Toaster Oven Food: Haupia Jello Dessert

Now that it's summer, I spend way more time at home.  Somewhere during mid-afternoon, I start jonesing for something sweet.  I don't need a big slice of chocolate cake to satisfy the craving, but I need something a little more than a chocolate chip cookie to quiet the demons.

This summer, my preferred theme is coconut.  I've made a bunch of things with coconut:  satay chicken skewers, coconut shortbread, butter mochi, ice cream topping, and granola. D2 and I love coconut, and I was happy to see that Costco is having a special on VitaCoco coconut water in mid-July.   I guess I'll be hitting the road to Kona in a few weeks.

In my series of toaster oven desserts, I have another one to add to the mix.  Haupia Jello Dessert is very versatile because you can vary the flavor of the Jello.  I used pineapple Jello because I was going for the pina colada taste.  Pineapple Jello isn't the easiest flavor to find, but I found it at KTA.  If pineapple Jello can't be located, my second choice would be lime.  The natural food stores here sell a Tahitian limeade, which has a nice hint of coconut flavor, making lime and coconut a proven combination in my book.

Anything made in the toaster oven can be thrown together and cooked a lot faster than a full-size dessert.  This makes it ready to eat that much faster.  Of course, in my house, its the refrigerator real estate which is in short supply, so having to store a square pan is a way more realistic expectation than trying to make room for a 9 x 13" pan.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Haupia Jello Dessert

     1 c flour 

     2 tbsp sugar

     1/4 c macadamia nuts

     1/2 c butter

     1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk (shelf-stable)

     1/4 c + 2 tbsp sugar

     7 tbsp cornstarch

     1 c water

     1/2 tsp vanilla extract

     1 pkg unflavored gelatin

     1/4 c tap water

     1 box pineapple jello

     1 c boiling water

     1 c cold water

     

Preheat toaster (or regular) oven to 350 degrees.  In bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, macadamia nuts, and butter.  Pulse until pieces are the size of peas.  Press evenly into a 8" or 9" square pan.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Cool.  Combine cornstarch and water in a bowl.  Set aside.  In a small saucepan, heat coconut milk and sugar.  When warm, stir in cornstarch mixture.  Add vanilla and stir constantly until mixture boils and is very thick.  Place pan into an ice water bath, stirring frequently to cool and to prevent skin from forming.  Change ice bath as needed.  When mixture is cool, spread evenly over crust and refrigerate.  Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over tap water to soften.  Combine pineapple jello, softened gelatin and boiling water.  Stir until dissolved.  Add cold water.  Pour carefully over coconut layer.  Chill until jello layer is firm.  Cut into squares to serve.

Last weekend, The Help and I made a quick run to Costco.  I was thrilled to see that the first shipment of Rainier cherries arrived!  Rainier cherries are my favorite cherry.  Not only are they absolutely gorgeous. . .blush on rich sun-gold fruit, but they hold a special place in my heart.  The first time I tried a Rainier cherry was straight off the tree in UGeo's backyard (Marine View house).

The 2-pound clamshell of cherries was obliterated early in the week in the span of a quick hour by THREE 11 year old girls who were hungry after splashing around for a few hours.  I managed to eat a dozen of them, and The Help had three (the three in the picture to the right).  It was no mystery as to how the cherries managed to disappear so quickly.  They were delicious.  They were plump, sweet, and juicy.  And they were all gone.

Never one to hide her feelings (or opinion), D2 suggested we make another trip to Costco. . .to buy more Rainier cherries.  I hadn't considered making a trip to Costco so soon, but The Help forlornly recalled about how perfect the three cherries had tasted.  As if the sob story wasn't enough, he reminded me that the Rainier cherry availability window was extremely short and would likely be closed by the time D2 returns from her upcoming trip.

So mid-Friday afternoon, I found myself on the Saddle, heading west to Costco. . .to get Ziploc sandwich bags, more cherries, and a bunch of things Kikukat Mom requested (can you believe Costco has been out of Ritz cracker and bamboo chopsticks for a while now?).

All the way over, D2 voiced her anxiety about the possibility of Rainier cherries being sold out.  She was relieved when, once in the store, we passed a lady with Rainier cherries in her cart.  D2 suggested we keep a visual check on her, just in case she took the last box.  Luckily, there was still an ample supply of Rainier cherries in the cold room, and we ended up buying two 2-pound clamshells of Rainier cherries.

The Help packed his camera equipment to get some sunset shots.  D2 estimates that she has taken over a thousand shots of D1 posing.  She said it was nice to not have to take pictures of D1 for a change.  D2 used my NEX to snap the shot below.  She did a lot of self-talk to get the shot, as she was hoping to avoid agitating the bee.  Photographers seem to do a lot of holding ass to get the shots they want.  I guess it's never too early to start building a portfolio!

Note to self:  Never underestimate the craftiness and cunning of little sisters.  While at Costco, D2 spied a pack of crab legs and asked The Help to buy it.  Being sensitive to those with food allergies, The Help hesitated, as he knew D1 would salivate profusely and pout at the sight of the forbidden food.   I relented, possibly driven by the fact that I forgot my purse at home, and assured him we'd only eat the crab when D1 was out for dinner.  On Saturday, as D1 was leaving to hang out with friends, D2 yelled, "don't be afraid to have dinner with your friends", in the sweetest, pedantic voice you can imagine.

Ohelo Berry Bars

Cripes!  I am pooped!  Friday was the last day of work for the 2013-14 school year.  The last day for teachers is always frantic. . .trying to get all the signatures to check out, packing up valuables from the room, saying goodbye/thank you to those who made the year pleasant.

The school year actually went by quickly for me.  I can't remember when I've had such an awesome year.  The students were basically good, and, for the most part, most of the adults behaved themselves most of the time.  Before the school year ended, I made lemon bars for the people who went the extra mile for me and D1.  It took me nearly 3 hours to make and another 2 hours to package them!  I will not be making lemon bars for a while.  Now that I managed to get HQ in another content area, I need to start working on domestic things, i.e., another "go-to" dessert.  It's rather telling when one of the bosses calls from the supermarket on a weekend for recipe/instruction/tips on making lemon bars. . .I need to shed the "one-trick pony" moniker.  I can add it to the summer vacation "to do" list. 

Now that vacation is officially underway, between all the chaffeuring duties, I should have some time to do things I have been putting off or didn't get to last summer (sponge drops).  High (after I do the requisite house cleaning) on my list is picking ohelo berries.  Ohelo berries make terrific desserts and preserves.  What???  You've never heard of ohelo berries???  You must be kidding me!

Ohelo berries are pretty special, and if you grew up in East Hawaii, you likely have some kind of ohelo berry memory.  When I was growing up, I remember going to the Volcano Golf & Country Club with my dad.  While he worked on his handicap, I worked on checking out the ohelo berry bushes on the outskirts of the fairways.  I can remember going with my parents to pick ohelo berries for jam (not at the golf course!).

In my senior year of high school, my boyfriend took me to the now-closed Volcano House for prom dinner (there was no dinner attached to prom in those days).  I had ohelo berry pie for dessert and couldn't wait to tell everyone about it.  I don't remember the pie being extremely tasty (I remember it being very runny), but to NOT have ordered it would have been foolish and would not have afforded me the bragging rights of having ohelo. 

Over twenty years had passed since I went ohelo berry picking.  I think the last time I had gone was to pick the berries for jam.  I know I was still in elementary school at that time.   But I was shocked when The Help told me he had NEVER gone ohelo berry picking.  How can?  He grew up here!  Last year, we went hiking on the Kilauea Iki trail and had come across ohelo berry bushes scattered about.  The sight of them reminded me of the fun I had picking ohelo berries as a little kid.  I told The Help about my ohelo berry adventures, and he said he never went berry picking.  #amazing #shelteredprivateschoolkid So in an effort to educate him about how the other half lives, I took him ohelo berry picking off the Saddle (well, how could I not. . .he has a 4-wheel drive vehicle).

In an hour, we managed to pick nearly a quart of berries.  I was too tired to pick any more, and I had to use the bathroom.  I really wanted to make a proper topping for a cream cheese pie (wanted to correct what my former coworker made. . .this story will be shared in a future post), but refrigerator real estate helped me decide that I needed to make something which did not require refrigeration. 

At this very moment, my refrigerator is stuffed.  I just bought the gigantic tray of eggs from Costco, so if I don't use most of it (tea eggs, potato salad, Canlis salad, egg salad sandwiches, salty eggs) by the time I go berry picking, I will make these bars (instead of the cream cheese variety).  There really is no way to lose when you make a dessert with ohelo berries.

Unfortunately, the berry picking will need to wait at least another day.  Wouldn't you know. . .Mother Nature is not being cooperative.  The first day of summer vacation has turned out to be a wet, cloudy, cool day.  It is, in fact, so cool that The Help just put on his wool beanie!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Ohelo Berry Bars

     1 c butter

     3 c flour

     2 1/4 c sugar, divided

     3-4 c ohelo berries

     1 tbsp cornstarch

     3 tbsp flour

     3 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine butter, flour, and 3/4 c sugar.  Press 2/3 of mixture into a 9 x 13" pan and bake for 15 minutes.  Reserve remainder for topping.  While crust is baking, combine berries and remaining 1 1/2 c sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Combine cornstarch, flour, and water.  When berries start releasing liquid, add some liquid to cornstarch mixture.  When berries have been boiling for 8 minutes, add cornstarch mixture and cook 2 minutes longer.  Spread on baked crust, sprinkle reserved topping evenly over fruit.  Bake for an additional hour.  Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Happy Girls' Day: Hishi Mochi

Happy Girls Day!!

Today is a day of celebration for girls!

I contemplated what to buy myself for Girls Day, but I pretty much buy what I want anyway, so there was really nothing I HAD to have.  It would've been nice to take a day off, and I seriously considered it, especially since I have my worst class today.

I cannot wait until the school year is over and my time with one of my classes is behind me.  A bunch of them will be very sorry when they get into the real world.  This is the class with a few who come in and ask, "what, we gotta do work today?"  Not a day in the school year has gone by where they did not do work, so I'm not sure why a one guy, "Charlie", keeps asking.  Charlie wanted me to curtail all assignments for the week of his birthday AND bring in a cake for him.  Get real!

Half of the class will be enrolling in institutions of higher learning after graduation, and I have faith they will do well.  

Sadly, the other half of the class have no realistic plans for anything.  They say they want to work, but who will hire them?  I certainly wouldn't.  And should they get hired, their variable school performance and lingering sour attitudes have not inspired thoughts of long-term employment.  They do not see the parallel between hard work in school and working hard in an employment setting. 

Anyway, my conscience got the better of me and I went to work. In spite of having to deal with the ups and downs as they pass through adolescence, I do enjoy teaching them.  Since they are boys, they may be oblivious to any Girls Day traditions. . .not sure how many of the student population even know it's Girls Day.   That's not how they roll.

Realizing that I have girls of my own, I made sure to have something for them.  D1, the pickiest of the picky, got a gift card.  No point in trying to pick something she'd like.  D2 is slowly morphing into her sister, so she also got a gift card.  Now they can buy what they want.

In addition to the gift cards, I made hishi mochi for them.  I don't know how much they consumed (probably just a piece), but both of them wanted to take some to school to share with teachers/friends.  Knowing this, I made 2 pans. . .so the 3 of us could eat and share!

In April '12, I blogged about the significance of the colors.  I also included a recipe for making a thick version of chichi dango, which can easily be made into hishi mochi.  When it is made in specific colors (pink, white & green) and cut in a specific way (diamond shapes), it takes on a different name:  hishi mochi.  This week's hishi mochi recipe is for narrow layers and uses just 1 pound of mochiko.  For many people, it's easier to eat this thin style rather than the thick version.  I like them both, but since I planned to give some away, I decided to stick with the thin style.  If you are lazy or just have no dog in the fight, you can cut the mochi into square or oblong shapes. . .it's trickier to get the diamond shape just right.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Hishi Mochi
(3-layered, diamond-shaped chichi dango)

     1 box (1 lb) mochiko
     2 c sugar
     1 tsp vanilla
     1 can coconut milk
     water
     food coloring (2 different colors)

Grease a 9 x 13" baking pan.  Be sure to grease far up the sides too.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine mochiko and sugar in a large bowl.  In a 1 quart measuring cup, empty coconut milk.  Add enough water to make 3 1/2 cups of liquid.  Add vanilla.  Add liquid to dry ingredients.  Remove 2 cups of batter to a small bowl.  Add green food coloring.  Pour into prepared pan.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake for 15 minutes.  While green layer is baking, remove an additional 2 cups of batter to a small bowl.  Add red food coloring.  Set aside.  When green layer is done, remove foil and pour white (uncolored) batter evenly over green layer.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  When white layer is done, remove foil and pour pink batter evenly over white layer.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and remove foil.  Cover with a dishcloth or place under food net.  Allow to cool at least 10 hours before cutting.

Saturday night was Endless Twilight, the junior prom.  D1 and her friends spent the afternoon getting ready for the big night.  Before they headed out, The Help snapped a few pics.

A free digital collage by Smilebox

Celebrating Homecoming: Wi's Rainbow Jello

It is Homecoming week for the good old Blue & Gold!  For the first time in years, homecoming will be held during basketball season.  When I worked for the vikings, there was a decision made at a faculty meeting that homecoming would always be held during football season.  Things change so I guess the school is going back to an alternating homecoming season schedule.  As a traditionalist, I'm disappointed the homecoming game won't be a football game.  As a Hilo High supporter, I'm thrilled; Hilo High tends to do much better in basketball than in football.

I'm dedicating this week's post to Hilo High School (Lance's alma mater) in honor of homecoming.  Although I'm not an alumnus, Hilo High gave me a paycheck for nearly a decade, and I met lots of great people while I was there.  Some of the people in my life who mean a lot to me are also Vikings.

This recipe for rainbow jello was given to me by my friend Wi (also not a Hilo High alum).  I've always admired all the jello dishes shared by Wi because the layers are always very even.  Most of the rainbow jello recipes I've seen have colored layers separated by white cream layers.  This was the first recipe I came across where every layer was a soft pastel color.  When Wi made it, each layer was a different color.  I normally make it that way, but because its homecoming, I decided to go with Viking colors, blue and gold, of course! 

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Wendi's Rainbow Jello

     5 boxes jello

     1 can condensed milk

     7 pkgs Knox unflavored gelatin

     1/4 c water

     7 c boiling water

Step 1:  Begin by stirring together 1 box of jello and 1 pkg of Knox.  Add 1 c boiling water.  Stir until dissolved.  Set aside to cool. (bottom layer)

Step 2:  Repeat with another box of jello.  

Step 3:  Sprinkle 2 pkgs of Knox over 1/4 c water to soften.  Add 1 c boiling water.  Add condensed milk along with another cup of boiling water.  Stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.  Set aside. 

Step 4:  Repeat Step 1 with another box of jello. 

Step 5:  Add 2/3 milk mixture to the jello mixture from Step 1.  Stir gently and pour into a 9 x 13" pan and refrigerate for 15 minutes. (bottom layer)

Step 6:  Repeat Step 1 with another box of jello.

Step 7:  Repeat Step 5 using jello mixture from Step 2, being careful to pour jello gently over previous layer.

Step 8:  Repeat Step 1 with last box of jello. (top layer)

Step 9:  Repeat Step 5 using jello mixture from Step 4, being careful to pour jello gently over previous layer.

Step 10:  Repeat Step 5 using jello mixture from Step 6, being careful to pour jello gently over previous layer.

Step 11:  Repeat Step 5 using jello mixture from Step 8 (top layer), being careful to pour jello gently over previous layer.  Chill at least 2 hours longer before cutting into blocks.

Thanks to The Help's sister, we were able to get to the west side to rub elbows with the old guys who can hit the long ball.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous.  I'm glad I dosed up on the spf 70 sunscreen and brought my hat.

 






















When we got there, we went straight to the 10th hole, where Fred Couples and John Cook were finishing the hole.  Instead of parking ourselves at a hole, we decided to stay with the Couples-Cook pairing.  We were duly rewarded at the 18th hole when Cookie sank his approach for an eagle.  I have a new favorite old guy player!

Needless to say, I received my first Fitbit 10,000 steps badge!

May 6, 2013:  D1 asked me to make rainbow jello for a function, and she asked that I use different colored Jello.  Its a totally different effect from the school colors rainbow jello seen above.