Lava Cake

Lava:

7/8 bar of 60% Cacao Chocolate Baking Bar, broken into 1/2 inch pieces

Pinch Salt

1/4 cup milk

3 Tbsp softened butter, cut into chunks

Instructions: 

- Put the chocolate & salt in a small bowl

- Bring milk to a simmer and immediately pour over chocolate.

- Shake bowl to submerge chocolate and cover it with plastic wrap for 3 minutes.

- Uncover and whisk until chocolate is completely melted.  Add butter and whisk until completely blended. 

- Refrigerate until mixture is form enough to scoop, about 2-3 hours.

- Use a spoon or small scoop to shape 8 balls, place them on a wax paper lined dish and put into the freezer until needed.

Cakes: 

2 bars 60% cacao baking bars

6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, separated and at room temperature

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar)

1/3 cup sugar

Optional Powder sugar for sprinkling

As needed - Sugar to coat the cups

Instructions:

- Spray eight 6-oz custard cups or ramekins with vegetables oil spray and coat them with sugar, tapping out the excess.

- Put chocolate, butter and salt in a medium heatproof bowl (preferably stainless steel) and set it directly in a wide skillet of almost simmering water, stirring frequently until the chocolate is almost entirely melted.

- Remove the bowl from the skillet and stir to finish melting the chocolate. 

- Whisk the cocoa powder, flour, and egg yolks into the warm chocolate. Set aside.

- In a large bowl, beat the 6 egg whites and cream of tartar (or vinegar) on medium speed until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted.  

- Gradually beat in the sugar on high speed until the egg whites are stiff but not dry.

- Fold one quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.  Scrape the mixture over the remaining egg whites and fold until just incorporated.

- Divide the batter evenly among cups (being careful not to deflate it by extra mixing or handling).

- Center a ball of lava on top of the batter in each cup.  Push the lava into the batter until is about 1/4 inch below the surface.  It should not touch the bottom of the cup.  Spread the batter to cover the lava ball.

- Cover the cups with plastic wrap until ready to bake.

- Fix one of your oven racks to the bottom 1/3 of the oven.  Now, preheat the oven to 400 F.

- Uncover the cups, set on a baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes until cakes are puffed and a tooth pick inserted in the center meets no resistance and emerges coated  with sauce that feels slightly warm when you touch it.  Please do not put hot chocolate sauce to your mouth.  If it is too hot, you can scald yourself.

- Let cakes rest for 3 minutes.

- Run a thin knife around the inside of the cup, pressing against the sides to avoid tearing the cake.  Cover each cup with a serving plate, invert and lift slowly. 

- Dust cakes with a little powdered sugar (if desired) and serve immediately. 

Tukyan Steamed Veggies

Ingredients:

16 oz of your favorite hearty to steam veggies, preferable fresh
1 cup water
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp fresh minced ginger
2 tbsp brown sugar
dash of sea salt
dash of medium ground black pepper


Directions:

In medium pan, boil water until rapid roll happens.
Add veggies and turn a few times immediately.
Turn heat down to medium.
Add butter and turn veggies.
Add ginger and turn veggies.
Add sugar then turn veggies a few times.
Turn off heat, add salt & pepper.  When transferring into serving dish, be sure to slow pour the juices over the veggies again, and if they sit for any length of time, turn them every 20 minutes or so to retain juiciness & flavor.

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz) pkg white baking chips
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/2 cup crushed candy canes

Directions

Before starting this recipe, you want to make sure that everything is prepped.  When making candy, the cooking part goes really fast, but it is how you prep for the job that can make or break your candies.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  

Make sure your refrigerator has space for the cookie sheet when you finish. 

Prepare double boiler:  Put one pot of water to boil, then turn down to simmer the water.  In another pot or dish that can sit on top of that, pour baking chips and stir until melted.  If you are unable to make double boiler, you can just put the baking chips on low heat.  It will take longer, but a goal is a goal.  We want candy.  You have to keep watch.  

When the baking chips are almost melted, stir in the peppermint extract.  and continue to stir until the mixture is smooth & melted.

Spread across the foil lined sheet at a thickness of 1/4 inch.

Sprinkle in crushed candies and press lightly with spatula until they are lightly stuck in top layer of bark.

Refrigerate for about 10 minutes or until set.  To serve, break into pieces. 

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

• 1 (16oz) pkg of pound cake mix
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tbsp lemon grind
• 2 tbsp softened butter
• 2 tbsp poppy seed

Preheat oven to 350 and grease bundt pan.  If you don't have bundt, you can use 8" cake pan, muffin pans or loaf pan.  

Beat all the ingredients except poppy seed for 3 minutes on low, until mixture is smooth and moistened.

Stir in poppy seed and pour into bundt pan.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a fork comes out clean when inserted into cake.

Cool away from heat, to stop the cake from drying out too much.

Sprinkle with 10x (confectioner sugar) if you want to decorate cake.

** Bake time based on bundt pan.  If you used muffin pans, check at about 22-24 minutes, 8" in about 30-35 minutes and loaf pan, 40-45 minutes.

Olena Pork

Olena Pork


This recipe can feed upto 12 depending on how much you add to it and is a variable recipe, for easy crowd adjustments.  We are going to base the recipe on feeding 4-6 people.


3 lbs pork cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dry turmeric or 1 thumb size root, minced
1 whole onion cut your fave stir fry style
1-2 colorful bell peppers (whichever one you like)
2 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp Bragg's brand Liquid Aminos (healthy shoyu/soy sauce)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp flax, hemp or chia seeds
2 tbsp ina mona or your favorite crushed stir fry legume
2 cups of your favorite frozen or fresh stir fry veggies
cooked white rice to suit your ohana


1.  Heat up the oil in your wok or stir fry pot. Add turmeric, brown pork.

2.  Add Bragg's Liquid Aminos, seeds and ina mona.

3.  Stir your pot to evenly distribute flavors, then add onions, peppers and coconut milk.  Let simmer while you tidy up, 5 minutes.

4.  Add the stir fry veggies, be sure the pot is on low heat.  Throw a lid on it and wait another 10 minutes before serving the food.

Black Magic Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs 
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
• 1 cup strong black coffee OR 2 teaspoons powder instant coffee plus 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

     1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

     2.Stir together sugar,flour,cocoa,baking soda,baking powder,and salt in large bowl.Add eggs,buttermilk,coffee,oil,and vanilla;beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (batter will be thin).Pour batter into prepared pans/pan evenly.

     3.Bake 30-35 minutes for round pans,35-40 minutes for rectangular pan.Cool 10 min.;remove from pans to wire racks.Cool completely.Frost as desired.

Chocolate Glaze

• 1 - 8oz tub of cool whip 
• 6 squares of semi-sweet chocolate

If you don't know how to double boil something, put a small pot at about 1.5 inches of water to simmer.  Put a pot on top that will settle securely over the water pot.  Now put the cool whip and chocolate in the pot on top and let melt enough for you to start stirring.  Stir very 30 seconds until chocolate is melted and mixture is shiny and smooth.  Use immediately.