This photo pretty much sums up fall for me - leggings, pumpkins, glitter Toms. If Toms and/or Uggs aren't acceptable anymore please mark me on the list of people who just don't care!
In Hawaii Aloha is love. In Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Yinz is our "y'all". In Italy Mangia is eat. This is a blog about a serious love for food regardless of location.
Showing posts with label Chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chocolate. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Cookie Dough Date Bars
This is post #200 for my little old blog here! When I started Aloha Yinz Mangia back in 2010 I was flying high on the heels of watching (the movie) Julie and Julia for the first time and wanted to manifest my new-found inspiration by challenging myself to be adventerous in the kitchen. Here we are, just shy of 4 years later, and I'm still at it. The list of recipes I'd like to try is still a mile-long and, strangely enough, I just finished reading Julie and Julia (the book) this week!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Saltine Toffee with Bacon
It's January, my birthday month, hooray!
It's also bandwagon diet month but I don't care, I'm posting my brilliant holiday baking revelation because I'm wild and cra-zay like that!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Banana Chocolate Chip Waffles
Ladies and Gentlemen: Let's get ready to wwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaffffffffffffffffffffffffffllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeee!
You may remember rounds 1 and 2 of my match with waffles from a few years ago that resulted in a tie. Most recently the round with chocolate waffles ended in my favor.
I'm more than happy to report that we now have a winner by KNOCK OUT... and it's me.
Last Sunday Bryce and I enjoyed a wonderful morning and breakfast together before I headed to work. I'd been planning on making waffles but failed to remember that we were out of eggs! When Bryce returned from his run to the store for eggs he also brought bacon and juice in tow.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
New Year's Day Chocolate Waffles
Happy 2013!
Because I'm an Event Manager, I was working on New Year's Eve instead of sleeping on my couch while fireworks went off around me. My night at work was spent being fully entertained by live bands, musical theatre acts, a stilt walker, human bird puppets, a vintage plane fly over, and so on. There's no way I could have paid for or attended a more exciting evening elsewhere!
Regardless, I woke up on January 1 feeling hung over after just 5 hours of sleep. My feet were sore from walking around the event/premises and all of my muscles hurt from a "free" 1 hour consultation with a personal trainer at our new gym. Please don't worry, I'll never go fitness crazy and try to be on a real diet! My body was in rough shape and I was wide awake, despite being exhausted. That called for a filling, fun, and indulgent breakfast: chocolate waffles!
A hot cup of coffee, recipe displayed on the iPad while music played simultaneously, and gadgets and ingredients galore. That's my happy place :)
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Halloween Oreo Mini Cheesecakes
All year long when I need a cupcake wrapper I only have these:
Finally it's time to use them! While we're getting festive, despite the fact that it's barely October, be sure to grab a package of unnaturally colored Halloween Oreos.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
S'more Birthday Fun - Bryce's 27th
It's no shock to any of our friends (or my blog readers) that Bryce and I go all out, and then over the top, for birthdays. This year my birthday celebration was a month long and included 3 obnoxious posts: a birthday BBQ with friends, a journey to an outlet mall though the snow to acquire gifts, and a just-the-two-of-us dinner at an Italian restaurant. Now it's Bryce's turn!
If you don't know what a Spam musubi is, read about it here before going any farther! Bryce's birthday began with presents and cards first thing in the morning. He's a big fan of Spam musubi and when I saw this bag in the store it really got me thinking...
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Ghirardelli Square
The first time I went to San Fran I was in eighth grade and I got to leave school early one Friday to catch my flight. It was SO COOL then and it was SO COOL this year too, even as an adult. One of my favorite memories of the first trip was at Ghirardelli - specifically walking through the store's entrance with my Mom over and over again and collecting a free sample each time!
Despite growing up in California, Bryce had never been to nirvana that is Ghirardelli! I insisted that we go so we... took a trolley in the wrong direction, got off in a shady neighborhood, boarded a bus, rode for 30 minutes, walked for 10 more, and finally made it to Ghirardelli Square!
Despite growing up in California, Bryce had never been to nirvana that is Ghirardelli! I insisted that we go so we... took a trolley in the wrong direction, got off in a shady neighborhood, boarded a bus, rode for 30 minutes, walked for 10 more, and finally made it to Ghirardelli Square!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Not Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
Today I bought myself a snack. Two of my very favorite things, licorice and chocolate, combined to make one treat. It sounded very promising!
WRONG (ANNOYING BUZZER SOUND)
My instinct was very wrong. Chocolate coated licorice is NOT greater than the sum of its parts.
I ate one piece and hated it, the flavor was too sweet and very strong. It tasted a little bit like a chocolate covered cherry, but in a very bad way. I ate just one more piece to see if I could get used to it. No, not at all.
I asked 5 people in my office if they wanted to try. 4 of them looked at me like I was crazy! Why did they know it would be gross and I thought I'd love it? 1 person tried it. She took the smallest bite I've ever seen, then said "it's very strong!" I assured her I wouldn't be mad if she threw it away, and that's exactly what she did.
I don't like to waste food. After this lovely description - does anyone want a bag of chocolate coated licorice? There are only 3 pieces missing!
I was going to take a picture of the actual candies, but they look like... you can use your imagination! That's why they used an illustration to make them look so cute on the front. Maybe that should have been my warning!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Red Velvet Mini-Cupcakes
A few weeks ago, I hinted that I had a BIG life change in the works. Well, now I can tell you the BIG news: I got a new job! After 3 years at my former job I was ready for something new, different, and less stressful. This new job is all of that, less hours, and more money! I'll have more time to enjoy living in Hawaii, try to get a tan, and cook and blog, of course! To celebrate my BIG life change, I decided to make mini red velvet cupcakes!
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, let me tell you that I don't like baking. Baking makes me feel frustrated, incapable, and defeated. I'm immediately flustered and panic at the slightest hiccups while attempting to bake in the kitchen. Baking only happens because my sweet tooth demands it!
For example, before making this recipe I opened the (very high) cabinet that contains all the baking ammunition - sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, food coloring, etc. I pulled the things I needed down and put them on the counter. These items were not placed neatly in one area upon being removed from the cabinet, they were all over the place. I found a bag of sugar that contained less than a single cup of the small, sweet substance, and I needed 2 1/4 cups. I went ballistic! It was past 8 pm and the next day was my very last day at my job, I needed to have homemade cupcakes. End.Of.Story. Now in a state of major panic and self-pity, I begged Bryce to go get sugar for me. He was comfortably lounging on the couch and looked at me like I was asking him to part the Red Sea. So, I took my pity party to the car, then to the grocery store for more sugar. I ended up also buying pre-made cream cheese frosting so that I'd be able get to bed at a reasonable hour. I returned home with a forced positive attitude, I had everything I needed and was ready! Back into the kitchen I went with the sugar and frosting in hand. That's when I saw the HUGE bag of sugar sitting on the counter. >>Sigh<< I was so eager to panic that I didn't look around to see that I, in a moment of prior wisdom had acquired, had a back-up sugar! If you need sugar you now know who to ask.
I started making my I-got-a-new-job-but-I'll-feed-you-one-last-time cupcakes for the office around 9 pm, using a Red Velvet Cupcake recipe from Better Homes & Gardens.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
3 eggs (room temperature)
3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons red food coloring (an entire 1-ounce bottle)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk - I didn't have any so I made "buttermilk" using milk and white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350F. Line mini cupcake pans with paper liners. My apologies, I don' t know how many cupcakes this recipe makes. I made 24 minis and a small cake!
Combine flour, cocoa powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Hey... salt wasn't on the ingredient list! I'll add it.
In another bowl, beat butter for 30-seconds on med-high. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating batter after each. Add the food coloring and beat on low to combine.
Side note on the food coloring - I was shocked when I found out that red velvet cake is red because of dye. Anyone else? It almost takes away all the fun, until you realize it's cuter than your average cake, delicious, and still contains chocolate! My red food coloring wasn't completely full so my "red" velvet was more of a reddish-pink velvet.
Next, add flour mixture and buttermilk - alternately - to the egg mixture, combining on medium-low after each addition. In the smallest bowl you own, stir together baking soda and vinegar, then add that to the batter and beat until just combined.
See - mine is pink!
Spoon, scoop, or pour the batter into the mini-cupcake papers, filling about 2/3 full. This photo demonstrates how awful I am at making each cupcake equal in size.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes. I swear that each cupcake is a totally different size!
Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely.
I put the cream cheese icing into a ziploc bag and plopped a tiny bit of icing on each. The icing distribution is almost as inconsistent as the cupcakes! They still managed to be cute, despite my lack of equality.
The cupcakes and I ventured to our last day in the office (first and last day for them). Needless to say, they were much more well-liked than I was! Just kidding. Everyone is just upset because they're going to miss me, right?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, let me tell you that I don't like baking. Baking makes me feel frustrated, incapable, and defeated. I'm immediately flustered and panic at the slightest hiccups while attempting to bake in the kitchen. Baking only happens because my sweet tooth demands it!
For example, before making this recipe I opened the (very high) cabinet that contains all the baking ammunition - sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, food coloring, etc. I pulled the things I needed down and put them on the counter. These items were not placed neatly in one area upon being removed from the cabinet, they were all over the place. I found a bag of sugar that contained less than a single cup of the small, sweet substance, and I needed 2 1/4 cups. I went ballistic! It was past 8 pm and the next day was my very last day at my job, I needed to have homemade cupcakes. End.Of.Story. Now in a state of major panic and self-pity, I begged Bryce to go get sugar for me. He was comfortably lounging on the couch and looked at me like I was asking him to part the Red Sea. So, I took my pity party to the car, then to the grocery store for more sugar. I ended up also buying pre-made cream cheese frosting so that I'd be able get to bed at a reasonable hour. I returned home with a forced positive attitude, I had everything I needed and was ready! Back into the kitchen I went with the sugar and frosting in hand. That's when I saw the HUGE bag of sugar sitting on the counter. >>Sigh<< I was so eager to panic that I didn't look around to see that I, in a moment of prior wisdom had acquired, had a back-up sugar! If you need sugar you now know who to ask.
I started making my I-got-a-new-job-but-I'll-feed-you-one-last-time cupcakes for the office around 9 pm, using a Red Velvet Cupcake recipe from Better Homes & Gardens.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
3 eggs (room temperature)
3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons red food coloring (an entire 1-ounce bottle)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk - I didn't have any so I made "buttermilk" using milk and white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350F. Line mini cupcake pans with paper liners. My apologies, I don' t know how many cupcakes this recipe makes. I made 24 minis and a small cake!
Combine flour, cocoa powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Hey... salt wasn't on the ingredient list! I'll add it.
In another bowl, beat butter for 30-seconds on med-high. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating batter after each. Add the food coloring and beat on low to combine.
Side note on the food coloring - I was shocked when I found out that red velvet cake is red because of dye. Anyone else? It almost takes away all the fun, until you realize it's cuter than your average cake, delicious, and still contains chocolate! My red food coloring wasn't completely full so my "red" velvet was more of a reddish-pink velvet.
Next, add flour mixture and buttermilk - alternately - to the egg mixture, combining on medium-low after each addition. In the smallest bowl you own, stir together baking soda and vinegar, then add that to the batter and beat until just combined.
See - mine is pink!
Spoon, scoop, or pour the batter into the mini-cupcake papers, filling about 2/3 full. This photo demonstrates how awful I am at making each cupcake equal in size.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes. I swear that each cupcake is a totally different size!
Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely.
I put the cream cheese icing into a ziploc bag and plopped a tiny bit of icing on each. The icing distribution is almost as inconsistent as the cupcakes! They still managed to be cute, despite my lack of equality.
The cupcakes and I ventured to our last day in the office (first and last day for them). Needless to say, they were much more well-liked than I was! Just kidding. Everyone is just upset because they're going to miss me, right?
After 3 years with my very first "big girl job", I hope I left lasting impression filled with memories of hard work and a positive attitude. If I didn't, I hope they remember me by these adorable sweet treats!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Leave the gun, take the cannoli
The Godfather is one of the most classic movies ever made and my favorite! (Tied for #1 with the Wizard of Oz, technically.)
Before we get into the food we need to talk more about The Godfather…
My dear Aunt Josephine actually scolded me for watching the movie. Unbeknownst to me, there's a rule in our family that we do not watch the Godfather! As Josephine says "it makes our people look bad". The story goes that Josephine and some of our other family members (keep in mind that we are Sicilian) went to see the movie in the theater when it first came out. They didn't need those silly English subtitles to translate the conversations in Italian. When the movie was over some family members were thrilled that the familiar Italian-American culture was on the Big Screen! Joesphine they demanded that nobody else in the family see it. That was what, almost 40 years ago? You can feel free to take a poll of my family to see how many people stuck to that rule, I wouldn't bet that very many have disobeyed!
I personally didn't know we weren't "allowed" to see it when I first watched. It wasn't until my 19th year on this Earth that I saw it. The first time I watched it was on a portable DVD player on a Greyhound bus. You can imagine the scene with the oddball bus riders surrounding me as I'm gasping in horror while Woltz finds that lovely present in his bed. From then on I have been obsessed.
If you haven't seen it, watch it and then talk to me about it like it's your favorite too. Otherwise, we're not friends anymore. Unless, of course, your family has a rule too! One of the most famous scenes and lines of the film involves another of my favorites: cannoli.
For your viewing pleasure: (I have no rights to anything, just borrowing this clip from youtube!)
Now, the cannoli…
Did you know the word cannoli means "little tube"? I just found that out!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Red Ripe Strawberries and the BIG HUNGRY BOYFRIEND
Once upon a time, in the wonderful land of online shopping, I came across these adorable sports themed chocolate covered strawberries.
I knew my Prince (aka Bryce) would love these. Sports and chocolate all in one, it was perfect for his royal dessert! 6 berries would cost $25 plus shipping to Hawaii, that's more than a new pair of glass slippers! This princess knew she could make them herself, when the right time came along.
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