Vanilla Wafer Cookies

When I made these cookies, it was late so the recipe seemed a little off to me. I decided to bake one cookie as a test. When it came out of the oven, my daughter rushed over to try one until she saw I had make only one cookie. She had to go tell her Dad that I made only one cookie like I was crazy. So, my husband and son came over to witness my lone cookie on the baking sheet. I told them my dilemma about the recipe. Then I realized I forgot to add the vanilla. They all decided then that I was crazy since I was making vanilla wafer cookies. We split the lone cookie. My husband is so sweet and told me that my lone cookie tasted pretty good even with missing the key ingredient. I added the vanilla to the remaining dough and then made the rest of the cookies. They were pretty popular with my kids and husband. Do they taste like the box vanilla wafers? No but they are still pretty good.

Vanilla Wafer Cookies
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 egg yolks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the baking powder, salt, and sugar.
4. Whisk in the vanilla and melted butter. Whisk until smooth.
5. Add the egg yolks and whisk until incorporated.
6. Add the flour and combine until just incorporated. Dough will be stiff.
7. Spoon a round tsp of dough onto the baking sheet.
8. Flatten each ball of dough slightly.
9. Bake the cookies for 6 minutes and rotate the baking sheet.
10. Bake the cookies for another 6 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Recipe adapted from Instructables.

Two years ago.....................................I made Chicken Spaghetti.

Did you already know..........................
-In 1968, Nabisco introduced Nilla Wafers.
-Nilla Wafers use synthetic vanilla.
-The Nilla Wafer line includes reduced fat, mini, and pie crust.

Macadamia Nut Pie

I love macadamia nuts. Sometimes it is a good thing some things are expensive like these nuts. I would eat them more than once a year. If I bake with macadamia nuts, I usually add them to cookies. When I first saw this Parade recipe, I knew I would eventually make this pie. This pie is similar to a pecan pie but with macadamia nuts. It is a pretty easy pie to make and oh, so delicious. I really had to share this pie since it is so rich and tempting. I will admit I added additional nuts to the original recipe since I scooped out too many macadamia nuts from the bulk bin. I felt a little awkward putting them back so I just took them all. Would you have put some back? Maybe for a snack later?

Macadamia Nut Pie
1 cup dark corn syrup
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
8 oz. macadamia nuts
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Roll out the pie crust and line the bottom of the pie pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the corn syrup, sugar, and eggs.
4. Fold in the macadamia nuts and melted butter.
5. Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie crust.
6. Bake the pie for 50 minutes or until the filling is set. If the crust begins to brown, then cover the edges with foil.

Recipe adapted from Parade.  

One year ago....................................I made Hot Cross Buns.
Two years ago..................................I made Peanut Butter Ice Cream.

Did you already know.........................
-Macadamia nuts are difficult to shell since they have the hardest shell of all the nuts.
-Do not feed macadamia nuts to dogs since it could cause severe lethargy and other symptoms.
-Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller gave the nut its scientific name macadamia after his friend John Macadam.

Huli Huli Chicken

Since we decided to leave our grill outside, it is currently decorated with snow. Yes, we could unbury it but then we would have to spend some time outside grilling. I'm not volunteering and I know my husband will not then it leaves the oven. I do have an inside grill pan but it does smoke a lot. The chicken did turn out pretty tender. It does have a nice mild flavor. I thought it would be similar to a teriyaki sauce but this version didn't remind me of teriyaki. We will have to try making this on the grill when we find our grill again.

Huli Huli Chicken
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
2 lbs chicken

Directions:

1. In a large zip lock plastic bag, combine the pineapple juice, white wine, chicken broth, soy sauce, ketchup, ginger, and Worcestershire sauce. 
2. Add the chicken and marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. 
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and place in a baking dish. Reserve the marinade.
5. Cover the dish and bake for 15 minutes. Discard the marinade.
6. Brush the chicken with some of the reserved marinade and cook the chicken for another 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Recipe adapted from Polynesia. com. 

One year ago.................................I made Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles.
Two years ago...............................I made Hazelnut filling.

Did you already know...........................
-The Hawaiian word huli means turn.
-In 1955, Huli Huli sauce was created by Ernest Morgado as his version of teriyaki sauce.
-The original sauce is a trade secret since it is available commercially.

Coconut Pudding

Because it is suppose to be Spring.....................
Because there is snow still on the ground...........
Because it is my sister's birthday........................
Because my sister was born in Hawaii...............
Because Hawaii sounds good right now.............
I decided to try making some Hawaiian recipes like Haupia which is Coconut Pudding.  Haupia is suppose to set and should be able to cut into squares. I guess I should have let mine set just a little longer before removing from the container but it didn't matter since it still tasted good. My Mom remembered having it before and likes this dessert. I think if I was going to make it again then I may just try using cornstarch instead of the arrowroot which may make the difference. It is suppose to be the consistence of jello maybe next time. It is creamy and smooth with a nice hint of coconut.

Haupia aka coconut pudding
6 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp arrowroot
2 cup coconut milk
1 cup whole milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the arrowroot. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, add 1 cup of coconut milk, sugar, and arrowroot. 
3. Heat the mixture over low heat until thicken about 8 minutes.
4. Add the other 1 cup coconut milk and the whole milk.
5. Continue to heat the mixture until the mixture is thick about another 8 minutes.
6. Pour the mixture into an 8 inch pan until firm.

Recipe adapted from About. com. 

One year ago.........................................I made Peanut Butter Frosting.
Two years ago.......................................I made Sloppy Joes.

Did you already know............................
-Haupia is very popular at Luau.
-Haupia was originally made with arrowroot.
-Besides being served in squares, haupia can be a filling in cakes and pies.

Maple and Brown Sugar Cinnamon Rolls

In Maine, the fourth Sunday of March is typically Maple Sunday. So, we will be bringing the children to one of the many sugarhouses to see how maple syrup is made. My husband's favorite is when he tries the maple syrup over ice cream. I think this year we will be joining my sister since it happens to fall on her birthday!

Maple and Brown Sugar Cinnamon Rolls
Rolls
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 (1/4 oz.) packages of instant yeast
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 eggs
2 tsp salt
5 cups all purpose flour
4 cups bread flour

Filling
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, melted

Icing
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp milk

Directions:
Rolls:

1. In a large pot, boil the potatoes in water until tender about 10 minutes.
2. Remove 3 cups of the potato water and set aside.
3. Drain the potatoes and mash. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Allow the potato water to cool to 110 degrees F.
5. Add the yeast and 1 tsp of sugar to the cooled potato water. 
6. Allow the yeast to sit for 5 minutes to proof.
7. Add the yeast to the large bowl with the potatoes.
8. Add 3/4 cup sugar, the melted butter, eggs, and salt. Whisk the mixture together.
9. Add 3 cups of all purpose flour to the potato bowl and stir until incorporated.
10. Add 4 cups of the bread flour and mix until incorporated. 
11. Add the remaining all purpose flour and mix until the dough is no longer very sticky. (More flour may be needed.)
12. Cover with greased plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until the dough doubles in size about 1 hour.
13. Punch down the dough and recover. 
14. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

To make the filling:

1. In a medium bowl, gently combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and flour. Set aside. 
2. Grease 2 9x13 inch disposable pans with butter and nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. 
3. Remove half of the dough from the bowl and place onto a floured surface.
4. Roll the dough into 1/4 inch thick rectangle.
5. Spread the melted butter over the dough.
6. Sprinkle the maple filling over the top of the dough.
7. Starting on 1 of the long side of the dough, carefully roll the dough tightly to the other side to form one long cylinder.
8. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the roll into 2 inch slices.
9. Place the slices with the cut side down into the greased pan. Leave about an inch apart between each slice. 
10. Allow the rolls to rise for an hour in a warm place until puffy.
11. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
12. bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until light brown.
13. Remove the rolls from the oven. Set aside.

To make the icing:

1. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and milk. 
2. Spread the icing on top of the rolls while warm.
3. Serve immediately or once cooled. 

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen Cookbook.

One year ago.....................................I made PB Oreo Brownie Cupcakes.
Two years ago...................................I made Milk Chocolate Cookies. 

Did you already know....................
-In one season, a maple tree can produce 40 quarts of sap which will make only one quart of syrup. 
-The modern maple syrup producers use tubing that transports the sap to the sugarhouse.
-Here is a website of some of the sugarhouses participating in Maple Sunday.