Eat @ Heeia Pier

I’d heard about Heeia Pier about a million times before we actually made it out there. For one, I’m never in Kaneohe during the middle of the day, and two, I am total moron. For not coming here sooner.

Don’t be a moron. Eat at Heeia Pier.

Most people don’t take the Kaneohe Bay Drive Road. It’s much quicker to go the highway route, and has less curves. Sometimes you’ll get stuck behind a tourist (slowing down at every view) or just Gramma Tanaka on a Sunday drive. But it is a nice view, and if I wasn’t usually racing everywhere I went, I would take this road slow, too.

We decided to hit the pier to go fishing, as Jake just recently got Amaya a fishing pole, and eat at Heeia pier too. I won’t lie. I went for the food.

Fishing is a funny thing for us. I mostly only like my fish raw, and I only trust other people to serve it to me that way, so we don’t buy fish. And then there’s the fact that Jake doesn’t like fish either. We were planning on a catch and release session, but there wasn’t any catching to do.

An older guy caught two fish in the first 20 minutes that we were there, and we didn’t see anyone else catch a thing. We didn’t try too hard, but the kids liked being there anyway.

We also realized that fishing is one of those things adults want to do with kids—fun in theory, but mostly impractical. Between Mozely trying to climb down right by the edge of the water and Amaya running around, not even holding the pole once, we gave up pretty quick.

I went ahead and ordered. I’d heard about The Cheekeater through other Hawaii foodies, and asked for it, since it’s not on the menu. We got guava chicken and grilled beef and a tomato/eggplant salad.I took the pictures in broad daylight because I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth in.

The salad came out first. I didn’t wait. little crispy (fried? toasted) rice grains dotted the well seasoned smoky eggplant and fresh tomatoes. The flavor combination was unreal. I had to try not to eat it all. When my brother in law accidentally dropped 1 little tomato I cried. He got me another salad.

I claimed the first bites of the hamburger. The Cheekeater is named after another chef (his nickname). The burger itself was soft, lined with onions, and so tender it practically fell to pieces as I ate it. The bun was toasted to a perfect crisp. I kept noticing how crispy the inside of the bun was as I was eating—it didn’t turn into a pile of mush at all. 
The burger also had thin slices of portugeuse sausage, bacon, browned spam (or some spam similar product, shredded lettuce, cheese, fry sauce, tomato, and the most beautiful egg ever. The yolk ooze put me over the top.

I didn’t share much. Maybe a few bites. I encouraged the boys to order another. I could have eaten another one, even though I was stuffed.

The guava chicken and beef were also so yummy, but I really only had eyes for that burger. I almost felt bad for them, having to be compared to the Cheekeater.

Fiji Market

A stone’s throw away from where I work is Fiji Market. I used to think of this as a place that was kind of my own little secret, even though I see local Tongans and Fijians there all the time, but I thought it was sort of an unknown to tourists.

Well, last time I went there were all sorts of people there, locals and tourists alike.

Maybe it has something to do with the sign they have outside?

Hawaii restaurants love to claim to be the #1 of whatever it is they’re selling. That is usually not true.

But I’ll go ahead and believe that Fiji Market’s curry is #1.

The curry is sold at the back window inside the store. The market is small but the aisles are chock full of common brand goods sold in Fiji and probably other Polynesian islands. I love to walk up and down the aisles while I wait for the curry and try to figure out what everything is. There are a lot of Indian food products, frozen meats you won’t find at the bigger grocery stores (goat and lamb), Edmond’s Custard Powder, Vegemite, spices galore in bulk bags, foreign sodas, and other odds and ends. I haven’t gotten up the guts to buy some vegemite yet.

Here are some of my finds last time. I got the “Crunchie” because I was nostalgic for Australia, where I went for a few weeks in high school.

The curries are chicken, lamb, beef, corned beef, shrimp, and vegetarian. The vegetarian option changes daily, and every time I’ve gone it’s been a different kind. There was a “pea” flavor I didn’t care for (split peas? I think?), but every other time it was great. The flavors have been very different too, not just because there was a different vegetable. This time it was cabbage, and it was basically fried with spices, and I loved it. Often my favorite is the lamb. It is very tender and has a deep flavor. The bones may turn some people off, but I think cooking with the bones is what makes it so good. Just eat around the bones and some extra fat and sop your roti in that gorgeous sauce. The chicken is a yellow curry, and the corned beef is brown and has some great potatoes too. I got the corned beef curry wrapped up in a roti which is an option if you don’t want the whole plate. Certainly the wrap is enough for a normal sized portion for lunch, I think.

(but we like to overdo it around here, so I got two other curries.)

The vegetarian curry is cheaper and it comes with a side of yellow dal soup. The soup has a strong coriander flavor and both of my kids really like it. Every curry comes with tomato chutney which has just a slight spiciness to it. You can get your curry with 2 roti or rice, and you can always get more roti on the side.

Supposedly there are meat pies and sausage rolls selling now, but I haven’t gotten to have those yet because they weren’t available when I went. Sometimes tapioca (the root) is an option too.

Amaya was wary of the curry at first (she says she hates curry—but all our Indian restaurant experiences have told me otherwise) but asked for 2nds and leftovers the next day. She’s a big meat on the bone fan, which means I’ve taught her well.

Fiji Market

56-565 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, HI Google Maps

On the right of the sugar mill/gas station

Open 9am-9pm Monday through Saturday

Favorite Eats: lamb curry, roti

Expenses: $8-10 per curry plate (includes rice or roti, tomato chutney), less for a wrap

Little Foodie? Usually mild flavors, soup/dal is a kid favorite in my house

FYI: Take out style, cilantro is a garnish, vegetarian curry changes daily. Browse the shop while you wait. Currently every Yelp! review is 5 stars, which is hard to do. #1!

This is part of a series of posts about North Shore Food.

Waialua Bakery

Waialua Bakery is one of my happy places on this planet. Waialua is a town that’s one more stop over, but this bakery is smack dab in the middle of Haleiwa. I’m not sure what the origin is on the name, and I’ve never asked because I’m just way too busy eating when I’m there to worry about any such details.

Luckily enough, this happy place is a 25 minute drive away from my house, because otherwise Waialua Bakery would have all my money and I would have all of their food. Every morning. For the rest of my life.

If I ever figure out how to make their Passion Pleasure smoothie, I will be set. The smoothie has just the right touch of papaya and some creaminess from frozen yogurt. I get serious cravings for this smoothie, and I like to think I can make a pretty good smoothie myself. There is no other smoothie that can make me drive half an hour and plop down $4 with a smile on my face. Really.

Every time I come here, I get that smoothie, a sandwich, and a cookie. I don’t care if it’s breakfast. That’s what I’m getting.

The sandwiches are packed with lovely veggies and the sprouts runneth over. I always get the home made bread and spread with hummus. The sandwich is a crunchy, moist mess that I inhale as quickly as possible.

Amaya eats more than her fair share of my sandwiches. Even stuffed with all those vegetables, this is a flavor that cannot be denied.

(but I do recommend asking them to leave off the mustard and vinegar. Just in case.)

This has to be followed up with a cookie. Or two. Our favorites are the monster (peanut butter oatmeal with m&m’s) and the Wonder bar which is a cookie addict’s dream: cookie crumbs are combined with chocolate and coconut and more butter and probably something else gooey and gorgeous, all pressed into a bar. It’s hard to describe. It’s a Wonder bar. With good cause. I like to wolf this down before anyone asks me to share.

Amaya got lucky and had two Monster cookies. With ice cream in between. I jealously eyed her dessert while she ate every last bite.

Oh, if it could be summer every day.

Oh, it is. In Hawaii.

Waialua Bakery

Google Maps

66-200 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI

On the right corner of the Malama Market parking lot, tucked behind Spaghettini

Open 9am-4pm Monday-Saturday

Good for: breakfast, lunch, snack

Favorite Eats: passion pleasure smoothie, Wonder bar, roasted veggie sandwich

Little Foodie? Baby, toddler, kid, teenager, and adult friendly.

FYI: Some vegan options, easy to take out, beach casual, outdoor seating. Even though it’s called a bakery, there are no doughnuts here. Mostly cookies, fresh breads for sandwiches, and a few breakfast baked goods.

Yelp Review

This is a series of posts about food on the North Shore. Stay tuned.

Reborn as a 5-year-old

My 5-year-old woke up and said, “Now that I’m 5, I can skateboard.” So off she went, outside, and jumped on the skateboard. Really.

Next she wanted me to take the training wheels off her bike, but I said, “Wait until Daddy gets home.”

Truthfully, I was just freaked out that she might be able to ride a bike without training wheels, just because she was 5.

Kindergarten is upon us at the beginning of August.

Sometimes she reminds me that she is still very young.

Like when she came home from the neighbor’s house yesterday, crying, that the kids told her she was “littler than them.”

“But I’m big, Mama. I’m big. I had my birthday.”

Or just how much she enjoys a treat. She considers it her right, as a citizen, to eat a cupcake for breakfast, or a Magnum ice cream bar in the afternoon. (Promise, I have never let her eat cupcakes for breakfast, but it doesn’t stop her from asking. Every. Single. Day.) I think only kids think this, and only adults eat cupcakes for breakfast.

Here she is, not sharing with Mozely. He can tell that he’s missing out on something.

(As you can see, a 5-year-old also still does not let me brush her hair without screaming like a banshee. We have cut off dreadlocks that gather in the wilds at the nape of her neck.)

I got a coupon from Foodbuzz through their Tastemaker Program for a free box of Magnum bars. The cashier at the grocery store couldn’t believe my luck.

I have a pretty high standard for ice cream bars, because in general, I don’t like ‘em. I think they’re covered in wax and the ice cream is bad quality. The chocolate did melt, quickly, which is important to me. And it was thick enough, instead of a waxy candy shell. The main thing that won me over?

A ribbon of velvety, soft caramel between two chocolate layers. Yes, you can come over for an afternoon snack at my house, Magnum.

She savors better than anyone. I hope she won’t lose her 5-year-old self in a year. Let’s hold on to that a little longer, please.

Egg Dreams & Amuse Bouche: Savory Crème Brûlée

As a kid I distinctly remember eating sukiyaki beef dipped in raw egg. I would beat it with a fork and then land my saucy, hot beef strips into that puddle of yellow and clear liquid before bringing the chopsticks to my mouth. For breakfast I would make big bowls of rice mixed with raw egg and soy sauce. Its sticky savory flavor would linger long after I finished eating. Some mornings I would open the fridge, when it was still dark outside, and practically jump for joy when I found a cup of eggnog my dad made for me in the blender, with raw eggs. Even the best way to eat natto is mixed with a raw egg, although some people would probably argue with the entire premise of that sentence. The sticky slimy all-coating texture of natto can only be stood up to by a raw egg, as the pungent savory natto smell has already chased out everyone else.

All these foods are home, to me. My parents had taught me to eat these dishes and to trust in their wholesomeness.

As a parent I am my kids’ guide into the world of food. I’ve thought many times about those foods I ate so often as a child and I’ve not dared give them to Amaya, because of my fear of salmonella poisoning.

Well, that’s about to change.

This month I was asked to participate in Kitchen Play’s May Progressive Party. I gratefully accepted the challenge, and I was delighted with the partnership with Safest Choice Eggs. I found them easily at my local grocery store. Safest Choice Eggs is a brand that pasteurizes eggs in their shells to make them free of harmful Salmonella bacteria. Most Salmonella poisoning is caused by ingesting raw eggs.

Now I don’t have to hesitate before tasting batters or other foods that contain raw eggs. Amaya can sneak cookie dough without any worry. She already loves natto, so I’m sure the raw egg version will only sweeten the deal. I can rest my paranoid parent mind.

For the Progressive Party I was given the course of amuse bouche, which is sincerely my favorite course at a nice restaurant. I love getting that surprise bite. There’s no expectation, and the fact that the chef chooses for me just gives me a thrill.

Check out Kitchen Play’s website for more information on this month’s contest. If you recreate any of the courses, including mine, and post about it on your blog, you have the chance of winning $100 for each course.

P.S. And to make it easier for you to create one of this month's recipes, here's a link to three $1.00 coupons for Safest Choice Eggs

Amuse Bouche: Savory Crème Brûlée with parmesan and balsamic vinegar syrup

I based my recipe on the memory of a parmesan crème brûlée I ate from Perbacco with my friend Da during a trip to NYC a few years ago. I’ve been trying to justify a trip back there just to eat at that restaurant again. The balsamic vinegar syrup I could eat plain for dessert. The sharp tang of vinegar is almost completely whisked away by the cooking. All that’s left is a dark, rich, sweet resin of coating syrup. Pairs well with strawberries too.

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 oz parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 4 Safest Choice Egg yolks
• 1 Safest Choice Egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsps brown sugar
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees and get out 4 4oz ramekins. In a small saucepan combine the cream and milk. Whisking often, heat over medium heat until the milk is just barely simmering. Add the parmesan and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yolks, whole egg, and salt. When the cream has cooled slightly, whisk it into the eggs in a steady stream. You must whisk quickly or the eggs will curdle.
3. Pour the liquid into the ramekins. Set them into a glass baking pan and pour about 7-8 cups of very hot water into the baking pan. The water level should be about half way up the sides of the ramekins.
4. Carefully put the water bath and ramekins into the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted into the middle of one of the ramekin mixture comes out clean.
5. Remove the ramekins from the oven and remove from the water bath. While the ramekins are cooling, heat the 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until the liquid simmers down into a thicker syrup, about 8 minutes. It should have a molasses type consistency.
6. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the tops of the crème brûlées and heat the sugar with a kitchen torch until browned and crystallized. This can also be done in the oven under the broiler for a minute or so.
7. Serve with a drizzle of the balsamic vinegar syrup over the top. To keep with the amuse bouche spirit, put a small drizzle of syrup (1/8th or 1/4th teaspoon) into a large soup spoon and place a dollop of the crème brûlée on top of that, keeping the caramelized sugar intact. Strawberries are a good serving accompaniment, or a slice of crusty bread.

Filled French Toast Waffle

I’ve made this a couple of times already, for my family, and I love it. It’s easier than easy but seems special.
When I received a coupon for a sample of Nature’s Pride bread I looked on-line about their product, because I thought, store bought bread is basically all the same. Oh ho! Not so! I found out that Nature’s Pride bread only uses natural ingredients (no artificial flavorings/preservatives) and NO high fructose corn syrup. Oroweat is the closest to this kind of philosophy, but even they use a few funny named ingredients.

Nature’s Pride gets kudos from me just based on that. The fact that it tastes this good makes me wonder: Why in the world do all those other breads use artificial ingredients?

For this I just used the basic 100% whole wheat variety, but I know you could use any of their breads. I really wanted to try the oatmeal but couldn’t find it (wouldn’t that be great? Oatmeal French Toast Waffle?). I tried to take pictures of the filling but for some reason it wouldn’t show up because of all the pressed areas of the waffle machine. You could still taste them. We loved the results. My daughter, who said, “I don’t want any” when I was cooking, started trying to eat this while I was taking the pictures. I had to swat her away to finish. Afterwards I said, “Oh, you want some?” She replied, “Yes. I LOVE french toast waffles.”
Filled French Toast Waffles

• 10 slices Nature’s Pride bread, crusts removed
• 5 Tbsp filling (recipe follows)
• 5 eggs
• 1 C milk
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp melted butter

1. Heat waffle iron. A 4 square Belgian iron works best here, but you can use any. Spread 1 Tbsp filling on one slice of bread and top with 2nd slice, pressing slightly. Repeat with remaining bread until you have 5 “sandwiches”.
2. Whisk together eggs, milk, maple syrup, and salt in a 9x12” glass pan.
3. Put sandwiches in the egg mixture, fitting all into the pan. After 2 minutes, flip over to the other side to soak in further. Wait 2 more minutes.
4. Brush melted butter on waffle iron.
5. Lift sandwiches out of the pan with a wide spatula, letting excess drip back into the pan. Lay a sandwich on the diagonal between 2 squares and another on the other 2 squares. Let the top of the iron fall gently down onto the bread, and the weight of it will start pressing it together. After about a minute, push completely to close the iron. Wait until the french toast is cooked, about 2-3 minutes (depending on your iron) or the color is medium brown. Serve immediately, plain or with maple syrup.

Fillings
Here are the fillings that I used:

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened, mixed with 1 tsp agave and 1/2 banana
• peanut butter and honey, mixed

Here are the fillings I am going to use next time:

• NUTELLA (why didn’t I think of this sooner?)
• Peanut butter and chocolate chips (Of course)
• jam
• cheese and jam (like a monte cristo!)
• brown sugar and butter

Can you think of an awesome filling? Please share. I will be making these a lot.
note: I received a coupon for Nature’s Pride Bread as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, but was not paid for my review or comments of their bread.

smart bowl

Baby girl wants to be a big girl. She wants to eat like we eat and fights us if we try to spoon feed her without her having her own spoon. I've been searching for dinnerware sets on my favorite online store. I wanted something that would accomodate our baby's needs and found this.

It's called the Dream Baby Stay Put Bowl and Cutlery Set, which is a cheesy name.  But anything that does stay put is my dream come true.

Horray for intelligent ideas!

Disclaimer: I received the product for free from CSN stores. And I stand by my word, cookware.com is the best online store for kitchen stuff. Their prices are excellent!

Kellog’s Eggo Real Fruit Pizza

I have to admit. I really love it when a box that says “dry ice” on it shows up at my house.

I received 2 Kellog’s Eggo Real Fruit Pizzas to taste from Foodbuzz recently and it was a real production opening up the box and freaking out when my daughter almost touched the dry ice with her bare hands. Luckily no one’s fingers got burned off. ‘Cause I’m such a good mother. I put the fear of God into her about touching dry ice, which is a material that I’m sure makes no sense to a 4-year-old.

We popped the fruit pizzas into the microwave (they come with those nifty “crisping” trays that you see with mini frozen pizzas) and sat down to a snack. These have a wheat crust, topped with flavored yogurt, topped with granola, topped with berries. There’s a mixed berry flavor and a strawberry flavor.

I think the mixed berry flavor comes off better, as I think those berries aren’t totally ruined by being frozen, like strawberries are. Strawberries kind of turn into a mushy blandness and they’re really only good for smoothies when they’re frozen. I appreciated that this product was not too sweet. I was expecting pop tart candy pizza, but it seemed more like real food. (Hey, I would eat pop tart pizza. Totally.)

Amaya actually only liked the strawberry flavor. She turned her nose up at the mixed berry. I tried to get her to explain why, but she had no reason. I think her preference was only about color (pink vs. purple—I guess pink wins). She ate about half a pizza. But she’s 4. I think this is not enough for me for breakfast. Maybe because I’m really into breakfast. The person I think this product would appeal to the most is a teenager. I’m a teacher and I always see teenagers with trendy instant food products. One of their favorite foods right now (at my school) are those Smucker’s PB & J sandwiches. Yes. Those ones that are frozen, circular, and crustless. I think those are a major abomination to PB & J and I once had a bet with my student that I could actually make a better PB & J and I was dumb enough to bring sandwiches to school just to prove my point. So, yes, I think they would love Eggo Real Fruit Pizzas. Especially because teenagers are kind of anti-breakfast (they think it’s cool to say, “I’m not hungry” after not eating breakfast or lunch), so they have to be appealed to by eating some name brand promise of sweetness. But it’s way better than a Monster, which is what most of my students have for breakfast.

Bottom line: Great for breakfast avoiders like teenagers. Could use more fruit on top. Not too sweet and much better than a pop tart.

Aunt Else's Aebleskivers Starter Kit Giveaway!

 

Why oh why is Enzo licking his fingers?

Because of this...

I made Aebleskivers for the first time and thanks to some nice e-mails, encouragements, and a you-tube video  it came out great. Aebleskivers are traditional sweet Danish pancakes. Some people like them with a piece of apple in the middle. I decided to try savory kind with ham and brie cheese with Parmesan on top.

When the folks at Aunt Else's Aebleskivers offered me a starter kit to try out I was a bit nervous (o.k fine, I was very nervous). It just seemed too complicated. But then when I got my kit in the mail I was totally stoked, maybe it was the pretty packaging with red and white ribbons, or maybe it was the heavy cast-iron pan that could also be used as a weapon if needed.

In full disclosure I did get my starter kit for free but also in full disclosure I am loving it and I want to give you one too.

 

(above is a screen shot. For the actual product description and to purchase visit Aunt Else's Aebleskiver website) 

Giveaway Rules:

What do you get: An Aunt Else's Aebleskivers Starter Kit shipped to your home.

Who is eligible: Anyone with a U.S mailing address

To Participate: Leave 1 comment telling us what you would put inside your Aebleskivers.

For extra chances: You can leave extra comments for each of the following

•  Follow this blog
• Fan us on Facebook
• Subscribe in an RSS reader
• tweet this giveaway
• write a post on your blog about this giveaway
  

Giveaway ends: On December 11. Winner will be contacted via e-mail.

Aunt Else's Aebleskivers is giving The Little Foodie readers a 10% discount on any of their products. Just fan or follow them on facebook, twitter, or foodbuzz and when you are checking out make sure you go to the "add special instructions to seller" and add your fan/follow option and say that you are a reader of The Little Foodie.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuntElses

Twitter: http://twitter.com/aebleskiver

FoodBuzz: http://www.foodbuzz.com/brands/producer/aunt+else's+aebleskiver