March 15th: In My Freezer

Don't judge. A well-stocked freezer runs more efficiently, promise.

Tomato sauces, leftovers, chicken, ice cream, koina, coconut, lilikoi juice, bread, Thin Mints

Veggies, berries, bananas, nuts, beans, etc #marchfoodphotos 3/15

March 14th: Fruit

So delicious right now! #marchfoodphotos 3/14

March 13th: Silverware

Oneida's "Marquette" collection #marchfoodphotos 3/13

March 12th: Favorite Drink

Homemade Iced Mocha #marchfoodphotos 3/12

March 11th: Can't Live Without

Spatula love! #marchfoodphotos 3/11

March 10th: Most-Used Appliance

2nd love of my life #marchfoodphotos 3/10

March 9th: Lunch Break

Ham Sandwich #marchfoodphotos 3/9

March 7th: Pantry

Like the kitchen, it's small, but it does the job!

Tiny pantry! #marchfoodphotos 3/7

March 6th: What's Cooking?

Made dinner last night. In addition to homemade pumpkin soup, I put these yummies over some pasta:

Oven-roasted zuchini, yellow crookneck squash and cauliflower #marchfoodphotos 3/6

March 5th: Best Condiment

I couldn't choose one. Tie game!

Kilauea Fire Hot Sauce and Lilikoi Butter #marchfoodphotos 3/5

March 4th: Dishes

All clean!

Dishes #marchfoodphotos 3/4

March 3rd: Kitchen

Tiny apartment kitchen does the job! #marchfoodphotos 3/3

Happy March!

As people say, "Time is flying!" Yes, I will join the majority who believe that the last two months just disappeard! I honestly thought I was going to be dragging through each and every day this winter, because that's what it felt like last year. I am so glad time is flying! I have many things to look forward to this year.

I heard about people doing "Project 366" or whatever, where you take a picture and post it every day for a year. Well, I just don't have enough interesting photo subjects to do that! People would get pretty tired of seeing rainbows, the beach, my happy feet at the beach, and my husband/cookies/food all the time. If I wanted to attempt something like this, it'd  have to be short and at least have some direction. So, someone posted this up on Facebook, and I thought I'd give it a try:

Looks like fun, right? I'm going to give it a whirl. I'll be doing a blog post every day (also a challenge, for me!) so I don't overload people on FB.

Here we go!

3/1: Breakfast: Greek Yogurt, homemade choco granola, and berries #marchfoodphotos

Grand Opening: Paradise Sweets!

My Etsy Shop is finally open as of now!!!

For any of you that are unfamiliar with Etsy.com, it is an online marketplace for people who want to buy and sell handmade or vintage items. It's not done by auction and there are a billion things to choose from. It's pretty much amazing! And it's great because it allows people like me to share my talents with others EVERYWHERE!

Facts:
Name: Paradise Sweets
Selling: Decorated sugar cookies (and hopefully Liquid Gold Lilikoi Butter and candies in the future)
Link: Paradise Sweets
Like me on Facebook!

I am SO SO SO excited about this. One of my lifelong goals is to one day, open my own business. I never dreamed then that I could a business on the Internet. While it may seem like an easy, small step, it's still that - a small step. And at this point, a step is a step is a step!

You know how people have ten year plans on things they want to accomplish? I could easily see myself pushing my ten year plan off to maybe 30 or 40 years from now. Why? Because of the fear of FAILURE. Being an entrepreneur is all about taking a risk. And, to quote one of my favorite movies Blue Crush, "Take the risk, Feel the rush". You won't ever feel the rush (of success) if you don't take the risk.

I've always liked this quote as well:

• "The only people who never fail are those who never try."

That being said, I opened this shop to prove to that small voice inside me that says "You can't do it!" that Yes, I can!

The two fears I have are:

• I won't get any business
• I will get absolutely overloaded with orders

Are any of those two fears bad?! No. It only costs 20 cents to post a listing on Etsy. So if I absolutely fail, it's not like I lost a huge chunk of cash. And I will know in my heart that I tried my best. The timing may not be right, or I might not be offering a product that people want right now, but at least I will have given it a shot. That's better than wondering.

If I get overloaded? GREAT! Then I can quit my day job!

I know that God has equipped me with all the things I need to be successful. And He will never lead me wrong. I don't have these skills to keep to myself. I love to share and bless and make other people happy. I wish that I could bake for everyone for free. Maybe when I'm a millionaire that will happen :)

So, dear friends. We come to the part where I must give my official THANK YOUs, because I could not have done this on my own.

Thank you to my family for always being so encouraging. For being the FIRST official taste testers! You guys are all so wonderful and the best family a girl could ever have!

Thank you to all the other taste testers: The guys at The House, ALL of my past roommates, classmates, dorm neighbors, friends, and co-workers. A big shout-out to our couples group - they let me experiment on them pretty much every week without complaining that I'm making them fat :)

Thank you to ALL of you who ever said, "You should open your own place!" It's affirmation like that that pushes me over the edge to do what I love. If no one said that, I'd think I was junk. So this is for you - I'm doing it!!!

Thank you to GOD of course. Without His constant love, support and blessings in my life, I would be nowhere. I'm blessed to have a home with an OVEN where I can do this. Blessed to have the money to start this hobby up last year and blessed to have the free time and spirit to want to do all of this!

I saved the best for last. And I will make him read this!

Thank you to my husband, K. He is my biggest supporter and encourager. He comes up with the best ideas.. "You know what you should do... You should make _____". Sometimes they are off the wall but he really comes up with great, different ideas. He makes it through all my meltdowns when I think I can't do it (haha, wedding cakes!) or I mess up and don't know how to fix things. He calms me and makes everything right. He puts it all into perspective. He puts up with my cookies and cookie decorating materials taking over the kitchen (I keep it neat, I swear!) and encourages me to KEEP GOING! Without his support, I would not be doing this. Marriage is a team effort and his support means everything to me! So thanks, honey!!!

Wow, so glad I am not standing up in front of you all saying this outloud. Even just typing it I am getting a lump in my throat and tears are welling up! I feel so loved and encouraged.

So, here we go. Here I GO! Whatever happens, happens, and I have high hopes!

February 2012: Goal Check

I'd like to start checking in every month to make sure I'm keeping up with my goals.

Here's what I set for 2012:

• -get into a healthier lifestyle
• -continue with last year's goal of being more generous with my time, talents and money
• -open up my Etsy store by the end of January (look out!)
• -be a more thoughtful gift giver
• -keep in better touch with my family and friends on the mainland
• -do devotions with my husband once a week
• -pay off my car early as planned. only a few more months to go!
• -grow some edibles in our mini garden. last year I was still figuring things out back there.

Well, reading through those again makes me feel like I have so far to go! Good thing it's only February :)

Healthy Lifestyle

This is not a diet; it's a lifestyle change. I'd say that we are doing pretty well at this. Since Thanksgiving, I unintentionally lost 6 pounds. I think the culprit was working too hard in December :P I won't complain too much though, hehe! I am perfectly fine with my weight and lately I've just been wanting to feel more athletic and comfortable in my body.

I bought some swim goggles a few weeks ago and since then I've gone swimming three times, hopefully going again tomorrow!

Sunscreen and googles, that's all I need. Oh, and a suit.

I was on the swim team my senior year of high school and it was SO much fun. I really enjoyed it. So being back in the water like this makes me feel good. Swimming in the ocean is a very different from swimming a pool. Yesterday we had to deal with a pretty strong current. One way it was such a breeze. The other direction, it was like fighting a losing battle and I felt like I was going nowhere. What a workout! Also, there are more things to look at than just a blue line on the bottom. Where I swim, I try to stick to the "inside" where there's a sandy bottom. I've seen a few different types of fish and of course all the coral. There's also a channel which goes out, and I've swam there before, but it's super spooky. There's a pipeline to follow that goes out to a windsock and then you swim back. But I heard a rumor that someone saw a shark in the channel, so it creeps me out. I also once encountered a VERY large sea turtle when I was by myself and it freaked me out! I know they don't eat people but it was still very unsettling.

So my goal with the swimming is to get more comfortable going by myself, and go at least twice a week. I will only swim the channel if there is perfect visibility. Murky water gives me the creeps!

I also incorporated some strength training and I do walks and runs. Last week I rode my bike to work. I try to do this whenever it's not raining and I have the morning shift. It's safer and cooler then. It's only a 4-mile roundtrip ride, but it's a good way to sneak in some exercise when I don't have time.

Being More Generous
Yup, still good on this. Whether it's tithing monthly, supporting a missionary friend, or donating cookies, I feel good being more generous. I am trying to live life with more of an open hand than a closed fist.

Etsy Store
Stay tuned for an announcement tomorrow! I may not have made my goal of opening by the end of January, but that's okay, because it's still going to happen! LOVE IT when I reach my goals!

Be a More Thoughtful Gift Giver
I think I'm still working on this. I'll admit that I copped out on Christmas presents last year and bought a bunch of giftcards. They were easier to ship and just easier in general. However it's better when I can join the recipient in enjoying the giftcard. Sometimes you can't be present to do that, though.

Keep In Better Touch
I've been failing on this one. What is it that makes me too lazy to just pick up the phone and call? Or Skype?

Husband-Wife Devotions
We set the goal to do these once a week together, and so far it has been GREAT! I can't report any huge breakthroughs or anything, but it has been really fun and is a wonderful way to grow our relationship with each other and God. I love praying with my husband and learning together with him. Plus it's nice to hear someone else's perspective.

Pay Off the Car Early
We are on track. Estimated pay off date: July!

Grow Some Edibles
This is probably third on my list of things I need to take care of. However the lilikoi vine is absolutely growing out of control! I was training it to stay on top of the fence, but the top of the fence is flat so it doesn't have anything to hold onto. It was also pretty windy so it blew down a little bit. That thing grows so fast, I have to check every day to make sure it's not grabbing onto the clothesline! I got some nails to pound into the fence so hopefully it will be able to anchor itself on that way. I want to get it to grow across the whole length of the fence AND stay on our side so no one else can get the fruit (which will hopefully come out this summer!).

The garden is small but I want to try to make something of it! Besides the lilikoi vine, we've got a jasmine pikake plant, aloe, and three ti leaf plants. I killed the Amy Yoshioka Gardenia :( Oops!


I have a bunch of blog post ideas running through my head but just not enough time to do postings lately. Hopefully I can get on that soon.

Aloha!

Fun With Flax

Sometimes I feel like I'm turning into a weird hippy-version of myself. One day I woke up and decided that I needed to jump on the flax train.

Right around the beginning of high school, I noticed that I just could not make it from breakfast to lunch without feeling like I was starving by 10am. I decided to save breakfast as the last thing to do before I left for school, but even that didn't help. Now, how many years later? I've finally got my solution (yeah maybe my metabolism is a little crazy but this works).

Flax. This simple little seed that makes me feel so full! I love it! And I can't even taste it! After I got my urge to jump on the flax train, I went down to our local (aka next door) health food co-op store and scooped up some flax meal. I started adding it to my bowl o' Vanilla Honey Greek Yogurt with added assorted berries. I couldn't taste it and I made it until lunchtime! So amazing! Yes, I am really excited.

There are lots of other blogs and websites out there where you can read about the benefits of flax. So go do that. I just love that it's high in omega-3s and fiber. Woot!

Once flax became acceptable as a "good food" to me, I couldn't wait to try it out in other things. I found a recipe via Pinterest for different kinds of granola. I'd been buying granola for my yogurt and the good stuff was getting expensive. My mom-in-law made an awesome granola for us for Christmas and it inspired me to try to make my own!

I made an almond vanilla granola which came out... not too tasty (still eating that mistake - I'm too cheap to throw it away!). Then I tried this recipe from Always Order Dessert for Triple Chocolate Quinoa Granola. Holy chocolate granola goodness. It was sooo delicious. I brought some to work and they demanded more. I sent some to my mom for her birthday and she demanded the recipe. I have yet to sit down and eat some myself (remember, eating the first mistake) so I'm pretty excited to get to it! The recipe calls for chia seeds (which are supposedly even BETTER than flax) but I substituted in my amazing flax meal instead. I had some leftover quinoa so I was able to throw that in. The only things I had to buy were the rolled oats and raw cocoa nibs (which my husband recommends you do NOT eat by themselves, haha!). Give this a try! I want to experiment with subbing in coconut oil for the olive oil since I have a lot, maybe throwing in some wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and more chocolate chips? :)

I also had to give a cookie recipe a try. And I saw this in my very first copy (thanks, Mom!) of the Food Network Magazine. This picture pretty much enticed me:

That and the fact that I already had all the ingredients! Love it when that happens.

Let me tell you that these cookies are a match made in heaven for K and I. For some weird reason, he loves crunchy cookies. I love delicious, soft n' chewy cookies! Whenever I make cookies for us I have to do some juggling to make sure we both get our fix.

These cookies are baked perfection, for both of us, all in one go. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Wow! And ya know, "semi-healthy" with the addition of the flax. TRY THEM!

Oatmeal-Flax Choco-Chip Cookies
Adapted from Food Network Magazine
Makes 32 small or 15 big cookies

Ingredients:
- 6 oz (12 T) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 3/4 c packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
- 1 c quick cooking oats
- 1/4 c flax meal
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 c (or more!) semisweet chocolate chips

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, mix and scrape the bowl.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, letting them incorporate fully.
4. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and slowly add to the mixer, on low speed.
5. Mix until just combined and fold in chocolate chips.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for three minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Notes: I decided to go against my "small cookie" routine and go BIG! using my cookie scoop. These took a bit longer in the oven (13-16 minutes). Not sure the small cookies will be as chewy but it's worth a shot! I would love to try this recipe with whole wheat flour and maybe bigger chocolate chunks!

These also fit perfectly in my snazzy ant-proof cookie jar (thanks FSIL!!). That chalkboard part is just too much fun!

So, try some flax. And these recipes. Got any more to share? I'm game.

Wordless Wednesday #32!

Currently Current

I've let my blog spot go to waste because I have been too busy to sit down and spend time on my computer! The last half of the year is pretty hectic at work, and I'm thankful for that. I'd rather be busy and in over my head than have to scrounge around for things to do.

Usually, January - April is a slower time at work and I don't have any pressing things to do at home so I have more free time. I've resisted the Pinterest fad for a looong time, but finally gave in and I am hooked like so many others! There are some great crafty ideas out there. I've already "pinned" some new recipes to try, some date ideas, and ideas to save for the far off future. It is pretty cool. I also stumbled across a blog post that inspired me to start blogging again! So, enjoy.

current book(s)

I'm on a "re-read everything I own" kick in an effort to save money (and avoid paying my overdue fees at the library...eep!). I just finished re-reading Fahrenheit 451. Next up will be To Kill a Mockingbird. I just love that book and am excited to read it again!

current playlist

Foster the People, the Temper Trap, Iration, The Black Keys, and Tyrone Wells

current color
"natural". I can't have nail polish on at work, but I do paint some on when I have days off! I'm currently on a subtle sparkly gold kick.

current food

vegetables! 

fuji apples with a bit of natural peanut butter

current favorite show

none - we don't have cable and I'd rather read!

current #1 blessing
This guy, of course!

current needs
keep cleaning up our apartment! it was clean for new year's but then I started all these organizing/decorating projects and it got a little cluttered again :P

current excitement 
new projects in the works!

current mood
motivated

current indulgence

I dropped the Starbucks habit and now make my (cheap!) iced mochas at home with this bad boy:

current triumph(s)

my friend Kristen and I climbed Koko Crater yesterday. It was my first "hard" workout of 2012. Champs!

current bane of my existence

laundry

current #1 item on your wishlist

a new water bottle. I bought K one for Christmas and it's so awesome, I want one too!

Hydro Flask Insulated 40 oz.

current new years goals
-get into a healthier lifestyle. we indulged a bit too much last year!

-continue with last year's goal of being more generous with my time, talents and money

-open up my Etsy store by the end of January (look out!)

-be a more thoughtful gift giver

-keep in better touch with my family and friends on the mainland
-do devotions with my husband once a week

-pay off my car early as planned. only a few more months to go!

-grow some edibles in our mini garden. last year I was still figuring things out back there.

Well that was fun!

I've also been doing some "home improvement" stuff lately (mostly organizing) and tons of fun cookie projects, so I'll be posting them... soon!

Lilikoi Butter

I am so glad that I moved to Hawai'i six years ago, otherwise I may never have had the opportunity to discover this amazing fruit - lilikoi.

Lilikoi is the Hawaiian name for passionfruit. It has a pretty tarty taste right out the gate, but with some sugar and butter, it is just heavenly! I had never seen it "in the wild" before until last year when walking up a hill in my neighborhood with my sister-in-law. One of the things I love about Hawai'i is that if fruit is on the public side of a fence or street, it's fair game! We'd discovered a lilikoi vine on a fence outside the public water municipal property. We kept our eye on it, waiting for the time when the fruit would be ripe.

In Hawai'i, the yellow variety is most prevalent (the fruit turns from green to yellow). A beautiful flower sprouts up on the vine, and the lilikoi fruit comes out of the flower! How cool is that?!

(not ripe when it's green and hard)

It's kind of weird, you have to wait until the fruit gets wrinkly and looks like it's going bad before it gets ripe. When I had my fruit ripening on the counter also, it made my whole kitchen smell like stinky feet. Not desirable but I was willing to wait it out to get that delicious fruit! You can eat lilikoi just by cracking open the peel and sucking out the juice/seeds. The seeds are surrounded with delicious fruit pockets and are okay to eat, although I prefer to spit the seeds out.

I'm currently growing my own vine in the small strip of dirt we've got on our lanai. I got this tiny, 6-inch clipping from my husband's cousin in December, transplanted it in April, and it has just now started to take off!

I've heard they grow pretty fast, and I thought it would just magically grab onto the fence and climb but it needed some help. I picked up this bamboo trellis and I'm hoping to train it to go all over the place. So far, it's grabbed onto three different places.

I'm hoping that next year, I'll be harvesting my very own lilikoi! The concentrate from Perfect Purée out of Napa Valley is pretty pricey (which can be found at Foodland Farms market in Aina Hina), so being able to make my own fresh from the fruit is practical and worth it. I also like knowing exactly what is in my food. No preservatives or too much sugar here!

I found this recipe for lilikoi butter and decided to give it a whirl! I used about seven fruits and got 2 mason jars full of lilikoi butter. I picked up the lilikoi at this amazing little local market called Waialua Fresh  on the North Shore of O'ahu. It's a drive (45 mins from Town), but it's so worth it! It can be used on ice cream, toast, or you could modify the recipe and make it into a thick curd for tarts, pie, etc! (just add more egg yolks or some cornstarch, your choice!)

Lilikoi Butter
(adapted from LavaLily)

1 cup fresh lilikoi juice
8 oz unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs

In a saucepan, bring to a boil the lilikoi juice, butter and sugar. Temper this hot mixture into the eggs, then add all back to the pan and return to a boil, whisking constantly. The original recipe recommended cooking for another 1/2 hour at a simmer, but I just stopped after it came to a boil. You can strain the liquid if you like before you pour it into some sterilized jars. Cap those suckers and turn them over to seal the jars. Refrigerate after opening.

Mango Madness: Mango Rosette Tartlets

This randomly popped up - a challenge to do a mango madness blog post! I found out about it from @nella22 on Twitter. I don't have nearly enough time to devote myself fully to Twitter, but I do check it out at least once a day. I was mentioning to her how I was getting ready to do a post on mangoes and she told me to save it until Friday as "everyone" was going to be doing a #mangomadness post!

The rules:

-Something with mango (obviously)

-Eat mangoes while you create (obviously)

I had a mango ripening in the fridge and my brain reached back to a clipping I'd saved from a Martha Stewart Weddings magazine from a few years ago. How odd! But that was the first thing that came to mind. I have a folder where I keep all my clippings that have yet to be tested, so I knew it was safely inside. Once a recipe has been tested and deemed good enough to repeat, it makes it onto the pages of my special recipe book. 

This one was a keeper!

Mango Rosette Tartlets

Don't those look beautiful??! A lovely crust and some whipped cream/creme fraiche filling topped with mango!

Well, I totally deviated from the recipe. I'm starting to do that more often! I had this amazing butter cookie dough in the freezer, just waiting to be used up. I had made it for sugar cookies and it was so delicious. I thought, tart dough = why not?

This recipe is adapted from the America's Test Kitchen and was recommended to me by @nella22:

Butter Cookies (aka Tart Dough!)

2 1/2 c All-Purpose Flour

3/4 c sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 c unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

2 T cream cheese, softened*

Mix all together, shape into discs, and refrigerate.

*I didn't have cream cheese at the time so I actually substituted some Greek yogurt I already had. It worked great! I suppose you could even try using sour cream.

Now, back to our delicious tarts!

These were the molds I used. They are very, very tiny. I think in the magazine, they used ones a bit bigger, and were able to use more mango. These were gifted to me by my husband's aunt. She found them at a Goodwill-type store for suuuper cheap. A huge bag of different shapes! Amazing. And she thought of me :) Aww!

Now, take your refrigerated tart dough and roll it out to about 1/4"-1/8" thickness, whatever you are comfortable with. I know there are easier ways to do this, but my tart pans were very light, so I decided to use a round cutter for each pan.

It is slightly larger than the tart pan.

Cut out however many you want (I made 14).

And very carefully, ease the dough into the pan.

Even more carefully, press the dough into the rounded edges of the pan without squishing it too much, until everything is nice, cozy, and even.

If you have edges that hang out, use a small knife to neatly trim them. The edges should look nice since everyone sees that! Once you've got all your pans done, refrigerate them for 30 minutes to let the dough get firm again. 

Then, prick the bottoms with a fork, and bake at 350 until they are baked to perfection (about 20-25 mins). Let cool completely on a wire rack before filling. 

Filling

1/2 c cold heavy cream

1 T powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 c creme fraiche*

1 mango, peeled and halved

small mint leaves

*If you are unable to find creme fraiche ("fresh cream", a decadent sort of sour cream) at your local market, you can make it very easily at home! I did, using this website as a guide. I made mine with heavy cream and buttermilk.

Whip the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Gently fold in the creme fraiche and taste for desired sweetness. I found that I had to add a little more powdered sugar to mine.

Spoon the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip, and pipe into the tart shells, filling them halfway. 

Next, slice your mango very very thinly, roll each slice into a rose and place onto your tart. I found this part to be very tricky! And I think in the magazine picture, they used several pieces of mango. I used only one. Pop on a bit of mint and your Mango Rosette Tartlets are ready!

Can't get enough mango?! (I know I can't!)

Check out these other #mangomadness bloggers for great recipes and inspiration!

http://thedailypalette.com/  by the #mangocrazy Annapet  

http://www.queensnotebook.com/ by the #mangomaniac Elizabeth 
http://www.creativecookingcorner.com/  by the #mangosocial Karriann

http://www.skiptomalou.net/  by the #mangofriend Malou  

http://lacocinakitchen.blogspot.com/ by the #dominicanmango Francys 

http://cookingwithbooks.blogspot.com/ by the #mangowriter Nelly
http://bigfatbaker.com/blog/  by the #mangobaker Erin