Ice Cream Cookies

This is going back...way back...old school.

Ice Cream Cookies

     1 lb butter, softened
     2 c sugar
     1 tbsp vanilla
     1 egg
     5 c flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar together.  Add vanilla and egg.  Add flour, one cup at a time, until all incorporated.  Using a #60 disher (a little less than a tablespoon), scoop dough onto ungreased cookie sheet (a flat cookie sheet can accommodate 20-23 cookies).  Flatten to 1/4" thickness with the bottom of a drinking glass (use parchment paper between dough and glass).  Bake for 13 minutes, rotating cookie sheet once.  Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.  For slightly larger cookies, use a #50 disher and bake for 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheet once.

Won Ton Dipping Sauce

It's THAT time of year again.  Yes, THAT time.  It's the time of year when seniors act crazy and do things they normally would have the better judgment to NOT do.

My boss always says he hate the Fourth Quarter (roughly mid-March til the end of the school year in late May).  I hafta agree with him on that one.  Students in other grades, not just seniors, act crazy too.  And not that I think about it, the adults act wacky too.  Some teachers seem to create their own bell schedule and release students from class any time.  Some teachers allow students to roam campus. . .or at least that's what some kids tell me when I ask what they're doing outside of class.  For some classes, it's movie time, be it in the classroom or at the local theater.  Unreal.

For the seniors, at least, the madness should come to a head soon enough.  By the time of my next post, the seniors will be graduates.  Whew!

This past week was senior awards night.  Senior awards is an exciting time.  It's when the valedictorian(s) are revealed.  It's also when seniors are celebrated for accomplishments.  What I find most interesting is finding out where seniors will be attending college.  Unfortunately, there are no seniors who will be cheering "Dubs-Up" in the Fall, although there is at least one scholar who will be up the hill at Seattle University.

Speaking of college, my favorite college student returned home the other week.  She managed to survive her freshman year of college (YAY!), and I have a few cents left in my bank account.  Thank goodness for meal plans and instant noodles.  Of course, returning home means she has a list of things to eat in the next few months.  High on her list was crisp won ton, which we managed to cross off last week.

D1 likes her won ton without any sauce.  Chinese restaurants always offer hot mustard mixed with shoyu as a dipping sauce.  Unfortunately, hot mustard is still mustard and is known as the Devil's condiment here.  I like to dip my won ton in this savory sauce.  It is easy to put together, and leftovers can be refrigerated.  If you prefer a stronger bang than white pepper, add a few drops of chili oil.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Won Ton Dipping Sauce

     1 tbsp vegetable oil

     1 tbsp oyster sauce

     2 tbsp shoyu

     1/4 tsp sugar

     1/2 tsp sesame oil

     dash of white pepper

Combine all ingredients.  Serve with crisp won ton.

Cookie Butter Rice Krispies Treats

I am glad today is a holiday.  I need a break.  I feel like I'm just treading water.  I can finally catch up on all of my corrections.  I'm normally good about correcting papers and giving feedback, but being out a day each week since the month began is taking its toll on being timely.

In spite of the long weekend, I could not get away from work.  Saturday was the first-ever powderpuff football game.  It was a senior class fundraiser, and the main event of the day pitted the Lady Sharks (senior girls) against a team of brave underclassmen, er, underclassWOmen.  The seniors dominated the game, but the younger girls never gave up and managed to put points on the board.  Most impressive was the ability of a few girls to throw a football. 

Of course, the half-time show, a male cheerleading contest, wow-ed the crowd.  Students are so adept at choreography, and I know the male cheerleaders took the competition as seriously as the powderpuff players.

For pics of the day, visit the poi-dog page and view the slideshow.  

My contribution to the day:  I donated food for the concession, purchased a few tickets, and patronized the concession.  My cuz made the chicken long rice, which was absolutely delicious.  D2's pal, KN enthusiastically agreed.  I need to ask my cuz how she did it and, maybe, even get her to be a guest writer here.  She is an awesome cook.  Other goodies for sale were goody-goody, malasadas, kalua pig & cabbage, spam musubi, and party mix.  I'm not sure where they got the smoked meat from, but that was really good too.  Speaking of smoked meat, I hope they will be selling that at the concession for volleyball season.  I love smoked meat.

After the full day of powderpuff football, I was ready to relax.  D2 had a friend over and eventually went over to another friend's house for a sleepover.  I think it was then that I remembered all the papers I needed to correct and the 5+ loads of laundry I had to do.  I'm not sure how I accumulated 5 loads, but I did.  Crap!

I spent the better part of Valentines Day AND Presidents Day correcting papers and doing laundry.  I even managed to make a pan of these goodies, which were a nice change from eating party mix crumbs (I'm party mix'd out. . .made for the powderpuff concession and for D2 to take to the sleepover).

If you are a fan of marshmallow treats, then you must try these.  If you are a fan of cookie butter, then you cannot afford to pass these up.  I happen to be a fan of both, and I swear I can eat a whole pan of these without breaking a sweat.  That's really not as impressive as it sounds since these treats are made in a square pan.  I think of it as a way to limit the madness, although if I'm going to share it with anyone else, I would double the recipe and pack it into a 9 x 13" pan.  For the record, I prefer these to Trix treats, hands-down.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Cookie Butter Rice Cereal Treats

     1/4 c butter

     3/4 c cookie butter (Trader Joes Speculoos or Biscoff)

     10 oz (5 1/2-6 cups) miniature marshmallows

     7 c crisp rice cereal

Grease a 9" square pan.  Heat butter and cookie butter in a large dutch oven until melted.  Add marshmallows and stir until melted.  Stir in rice krispies.  Press into prepared pan.  Cool completely then cut into squares.

Crisp Won Ton

Kung Hee Fat Choy!

Happy new year!

I was fortunate enough to go to Honolulu last month, so I managed to get my lucky gao.  I always feel good when I can get gao in January.  Of course, I could always make my own, but its so much easier when made by someone else...at least I think so.  In an effort to spread good fortune and cheer, I brought home a few extra gao for sharing.  If Homegirl had let me know ahead of time, I would even have brought back the half-dozen she wanted.

Over the years, around this time of year, I've shared some of my favorite Chinese recipes:

• gao
• almond cookies
• ginger-green onion crab
• rice noodles with crispy tofu and vegetables

This year I'm sharing my recipe for my favorite appetizer, crisp won ton.  I used to have trouble getting the seasoning just right.  It was often hit-or-miss; sometimes it was too salty and sometimes it was bland.  I must be onto something because several times a year, Mr. Dependable calls me for the recipe.  Perhaps it is also HIS favorite appetizer.

I don't usually do this, but The Help was playing with a new toy, so he took some sequence pictures of won ton wrapping.  There are tons of different variations in wrapping, but this is how I wrap it for special occasions.  If we are eating it at home (not for a party), I will fold it into a simple rectangle shape.  This makes it easy to reheat leftovers (toaster oven, 300 degrees, for about 10 minutes).

center 1 tsp filling on wrapper

moisten edges with water

press edges to seal (rectangle shape)

place a drop of water on lower left corner of rectangle; bring upper left over lower left corner; press to seal

place folded won tons in a single layer

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Crisp Won Ton

     1 lb ground pork

     1 can water chestnuts, chopped

     2-4 tbsp chopped green onions

     2 eggs

     2 tbsp shoyu

     1 tsp salt

     2 tsp sugar

     1 tsp sesame oil

     2 pkgs Twin Dragon brand won ton wrappers or 3 pkgs Chun Wah Kam won ton wrappers

     vegetable oil for frying

Combine all ingredients, except won ton wrappers and vegetable oil.  Fill wrappers with 1 tsp of pork mixture.  Deep fry until golden brown.  Oil should be 350-375 degrees. 

Cookie Jar: Peanut Butter Cookies

My summer vacation lasted all of 1 (ONE) day.  And now that I think about it, it can't even be called a vacation because it was a state holiday here:  King Kamehameha Day.  If school had been in session, I would've had it as a legitimate holiday anyway.  So perhaps a more accurate opening line should have been, "I completed my first and began my second summer employment opportunities."

I reported to the good 'ole blue and gold on Monday for 3 days of pacing guide work.  While it sounds intense, it was actually time well spent.  I managed to finish my pacing guide for the 1st quarter, and I'm almost done with the 2nd quarter.  Now all I need to do is share it with my partner to see what she'd like to incorporate in our co-teaching class.

In addition to working on my pacing guide, I helped a friend, OllieMama, get the keys to her new classroom.  She'd been driving around with half her work shit in her truck so she was more than happy to get access to her new digs so she could unload.  The key czar in the office was in a good mood and readily allowed her to sign out her key set, which included the "magic" key.  The magic key works the building elevator. . .no need to lug 40-pound boxes of paper up 3 flights of stairs!

But the real winners in all of this were the custodians.  Upon entering her room, OllieMama and I discovered the remnants of a sheet cake and a "PLEASE EAT" sign which had been left on a desk by the previous occupant.  Had OllieMama not asked for the keys, the room would not have been opened for several weeks.  The custodians, who would have opened up the room to wax the floors, would've had a massive surprise.  OllieMama is fortunate to be in a building which does not have the same critter infestation problem many of the other buildings have (probably because it's the newest building, save for the gym, on campus).  The cake would've definitely welcomed the roaches and other creepy-crawlies.

OllieMama definitely has her work cut out for her.  In addition to the cake, the previous occupant did a horrible job cleaning the room.  Everything was merely shoved into the cabinets.  At least OllieMama will have lots of time to get her room into shape.  I can't wait to see the finished product.

Sometime in the early part of the week, Mr. Dependable jetted off to the continent, leaving the Ds to take care of his pets.

When the Ds were younger, I used to dread having to deal with Mr. Dependable's animals.  The Ds couldn't manage the dogs on their own, and cleaning the rabbit cage was a nightmare.  Now, there's no rabbit (R.I.P. Ruby) and the Ds are both able to handle to his unruly dogs by themselves.  Even better, D1 can drive there herself!

Since I had the Ds through the weekend, D2 and I decided to bake cookies.  We spent a lot of time trying to decide what kind of cookies to make.  We thought about making chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles, but we abandoned those ideas in favor of peanut butter cookies.  D2 is a fan of peanut butter, and I told her about how I loved it when KikukatMom made these because I got to help do the criss-crosses.  D2 helped me mix the dough and did the criss-crosses.  It would've been nice if she helped me wash the dishes, but I guess I have to do some work.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe

Peanut Butter Cookies

     1/2 c butter

     1/2 c peanut butter

     1/2 c sugar

     1/2 c brown sugar

     1 egg

     1 tsp vanilla

     1/2 tsp salt

     1 tsp baking soda

     1 1/4 c flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Sift salt, baking soda and flour together.  Set aside.  Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Gradually add sifted dry ingredients.  Use a #60 disher to drop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Flatten in criss-cross pattern with a lightly floured fork.  Bake for 11 minutes.  Makes 3-4 dozen cookies.

Oh.  I almost forgot.  My second summer employment opportunity began on Friday.  At 6:00 am.

I thought there was a chance it would end on Friday too.  At 6:30 am.

One of the summer people decided to take the day (sick or off, does it really matter?) and, unbeknownst to me, took it upon herself to call a sub.  It took me over 30 minutes to find someone "legitimate" (submitted employment papers) willing to sub.  I don't understand the people who put in their names as subs...apparently 2 months ago, working as a sub during the summer sounded like a good idea, even if they had no intention of actually working.  And then now, when I'm calling at 6 am, working doesn't sound good at all.

Then I thought about quitting again.  At 8:00 am.

I got a call from the sub (not the one I called; this is how I found out the employee called her own sub).  As Eliza Doolittle would say, "Garnnnn!"

I'm hoping today will be a better day.

Feels Like Fall II: Apple Cheese Crisp

This is typical autumn scenery in Connecticut.

This past week I could really tell the weather was changing.  Its been getting dark earlier too.  I learned to love fall when I was in Seattle, and I fell in love all over again when I visited Connecticut.   I associate autumn with all sorts of feel-good things. . . halloween candy, football, pumpkin pie, apples, colored leaves, spiced cider.  If you are in Hilo, fall is also the time of the year for the Hawaii County Fair.  This is when Hiloans know it is guaranteed to rain.

There are no fall "colors" in Hawaii, but the stores are already full of halloween candy and supplies.  Kona Costco had a bunch of sweat-producing costumes.  Spookier still is the fact that Costco even had some Christmas things on display. . .wired ribbon, wrapping paper, lights, tags, and gift sets.  I went to Target this week, and I couldn't resist buying some fall-colored sprinkles (for cupcakes) and a few bags of "halloween candy", knowing full well the halloween candy wouldn't last past the end of the week.  I think they must put something in halloween candy to make it taste even better.  I swear the full size bar of Three Musketeers doesn't taste as good as a dozen of those mini ones eaten in one sitting.

One thing I have busied myself with has been football.  High school football.  The season seems a tad longer than it was last year, and being able to put forth a decent team makes the games very entertaining.  The Help has been doing some photo work for the coach.  He has taken some really cool action shots of the players.  I go to the game to cheer for my students and keep an eye on D1.  My favorite part is when the players gather at the end of the game to sing the alma mater.  Its always chicken skin.

This past weekend, I accompanied The Help to the game.  He thought it would be a good idea for me to accompany him onto the field and carry his other camera body.  I had a different idea.  I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to watch the game from a normal vantage point.  For those of you not familiar with Hilo, high school football home games of East Hawaii high schools are played at Wong Stadium, which is actually a baseball stadium.  This means that the football game is played in the outfield and part of the infield portions of the diamond.  Watching the game sucks because you are so far away.  Watching the game from a proper stadium was great, but I came home  soaking wet.  The sky opened up in the middle of the 4th quarter and didn't stop until after the game ended.  East Hawaii is one of the wettest areas in the entire state. . .why the heck is there no COVERED football stadium? 

While I was at the game, I realized that the weather really is beginning to cool down.  For the first time in months, I felt like eating something warm, like a big bowl of Portuguese Bean Soup.  My late friend Colleen made a great bowl of bean soup.  Its not exactly like the version The Help makes, but it is hearty and good.  I haven't eaten it in years, and thinking about Colleen and her life made me sad.  I worked with Colleen in the mid 90s.  She left the teaching profession and did a bunch of odd jobs.  I remember her with lots of fondness, and whenever she'd invite me and Mr. Dependable over for bean soup, she often made this kick ass apple crisp for dessert.

What set Colleen's apple crisp apart from all others was the addition of cheese in the topping.  Having bits of savory goodness just makes the sweet flavors burst even more.  Colleen took the time to cut in the butter with a pastry blender, but I'm lazy.  I found that the fastest way to make this dessert is to use a food processor.   Make the topping first and keep it chilled.  Use a 6 mm slicing disc to slice the apples.  I changed Colleen's recipe and used minute tapioca for part of the cornstarch.  I like the way tapioca thickens a filling. . .thanks for the tip, AJanice.  And whatever you do, do not be tempted to add a shortbread crust base to this dessert.  You will end up with a soggy bottom.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Apple Cheese Crisp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Topping:      2 c flour

                    2 c sugar

                    1 block + 2 tbsp butter

                    8 oz grated cheddar cheese

Combine flour and sugar.  Cut in butter to form a crumbly mixture.  Stir in grated cheese.  Refrigerate while preparing filling. 

Filling:        6-8 apples, peeled, cored & sliced ¼” thick

                   1 tbsp lemon juice

                   2 tsp cinnamon

                   ¼ c sugar

                   1 tbsp cornstarch

                   2 tbsp minute tapioca (may substitute and equal amount of cornstarch)

Combine all ingredients and arrange evenly in a greased 9 x 13” pan.  Sprinkle topping over apples.  Bake for 40-45 minutes.

If you prefer, the above filling can be substituted with 2 cans of sliced apples or apple pie filling.

On Thursday, we celebrated Kikukat Mom's birthday with a nice dinner at Imiloa Sky Garden.  I had been ono for crab, and I knew they boast crab legs in their buffet spread.  Of course I brought my own mayonnaise and Joyce Chen scissors.  I think Kikukat Dad was impressed with my forethought in planning.  He was amazed at how much easier it is to get the meat out of crab with kitchen shears.

Its rare when a crab dinner gets overshadowed, but I think thats just what happened last week.  On Monday, Kikukat Mom & Kikukat Dad (with D2 in tow) brought home their newly-adopted children from the Hawaii Island Humane Society in Keaau.  They actually went last Saturday, thinking they were going to adopt ONE kitten.  Somehow, they ended up with TWO.  FYI, two kittens can be adopted for the price of one, and senior citizens get an additional discount.  They thought they'd be able to bring the cuties home then, but they were told to return on Monday to get the boys (they were "fixed" on Monday).

Oreo and Mickey seem to be adjusting well to life in the Waiakea Uka manor.  After a few days of being confined to a safe area to establish litterbox norms, the boys are now exploring the house, climbing on furniture and napping on the sofa.  And should the Humane Society check up, the Ds can reassure them that Oreo and Mickey (aka Rider and Chris, respectively) are not being abused.  In fact, Kikukat Dad wants then to remain indoors until they are larger.  He said he doesn't want other cats to pick on them.  The only toxic element they have encountered thus far has been Kikukat Dad's everyday profanity.

On a disappointing note, I wrote my first disciplinary referral on a student last week.  He would not keep his mouth shut so I told him to stay after class.  When the bell rang, in spite of me and his skills trainer telling him to stay put, he bolted and said, "fuck you!  I don't need this fucking class!".  As he left, he slapped an old metal cabinet and pushed past other students in the hallway.  I wouldn't tolerate my own children speaking like that to me, and I'm certainly not going to tolerate it from him.  Needless to say, it was a rum & diet Coke weekend for me!

Cookie Jar: Rice Krispies Crunch Cookies

Today is the first day of school for most public school students in Hawaii.  D2 began today, and D1 will begin tomorrow.  Today is a 9th grade-only day at her school.  I have 2 classes of 9th graders, and historically, 9th graders have been the class I try to avoid.  They are 1 step outta intermediate (middle) school and tend to be social buffoons.  In the old days, when classes were mixed grades, the 9th graders would be set straight very quickly by the upperclassmen.  Now that they are separated by grade levels (thank you, Common Core State Standards), the 9th graders will just fester.  Ugh.

I barely recovered from hosting the Japanese girls.  They were fun, but its very intense while they are here.  I'm grateful they don't come during the school year because it would just be too much.

It took the better part of last week to attempt to switch gears from vacation mode to work mode.  Work mode kicked off with a work session on Monday. We were supposed to stay until 3 pm, but the school kicked us out because of impending bad weather from Tropical Storm Flossie.  That ended up being much ado about nothing because there were no torrential rains, no thunder, no lightning, no flash flooding, and no gusty winds, at least where I was.  It was a missed opportunity (and I'm grateful) to see the flooding pattern of my classroom.

Tuesday was the first OFFICIAL day of work, and the hospitality at work was amazing.  Near-bottomless supply of candy on the table; sushi, teri beef, katsu, korean chicken and chips for morning snack; steak fry for lunch.  At my previous work site, the only type of meal was a potluck lunch (with the exception of generous meals provided solely by the High Commander).  The potlucks were a joke because there were those chronics who never brought anything to share, pretended to forget, then heaped it on when some kind person offered them a plate.  Fricking shame!

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were a blur, but I know that the HHS custodians are the best!  They take care of the teachers BIG TIME.  My swivel chair and phone got swipered, but they returned my phone to me and they also got me 2 swivel chairs!  They replaced my burnt out light bulbs and also gave me another trash bin.  I totally lucked out!

I spent the weekend either at school or doing school stuff at home.  I think I am ready to begin.  I just need to get to OfficeMax to take advantage of the 50% off lamination.  School has a machine, but trying to get to use it is absolute hell, and I'm not sure if it laminates with the same thick film as OfficeMax does.

With all this work, I didn't have a decent meal all weekend.  I did have some of these cookies to snack on, but they are gone now.  I need to bake another batch to share with the custodians!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Rice Krispies Crunch Cookies

     1 lb butter
     1 1/4 c sugar
     1/2 tsp vanilla extract
     4 c flour
     1 c pecans, chopped fine
     3 c Rice Krispies

Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in vanilla.  Stir in flour.  Stir in pecans.  Fold in Rice Krispies.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Plop tablespoon-sized balls (use #50 disher) onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten with fingers to 1/4" thickness.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from sheets and cool completely on rack.  Makes 76 cookies.

If you prefer smaller cookies (silver dollar size), use #60 disher (makes 102 cookies) and shorten baking time by 1-2 minutes.