Mini Cheesecakes

Adapted from my mom. This is her go to dessert for potlucks! I have played with the recipe to make variations to fit your taste!


Makes 18 cheesecakes

Here are 3 Cheesecake variations to try.. Classic fruit, Oreo Lovers, or Matcha Green Tea

Cherry/ Bluebbery topping with a Nilla wafer crust

Chocolate pudding and oreo crumble topping with an oreo crust

 Matcha powder added to cheesecake and shortbread cookie crust

Ingredients

Cheesecake Base:
2 packages cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 teasppon vanilla
2 eggs

Toppings/crusts

For fruity Cheesecake:

Nilla wafers for crust
1 can blueberry or cherry filling

For chocoholic Cheesecake:

Oreos for crust and to crumble on top
Chocolate Pudding/milk for topping

For Matcha Cheesecake:

1 1/2 Tablespoons Match Green Tea Powder (Sold online)
1/2 recipe of Shortbread cookie for crust

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, and sugar with mixer.
3. Place 1 vanilla wafer/oreo/cookie (if doing shortbread crust pre-bake for 10 minutes) on the bottom of each cupcake liner (make 18).
4. Pour batter on top of cookie.
5. Bake for 15 minutes.
6. Chill then top with filling/pudding and oreo crumbs/whipped cream! YUM

Butter Mochi

What are the most important parts of a good butter mochi? I think a crackly, crispy top with a soft center are crucial. I got this recipe so kindly from Aunty Joni and my friend Jason Cabot and it's perfection. I absolutely love your mochi, it's legend wait for it...

Ingredients

2 cups mochiko
2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 stick butter, melted
1 can evaporated milk
1 can coconut milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Bake in a 13 x 9 for 1 hour or until top is golden.
5. Let cool for about as long as you can be patient then dig in!
6. ...Dary.... Legendary! ;-)

Arugula Pear Salad

Adapted from Aunty Tammy. Thank you so much for being my family away from home over the holidays. I was treated like  Ramolete's Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients

1 Pear, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Margarine
3 handfuls Arugula
1/4 cup Craisins
1/4 cup crumbled Goat Cheese
1/4 cup toasted and chopped Pecans
Dried apricots (optional)
Vinagrette dressing

Directions

1. In a sauce pan over medium heat melt margarine and cinnamon then cook pears and apricots till tender but still firm.
2. Toss everything together and serve with dressing.

Haupia Chocolate Pie

Yum coconut and chocolate :-)
Adapted by Jean Hee

Ingredients

Crust:
2 cups graham crackers, crushed (24 crackers)
2 blocks butter, melted

Haupia:
3 cans frozen cocont milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups cornstarch

Chocolate Topping:
3 boxes chocolate pudding
4 1/2 cups milk

Directions

1. Mix crumbs and butter and press into 13 x 9 pan. Refrigerate.
2. In a pot mix the haupia ingredients  until smooth. Cook on medium heat, stiring continuously, until mixture thickens. Spread over crust. Refrigerate.
3. Combine pudding mix and milk and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously until thick with bubbles. Cool slightly and continuely mix. Spread over haupia, refrigerate.

Peach Cobbler

Adapted from http://www.asweetpeachef.com/sweets/fresh-peach-cobbler/
Pie and ice cream in love forever...

Ingredients

Peach Filling

4 cups (about 4 large) fresh/frozen peaches, cut into slices

1/2 cup sugar 

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Cobbler

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cups sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix peaches, sugar, lemon, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. Pour into 9 x 9 pan.
4. Combine melted butter, flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Add milk and stir just until dry ingredients are incorporated. Pour batter over peaches
5. Bake cobbler for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Serve cobbler along with vanilla ice cream...BOMB!

Banana Cream Pie

Adapted from Jean Hee and Megan Liufau's grandma.

Makes a 13x9 pan, serves about 12

Ingredients

Crust:
2 cups flour
2 sticks butter
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

Middle Layer:
1 package cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 container cool whip
4-5 bananas, sliced

Top Layer:
2 packages pudding (2 vanilla or 2 chocolate)
3 cups milk
remaining Cool Whip

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut together the butter and flour then mix in nuts (save some nuts for sprinkling on top). Press into 9 x 13 pan and bake for 25 minutes. Cool.
3. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in 1/2 container of cool whip. Spread over cooled crust.
4. Slice bananas and spread over top.
5. Whip pudding with milk and spread on top.
6. Spread remaining cool whip on top then sprinkle with reserved mac nuts, chocolate shavings, and of course, sliced banana.
7. Dig In!

Mango Bread

Summer is the best season. It's mango season. I am so glad that my grandparents grew the best mango tree that has the biggest, sweetest, juiciest mangoes. Thank you grandma for the recipe! Love you!


Makes 2 large loaf pans

Ingredients

Dry
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cup sugar

Wet
1 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups mangoes, mashed
3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift dry ingredients.  Mix in everything until just moistened. Last fold in nuts.
3. Bake in 2 large loaf pans for 54 minutes. 4 small pans for 42 minutes. 24 cupcakes for 35 minutes.

Okinawan Sweet Potato Haupia Pie

Potatoes and coconut? Just like people, sometimes weird combinations just go together better than you could imagine. We start with a buttery shortbread crust which is covered in a thick, sweet purple layer and topped with a soft and creamy haupia pudding.  Want to impress someone? This one will do the job. This recipe is adapted from Jean Hee's dessert cookbook.

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2  cup macadamia nuts, chopped (optional)

Okinawan Sweet Potato Layer

4-5 medium sized Okinawan sweet potatoes, chopped in thirds
1/2 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk of your choice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Haupia Layer

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
2 cans coconut milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. While oven is preheating, boil about 4 chopped, medium sized sweet potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until easily poked with a fork and soft.
3. Crust: In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, salt, mac nuts, butter, and flour. Mix together mixture with your hands until it comes together and no longer crumbly.  
4. Press into a 13" x 9" baking pan.  Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned on the edges.  Set aside.
5. Purple layer: The skin of the potatoes should now easily come off after boiling. In a mixing bowl, using a mixer combine the sweet potatoes, butter, sugar, and milk. Then, add in eggs and vanilla.  Continue to mix until well combined.  It's okay if there are potato chunks!
6.  Pour onto crust and bake at 350°F  for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
7. Haupia: In a medium pot, combine sugar and cornstarch.  Add water and stir until everything is dissolved. Add in coconut milk on medium heat and stir every 2 minutes until it starts to thicken. At this point stir constantly until it becomes the consistency of pudding. this will take about 5-7 minutes after it has become hot.  
8. Immediately pour haupia over Okinawan sweet potato mixture.  
9. Refrigerate until cool and haupia firms, about 4-5 hours, overnight is best.
10. Cut into squares and enjoy! I swear the pan is scraped clean at every potluck!

Italian Chicken

My mom makes this because it's easy and it tastes good. I think that's enough said.
Serves 6

Ingredients

5 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
About 1 1/2 cups Italian Bread crumbs
Italian Dressing

Directions

1. Marinate chicken in dressing overnight in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Line pan with foil.
4. Coat chicken with bread crumbs then bake for about 30 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

Korean Chicken

If I have a "specialty" for main dishes this would be it. I discovered Korean Chicken for the first time at Hanalei's Snack Shop's "Chili Pepper Chicken." Fried chicken is just my weakness. Dip it in this sauce and it's a deadly combination.  I think I could eat this everyday...

Ingredients

Chicken:

5 lbs Chicken wings and drumsticks (best if skin is on for that extra CRUNCH!)
1 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
Oil for frying

Dipping Sauce:

3/4 cup shoyu
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup mirin (sweet cooking rice wine)
2 Tablespoons sesame oil

4 cloves garlic , minced
1-2 hawaiian chili peppers, minced or 1-2 teaspoon dried chili pepper flakes

Garnish

3 sprigs green onion, chopped (optional)
Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil to medium high heat.
2. Dry  chicken as much as possible, coat it in flour/cornstarch mixture and fry until medium dark golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
3. Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Set to simmer.
4. After all the chicken is fried, remove the sauce from heat and dip into sauce.
5. Garnish the chicken with sesame seeds and green onion.
6. Your'e ready to go! Eat with rice!