Cinnamon Pretzels

Have we recovered from the holiday?  Maybe you have, but I haven't.  I'm not looking forward to the full-blown work day, although I am prepared to welcome the 2nd semester. 

My vacation was really not a relaxing time.  There was so much to be done.  Not only did it take half my vacation to wash the winter ball linens, but I seem to have been in the cooking cycle for the entire time.  I had a bunch of guests to prepare for...the old aunties for Christmas lunch and working palz for sake.  By the time that was over, I was making desserts for New Years Day AND preparing for another bunch for dinner.

The Old Aunties coming over for lunch on Christmas was not bad at all.  I made prime rib with a nice chunk of beef The Help found at Costco.  The working palz were fed a bunch of things, but I think they appreciated the potstickers and sauce.  They also enjoyed the miso salmon.  My fave part of the night (in addition to the company), was the sake.  The Keeper brought some good sake.  We weren't able to finish all the sake (plus another guest brought a bottle), so I shared some with my cousins on New Years Eve, after the crab lasagna dinner.  I don't think sake would pair well with crab lasagna!

I did get a special treat this vacation...I got to meet up with my cousin Michelle and her family for breakfast.  Michelle grew up and lives in Honolulu, but her hubby is from Hilo.  In a strange coincidence, his older sister is my high school classmate.  Small world!  The Old Aunties joined us, and Michelle got to ask them a bunch of questions about her grandfather (their brother).

In addition to the get-togethers, I was busy with projects.  I did a test knit for Kay Hopkins.  I knew when I agreed that the cardigan was not something I would wear, but I saw it as an opportunity to practice stranding.  I gave the cardigan to one of the Old Aunties for Christmas (whew...I managed to finish the cardigan in a week!).

I was not as successful with another cardigan (veronika) D1 requested.  I was hoping to finish it before she left, but with all that was happening (cooking, get-togethers, etc.) between Christmas and her leaving, I was not able to finish.

With the beginning of the 2nd semester tomorrow, I am grateful to be done with my advisorship (and the after-shit which accompanies the event...the washing of the linens).  The students I got to work with for the project were awesome, and they did a great job putting the event together.  On the final day of bid sales, I distributed Cinnamon Pretzels to the students who helped.  I made a few extra bags so I gave some to Ma (if you know, you know), which she consumed in lieu of lunch.

Although I would've enjoyed relaxing during the vacation, seeing friends and family was not a bad trade-off.  

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Cinnamon Pretzels

     18 oz pretzels (we like butter snaps or honey wheat twists)

     1/3 c butter

     1/4 c sugar

     3/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Place pretzels in a 9 x 13" pan.  Melt butter.  Stir in sugar and cinnamon.  Stir until sugar dissolves.  Pour over pretzels and toss gently to coat pretzels.  Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes.  Cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

 Otaru, Japan

October 11, 2017:  Day 3

We spent the 3rd day in Otaru.  Otaru was about a 45 minute train ride from Sapporo station.

In a way, Otaru reminds me of Lahaina, where much of what's to see is along one main street.

Otaru boasts a picturesque canal, which was probably vital to the main economic base of the town back in the "olden days". 

Before tackling the shops, we stopped at a small cafe to sample soft cream.  I got the 3-flavor variety...lavender, vanilla, and melon.  It was delicious, but I should have just had a gigantic cone of just the lavender.  A few of my friends bought the 7-flavor jumbo cone, but I knew I would not be able to finish that, lunch, and what I really HAD TO HAVE.

Today, Otaru is known for glassware.  A wise friend told me that the glass industry evolved from Otaru's past as a fishing village.  In the "olden days", fish net floats were made out of glass.  With more modern materials being used for floats, the glass industry switched their focus from fish floats to table ware.  Kitaichi Glass, a famous glass vendor, is based in Otaru.  Encouraged by The Keeper, I spent a shameless amount of $ on no-drip shoyu containers (KikukatDad requested at least 3 large dispensers) and hand-carved glass, one-of-a-kind sake cups.

I ended up having lunch at a place recommended by The Keeper.  He said it was where the tour bus and taxi DRIVERS dine with the locals.  I had a raw scallop and ikura don.  The ikura was perfectly seasoned, and all of this came on a bed of finely shredded egg.

But my real goal for the day was getting to LeTAO, a pastry shop reknown for creamy desserts.  Prior to my trip, I spent a good amount of time researching specialty food of the region.  Several guides mentioned the Double Fromage cheesecake and Bin de Fromage.  I had been talking about LeTAO to The Keeper weeks before we left Hawaii, so it was only fitting to enjoy the LeTAO experience with him.  I was worried about finding LeTAO, but it turned out that LeTAO is like Starbucks...there were several LeTAOs on that one main street! We ended up at a small LeTAO outpost where there was an open table and a bathroom.

Double Fromage is a luscious cheesecake-like layered creation.  This alone was worth the trip to Otaru.  I have never had anything like it before, and if anyone wants to try testing a copycat recipe for it, I'm in!  It IS available in Sapporo Station, but really, this experience wasn't about finding it in Sapporo. . .it was about having it where it was born. . .in Otaru.

And since I was at the shop, I really wanted to try the Bin de Fromage which was like the Double Fromage but in a cute miniature milk bottle.  I was too full to eat it then, but since it was available frozen in a 3-pack, I bought the 3-pack to share.   The frozen bottles kept nicely during the ride back to Sapporo.

A word of caution with the Bin de Fromage...it must be eaten all the way to the bottom of the bottle for the full taste experience.

After the Double Fromage, I had a gigantic square of kakimochi (The Keeper was sent to buy this for some friends in Hawaii) courtesy of DHS and a persimmon-filled daifuku from a small store on the way to the Otaru station.  Yet, I knew I still had to have dinner.

Because Otaru wasn't far from Sapporo, we returned to Sapporo at a decent hour.  Not everyone was hungry, so everyone went their own way.  I was hungry and thinking about going back to Tonkatsu Wako when I ran into The Keeper.  Turns out The Keeper was also looking for food.  We ended up at an unagi restaurant in the station, Miyagawa Honten.

It turns out that Miyagawa Honten is actually in the Daimaru department store at the station.  Apparently there were some bad reviews, but The Keeper and I were well-aware that the eel is prepared (read:  killed and cooked) to order, so it's certainly not fast food.  I ordered a small set, so the eel came in a porcelain bowl.  The Keeper ordered a larger meal so his eel was in a lacquered box.  I didn't take a pic of his meal, but it was lavish.  And in spite of the humble appearance of my bowl, this was THE best unagi I have ever had.

After the unagi meal, The Keeper and I stopped at a convenience store to buy stuff for the 3-hour+ train ride to Hakodate the next morning.  

. . .another day of mega-eating in the books and another epic eating day ahead. . .

Cookie Jar: Crunchy Oatmeal Cookies

Whew. . .I'm glad today is a holiday!  I was running around like a chicken without a head this past week.  The Ds had so much going on.  D2 had an intermediate school registration meeting on Tuesday.  D1 began work at the hospital that same day.  She had games on Tuesday and Friday, and both Ds had dental appointments on Wednesday.  D1 doesn't drive, so I'm still chauffeuring her around.  Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. . .one less thing to worry about.  AND less to pay in car insurance.

Our school was visited by a team made up of district people and a bunch of frequent flyers from Oahu.  What a bunch of sorry ass losers.  They were okay with me, but in one class, the students felt threatened when one of them started firing questions.  When the teacher tried to intervene to calm the student, the Oahu lady flew her hand down to wave her off.  Unreal.  One of the ladies who observed me had her foot up on a chair!  That's something even my students know better than to do.  That's rude!

Similar visits took place in the school district where I worked previously.  Teachers there saw it as a good thing and were looking at the visits as an opportunity to rat out the principal.  They were under the assumption that the visit would lead to the principal getting canned.  None of the visits led to that. . .I know because the same inept principals are still in their positions.  At my school, the faculty seemed to band together and wanted to protect the administration from these nefarious alien invaders.  To me, that says a lot.  People LIKE coming to work.  Students LIKE attending school.  I don't know of any school in the other place where the faculty and students would say that.

Someone said these unannounced visits were for evaluation purposes.  #anylaborattorneyslookingforwork  #lawsuitwaitingtohappen  I hope not because the individual classroom visits were unannounced.  One of my colleagues got into it with one of the brass from Oahu.  I think the Oahu lady behaved in an unprofessional way.  And if we're on the unprofessional tangent, sharing evaluative information with some staff members was also unprofessional.  If these people were respected, it would be a different story.  But a title and a few extra bucks does not garner automatic respect.  The only saving grace is that these idiots are not the ones in the classroom!  I would rather eat wasabi than have my kid be taught by one of these morons.  

Speaking of trash. . .this past week, I threw out what was left of the mini M & M cookies (its long after Christmas, so no point in trying to pass green & red M & M cookies as freshly baked), the ones LA didn't manage to eat.  I needed something to put into the cookie jar, so The Help suggested oatmeal cookies.

Now The Help would much rather eat cookies which are soft and chewy.  To me, soft cookies are either underbaked or stale (its part of the package when you live in such a humid place. . .you WANT cookies which are hard and crunchy).  But I told The Help that if he wanted soft cookies, he could either leave a some cookies out on the counter for a few hours or microwave them til they are warm (they will get soft).  Problem solved.

This is the oatmeal cookie I bake when I want oatmeal cookies.  The dough is sturdy. . .no refrigeration necessary, and the cinnamon-cranberry combination reminds me of my favorite bread machine bread.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Crunchy Oatmeal Cookies

     1/2 c butter, softened
     1/2 c shortening
     3/4 c brown sugar
     3/4 c sugar
     1 tsp cinnamon
     1 tsp salt
     2 tsp vanilla
     1 egg
     3 c quick oatmeal
     1 c flour
     1 c dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Combine butter, shortening, sugars, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Beat until smooth.  Add egg.  Stir in oatmeal and flour.  Add cranberries.  Using a #50 disher, drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets.  Flatten dough drops to 1/4" thickness (use fingers/palms).  Bake 20 minutes.  Transfer to a rack to cool.

When I make this, I stagger the baking.  Begin by baking 1 sheet on a rack 2/3 up in the oven.  10 minutes later, place another sheet on a rack about 3" below first sheet.  10 minutes later, remove top sheet and move lower sheet to higher rack.  Add new sheet onto lower rack and start timing cycle again.

The Cinnamon Challenge: Cinnamon Roll Edition

Speaking of challenge, this past week at work was extremely challenging.  I'm still having trouble getting up in the morning, and I have not yet resumed my treadmill walking regimen.  I really need to get back on the wagon because I go to see Dr. KO next month, and I don't want to see rising numbers for my cholesterol.

One of my gifts to myself this Christmas was a Fitbit Zip.  Its a tiny device which functions like a pedometer, but you can also use it to keep track of calories burned and consumed.  It also functions as a clock.  You wear it on your waistband or keep it in your pocket.  Ladies can also wear it on their bra (yes, convenient).  It syncs to your computer via dongle, so you can keep track of your progress.  I don't think its been very motivating yet.  The Help has one, and he constantly tells me, "I earned a badge.".  Having never earned a badge yet (I think you need to walk 10,000 steps in a day), I'm not privy to the excitement.

Perhaps I should be more into Fitbit because while the holiday guests were here, there was definitely some overindulgence going on.  As of Friday, all guests have gone home.  In spite of the new years day never-ending party fiasco, I hope I get to see (most of) them again soon.  In one of the pre-overindulgence family activities, I invited a few favorite family people over for dinner.  It was a simple dinner...soup and rolls.  I made two batches of rolls (thinking D2 can eat half a recipe on her own in an hour) and ended up opening my institutional-size bag of bread flour.  This means that in the next few weeks, I'm going to be busy baking bread things...again, another reason to use the Fitbit (lotsa calories in bread things).

A few months ago, I posted the Cinnamon Challenge:  Snickerdoodle Edition.  This time around, we are doing the Cinnamon Challenge:  Cinnamon Roll Edition (thanks to that dang giant bag of bread flour).  The best cinnamon roll recipe can be found on allrecipes.com:  Clone of a Cinnabon is truly a clone of Cinnabon.  Submitted by Marsha Fernandez, not only is it delicious, but the dough in amazingly easy to work with.  It rolls out nicely, and it rolls up nicely too.  It is not one of those doughs which sticks to everything everywhere.  And if you are wondering. . .yes, I have made other cinnamon rolls before.  This recipe is, by far, the best tasting, and the procedure is no different than other cinnamon rolls.

rolling out the dough to a giant rectangle.

spreading the butter

sprinkling the brown sugar-cinnamon. . .love the aroma

rolling up

ready to rise again

freshly baked and glazed...do NOT skip the glaze

I'm facing another challenging week because I have a major presentation to give this evening at the local university.  Its a presentation I do yearly, and I go through this anxiety every year.  In addition to the stress from that, I inadvertently added to the Ds day be scheduling dental appointments for both of them.  D1 ends the day with a basketball game, so it will be a long day for both of us.  I'm considering attaching my Fitbit to one of the basketball players!

Clone of a Cinnabon...worth all the effort!

Thank you, Marsha, for sharing your recipe with us all!

Granola

When you read this, I will be on vacation (actually formerly-known as furlough, directed leave without pay).  Yay!  Its a much-needed vacation (furlough is still a vacation since there should be no work issues), and I don't even want to think how quickly the next 2 weeks will go by.  Since I will be at home, I plan on having leisurely days. . .breakfast when I get up, lounging around in PJs, and not being a slave to the alarm clock.  Normally, I have a bowl of steel cut oats (cooked in the microwave) and a cup of joe, but since I'm on break, I think I'll change things up a bit and have granola and yogurt for breakfast.

I tend to be picky about granola.  I like things crunchy...not a fan of soggy granola.  I also don't like walnuts so many of the commercially-available granola are out. . .too many cheap walnuts.   I like granola with pecans or macadamia nuts.  Sliced almonds are okay too.  For the fruit, I use cranberries, dried mango, and dried pineapple.  If I have it on hand, I'll even chop up some dried apricots to throw in.  I keep the raisins away (raisins are on THAT list, below mustard, but somewhere near peas).  Homemade granola is great because you can choose what you put in it, but the best part is the smell as it bakes.  The aroma of cinnamon always makes me think "holidays".  Mmmmm.

And since Christmas will be here next week, this is a good time to make a batch of granola to keep on hand as a gift for people who surprise you with a gift.  Place cooled granola in an airtight container and tie with a holiday bow.  If you don't need to use it as an emergency gift, you'll have the pleasure of consuming it yourself.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe
Granola

     4 c rolled oats (old fashioned)

     2 1/2 c nut pieces

     1 1/2 c sweetened flaked coconut

     1/4 tsp salt

     1/2 tsp cinnamon

     1/2 c vegetable oil (scant)

     1/2 c honey

     2 c dried cranberries (or mixture of dried fruit)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line a large, shallow baking pan with parchment paper.  Toss together oats, nuts, coconut, salt, and cinnamon, in a large bowl.  Whisk together oil and honey, then stir into oat mixture until well coated.  Spread mixture in prepared baking pan and bake, stirring every 10-20 minutes for 1 hour.  Increase oven heat to 300 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes, stirring midway through.  Remove from oven and stir in cranberries/dried fruit.  Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.  Makes about 10 cups.

Unfortunately, my leisurely morning was hijacked this morning because the workers showed up before 8:00 am to fix my pool.  After 5 years, the liner at the deep end was tearing.  The Help patched it several times, but it got to the point where even the patches were pulling off.  I was telling people not to splash in the deep end.  Actually, I'm not upset at all that the pool people showed up this morning; in fact, I'm grateful that they could work today...its a typical Hilo day...overcast, cold & semi-drizzly.  But having a "new" pool brings baggage.  For the past few weeks, the pool pump and filter have been off.  The pool boy (a.k.a. The Help) saw no reason to condition and treat the water when the repairs were looming, so I was able to benefit from not having that eat into my electrical bill from HELLCO.

I guess I'm going to be turning the pool pump and filter back on later today or tomorrow and starting back up with my electrical consumption, but guess who showed up on Saturday!!!  A crew of nearly a dozen burly men spent 6 hours on my roof making a huge racket.  Because optimum roof real estate was taken by solar water heater panels and pool heater panels, the pv panels had to be places on 4 different roof faces.  30 panels and several arrays later (and several $K poorer). . .waiting for the inspectors to show, and more importantly, waiting for a small bill from HELLCO!  Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me!  I can't wait for tax time to get here. 

I try not to get down with the events around me, but my heart aches when I think about all the families in Newtown who experienced great sorrow on Friday, December 14.  Having visited Connecticut a few years ago, I remember it as an idyllic place, straight out of a Norman Rockwell scene.  Lives there will never be the same.
Tales of teacher heroism in the face of death illustrate what I already know...teachers are dedicated people with a strong commitment to their students.  How many government bureaucrats would put themselves at risk to save others?  So for those of you assholes negotiating the teachers contract and trying to nickel and dime us, think about the work we do for your children, think about the commitment we show, .and then think about how many kiddie lives were saved because a teacher (Vicki Soto) sacrificed herself for her students.  Nobody is talking about how her students performed on a test; nobody is talking about whether she was a highly qualified or highly effective teacher.  Social media sites are inundated with how she was committed til the end.   Isnt' it obvious. . .what counts is knowing kids came first, that the were safe, not how well they scored on a test!  I hope you will feel ashamed at the way you've treated us, how superficial you've been to let test scores determine teacher pay (really, anyone will tell you, some kids are just smarter than others).  Settle the fucking contract and give us what we deserve!!!

The Cinnamon Challenge: Snickerdoodle Edition

Before we get to my rundown of Spring Break and the Cinnamon Challenge, I'd like to wish my cousin Dustin a happy birthday.  I'm sure his favorite brother has a great gift waiting for him!

Speaking of challenges, getting through today will be a challenge.  This is the first day back at work after a week off for Spring Break.  Ughhhhh.  Spring Break was nice, albeit too short.  I didn't do much except pamper myself:  massage, haircut, facial, sleeping in.  I'm now on first-name basis with the people at Nicole's Salon in Keaau. They are a full service salon, and its super convenient since they are located in the same lot as J & J Diner, Verna's, McDonalds, and the Shell Station (yes, its all connected).  I can now get a bang trim AND pick up a plateful of lechon kawali on my lunch break.

I think my babies will also go through a period of adjustment.  With me being home most of the day, they got spoiled with spending most of the day in the main yard.  Unfortunately, I need to buy two more ti plants, as they've destroyed two of the three I planted a few weeks ago.

D2 & Minnie

The Ds had way more excitement than me.  They spent the better part of the week with Mr. Dependable, taking in the sights of the big city (Honolulu), shopping upscale (Ala Moana), hanging with family (BriBri), taking in the culture (Chinatown) and hanging with Mickey & Friends (Disney's Aulani Resort).  I'll post more pics if/when D1 sends me her files.  That would be a good idea since she needs to transfer her files to her new notebook, which should arrive tomorrow.  She made a wise decision:  choosing a new notebook over an internet shopping extravaganza.

D1 & Minnie

The next holiday for me to look forward to is Kuhio Day (one week from today).  But I may need to make my own holiday (personal leave rather than play hookie) because I was a very bad kat over break and made a huge purchase.  Me and my new toy will need serious ho'olauna (get acquainted) time.  And no, I did not buy THE new iPad!

Okay, lets get down to business.   A few months ago, D1 showed me a video from YouTube that sent me into a fit of laughter (to the point where I was crying).  I'm not the only one who saw the video in my home, but I was the only one in tears.  I'm not sure why or what triggers these fits of laughter, but this is the kind of laughing fit that you just cannot derail.  And its often over something that others do not find funny at all.  I'll let you decide for yourself.  Here is the video.  Be sure your speakers are on.




From what I could discover, the Cinnamon Challenge is a years-old dare game where one eats a tablespoon of cinnamon without drinking anything.  There are several other videos, but GloZell's is the only one which sends me into delirium.  And I really can't explain why because since I initially saw GloZell's video, I've watched several other YouTube uploads of others taking the cinnamon challenge, and none are very funny.

In the light of recent media stories about the dangers of the Cinnamon Challenge, I am not trying to encourage people to take the cinnamon challenge.  Me, personally, I am a little curious because based on the videos I've seen, the amount of cinnamon ingested varies greatly.   While I ponder on whether or not I would actually have enough craziness to take the Cinnamon Challenge, I'd like to share another version of the cinnamon challenge which was very real in the Kikukat house.....snickerdoodles!

 Everyone in the Kikukat house loves snickerdoodles.  Back in college, the UW food service system had a cookie we affectionately called "white cookie".  I'd take a cookie off the buffet line nearly everynight.  I just couldn't resist it.  It was, of course, a giant snickerdoodle.  Now, when the Ds want cookies, D1 will usually offer to make a batch of snickerdoodles.  D2 has the responsibility of rolling the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar.  In looking through my hundreds of cookbook, I noticed that the recipe D1 uses doesn't contain an ingredient found in many other recipes:  cream of tartar.  We decided to try making a batch of both versions to see which one we'd prefer.  That was our version of the Cinnamon Challenge.

This is the version I made.  D1s version doesn't contain baking soda and cream of tartar.  Hers uses baking powder.  Both D2 and I preferred my version, as the cookies were crispier.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Snickerdoodles

     1 c butter, softened

     1 1/3 c sugar

     2 eggs

     1 tsp vanilla

     3 c flour

     1 tsp baking soda

     1 tsp cream of tartar

     1/4 tsp salt

     2 tsp cinnamon

     3 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease 4 cookie sheets.  In a large bowl, beat butter and 1 1/3 c sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.  Gradually add to butter mixture, blending thoroughly.  In a small bowl, combine cinnamon with 3 tbsp sugar.  Roll dough into 1" balls (may also use a #50 disher) and then roll in cinnamon-sugar until completely coated.  Place on baking sheets (16 cookies will fit on a sheet) and bake for 12 minutes.  Let cool for 1 minute before transferring cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Makes about 4 dozen.