Don't get me wrong. I love candy canes, gingerbread and peppermint bark. And we will surely be making and decorating cookies this week. 

But sometimes it's good to be a little salty.

In addition to our ginger sugar Christmas cookies, these are some of our favorite funky alternatives, all using not-sugar bomb cereals as an essential ingredient.

Furikake Chex Mix
It's easy, packages up well, and is a most welcome change-up from all the sweet action going on during this time of the year. My son, the Chex Mix Jedi, declares his preferred combinations to be Crispix and pretzels or Rice Chex, Honeycombs and pretzels. Capn Crunch steer clear you should for this.

This takes a little more than an hour to make. However, in the spirit of full disclosure, it didn't take me much time at all because my #1 son made this batch for me. 

Click here for the recipe.

My Daddy's Energy Bars
This is probably one of the healthier treats. Yes, it has marshmallows, Rice Krispies and butter. BUT it also includes oatmeal, raisins, nuts and peanut butter.

My Dad made these for years and now my nieces have taken over the annual 'baking,' which means microwaving for less than 10 minutes.

Click here for the recipe.

Cranberry Cereal Biscotti
This has been one of the most popular items at our annual Christmas party for the past two years. The cereal makes it crunchy but without becoming molar-cracking, as when some biscotti can be a tad hard.

Click here for the recipe.

'Tis the Season. Eat Well. Be Well. 

With any luck, I'll never have to buy a lemon again. My very thoughtful friend/neighbor just gave us a bunch of fresh Meyer lemons from her Mom's house in Fresno. 

It's much too cold for lemonade, so Lemon Bars are up, and baker/engineer husband's are especially popular. He is the master of "mix-dump-bake" recipes. These never last long and are oft-requested. Click here for recipe. Use pecans or macadamias in the crust.

While we can still get berries in California in the winter, all manner of pears are in full season and honestly, a lot more flavorful and much less expensive than what we grimly call "December raspberries".

Here again, baker/engineer husband makes a mean Pear Sour Cream Coffee Cake. It is descended from a long-lost Better Homes and Garden recipe. This is another good cake that can be both breakfast, plain with coffee or dessert, with whipped cream and coffee. Click here for the recipe.

These are both quick and easy options for home, potlucks, or office parties. Husband's and my office will vouch for this. Lemon Bars make good "here-and-now" goodies and look prettiest when the powdered sugar has not soaked into the lemon filling. Be advised that Lemon Bars will last a good week, but the sugar will soak in after a few days.

Pear Sour Cream Coffee Cake reminds our household of the Hobee's blueberry coffee cake and it is fabulous when it is slightly warm, either out of the oven, or microwaved. And unlike the Hobee's version, it doesn't require the ball of butter on top. The layer of pears keeps everything from drying out. Happy Baking. 

Eat Well. Be Well.

For our anniversary, I thought I would surprise the husband by baking a cake. Instead, it went like this, "Happy Anniversary! Don't mind the smoke and by the way, I didn't burn the house down!

The husband and children are the designated bakers in the household. But for this occasion, I decided that I can indeed bake a cake. After all, I figured out all those lovely flavored whipped creams and have baked batches of strawberry muffins this summer. How hard could a 2-layer cake with a filling, frosting and toasted coconut be?

I found an simple standard white cake with a touch of almond extract that I modified only oh-so-slightly. Cakes flipped out of the pans perfectly and were cooling nicely. 

Lemon pudding with coconut for the filling layer. A hybrid cream cheese/whipped cream frosting. 

Things were going well.

All that was left was to toast the coconut. A short broil on the top rack of the oven and I'm done. I even set the timer so as not to overdo or worse, forget.

And suddenly, I was in an "I Love Lucy" episode. Oven and smoke detectors beeping at different intervals and different frequencies. I'm flittering around, simultaneously getting our fire extinguisher, opening all the windows to get the smoke detectors to stop, getting ready to dial 911, and above all, trying not to panic 'for real.' 

Yeah, right. While I did turn off the oven and get it to stop beeping, my thoughts were a fully jumbled mess: 

"Do I call 911 if it looks like the fire will be contained to the oven? Should I use fire extinguisher? Will it be overkill, especially if it trashes the oven? What about that episode of Mythbusters where they showed that an oven fire can smother itself out when the door closed and all the oxygen is used up? When can I open the oven to see if the oxygen is actually used up? Really, what is my threshold for using the fire extinguisher?  If the house actually catches fire, how am I going to drive soccer carpool this afternoon?

Thankfully, the small tray of coconut flakes did indeed burn itself out in 90 of the longest seconds of my life.

Here is what I learned that:
1. 5 minutes is WAY TOO LONG to broil a small tray of coconut flakes.
2. Unsweetened coconut flakes are quite flammable. Pretty much like dry sawdust soaked in, well, coconut oil.
3. F2 on your oven indicator means there is a fire in it. In case the smoke emanating from it isn't enough of a clue. And no, I do not have a photo, although my husband did ask.
4. Oxygen deprivation is very, very effective for extinguishing a SMALL, fully-contained fire, but very, very bad for your thinking ability and health in general. Remember to breathe in crisis moments.
5. If you open the oven to see if the fire is out, oxygen will whoosh right in and revive the fire. This was my "Backdraft" moment. Use the oven light instead.

And in all seriousness, a fire extinguisher is a NECESSITY in your kitchen. If this were anything larger than a small  flat pan of coconut flakes, I would have used it in a heartbeat, or gotten out of Dodge and called 911.

All things considered it turned out well. Almond Layer Cake is in the Greenhouse, but I won't be using the instant lemon pudding plus coconut for the filling, or the too-heavy cream cheese frosting.

And I rather like the pure, clean look of simple flaked coconut.

Eat Well. Be Well.

The bakers in the household--husband and daughter, have been unusually busy lately. This is a good thing for the entire household, our neighbors and my husband's co-workers. They found a trio of "Mix, Dump and Bake" cakes that we have been enjoying.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake
I use lemons and olive oil for marinating gyros and for a good roast chicken. This just sounded so weird.   Was I ever wrong. This is a lovely lemon cake using a springform pan. Pouring the lemon glaze at the end makes an almost candy-like topping for the cake. Just don't let it sit too long in the pan. Otherwise the glaze will solidify into hard candy and you won't be able to get the cake out nicely.  Click here for recipe.

Super Easy Key Lime Pie
My daughter's winner, with another nod to guest blogger, The So-Called Expert, for the sour cream topping. Key Lime juice, egg yolks, condensed milk and a pre-made graham cracker crust. Click here for recipe.

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from a recent Bon Appetit recipe. It also uses the springform pan. We haven't decided if it's a breakfast coffee-cake item or a powdered sugar with coffee dessert. So we've been doing both. A visiting pack of teenage boys also vouched for this one.

Click here for recipe.


No need for a special occasion. These are easy enough to make 'just because.'  Eat Well. Be Well.

A couple of weeks ago, I declared Shokudo's Honey Toast to be overrated. (Click here for post.)

Thankfully, my Oahu ohana decided not to disown me, but some of them are still a little bit salty. Therefore, it is only fair to show that it could be done at home and for less than $7.45. This is known as "Walking the Walk"

So here goes.

Homemade DIY Honey Toast 
Elapsed Time 7 minutes, 5 if you really focus.

Equipment Needed
1) Toaster, obviously, to make toast.
2) Serrated knife, to cut the toast
3) Ice cream scoop, self-explanatory
4) Spoon, to drizzle honey and then eat.

Ingredients
1 slice of thick sliced whole wheat bread.
I used Kee Wah bread I had in-house because I didn't feel like making a special trip to Nijiya for Cherry Blossom White Bread.

Honey. I used a Sacramento Valley Organic Honey, which was a gift from my cousin, but any honey will do.

Vanilla ice cream. We had Dreyer's French Vanilla in-house.

What to Do
1) Put bread in the toaster, using the middle-of-the-road setting. You don't want stale-bread light, or burnt-to-a-crisp black.
2) Once the toast pops, cut the crusts off, about 1/2" in from the edge, so you get little crust sticks.
3) Cut the now crustless bread into cubes. Work fast to make sure the toast is still warm.
4) Stack the crust pieces to make a box frame, Lincoln Logs style.
5) Drop some of the bread cubes around inside and outside.
6) Put two scoops of vanilla ice cream on top of toast pile.
7) Drizzle with honey.

Eat while still warm. It was ono, and we decided the wheat bread was even preferable because it was a little crunchier and did not get soggy as quickly as the Shokudo white bread version.

Cost $0.87, based on the following*
$0.38 for bread, using a $3.00 for a loaf of thick-sliced whole wheat bread from Kee Wah Bakery
$0.33 for 2 scoops of ice cream, using $4.00 for a quart of Dreyer's Vanilla Ice Cream from Safeway.
$0.16 for honey, using $6.00 for a jar of fancy honey (I'm guessing because this was a gift), but technically it didn't cost me anything.

*On the homemade side, I did not include charges for capital equipment (i.e., the toaster, the freezer that holds the ice cream, our kitchen counter, the table and chairs, dishes, utensils, etc.), labor (5 minutes) or electricity. However, on the Shokudo side of the equation, I did not include the tax, tip or gasoline used to get there.

So stay home and DIY honey toast. I have a feeling I'll be making this for my Oahu ohana next time...

Eat Well. Be Well.

On Oahu, we always try to eat sweet potato haupia pie from Ani's Bakery. It's a slightly buttery/crunchy/nutty crust, a generous layer of rich purple Okinawan sweet potato filling, a layer of smooth, creamy/custardy haupia and topped with whipped cream. You will want to eat the Entire Pie, but this is Not a Good Idea. Very small slivers go a long way.

It's about $20 and sold only at their bakery in Halawa. If you don't order ahead, don't count on waltzing in and getting one. They sell 'em out nearly every day.

I've tried desperately and unsuccessfully to bring one back. A fresh pie is too unwieldy and perishable. When I asked if one could be frozen, "No" was the swift reply, with an "Are you lolo?!" (Hawaiian for insane *and* stupid) stink-eye, just for good measure.

My daughter and husband, the resident bakers, finally tried it, as this is my daughter's favorite dessert. 

Here's what ours looked like. We do get style points for the Stitch plate and more portable bar-style form factor, but we've got a lot to learn. I've already adjusted the Greenhouse recipe, and here's what we'll do next time.

Halve the amount of butter. The sweet potato flavor was completely overshadowed by just too much butter.

Cook the potatoes really well and mash until smooth. Potato chunks aren't good pie gestalt. 

Nix the graham-cracker crust option. My daughter declared it not substantial enough against the sweet potato and haupia. And it adds even more butter taste.

If you use the Noh's haupia mix, do not let it harden before spreading it out on the pie. Our haupia topping looked more like cottage cheese, and while it tasted good, the texture was more like jello and definitely not the creamy texture of Ani's. Next time, haupia from scratch.

Click here for the updated recipe. Still Greenhouse material. Until we figure it out, go to Ani's and get your own.

Eat Well. Be Well.

Despite the provocative title, this is perfectly family-friendly content. First of all, I love whipped cream. By this, I mean any sweet, fluffy, white creamy topping. From scratch, in the aerosol spray can, CoolWhip--all of it.

But lately, I've been experimenting with the from-scratch variety. And I learned that you can add almost any flavor to whipped cream, but some of it definitely works better than others.

Here is my very unscientific study.

Required items
1) Heavy whipping cream
2) Kitchenaid, hand mixer, or a whisk and raw arm strength
3) Various flavoring agents (see Results section below)

Methodology
Dump about a cup of heavy whipping cream into a bowl. Add various flavors and if necessary, a little sweetening stuff (Torani syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, agave nectar, etc.) Beat until whipped cream forms, tasting as you go along.

Results
Maple Whipped Cream--Winner (A+)
Flavoring agent is pure maple syrup. Absolutely delicious, elegantly simple and sturdy to boot (no separation). As a bonus, no additional sweeteners required.

Orange-Tangerine Whipped Cream--Good Taste (B+)
Flavoring agents are orange-tangerine juice and a little vanilla Torani syrup. Whipped cream that tastes like a creamsicle. Graded at B+ because while it tastes fab, it gets a bit runny after about a day and a half.

Chai Tea Whipped Cream--Nope (D-)
Flavoring agent is sweet/spicy chai tea. A promising concept, but no, no and no. Runny, bitter, and a thoroughly unappetizing color.

Coconut Coffee Whipped Cream--Potential but needs some work (C+)
Flavoring agents are coconut coffee and vanilla Torani syrup. Better color than chai whipped cream, but I need to work on the sweet/coffee balance. Has the potential to be great, I think.

Strawberry-Guava Whipped Cream--Winner (A)
Flavoring agent is strawberry-guava juice concentrate. Lively guava taste, fairly sturdy, and the most beautiful light shade of blush pink as a bonus.

I have also discovered a whole gamut of Torani syrups (passion fruit, hazelnut, peach and raspberry) that will need to be tried out. I wonder what other things might work? Time to find out.

Eat Well. Be Well.

Kee Wah Bakery, which just last week opened its doors in Cupertino, is the best of what looks like an up-and-coming trend for Asian-style bakeries. 

Like other Bay Area beachheads of larger chain bakeries from Hong Kong and Taiwan, Kee Wah offers traditional red-sugar or bean-filled cookies, pineapple shortbread, and even sticky moon cakes when the time is right. 

But it's the perfectly fluffy sponge cake and the meat-based pastries that will keep me coming back. Coconut, orange, matcha (green tea), honey or vanilla cakes are all marvy, and a bargain to boot. $1.50 for a 4-inch roll of sponge cake (which can easily be shared), or $3.25 for a whole cake, which is the size and shape of a small bundt cake.

The Ham and cheese roll, bacon and egg roll and the curry pork pastry will undoubtedly end up as lunch when the kids go back to school.

They also creates these lovely European-inspired/Asian-flavored, absolutely ethereal cakes and pastries. In other words, the perfect hapa bakery. Cakes are impossibly light and fluffy, and fresh-fruit filled with mango, peaches or strawberries. There are also unexpected combos like the matcha mousse cake.

While other Asian-style bakeries may have similar offerings, Kee Wah just has a good vibe. It also offers greater breadth (traditional Asian/American-Asian, sweet/savory and Hong Kong imported/locally made), is spotlessly clean, and bakes onsite--so you know the stuff is fresh. You can even watch them work their magic in their open-view kitchen. And their unfailingly polite and honest staff means I leave happy and will return often.

For more information on Kee Wah locations and as well as a couple other of my favorite bakeries, click here.

No way I even try to make these. Not even the hubby does.

These mini almond croissants are from my very favorite neighborhood bakery, Sugar Butter Flour in Sunnyvale. It is nestled in a strip mall with a Safeway, Round Table Pizza, a Japanese restaurant, a Mexican restaurant, and the ubiquitous nail salon and dry cleaners. It is in the old Fuji Bakery space and I started going there only grudgingly when Fuji closed.

And I have been richly rewarded. If I were 'forced' to eat there every day, for the rest of my life, the mini almond croissant would be the one for me. They also have full-sized almond croissants (too big),  chocolate/almond versions (a little over the top for me), plain croissants and my close second, mini-cinnamon croissants.

My clients show up in person, happy, and on time for my 8:30 am meetings when they know I'm bringing in The Pastry Box. Mini almond croissants or cinnamon croissants to the first 12 people who show up. The best productivity tool/motivation I've found.

Beyond that, Sugar Butter Flour has a great selection of individual desserts. When we have a special occasion or when I just can't resist because I happen to be at Safeway, I get a few favorites: Raspberry Mango Mousse, Key Lime Tart, Pear Almond Tart and Chocolate Mousse Cake. They may seem small, but they are rich enough to share, even with teenagers.

Face it, there will always be food that you will not make at home. Mini almond croissants are on that list for me.

Eat well. Be well.