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The Next Big Thing Is Not a Phone

6/27/2014

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EDITORIAL NOTE: Baby Birdie tried this out and converted us!

PictureDon't eat the yellow snow.
First it was Asian-style sweet-tart frozen yogurt. Then pearl (eyeball) drinks, with mochi ice cream and fancy-shmancy macarons trending around as well. 

The Current Big Thing taking the Bay Area by (snow)storm: Shaved snow from SnoZen.

I was skeptical when I first heard about this. After all, how can anything top shave ice? But try a coconut snow with mochi balls and black sesame condensed milk. You might not be converted, but you can definitely make room in your icy heart for it.

Shaved snow is the creamier cousin of shave ice, and is made by shaving flavored frozen milk. It is richer than shave ice, but much lighter than ice cream. It’s almost like someone took milk tea, froze it, and shaved it into frozen ribbons.

There are a wide variety of flavors, ranging from the tried and true, like vanilla and chocolate, to the more adventurous, such as Vietnamese Coffee or Thai Tea. But the flavors are just half the fun.

You can also get standard frozen yogurt mix-ins--fresh fruit, mochi balls, or brownie bits, as well as drizzle, such as chocolate syrup or condensed milk. Unlike shave ice, which I prefer purist--ice and syrup only, accessorizing is half the fun of shaved snow.

Baby Birdie maxxed out on snow all winter, but we all will definitely keep eating shaved snow this summer. The favorite store so far is SnoZen, although Snowflake Tea House looks good Yelp and Ohana-er AC recommends Red Hot Wok as well. 

Ohana--tell me your favorites!

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Taro snow with mochi balls and strawberries
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Chocolate snow with strawberries and mochi balls
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Taro snow with black sesame condensed milk and coconut jelly. LOVE!
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Worth Freezing For--Gari-Gari Kun

12/8/2013

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PictureNashi flavor Gari-Gari Kun
Gari-Gari Kun is a brand of Japanese popsicle we discovered on our trip to Japan. Well, not exactly. One of our travel mates discovered them at Nijiya and then turned us onto them when she found them at a 7-11 in Tokyo. 100Yen of ono perfection on a ridiculously hot and humid July night.

Their Japanese website can be found by clicking here, and if you turn on Google translate, it will give you some pretty high-larious translations of product names--Mr. Rasping and Kickass were my favorites. Until now, we had always gotten the Ramune (blue) flavor, aka Soda Candy Mr. Rasping.

Fast forward to November. Gari-Gari Kun offers nashi (Japanese pear) flavor, which I think are even better than Ramune flavor.


Well worth getting an ice-brain and the shivers for in November. I bought both Ramune and Nashi flavor at Marina market, and have also seen Ramune flavor at Nijiya and Mitsuwa.

Pears are fall/winter fruit, so I'm calling this a seasonal treat.

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Gastronaut vs. Gastronuts

3/7/2013

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A lot of my 'primary research' for new recipes comes from time spent at various optometrist, orthodontist, dentist and pediatrician waiting rooms. Today's post is part recipe, part rant.

I was reading a Magazine-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named at the kids' dentist office. The headline sung out, "Easy Nutella Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches." Sounds like Heaven. The recipe was decidedly south of Heaven.

There is nothing easy about:
1. Elapsed time for making the 'short' version: 6 hours (Not counting re-chilling the ice cream)
2. Elapsed time for making the 'full' version: 3 days!
3. Words like "dacquoise" and "a Gastronaut's Sublime Culinary Journey" interspersed in the cooking instructions.

It's possible to deliver a child in 6 hours with proper medication. Dessert in 6 hours-to-3-days? No. And in case you were wondering, a dacquoise is a dessert cake made with layers (plural!) of meringue and typically nuts hazelnuts or almonds. And a gastronaut is rather poetic, but nonetheless rather hoi-polloi made-up word.
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However, this did get me to devise a simpler option that I made in about 10 minutes. Including re-chilling.

Nutella Ice Cream Sandwiches
Diamond Head Baker Royal Creem Crackers or Pepperidge Farm Gingerbread Men, Lemon or Coconut Cookies
Nutella
Your favorite ice cream. In this case, I used Coconut Caramel Flan, the Safeway fancy ice cream.

Essentially, just make a cookie sandwich. Re-freeze and eat when you are good and ready. This takes maybe 10 minutes with items that are probably in your kitchen right now. 

Click here for the truly Easy Mini Nutella Ice Cream Sandwiches. Let's hear it for sanity in the kitchen. :)

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Serious Food Packaging

1/30/2013

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I've been doing marketing and advertising for most of my professional life. So I'm a sucker for packaging, typesetting and production value. When the first of three surprises from Food Explorers Club arrived, it had me at the "Solo marroni..." perfectly typeset, matte-varnish, 300+ linescreen, interlocking package. Plus Italian words just sound and typeset better. Marrons Glaces sound so much more delicious than Italian glazed chestnuts.
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According to the brochure, marrons glaces are are organic, hand-picked marrons (Italian chestnuts that are about 1.5x bigger than Japanese kuri) that are hand picked and then cooked/prepared based on a process that dates back to 1766. However, the Agrimontana company, has been at it since 1976.
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Ping-pong ball sized!
All that packaging for a monster chestnut, er marron glace, that according to my child, looks like a desiccated squirrel brain. Literally, it is as big as a ping-pong ball.

To be fair, they are very sweet, very rich, very creamy and play nicely with a good strong black tea. And they are perfect indulgence gift--something I wouldn't ever think to buy but will enjoy thoroughly.

And I can't wait to see what will arrive next month!

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Ad Hoc Memorial Day BBQ

5/28/2012

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Fridge purge to make way for shawarma
A couple of days ago, we decided to have a quick Memorial Day BBQ/potluck. As of last night, we hadn't settled on what he would be grilling or anything else, for that matter. And my charming husband is playing golf today.

Thank God for the teenagers. Really and truly.

Left to our own devices, we purged the fridge, went shopping, prepped and have a complete BBQ for 10 or possibly 14 people this evening. 

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Chicken Shawarma, languishing in spice rub
Here's what we came up with.

Chicken Shawarma with Pita bread and Tahini sauce
Made by me and cobbled from mostly Epicurious and AllRecipes. Decided by a second viewing of the Avengers. I don't have cardomom in-house, so I was looking for a cardamom-less version and  more guidance than the mysterious "mixed spice" ingredient I also came across.

Greek Salad
Done and prepped by Teenager #1

Grilled Eggplant
To be grilled by charming husband/golfer

King Egg Rolls, brought by one of our guests/golfers

Laurie's Guacamole
Done and made completely by Teenager #2

Magical-Self Separating Finger Jello 
Brought by the family of another golfer

Snickerdoodles, fresh berries and fresh maple whipped cream
To be made by Teenager #1. These are frozen "Fundraiser" cookies. Perhaps they can be marketed as "Snickerdoodle Shortcakes." I like the sound of that.

Go from zero to full meal for at least 10 in two hours. Now it's time to clean the house.

Eat Well. Be Well.

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Eating Las Vegas, Re-visited

1/27/2012

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Just a few of the 150,000 in attendance
I was in Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Officially, it's where the largest CE manufacturers showcase their latest and greatest gizmos. If you want to see 3,000 flavors of TVs, 4,000 variations on a cel phone, and more earbuds than there are people in Los Angeles, go to Vegas during the 2nd week in January. 

I'm convinced that a huge chunk of the Silicon Valley workforce goes there just to gnarl up their traffic, meet with people they could actually have met locally, and let's face it, where the grown-up "Big Bang Theory" types go to be seen.  Quite simply, it's nuts.

I was there for my client, but a girl has to eat (and drink). Like last year, I stayed at Paris Las Vegas. Great location and the room service continental breakfast and French press coffee is still excellent. For my client, it was also a good deal because it easily fed me for 2 meals and a snack in the afternoon. This was essential because I've had better food at the concession stand of the Honolulu Zoo than on the show floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Las Vegas, I know you can do better than this!
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Sugar Factory, Paris Las Vegas
I ate at the The Sugar Factory twice. It not subtle or small and makes no apologies for itself. After all, it's the SUGAR Factory. However, you can easily get a table, no mean feat when Vegas is over-run with 150,000 frugal techies. 

Desserts and drinks definitely live up the the hype. Hot chocolates (Coconut or Raspberry) are pricey at $9, but fab-u-lous. Split it with a friend, or take the leftovers in a to-go cup. Mix it with a little coffee for that last midnight drink. 

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I also LOVED the Red Velvet Sundae, so much so that I had it twice. But make sure you bring several or even a half-dozen of your friends to share it with you.

The Sugar Factory is great for dessert or snacks. The food is fine but not fantastic. Ahi sliders were OK, but a ratatouille crepe I had was pretty good. Be forewarned that they tend to add sugar to everything, including plain ole' cappuccinos or lattes. Best to ask them to hold the sugar on the coffee drinks.

If you want to Dine/Eat, 1) make advance reservations, easily a month ahead, especially during CES and 2) try Yellowtail at the Bellagio at the high end, 3) mid-range Mon Ami Gabi in Paris or 3) Noodle Asia at the Venetian for a more casual meal. And you can always take a quick bite at Nathan's Hot Dogs on the way to the Monorail.

After eating like this for four days straight, I felt a little like Morgan Spurlock. Las Vegas itself is Super-sized, and a person should not eat like this all the time. However, if you have to travel for work, it's great place to go.

Eat Well. Be Well.

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Honey Toast Re-Visited

9/28/2011

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Shokudo Honey Toast $7.45 + tax & tip
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.

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Homemade DIY Honey Toast $0.87
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.

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Honey Toast vs. Coco Puffs vs. Mariposa--A Dessert Smackdown

9/16/2011

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Honey toast @ Shokudo
In Honolulu, I've wanted to try Shokudo's Honey Toast since seeing it pop up on friend's FB check-ins. The Yelp reviews back up its popularity and inherent goodness. On the Oahu leg of our vacation, we tried it ourselves. 

Honey Toast is over-rated. There I said it. Ohana, please do not disown me! It's not that it tastes bad or looks funny. But literally, it's toasted white bread, honey and vanilla ice cream. You can make it at home in about 15 minutes with a loaf of white Cherry Blossom bread, Haagen Daaz and the cute little bear-shaped squeezy bottle of honey.

And for $7.45, it's a little pricey for its simplicity. If you add chocolate, stawberry, or azuki, it can quickly become a $10 dessert. Better to go there the bar menu and side dishes.

For a pure dessert craving near Ala Moana, try Mariposa. You will pay a whole nickel more for dessert at $7.50, but these were a much better value. Delicious, big enough to share, and I could NEVER make any of these at home, let alone in 15 minutes. Warm lilikoi pudding cake, in particular, is just so fabulously ono. Just know that this is much more of a "Ladies Who Lunch" environment than Shokudo's "Young Hip Asian" bustling vibe.

A Sampling from Mariposa--all $7.50
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Liliha Bakery Coco Puffs
Looking for takeout dessert? Head out early to Kalihi and grab a box of Coco Puffs from Liliha Bakery. It's a puffy pastry filled with a light chocolate pudding and topped with a dollop Chantilly frosting, which is a not-too-sweet vanilla-butter and almost caramel flavored slightly hard frosting. It's definitely one of those things where the sum is much, much greater than the individual parts. If I could figure out a way to bring a box back, I would do it every time.

Keep them refrigerated. Less than $1.50 a piece. Plays very nicely with coffee.

I'd go to Shokudo for the food and hip and bustling vibe. But for a pure dessert experience, I'd return to Mariposa for proper sit-down, or wake up early to make it to Liliha Bakery before the Coco Puffs sell out.

Eat Well. Be Well.

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    I love to eat, so I had to learn to cook. This is my personal reference and I use it daily. Looking forward, when I turn a profit, 95% of net profit will go to programs to feed the hungry.

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