Traveling the World and Eating Potato Chips

Here's the truth.    I want to travel the world and eat chips.

When I'm on vacation, I enjoy eating.   Including fine snacks purchased at the local mini-mart or 7-Eleven.   

On our recent family trip to Myanmar and Thailand, my sister and I were on the lookout for chips...in addition to all the elephant pants in all the land.     I think I came home with the fewest pairs of pants. 1 pair of elephant pants and 2 pairs of elephant shorts - since I live in a tropical climate.  

I digress.    This should be all about the chips.    Not pictured are the chicken satay and scallop butter garlic chips that made it through 4 airports and the longest Saturday ever of flying.   

Potato Fritter - Purchased on a quick escape from our horse cart in Myanmar.   After eating these, they are henceforth called Mouth on Fire Chips. 

Chiang Mai Corner Mini Mart Assortment - The first bag of Lays has no English whatsoever.   The best vote from my friends on Facebook was Creepy Lip Flavor.    In reality.....lime and something else.     The center bag was french fries with chili sauce.  The chips were shaped like fries and the chili sauce came in a separate packet.   The bag on the right was Sweet Basil.   It was hard gauge the flavor since there were only 6 chips in the bag.   Really.

Namtok Hotpot Lays - A tasty find in the Chiang Mai Airport and a solid accompaniment to our iced coffee.    I'm guessing that the man on the label is a celebrity chef.    Is it just me, or are Hotpot flavored chips in short supply in the US?  

What's your favorite way to snack on vacation?    

Easy Four Berry Cobbler

Last week my sweet tooth got the better of me.    This cobbler was the result.

I wanted something sweet.   I scouted the fridge.   The freezer.   The cabinet.   Nothing jumped out at me.     Surely there had to be something that could be quickly and easily put together.

Back to the freezer.    A bag of mixed berries.    A bag of cranberries.

Cobblertown, here we come!

What You Need

For the fruit layer
3 cups of frozen berries - 2 cups of mixed (blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry) and 1 cup of cranberries {any  berry combination of your choice will be delicious}
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the cobbler topping
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup oats - I used old fashioned
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

What You Do

Preheat the oven to 375.
Coat an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl combine the frozen berries, sugar, starch, water and cinnamon.   Stir until any corn starch chunks are broken down.    Pour into the 8x8 pan.

In a small to medium bowl, cream sugar and butter.  Stir in the milk and vanilla.   In a small bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt, then add to the butter and sugar.  Stir to mix into a batter.  Spoon the cobbler topping over the fruit layer.   It won't cover everything, but it will be close.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until topping is baked and the fruit is bubbling hot.     I highly recommend eating it straight out of the oven.    And then for breakfast until pan is empty.


Meanwhile in Maui

We had managers outing a few weeks ago and went out on a sunset sail.   Such a beautiful evening!

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

My neighbors have a banana tree.   Proof that I'm not in Colorado any more, right?

Their tree was going crazy and they gifted me with some of their bounty.    I couldn't eat them all at the time, so I put a few in the freezer for smoothies or baking.

Baking won out.    Surprise, surprise!

I've used the same base recipe for years, Basic Banana Bread, from Cooking Light magazine.     It's great on its own or with any  mix-ins or toppings that you want to put with it.

This time, I opted for a cream cheese, cheesecake-esque, layer in the middle.

What You Need

Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (2 or 3 bananas - you can  measure or just go with what you have on hand)
1/3 cup plain (or vanilla) fat-free yogurt
5 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 cup  sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Cream Cheese Filling
1 egg
1/4 cup reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour

Combine filling ingredients in a small bowl and beat until smooth.   Then you're ready when it's time.
(filling recipe from Averie Cooks)

What You Do

Preheat oven to 350 and spray silicone 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray.   If you're using a metal or glass loaf pan, I would encourage you to line it with foil and then spray.

In a large mixing bowl, beat bananas, yogurt, butter and eggs.   Add sugars and beat until combined.

Combine all dry ingredients (flax through allspice) in a separate bowl and whisk together.

Add dry ingredients to banana mixture until just blended.

Pour 2/3 of the banana bread batter into your loaf pan.  

Gently pour and smooth the cream cheese filling over the batter layer.   Use a rubber spatula to get the cream cheese filling to all the corners.      Pour remaining banana  bread layer on top, making sure that the cream cheese layer is covered.

Bake for 55 minutes.      Remove from oven, let cool in pan on a rack for at least 10 minutes.
Gently remove bread from pan (which is why I love my silicone pan...makes this so easy) and continue to cool.  

Enjoy when you are ready.    There is no wrong time for banana bread.

Meanwhile in Maui

Good friends of mine from Colorado were visiting this week, so we explored all over the island.

Pictured:  Haleakala National Park 

Do you have a go to banana bread recipe?   Please share!

Caramel Apple Bars

The world of pumpkin spice has gone insane!    

I was in Target this week just counting all the different things that have been spiced...whether they need to be or not.   Coffee,  creamers, baking mixes,  M&M's,  candy corn, Oreo's, nuts, you name it, it's been PS'd.

My sister is so annoyed by the PS'ing of everything that her Facebook wall has been taken over by her friends posting every random PS thing they find.

They find a lot.

Apples are different.     They take the stage with pumpkin in the fall, but in reality, apple treats are delicious year round and don't need to be defined by a season.  And with PS being a pushy diva, poor apples aren't center stage, but are reduced to singing in the chorus.

I'm not having that.   Not.  At.  All.

So here, we give the apple it's time in the sun.   Shine, apple, shine.

What You Need

For the bars: 

1 stick salted butter or margarine, melted and cooled

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

½ cup chopped pecans, plus ¼ cup whole pecans (for the top)

2 large apples, I used Braeburn, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (roughly...no strict measuring was going on here

For the caramel topping:

½ cup of Kraft caramel baking bits

1 teaspoon heavy cream

What You Do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used a little cooking spray on my 9x9 silicone baking pan.   If you're using a metal or glass pan, I would recommend lining with foil and then greasing it.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl beat together butter, sugar and egg with a hand mixer until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add chopped pecans and apples, and stir by hand until combined. Add flour mixture, and stir until combined.

Spread batter in pan.  In a small microwave safe bowl, combine caramel baking bits and heavy cream.  Microwave for 30 seconds, remove and stir.   Heat for another 30 seconds if necessary.

Drizzle the caramel over the batter and then strategically place your pecans wherever you want them to go.    

Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then cut into bars.   These are also great right out of the oven while still warm, they will just be a little messier when you cut into them.   Nothing wrong with that, right?

Recipe Source:   Foodie Crush

Meanwhile in Travel

When I went to Colorado on vacation last month, I finally hiked the Hanging Lake Trail.

If you want to know more about this hike, read more here.   

Whether you are in the apple or pumpkin camp, I hope you're getting as much as your heart desires this fall!

Everything is Better with Praline on Top

Praline Brownies

This week I have determined that everything is better with praline on top.    

What is praline?  The dictionary says a confection made with nuts and sugar.     Most often, it's brown sugar and pecans.    If you hit up gas stations in the southern part of the US, you may run across them right by the checkout lane.

I made praline candies when I lived in Indianapolis.    Successfully.

When I moved to Colorado, I managed to ruin them twice due to the altitude and my candy thermometer my first year.   After wasting money in pecans and heavy cream, I decided that pralines were no longer on my Christmas candy list.  

Back at sea level, I'm willing to go at it again.

And why limit my praline-ing to just brownies?    

Praline Pancakes

Don't pancakes deserve the pecan, butter, cream and sugar confection?

Of course they do!

Sometimes, I just confection myself by eating it straight out of the bowl.   Sugar really does melt in your mouth.

So if you want to praline things....here's what you need to know.

What You Need

6 tablespoons of butter, sliced
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped

What You Do

In a medium sauce pan, combine the butter, whipping cream, brown sugar and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute.   Stir frequently.  

Remove from heat, add the vanilla and powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth.   Stir in pecans.

Let the sugary goodness sit for five minutes.   The sugar on the top might harden a little, but not to worry.     Pour the praline mixture over the treats of your choice - brownies, cookies, pancakes, etc.

Praline Brownies

Praline brownies were devoured in record time at my office this week.    Make your favorite brownie recipe.   I used the Ghiradelli dark chocolate brownie mix and made a 8x8 pan of brownies.    After the brownies cool completely, make the praline topping and pour over the top.    

The topping makes plenty, so you can have a thick layer of praline, or reserve some for other things.   Like pancakes.   Or eating with a spoon.

I was completely inspired to praline things after reading this recipe over on Cookies and Cups.   Check it out!

When was the last time you had a praline?  

Rice Cracker Ranch Popcorn

Happy Aloha Sunday!

For an island that has pretty consistent weather all year long, we've hit a heat wave where the temperature is over 90 and the humidity is over 90% as well.     It's time to hole up in the shade, a cool room, or an even cooler movie theater.

Here in Hawaii, a favorite addition to popcorn is arare, or rice crackers.    Arare comes in all different shapes and flavors.   Smuggling a bag into the theater to mix with your popcorn is just what some people do.   I may have become some people.       

For movie night at home, just pop some corn, add some arare, and if you're feeling especially bold, kick it up with some ranch seasoning.

What You Need

5-6 cups popped corn (1/4 cup kernels before popping)

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon ranch dressing mix (powder)

1/2 cup arare (rice crackers)

What You Do

Pop your popcorn however you'd like.    When your popcorn is ready, add the arare.    Drizzle the melted butter and toss to coat.    Sprinkle the ranch dressing mix over the top and toss to coat again.

Hide someplace cool and enjoy.   

Wondering what else would be good on Hawaiian-style popcorn?   Try li hing mui powder or furikake (seaweed flakes).  

How to you dress up your popcorn?

Meanwhile in Maui

Another place to go in the heat is the Aquarium.    Hello hammerhead!

Mango Lemonade

Summer is here!   

In Maui that means it is mango season.    At the farmers market over the weekend, I picked up two lemons the size of softballs with the intention of making lemonade.     Then there were the mangos.   Mangos all ready to go.   Ready to go into lemonade, that is.

Check out these lemons!

Gourmet lemonade is a thing here on Maui - one of my periodic splurges is going to Wow Wow Lemonade and getting a hand made lemonade full of local flavors.    The farmers market inspired to make a gourmet lemonade of my own.

My Wow Wow Aloha jar

Are you ready to make some lemonade?    Let's do this summer!

What You Need

1/2 cup lemon juice,  from one giant softball size lemon, if you have one on hand
1 mango, pureed (mine yielded 2/3 cup)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 cups water, divided
Mint for garnish, if desired

What You Do

Squeeze your lemons.   Pulp is okay....seeds not so much.
Peel and slice your mango.  It doesn't have to be pretty because you're going to put it in the food processor to puree it into smooth mango goodness.

In a small sauce pan, combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and the lemons that you juiced.   It's a chance to infuse a little more lemon goodness into the simple syrup.    Bring the sugar, water and lemons to a boil.   Remove from heat.   Strain the syrup, keeping the lemons and any bonus seeds out of  your syrup.

In a pitcher, combine the lemon juice,  simple syrup, and mango puree.    Add the other 2 cups of water.   Stir to combine.    Fill your lemonade glass, or jar, with ice and then pour the lemonade over the top.   Garnish with mint.  Or flowers.

Makes 1 quart.

Do you like flavored lemonade?   What's your favorite?

Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

Aloha Friends!

Are you fully committed to summer?    Do you have a summer bucket list? {I do, right here}
I've taken two trips off island in the past month, both equally short and sweet.    I went to Monterey, California for a family reunion and then spent a weekend under the laziness cloud (and in a hammock) on the island of Kaua'i.  

Hammock view - for reals

My neighbors, who live in Australia in the winter, arrived back in Maui and hosted a big BBQ a few weeks ago.    Bringing dessert is what I do.....and making these toffee bars is what I did.   They were a hit with the BBQ crew.

What You Need

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 egg
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts, I used half macadamia nuts and half walnuts
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 (8oz) bag Heath Bits O Brickle toffee bits, divided

What You Do

Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl.   Cut in butter using two knives (or a pastry cutter, if you have one handy) until crumbly.  Add egg and mix well.  

Combine the chocolate chips and nuts together.   Reserve a heaping half cup of the mixture for later, and add the rest to the crumb mixture.  

Press crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan.   Bake for 10 minutes.  

Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the hot crust.    Reserving a 1/4 cup of the toffee bits for later, sprinkle the rest over the milk layer.     Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top and then add the remainder of the chocolate chip and nut mixture.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.   Remove from oven and add remaining 1/4 cup of toffee bits on top.   Cool completely before cutting into bars.    These are rich, so you can cut them small.

Recipe source:  Hershey's 

What did you take the last time you went to a BBQ or picnic?  

Dill Pickle Dip

We made it to the weekend!  
So reassuring that it happens every week.  

Working in the service industry, everyone has a weekend, but it's not always Saturday and Sunday.   I said "Happy Friday" to a friend at work yesterday and her response was "It's not my Friday."   True.

When it's your weekend, it's time for your favorite treats and snacks.   And I was thinking dip.   I don't make dip very often, but inspired by recently having Dill Pickle Soup, I was pondering what else could be dill-pickled.    If you love pickles, you'll love this.  

What You Need

1 (8oz) block of reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 (1oz) packet of ranch dressing mix
6 dill pickle spears (approx 1 cup) chopped
1 tablespoon dill pickle juice

What You Do

Combine the cream cheese, yogurt and ranch dressing mix in a medium bowl.  Mix with an electric hand mixer until smooth and combined.  

Add the chopped pickles and pickle juice.   Mix until pickles and juice are incorporated.

It's good to go right after making it, but if you'd like to give the flavors some more time to do their thing, let it chill in the refrigerator until you're ready to dive in.

Serve with chips, crackers or veggies or use it as a spread on sandwiches or burgers.

Meanwhile in Maui

It's still whale season.

HOORAY!

Blondie Pie and Hong Kong Eats

All week I've been fighting jet lag and the general tiredness that comes with a full week of work after a full week of vacation.    Pi Day (3.14)  almost escaped me.   That would have been a crime.   A world full of people eating pie and missing out?   Not having it.  

Coming in to save the day was blondie pie.    Take your favorite blondie recipe that you would use in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan, bake it in a 8 inch springform pan and you have blondie pie!  

I haven't lived someplace with a Trader Joe's since 2005.   The TJ's in Denver opened after I moved to Maui and the odds of one opening here are pretty slim.    TJ's  always has that element of special - I have to go on a road trip or vacation to go shopping there, or someone has to bring it to me.    I used a box of my imported TJ Blondie mix to make this pie.   No regrets.

What You Need

1 box of Trader Joe's Blondie Mix (with the butter and egg required) or your favorite blondie batter
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup Kraft Caramel Bits
optional 1/4 cup chocolate chips (TJ blondie mix  has chocolate chips included already, so I didn't need to add any more)

What You Do

Preheat the oven to 350.    Coat an 8 inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Prepare your blondie batter, either from a box mix or your own recipe.   Add the butterscotch chips, caramel bits, or mix-ins of your choosing.  

Pour batter into springform pan.     Bake for 28 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.  If you want your blondie pie warm, there's no shame in that either.  

Use a knife to separate the edge of the blondies from the pan before releasing the spring on the pan.
Slice into wedges.  Serve alone or with ice cream and hot fudge sauce.   It's a win either way.


Meanwhile in Travel...

I spent the first week of March in Hong Kong.  I started thinking about a trip in December and reached out to some friends to see if anyone was interested in a spring trip.  A friend from Wisconsin took me up  on the offer and we walked and ate our way through the city.   I love it when travel plans come together like that!

Hong Kong was still decorated for the Chinese New Year with lots of lanterns and all things for the year of the Sheep/Ram/Goat.   So festive!

Display in Tsim Sha Tsui

Display at Holywood Park

We also ate.   A lot.   We had a great time taking the Hong Kong Foodie Tasting Tour of Central and Sheung Wan.   We went into small, independent restaurants and tried some of their specialties.  We also got a walking tour of the neighborhoods and recommendations of other places to eat (how else would we have known to order Hong Kong French Toast?).    I enjoyed it so much that on my last day in Hong Kong, when my traveling friend had already left for the airport, that I took their other food tour of Sham Shui Po.   All. The. Food.

Amazing baked BBQ  pork  buns

Giant homemade wontons

In honor of Pi Day, what's your favorite kind of pie?

Is there a destination you would recommend just based on how good their food is?   
Please share in the comments or on Facebook.  

Baked Oatmeal with all the Good Stuff

Eating breakfast makes me a better person.   That's all there is to it.   

Aside from the whole not eating breakfast keeps your body in starvation mode after a night of sleep thing, it also just makes me hangry.    By 10am if I haven't had breakfast, the cranky comes out, and no one needs that.    Least of all me.

Making baked oatmeal is another way to keep the breakfast game fresh and this recipe  makes enough that you can have breakfast for a few days.

What You Need

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

the good stuff

1 cup berries, divided  I used strawberries and blueberries

2/3 cup chopped walnuts, divided

1/4 cup shredded coconut, divided

1/2 cup chocolate chips, divided

2 cups skim milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter/margarine, sliced into small pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ripe banana, sliced thin

What You Do

Preheat the oven to 375.    Spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray.

Combine the oats,sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and then half of all the good stuff (1/2 cup berries,  1/3 cup walnuts, 1/8 cup coconut,  1/4 cup chocolate chips), in a medium bowl.    Pour this dry mixture into the bottom of the 9x9 pan.

In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk  together the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.   Pour over the oat mixture, then add the other half of the good stuff.  Finally, top the whole thing with the sliced bananas.     

Bake for 30-40 minutes.    It's delicious right out of the oven with the melted chocolate chips and all the other good stuff.       Slice what you don't eat into breakfast sized pieces and put in an airtight container, using wax paper to separate the layers, and store in the fridge.  


Meanwhile in Maui

Did you know that Maui has Rainbow Eucalyptus trees?    You'll catch these on the Road to Hana.

How do you feel about oatmeal - baked or otherwise?

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and have a great week.    Next Sunday I'll be landing in Hong Kong for a week of vacation.   And possibly eating all the things.

Peanut Butter Nutella Popcorn

World Nutella Day was on February 5th.    Somehow this notable and edible holiday escaped my notice until I saw it all over social media.   Nutella is loved all over the world.  As it should be.  

I wanted to make a little Nutella snack:  a little more than just eating it out of the jar, and a little less than turning on the oven.    This recipe is a small batch, if you share with a friend, you'll probably eat it in one sitting.   That's ok.   It's Nutella we're talking about here.

What You Need

1/4 cup popcorn kernels (or 7-8 cups popped corn)

drizzle of oil 

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon Nutella 

What You Do

Use the kernels and oil to pop the popcorn on the stove - or use your favorite corn popping method.   Pour popped corn into a bowl.   

In a small or medium sauce pan, combine brown sugar and corn syrup, bring to a boil over medium high heat while stirring frequently.     Remove pan from heat and whisk in the peanut butter.  Reserve 1/4-1/3 of a cup of the peanut butter caramel mixture and  pour the remaining over the popcorn and toss to coat.    

Mix the tablespoon of Nutella with the reserved 1/4-1/3 cup of peanut butter caramel mixture.   Take one cup of the coated popcorn and add it to the Nutella mixture to coat it.   

The popcorn will be sticky.  Cool all popcorn on waxed paper.   Break up the pieces that are too big and make sure the Nutella pieces are evenly disbursed.   We don't want any Nutella envy, do we?

Meanwhile on Maui

It's whale  season!   

Have a great week and be sure to eat all the Nutella.

Where did January go?

Aloha!

Somehow the first month of 2015 is already in the history books.    How did that happen?   It was Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and now it's mere hours from being February.  

I have a snarky calendar for 2015 and the page for this weekend says that February is the Tuesday of months.   How do you feel about Tuesdays?  Or February?

Not a whole lot of cooking went down in my kitchen in January, although I did a lot of eating between New Years, a long weekend in Oahu, and my birthday week celebration.  

Two recipes from food bloggers that I tried this month. Notice that it's not dessert.   Yes.  I'm eating dinner.   And trying not to put as much temptation in my path....or that of my friends.  Let's just go straight to their posts to see the step by step and drool-worthy photos.

Joy the Baker - One Pot French Onion Pasta
Frugal Foodie Mama - Light & Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Eating All The Things

Maui has plentiful farm stands, but not the big farmers' markets that I used to go to in Denver.   While visiting a friend in Oahu, we went to the Kailua Sunday market.     Small batch hand crafted sausage, crepes, coffee and more.  

Why yes, I am a farm lover

Shave Ice is a part of Hawai'i life.  Of course.   Getting the goods at Island Snow.

If it's good enough for the first family...

Not to mention chocolate that is made bean to bar in the islands.   

Check out these freshly stamped bars at Madre Chocolate.  

Freshly stamped for my enjoyment

We had an office birthday dinner celebration.     This filet mignon was perfect in every  way.  

And a few days later, it was time for more birthday treats.   Because you can never have too much birthday.  Never.  Ever.

I've determined that February, aside from being the Tuesday of months, will be a month of whales.   It's peak  whale season and for three weekends in a row, I will engage in a whale-related activity.   Today was the Run for the Whales.   Next week I'm going on a Whale Photo Safari (yes, a safari, here in Maui, be jealous).  The week after that it's the Parade of Whales.   So many whales and so much time to enjoy our visitors from Alaska.

What did you do in January?   
Did you eat all the things?  
Or were you good while sticking to your resolutions?