional development.  The teachers all around tell me they are PD'd out.  Many of them are planning to call in sick and/or are taking personal leave.  In the back of my mind, I recall hearing that personal leave was a "no no".  I wonder what occupational fine will be levied on those who do not sign in on the PD days.  Out of fairness to the brave souls who do show, there should be some cost for non-attendance.  Maybe I'm just jealous.  From what I understand about the scheduling for those days, we have 30 minutes to eat lunch AND, for some people, get from one school to another.  If there are any labor union people reading this, please take notice.  This cannot be pono.

I really wish I could gush about all of my summer plans, but at this point I'm feeling like the fun part of my summer is light years away.  Ok, ok, by the time this post is published it will actually be 2 1/2 days away, but it will still seem like parsecs.  Oh well, I need to follow Dory's advice and "just keep swimming, just keep swimming. . .".  I will be emancipated on Thursday at 3 pm.  Then I can begin my vacation!  Need to schedule a first aid massage, a pampering facial, and a pedicure.  I've been toying with painting my nails again, but I'm worried about Aki and Shaka getting sick from the nail polish fumes.  And I'm not game about dealing with the removal process either.  I guess I'm adding "manicure" to the service list.

Kids begin summer programs next week.  At least D2 does.  I'm not sure when D1 begins her internship.  I suppose I can get started on my summer cooking bucket list.  Sponge Drops and Gravlax are at the top of the list.  I tried sponge drops three decades ago at a party, and I never got around to making them.  I think its about time I try.  I saw Anthony Bourdain having gravlax with eggs in aspic on tv, and the gravlax looked good.  I'm not quite ready to tackle xiao long bao again.  Maybe next summer.

Summer strikes me as the time for a surplus of fruits.  It still grosses me out to see mangoes and lychees smashed on the ground rotting.  Mr. Dependable shares fruit from his sixty-year old navel orange trees.  Uncle James and Mr. Dependable both have banana trees and usually provide me with lots of bananas...often at the same time.  At that point, the only option is to make banana bread.

Last year, I blogged about making banana bread with the surplus of bananas I had.  While that recipe, Fluffy Banana Bread, is my all-time favorite banana bread, there are times when I have fast-ripening bananas but no sour cream.  It occurred to me a few weeks ago that I have never made banana bread/muffins which didn't have sour cream in it.  I spent countless hours poring through cookbooks to find a "standard" banana bread recipe which was made with pantry staple ingredients.  Some of the recipes I came across contained chocolate chips.  I love chocolate chip cookies, but I'm not so adventurous in banana bread, and I like it plain.

When I was growing up, Kikukat Mom would occasionally (I say "occasionally" because for a number of years, my aunt and grampa lived with us, and both of them began eating bananas when they were, in my opinion, still green.  This left little chance for me & Kikukat Dad to even eat bananas) make banana bread, and her recipe always had mincemeat.  Mincemeat is something that I find repulsive. . .not quite in the same echelon as mustard, but right there next to grapes.  This should come as no surprise since one of the things I always see in mincemeat is raisins.

Many cookbooks contained recipes for "Kona Inn Banana Bread".  The Kona Inn was a popular place to stay in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.  Today, there is a shopping village (tourist-y) and restaurant at the Kona Inn site.  I'm not sure if the restaurant serves banana bread.  None of the Kona Inn recipes I came across had instructions for making muffins, so while I've included the recipe for the bread and muffins, the baking instructions for muffins is my own, developed through trial and error. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Kona Banana Muffins (or Bread)

     1/2 c butter, softened
     1 c sugar
     2 eggs
     1 1/4 c flour
     1 tsp baking soda
     1/2 tsp salt
     1 c mashed bananas (may use as little as 3/4 c)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin tins with paper cups or grease and flour a large loaf pan.  Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs.  Add dry ingredients alternately with bananas, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.  Spoon batter into lined muffin tins or prepared loaf pan.  A #20 disher (full) works well.  Bake for 25 minutes.  If making bread, bake for 35-40 minutes.  Remove to rack to finish cooling.  This will make about 12 muffins.

Bread Machine: Plain Not-So White Bread

The Help has discovered the bread machine!  Prior to his discovery, he was under the impression that the bread machine was a useful tool for preparing dough.  He never imagined it would be any good at actually baking a loaf of bread.  Imagine my surprise when he asked me, "can that thing actually make an edible loaf of bread?".

As an educator, I know first hand that people learn best when they can actually "do" something.  So for teaching purposes, I suggested that The Help try to make a loaf of bread by following a recipe.  He wanted something simple and plain, so we decided on a basic white bread recipe.  The Help did the measuring and dumping, interjecting his work with several "I don't think this is gonna come out" lines.  I explained the control panel on the bread machine and taught him how to set the machine for basic bread with a medium crust.  For dramatic purposes, I made him press the start button.

Three-and-a-half hours later, he was blown away by the golden brown loaf nestled in the bread pan.  He was tempted to cut into it, but I explained that bread needs to be cool before it can be sliced.  He was totally shocked to find out that the inside of the loaf was not a gooey, doughy mess.

Since then, The Help has replaced buying bread from the supermarket with buying the giant bag of bread flour from Costco.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Bread Machine White Bread

(2 pound loaf)

     1 1/2 c water

     2 tbsp butter, cut in chunks

     4 c bread flour

     3 tbsp dry milk

     2 tbsp sugar

     2 tsp salt

     1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Place ingredients into bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer of your bread machine.  Use basic or white bread cycle with crust color set on medium.  When bread is done baking, remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

If you don't already have a bread machine, here are some things to consider:

• For maximum versatility, purchase a machine which can accommodate a 2 pound loaf.
• If you like the idea of an elongated bread pan, look for a model with at least 2 mixing paddles.
• A hopper for holding "mix-ins" is very convenient to have.

new digs

 A few weeks ago, I actually made it to Honolulu for an quick, overnight trip.  While there, The Help went to check out his parents' new digs.  I got to enjoy some much-needed delicious food.

shrimp look fun and taro puffs

char siu bao, har gao & siu mai

joong, lo bok gao & more har gao

scallion pancakes...better than what I'd make at home

honey walnut shrimp

fried string beans

peking duck

 I don't know when I'm going to get to go on a trip again.  I was supposed to go in to the office today, but I was "saved" by D2, who convinced me this was a good time to have her bff Kara over for a sleepover.  I'm attending a workshop on Friday, and I officially begin work in a week.  I was supposed to go to Kona on Saturday, but Mr. Dependable pulled a fast one on me and I ended up with the kids this weekend.  We made the most of it and actually went to a bon dance.

Puna Hongwanji

While the picture above may seem benign enough, there was a definite cost to this outing.  Somewhere between the church and my car (parked on the side of the road), I stepped in dog shit.  I drove off smelling a faint odor, but it got stronger as the foot heaters began working.  Before I even hit the Panaewa stretch, I was gagging violently.  I ended up pulling off to the side of the road by Mauna Loa Mac Nut.  Cleaning my black patent dkny slippers proved futile, as there were deep treads in the sole of the slipper and there was no way to dig out every morsel of crap.  Knowing there was no way I could make it home otherwise, my slippers got hurled into the bushes, never to be seen again (hopefully...I hope nobody is THAT desperate).  I bought those slippers years ago in Connecticut. 

I can't believe I'll be at work in a week...when most of the public school teachers in the rest of the state will still have a good 2 weeks of vacation left.  I hope that when I receive my paycheck (reflecting a 17% raise) this will all seem worth it.  I had planned to buy a fisheye converter with my first fat paycheck, but now I need to use it to pay my credit card bill with the replacement slippers on it.   I still plan to go through with purchasing that fisheye converter eventually, but in the meantime, I gotta stay away from bon dances.