National Chocolate Cupcake Day

National Chocolate Cupcake Day
Originally uploaded by KelKnits

I read that October 18th was National Chocolate Cupcake Day, so last night I made these: Chocolate Cupcakes with chocolate frosting and cream cheese frosting flowers with mini chocolate chip centers. Horror of horrors: I made these from store-bought ingredients. I'm so ashamed! But as I told DBF, "If we all waited until I had the time to make baked goods from scratch, we wouldn't have any cupcakes to eat tonight!"
He had come into the house last night and proclaimed in shock, "Honey! Someone broke into your house, and left cake mix on your table! Who would break into your house and do such a thing and then just leave?!" -- Smartass.
I decorated them while knitting and watching a DVD. Well, not ALL at the same time...

A Little Bit of Best Of Writing...

The Hawaii Island Journal has posted the little articles awarding the "Best Of..." poll results. I have a little bit of writing in the restaurant section. Otherwise, they have had a bit of a slow-down when it comes to posting articles...

I love metric, a bushel and a peck!

An ounce of common sense preserved a pint of Guinness in the British Isles and Ireland. Read about it here!

Backlit grapes in a brand-new Tivoli strainer- part of a birthhday present. I was doing a little cooking today, and the light through the grapes was too pretty.

Turkish Coffee: Turk Khaveshi

Every time I land on the mainland I saturate myself with the types of ethnic foods that I cannot get here in Hawaii: Indian, Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, authentic Italian, Peaches, Blueberries...
This time I had a (unintended, thanks United!) layover at LAX, and instead of bumming around the airport, I rented a car and drove to San Diego to see my sister. We had Persian food at Soltan Banoo, followed by these delicious Turkish Coffees.
Turkish (Greek, Arabic, Armenian, etc.) Coffee is prepared in the pictured coffee maker, an Ibrik. Finely ground roasted coffee beans are mixed with sugar and water (and sometimes Cardamom), and allowed to set on the fire until just under boiling: The boiling foam is allowed to start up the sides of the Ibrik three times. The coffee is then poured hot into the tiny cups and allowed to cool slightly, where the dregs of coffee grounds and sugar supposedly settles out.
Woe to the Western drinker who is used to draining his cup! They receive a mouthful of grounds!

Wedding Cake Article

I'm of two minds about this article: I wanted it to be really factual and filled with advice and information that the usual bride may not know, but I think it actually reads a bit jerky, especially with the editorial cuts that were made. Oh well! Check it out here, it is now online!
Tons of Mahalos to Maria Short at Short N Sweet bakery in Hawi: This is her cake, and I interviewed her extensively for the article.

Hawaiian Egg Farm

My last Hawaii Island Journal article is now up on their archive site. Take a look here, or use the link in the sidebar.
(I had a great time making Spaghetti Carbonara and Devilled Eggs with my jumbo flat of eggs!)

I Always Thought it Was a 3 Second Rule...

An article in the New York Times explores some recent research on the old 5-second rule (wherein if you drop food and pick it up within 5 seconds it is good to go).
A snippet:

What do these numbers tell us about the five-second rule? Quick retrieval does mean fewer bacteria, but it’s no guarantee of safety. True, Jillian Clarke found that the number of bacteria on the floor at the University of Illinois was so low it couldn’t be measured, and the Clemson researchers resorted to extremely high contamination levels for their tests. But even if a floor — or a countertop, or wrapper — carried only a thousandth the number of bacteria applied by the researchers, the piece of food would be likely to pick up several bacteria.
(snip)
Of course we can never know for sure how many harmful microbes there are on any surface. But we know enough now to formulate the five-second rule, version 2.0: If you drop a piece of food, pick it up quickly, take five seconds to recall that just a few bacteria can make you sick, then take a few more to think about where you dropped it and whether or not it’s worth eating.

Oh Yeah Baby!

I just checked my name on the Mob Name Generator, and you know what it said?
"The DELICIOUS"!
Muh-ah-ha-hah!

Food Critic Wins Pulitzer!

No, it wasn't me.
Rather: Jonathan Gold of the Independent LA Weekly. A snippet:

Doused with champagne, Gold said he was "giddy" about winning Pulitzer's criticism prize Monday. Gold, 46, beat out his former colleagues at the Los Angeles Times to become the first food critic to capture journalism's highest honor.

"The Pulitzer Prize is something that, when you're a food writer, you don't even dream about," he said.

Gold started his restaurant-review column, "Counter Intelligence," at LA Weekly in 1986. He brought it to the Los Angeles Times for a few years before returning to the Weekly in 1996.

"I write about Los Angeles through the medium of food," he said. "The great thing about L.A. is what an astonishingly diverse city it is, and I get to hang out in all these neighborhoods. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend my life."

Jade Palace Article is Up!

The online version of the Hawaii Island Journal has posted my last restaurant review of the Jade Palace Chinese Restaurant in Waimea. I have added it to the list in the sidebar, as usual. Excellent and fast Cantonese food!

Big Island Donut Exodus

There is no Krispy Kreme donut shop on the Big Island. So how do we go about eating these delightful treats? Big Island residents fly over to Maui (using cheap inter-island flights or frequent flyer miles: When airlines compete, YOU save!), take a taxi the short distance from the Kahalui Airport to the Krispy Kreme, load up their luggage with donuts, and then return to the Big Island to sell them at the side of the road, out of their parked trucks, or at their local shops.
I am not amazed at all about this.
But then...I used to drive from Northern California to Las Vegas Nevada and load up on Boston Creme Donuts from Dunkin'Donuts, so maybe I am not the best judge of odd donut-seeking behavior.

Pile of Coconuts!

No Place for Love in the Kitchen!

I was reading this article in the New York Times about couple-dynamics in the kitchen. The article maintains that often the better cook becomes the "Alpha Chef" while the "Beta Chef" is often the victim of criticism and the usual (Professional Kitchen) hierarchy and abuse.
I started disseminating the cooking relationships in my life.
I have been in relationships with two chefs. The first chef was a much better cook than I, and I happily let him cook most nights, while I assisted or made something nearer to my abilities: Baking. We ate a lot, we gained weight, and although we mostly ate at the restaurants of our employ, I think we had an easiness in the kitchen. After all, we had met in culinary school and had first been attracted to each other because of our instant easy working chemistry. I learned a lot from him, and although we have been parted for quite a few years, we follow each others careers, and the other day he called me in a panic for a tart dough recipe.
My recent ex-boyfriend is also an excellent chef. He used to come over with groceries and prepare wonderful meals. He also used to ask my advice on subjects I knew better than he: Baking, rolling sushi, food history and the like... But he also used to drink too much and then lecture me on my chopping technique, and he would be overwhelmed with guilt when he inadvertently broke something.
I loved this article, because I have often found ice cream to be a metaphor in a relationship: Share a pint or scoop into bowls? Equal portions? Flavors? Who gets to choose the flavors? Who holds the pint? Separate spoons or shared spoons?
I had one ex with whom I couldn't share ice cream: We were too competitive. I had another ex who liked to wear the ice cream. That was fun. But messy! I once predicted the breakup of a couple due to anger and repressed sexual tension: They shared a pint and a spoon, and passed it back and forth by stabbing the spoon viciously into the pint.
It is often said that you can taste the love in a dish, as if we are all living in a scene from "Like Water for Chocolate" or something. But sometimes other emotions are involved: Jealousy, Control, Competitiveness, Sexual tension, and pre-existing relationship power dynamics. Sometimes the meal isn't about lovingly providing for your family's health. Sometimes it is for praise, revenge, or power.
Watch what you communicate, and watch what you eat!

Goat Cheese

Yay! The Journal posted my last review, of the Hawaii Island Goat Dairy, on it's website! You can find it here, or by following the sidebar link.
Check out the website for the Dairy, as well.