27 August 2007


Happy Birthday to Me!!! hee hee hee

Recipe for delicious birthday cake I made for myself (courtesy of Gourmet, Sept. 2007):
Coconut Rum Cake

Active time: 45 min
Start to Finish: 2 ½ hours

For Cake

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs plus 3 large yolks
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup well-stirred sweetened cream of coconut such as Coco Lopez

For Coconut Slivers

1 medium coconut
2 teaspoons confectioners sugar

For Icing

3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons well-stirred sweetened cream of coconut
1 tablespoon dark rum (I used Coconut Rum)
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
½ cup confectioners sugar

Make cake: Preheat oven to 350 F with rack in middle. Lightly butter cake pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Lightly butter parchment, then flour pan. Whisk together flour (1 ¼ cups), baking powder, and salt.

Whisk together whole eggs and yolks, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in flour mixture until combined, then whisk in butter until just combined. Pour into cake pan and rap pan on counter to expel air bubbles. Bake until golden brown and cake starts to pull away from side of pan, about 45 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Invert cake onto rack (discard parchment) and cool 10 minutes more. Generously brush top and side of warm cake with cream of coconut, allowing it to soak in before brushing on more. Cool completely.

Make coconut slivers as cake cools: Pierce softest eye of coconut with a small screwdriver, then drain and discard liquid. Bake coconut in a shallow baking pan 15 minutes. (Leave oven on). Break shell with a hammer, then pry flesh from shell with screwdriver (I actually use an oyster shucker – it’s the best thing ever for separating coconut from it’s shell). Thinly shave enough coconut with a vegetable peeler to measure 2 cups and toss with confectioners sugar, then spread in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Bake until just dry but not golden (some tips may color), 5 to 10 minutes. Cool coconut completely. (It will crisp as it cools.)

Make Icing: Beat together cream cheese, cream of coconut, rum, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons cream with an electric mixer until smooth, then beat in confectioners sugar. Icing should be smooth and slightly runny; stir in remaining tablespoon cream if necessary. Smooth icing over top of cooled cake, allowing some to drip over side, then top with coconut slivers.
Yummy!

26 August 2007

I have this never-ending quest to find the perfect thirst quenching beverage outside of water. I'm not a soda fan, although I definitely have gone through some years of Pepsi addiction. It's never really quenched my thirst, though - it simply helped to satiate my desire for sugar. Beer is too bitter, and the beer that's so light that it's not bitter just tastes like nothing - so why bother? And sports drinks make me crazy with all the added sugar.....is that really necessary? So I'm delighted that recently I've discovered O.N.E. Coconut Water! 100% pure coconut water is from the green young coconut...you know - if you've ever bought your own coconut and poked the holes, it's the 1/2 cup or so of liquid that comes out first. You do have to enjoy the flavor of coconut - although the water is extremely mild and really has just a hint of coconut. It is fat free, higher in potassium than a banana, has no added sugar (and is naturally low in sugar content, at only 14 grams per 11 oz. container), and five electrolytes which is what the sports drinks are always trying to convince you that you need to replace what you've lost during exercise. Ry and I discovered this at Farmer Joe’s one day while waiting for Si to have her piano lesson. We thought we'd run over and quickly get something to drink, and spent 30 minutes reading labels, amazed, as always, at the sugar content in EVERYTHING. One warning-there is another brand out there called VitaCoco. While it seems the same, the flavor isn't. There's some strange aftertaste that I don't care for. So be sure to get O.N.E.

Another thirst quenching favorite for the past year has been my Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker. I always thought iced tea took too long to make so never did so, but now it's a breeze. It literally takes 10 minutes. You can either throw in tea bags, or use a filter and use loose tea. I love to mix and match. So maybe some Celestial Seasonings True Blueberry with English Toffee, or Republic of Tea Pomegranate Green Tea with Ginger Lemon Grass. The possibilities are endless.

And finally, my favorite alcohol-infused thirst quencher? Discovered last summer in Barcelona at the home of new friends, the Clara. It combines beer with either lemonade or lemon soda (like Pellegrino Limón). For me, it's that just-right combination of sweet and bitter....and actually very thirst quenching on a very hot day. There are different names in different countries - it's Shandy in England and if you click on the link, you'll see all the other world names and variations. Yummy!

15 August 2007

I love Ed Begley, Jr. Had you asked me a year ago about him, I'd have said that I knew who he was, that he was mega-pro-environment, but that's all I knew. Now I know a lot more. There is a really terrific show on HGTV called Living with Ed and it's about to begin it's second season. Here's a paragraph from the show's website description:

"Living with Ed usually starts early. He pops out of bed way before Rachelle and is always full of energy. In order for Ed to make toast for breakfast, he hops on a stationary bike. Unlike an ordinary exercise machine, this one is hooked up to the batteries that run the house. By pedaling he can make energy to run his toaster. By biking for 10 minutes, Ed creates enough energy to make two pieces of toast. After hitting the correct amount of wattage, Ed can enjoy his toast knowing he earned it."


So when you read this, you think....ha ha, crazy eco-actor....get a life. But you know what? I saw this episode and I've got to tell you, it made me want to hook up my stupid bike to my toaster (or at least Scott's bike because we all know he could pedal up some toast lickety-split).

Another direct lift from the website - this time from the amazed production crew that shot the first season:

"He never preaches about what he is doing. If he is asked, he will tell you exactly what he thinks and never pass judgment on those who are outside of his box of thinking."

"He doesn’t expect everyone to live like him. It’s this little thing he does where he has his personal goals and you just naturally aspire to be like him. He makes it look so easy and he doesn’t ask anything of you."

"He walks the walk 100%."

"He is way ahead of the rest of the world. Ok, maybe the rest of the world has been told to take care of the planet over and over again, but he actually listens and cares about future generations. We all are obsessed with being more technologically advanced, but maybe Ed has it right with his one simple phrase: Live Simply…So Others Can Simply Live."

I agree whole-heartedly with these quotes, and that is why I got so sucked in. Because Ed makes it look so easy, so natural, and just does his thing because he wants to do his thing without being preachy......it makes me want to follow.


The very best part about the show is his wife, Rachelle. She is very clearly NOT ED. Rachelle likes nice things. She likes to look good (I wonder how long Ed has to pedal for the electricity it takes just to blow out her hair). She likes her house to look good. She likes to fly in airplanes to go to far-away destinations. Ed spends much of his time trying to mitigate the destruction she may be causing to the environment. It's awesome. She flies to Sundance....he drives the hybrid car and buys TerraPass credits to try to reduce her carbon imprint. Ah, love. Please try to watch this show. Check your local listings for the 2nd season opener on HGTV - beginning on my birthday - Monday, August 27 (probably 7:30 or 8:30 pm).

11 August 2007

Hiking. This is a blog entry I have written in my head many, many times over the past few months. That’s because I’ve had the opportunity to have a very clear head whilst hiking several miles. Now, one of the points of explanation must be to define “hiking” because it holds very different meanings for people. Purists may believe that it means being off-road and surrounded by wilderness. Here’s what I believe – a hike can serve many purposes and take place in many surroundings – just adapt it for YOUR needs. Personally, I appreciate what I’ll call the urban hiking experience – for many reasons.

The genesis of my interest came from too much sittin’ around. Take Si to Hula....sit around and wait. Take Ry to Capoeira....sit around and wait. I couldn’t take it any more. So I began walking during Hula in Hayward. Now this itself was a challenge. Have you ever tried to go for a nice walk or hike in Hayward? It’s not exactly walker-friendly. So out came my handy dandy Thomas Guide and I staked out some good walks from downtown into the hills. Then came Si going to Hula/Tahitian on Saturdays from 8a-noon. Uh huh. So Scott and I fought over who HAD to take her. Then we both wised up – hmmm, whoever takes her gets 4 hours to bike or hike – let’s fight over who GETS to take her! And so it began.....

I figured out quickly that it was interesting for me to walk where there is stuff to look at. And by stuff, I mean houses, yards, fences, businesses, views, etc. It kept my interest, and with my handy phone-cam, I could snap some pics for ideas. Then I figured, well, if I like to walk around the cities...why not make the walk part of my errand-doing. So, if I wanted to get some fabric, then why not walk to Poppy Fabric (3.1 miles one-way)? Or, if we all go to Capoeira on Friday nights, why not walk and meet the rest of the family there (6.9 miles)? I also found a couple of cool maps for doing this kind of hiking in Oakland and Berkeley.

One of my favorite hikes was when I had to get my brakes replaced a couple of weeks ago. I started out at San Pablo and Hearst in Berkeley, walked up to Grizzly Peak, and then circled back down. (See lame-o Google map above - their blue lines never actually land on the streets you actually travel on) Have you ever walked up Marin Ave.? Holy hiking hill, Batman. And 7.1 miles to boot. (Thanks to inl.org [what the hell is this?] for the photo [right] and grades).




So I wondered.....I’m obviously up for the East Bay hills, having tackled Berkeley and several Oakland Hills locations....but could I hold my own on the real deal.....Tahoe? Turns out....yeah baby, I could. I started in Squaw at the Village (6,200’ elevation) and hiked the Shirley Canyon trail to Shirley Lake and then up to High Camp at 8,200’. What’s that? A 3.6 mile hike with a 2,000 foot ascent? Like I said.....YEAH BABY! Did I have to stop and rest? Well, yeah. Did I at one point think I needed a beacon on my phone so that Search and Rescue could find me and bring me a Hyperbaric Chamber? Well, yeah. Altitude is a butt-kicker for sure. What would have taken me 2 hours or so at bay area altitude took about 3 hours in Tahoe because of all the resting to wait for my lungs to capture enough air. But I did it and would do it again.....but this time with another hiker.

Urban (and non-urban) hiking essentials? Fanny pack containing water, natch. Lip balm (preferably Scharffenberger Mint Chocolate – hey...we’re still in the bay area, right?), salmon jerky (the BEST quick protein fix ever during a workout as far as I’m concerned), breath mints (for actually talking to people post-hike) and the little clip-on shopping tote. See the tiny little purple flowery thing in the photo? Unsnap the little packet and out pops a full size tote. For when you run into a fruit stand, the Elephant Pharmacy, or any myriad of other shopping opportunities on your urban hike.

My view on hiking has evolved into believing that your perfect hike is being able to concentrate on what is important to you. If you want to be technically challenged by the terrain – always having to pay careful attention to where your feet are (as well as your body for fear you don’t get lost) and hone your tracking skills like Sacagawea – then hike those mountains, baby. If you’re more interested in learning about your own area where you live, and maybe get in a little shopping or idea-mining for gardens and fences (like this awesome purple artichokey-looking thingy) then do that urban hike. The bottom line is.....just get off the couch and go somewhere.

05 August 2007

Si was absolutely beautiful today in the Aloha Festival in San Francisco. It was a typical summer day in the City....blustery cold, fog, and a light mist throughout the day. If the poor child comes down with pneumonia, we'll know why. I do have to say, though, that I appreciate the fact that the festival was running ON TIME......unheard of in the hula world! So this officially ends our summer dance season, and we'll begin our focus on fall. October is the ho'ike and November brings a hula competition. In order to gear up for all this, and the beginning of school looming far too closely, we're off for a few days to Tahoe for some R&R. See you when we get back.

04 August 2007

I know it gets impossibly mundane to read about cupcakes over and over, but get over it. Si, Ry and I made 112 cupcakes for Si's hula halau bake sale. Plus Fruity Coconut Balls. Many thanks again go to Chockylit for her Chocolate Chai Spice recipe. No one in the house thought they would like it but it ended up being one of the favorite flavors! Thanks also go to a new (to me) cupcake blogger - DaisyCakes - to whom I owe thanks for posting recipes for Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Buttercream, Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Rum Buttercream, and Caramel Cupcakes with Espresso Fudge Frosting. They were truly all winners. And also a thousand thanks to DaisyCakes for educating me about the Williams Sonoma Mechanical Pastry Bag. How did I a) not know about this thing; and b) live without it? It sure made four frostings go very quickly. But the biggest hit of the bake sale? Fruity Coconut Balls - Si's original recipe idea that she had seen in Your Big Backyard - the National Wildlife Federation magazine subcription from Keith and Grandma Nancy. Boil dried fruit (whatever you like - we used papaya, mango and pineapple) in orange juice, add crushed graham crackers, and roll in coconut. Simple, easy and SOLD OUT!!! Sadly, not the case for the rest of the baked goods. 112 cupcakes is just never necessary. So we continued the bake sale in front of the house, and if you can read the sign (just click on the photo and it will enlarge for better readability), added a new purchase option to the assortment. We made a few bucks from kindly neighbors, but the bad part of living on a quiet street is the lack of any kind of traffic coming through. So if you need about 60 cupcakes, let me know quick, and I'll get them over to you!