If you Like Chick in the Kitchen on Facebook (go head, click Like, I’ll wait…), you know I was in Maui on vacation for a week. My sister, who is living in Australia, met me and my parents there to celebrate my dad’s birthday. Believe it or not, Hawaii is pretty much a half-way point between New York and Brisbane. It was a heck of a long flight, but even if Maui wasn’t enough of a draw, spending a week with my sister was! It was fun to have my nuclear family together again — we laugh a lot.

“Practice Aloha” is a slogan created by Mark Ellman, a Maui chef. We ate at one of his restaurants, Mala Ocean Tavern, and in terms of creativity and flavor it was by far our favorite restaurant on the island. Our waiter, Jeremiah, definitely had the aloha vibe down. Practicing aloha is open to interpretation, but it essentially means putting a positive vibe out into the world by treating everything around you with love and respect. That includes people, animals, and our environment. Mala’s menu reflects this, and we especially loved the Stir Fried Brussels Sprouts with Sesame Seeds, Fresh Mint & Crispy Wontons.

We also had a chance to eat at Aloha Mixed Plate (my favorite for laid-back island vibe, great drinks, and delicious chicken, all on an outdoor patio overlooking the ocean); Cane & Taro (my dad had some rockin’ huevos rancheros); Leilani’s On The Beach (we had coupons for free Hula Pie — “This is what the sailors swam to shore for in Lahaina” — Oreo cookie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, fudge topping, macadamia nuts sprinkled on top, and whipped cream FTW!). Hula Grill and Roy’s – Kahana Bar & Grill were just OK.

We did spend a full day driving the Road to Hana, which is a 1.5-lane wide road traversing the north side of Maui in a series of blind curves and switchbacks. It is not a drive for the faint of heart, and my dad did a fantastic job keeping us safe. The Twin Falls farm stand photo above is taken just at the start of the trip. We’d packed a picnic lunch from Safeway the night before, as there is not much in the way gas stations or food along the drive. And as far as waterfalls, well, the four of us are a little jaded. We’ve spent a lot of time in Ithaca, NY after all, and there are some spectacular waterfalls there too.

At the end of that day trip we stopped in a cool little town called Paia, where Mama’s Fish House is an institution. We had our second chance to sample poi here, which is a traditional, bland porridge made of pounded taro root. This version was thicker, described as “one-finger: by our waiter because you eat it by dipping just one finger inside. We’re previously eaten a much looser version at Aloha Mixed Plate. Really, there is nothing offensive about poi, since it barely has a flavor. My sister didn’t mind this second version though, and was the only one of us to finish the small sample they gave us. Here’s the poi, looking as pretty as it can look:

There were two more fun food highlights. First, we had an opportunity to tour the kitchen of the Sherton Maui, where we stayed. I love a good behind the scenes tour, plus I am fascinated by how restuarants can cook for such huge amounts of people. Conrad Aquino is the executive sous chef there, and he definitely exudes the idea of practicing aloha. He was incredibly good-natured, always with a smile on his face, and seemed really excited to show me, my mom, my sister, and one other guest around the inner workings of the kitchen. Look at the size of those whisks and dough hooks in the back corner! They dwarf my own KitchenAid many many times over. (They actually use an industrial-sized Hobart mixer.)

After the tour Conrad cut up several fruits for us to sample. We tried rambutan, guava (I didn’t care for it), and an apple banana (I wrote in my notes this was a “vanilla banana,” but I think I got it wrong). We also had a jambong, which is like a less-tart, enormous grapefruit:

My favorite new fruit, though, was the chiamito, or star apple. The flesh was lightly sweet and very soft, but not slimy (though I think it looks that way):

Conrad also made us a delicious upside-down tart in a pan. He layered the supremed (sliced) jambong and Granny Smith slices in a skillet, then sprinkled them with sugar and dotted them with butter (and not with a light hand, I must add!). The prepared puff pastry cut to size was placed on top, and allowed to cook. The finished dish was flipped out of the pan upside down, so the fruit — beautifully arranged — was on top and caramelized. Just to gild the lily, it was served with a scoop of vanilla and macadamia nut ice cream. Wow. It was delicious, and Conrad graciously gave us leftovers to bring out to my dad since it was his birthday that day. Although we never got a chance to eat in the resort’s dinner restaurant, we found both of their bar menus to be generously portioned, with plenty of lighter and vegetarian options. It was easy and pleasant to eat lunch at the resort — we didn’t even have to get out of our lounge chairs if we didn’t want to.

On one of our last days in Maui, we hit a local farmer’s market nearby. I have to use the term “local” loosely, since there were bananas from Ecuador for sale amongst the Hawaii coconuts. I did treat myself to a young coconut for $4. The gentleman you see here cut a hole in the top so I could stick a straw inside and drink the coconut water (it’s not cream at this point). Then when I was done he chopped the whole thing open so we could scrape out the meat. It was more fun than delicious — my sister says the coconuts she gets in Brisbane are infinitely better. We also bought a couple of coconut bagels (does that mean I can no longer call myself a New Yorker?), which were barely sweet plain bagels with a sprinkle of dessicated coconut on top. Not bad, actually. We also bought some local cheddar and made a breakfast out of all that, along with coffee and chai from the Bad Ass Coffee Co.

I used the word “paradise” a mind-numbingly large amount of times on this vacation. It was truly a vacation of a lifetime, and I’m thankful to my parents for helping my sister and I get out there with them. They deserve an enormous Hawaiian “mahalo” — thank you. There are so many pictures that could sum up the aloha I felt on the trip, but this one is a favorite. I’m going to keep trying to practice aloha, even now that I’m far from that island paradise.

The original recipe uses pork — General Tso’s Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos With Orange-Broccoli Slaw — but boneless, skinless chicken thighs are an easy substitution. That’s what I did. The chicken thighs only need to cook for about 4 hours on low in your Crock-Pot.

I omitted the cornstarch, and once the chicken was fully cooked I removed it in order to shred it fully. While I was doing that, I reduced the remaining sauce in a small pan on the stove, and found that I could get it to thicken slightly in a short amount of time. If you do use the cornstarch, you will likely get a much glossier, thicker sauce, so the choice is yours.

I used my own dressing for the broccoli slaw, which includes sriracha, honey, fresh lemon, and rice wine vinegar. The slaw is better if it sits for a few hours in the dressing, but its crisp and spicy flavor is a good compliment to the saucy chicken.

A. was happy to eat a couple of these chicken tortillas, and even asked for them again the next night. On the other hand, I could barely get G. to try a plain tortilla. So, a semi-success. I liked the flavor of this dish a lot, and think it performs well as a slow-cooker meal. It worth repeating a couple of times a year.

Did you catch my posts this week about the Scallion Turkey Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze and Peter Reinhart’s (Two-Day) Challah? They were both fantastic and worth a look.

My menu plans have been very simple lately, but that makes them easier to stick to! Lots of vegetable-based recipes this week.

Monday: Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup, Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (bumped from Sunday)

Tuesday: Spiced Lentils with Mushrooms and Greens, leftover Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup, leftover Pumpkin Dinner Rolls and challah rolls.

Wednesday: Beef meatballs in marinara sauce, spaghetti, Carrot Salad

Thursday: Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups, garden salad (I have got to find whole wheat lasagna noodles!)

Friday: Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, Pull-Apart Challah Rolls, Cheesy Kale Crisps

Saturday: Out to dinner

Sunday: Out to dinner

For more menu planning ideas, check out Laura at Organizing Junkie.

Tired of beef meatballs in marinara sauce? This is a delicious alternative that can still be served with spaghetti if you have picky kids like mine. The recipe for Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze comes from Deb at Smitten Kitchen, and it is a keeper.

I followed the recipe exactly, except that I did use the full amount of fresh ginger and I bumped up the amount of cilantro (because I love it). The ground turkey mixture is extremely wet, but if you gently shape the meatballs as Deb explains — dampen your hands with cold water and move the mixture from hand to hand as you form it into a ball — they’ll turn out fine. I had to re-wet my hands a couple of times.

These meatballs are fantastic. The sauce, which reduces beautifully, is thick and glossy and just like you’d get at a good restaurant. The meatballs are tender and bursting with a light, fresh favor thanks to the herbs. Because the sauce is a salty and clings to the meatballs, it contrasts perfectly with the lighter, sweeter note of the turkey.

Unfortunately, I could not get either of my boys to try them. I think on another night, A. would have tried a meatball without the sauce — he loves cilantro too — but he was tired and not in the mood to be adventurous. I froze a good portion of the meatballs in their sauce, but did not care for the way they later defrosted and reheated. As reheated leftovers, the meatballs were slightly spongy and watery, and the sauce reduced a bit further and was too salty for my taste. So, if you make them, eat them fresh! I’m sure in most households, there won’t be any leftovers to worry about, anyway.

It is not every day that I have 11 egg yolks in my fridge. But after making a double batch of meringue frosting (all egg whites) for a Dairy-Free Frosted Birthday Cake, I did. What happened to the twelfth yolk, you may ask? I (accidentally) carefully placed it in the drain of my kitchen sink instead of the bowl with all its brethren. Apparently I was bored and distracted by the the time I hit a dozen eggs.

So, with 11 egg yolks I had three options: make hollandaise, custard, or challah. Hollandaise was out; no one in my family would eat it. Custard was a toss-up: perhaps the boys would love a homemade pudding, but it could just as easily go the other. Challah, however, is no-fail in this house. So I settled on a recipe from Michael Ruhlman’s blog, Peter Reinhart’s Challah.

There are two things about this challah that are different from other bread recipes I’ve made before: first, it used all yolks instead of some whole eggs and some divided; second, it calls for the initial rise to be done in the fridge, at least overnight but for up to four days.

I posted some pictures of the dough rising on the Chick in the Kitchen Facebook page, including a photo of the dough after the final (third!) rise and before baking. My dough took a little more flour to come together than the recipe suggests, and I did choose to add the vanilla. The fridge rise was amazing. When we opened the door of the fridge the next morning, it looked as though the dough had tried to escape the bounds of the bowl — it had more than doubled in size. I don’t know a lot about the chemistry of bread-baking, but it was very interesting to experience this “cool” rise cycle.

I choose to make 8 large challah rolls (we call them “nose” rolls because of the nubbin in the middle) and 1 large braided challah. The dough was very easy to work with after the first rise, and braided easily. I used both the recommended thump test (the bottom of the bread should sound hollow) and took the internal temperature of the bread (should be 190 degrees F) when done. I overbaked the rolls by about 2 minutes, so if you are making smaller breads watch the time carefully.

This challah was fantastic. J. said it was hands-down the best homemade challah he had ever tasted, and that it was just as good as something from a bakery. The texture of the bread was light but still with a bit a chewiness, and it didn’t taste overly sweet or eggy. A. preferred slices of the challah which was slightly more moist than the rolls. G. liked them both, but told me he still prefers the Pull-Apart Honey Challah Rolls.

Although the recipe takes two days to complete, it’s not any more complex than any other yeast bread. You just have to have the time. If I were ever in a position again where I had a large number of egg yolks to use up, this would be my go-to recipe. But since I don’t have imminent plans to whip a dozen egg whites, it won’t be in the near future.

Another week, another plan. Made any great new recipes recently?

Monday: Out to eat or order in

Tuesday: Peter Reinhart’s Two-Day Challah (I put the dough up today), celery & carrots, sliced cheese

Wednesday: General Tso’s Slow-Cooked [Chicken] Tacos With Orange-Broccoli Slaw

Thursday: Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Crust for make your own pizza and calzones; garden salad

Friday: Shabbat Chicken, barley & sauteed onions, steamed green beans, challah

Saturday: Out to dinner (Thai?)

Sunday: Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup, Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

For more menu planning ideas, check out Laura at Organizing Junkie.

I love having a reason to bake a cake. I don’t bake cakes as an after-school treat (cookies rule!), as we just don’t want that much of a tempting sweet around unless it’s easy to parcel out and freeze. But for birthdays, I’m all about baking a cake!

This weekend we celebrated several January birthdays in our family, and I was tasked with bringing a pareve, or non-dairy, cake. My mom keeps a kosher home, and she and my dad were serving deli for our lunch gathering, so I had to find recipes without butter and milk.

The night before our event, I baked two rounds of Black Chocolate Cake, using dark cocoa powder and Earth Balance butter sticks for the shortening. It was gorgeous and moist — truly more black than dark brown.

Since buttercream frosting wasn’t an option, I decided to try my hand at White Meringue Frosting. Egg whites are whisked with lots of sugar and a little vanilla extra over a double-boiler, until the eggs reach a temperature of 160°F and all the sugar is dissolved. Although the recipe cautions about thoroughly dissolving the sugar to avoid a grainy end product, I wasn’t totally successful. I did whisk that mixture by hand, on the stove, for 20 minutes though! The cooked mixture felt and tasted smooth to me, but once it was whipped in the KitchenAid the graininess became more pronounced. Regardless, the frosting was tasty and my father-in-law actually thought the sugar granules were an on-purpose, delicious feature. A. did not — upon tasting it, he immediately asked why there were “crumbs” in the frosting.

The cake was a big success, and I am sure I can do a better job on the frosting next time. If you need a non-dairy frosted cake for allergy or kashrut reasons, I can definitely recommend this one. And here’s the evidence:

I was attracted to 101 Cookbooks’ Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies Recipe for two reasons: it uses whole wheat flour exclusively, instead of a blend of AP and whole wheat; and the novelty of baking the cookie in a cast iron skillet.

I simplified the recipe a bit, creaming the butter and sugar in my mixer and then just dumping the rest of the ingredients along with it. (I wasn’t about to use multiple bowls for a chocolate chip cookie — I’m lazy like that.) I also used a 12 oz. bag of semisweet chocolate chunks instead of cut up a bar of chocolate myself.

The boys thought this “cookie cake” was very cool. It reminded me of my high school afternoons, working at the Nanuet Mall. There was a Great American Cookie Co. across the aisle from my store, and their cookie cakes were all the rage in early 90s. The boys wanted to cut this cookie up into pizza wedges, but even though I cut the slices thin they still felt very large because of the diameter of the pan.

The cookie is a bit dense because of the whole wheat flour, but my kids definitely did not realize it was any different than a sweet made with all-purpose flour. I wound up freezing half the cookie, and it still tasted fresh once defrosted. While we enjoyed the novelty of this skillet cookie, we’ll probably stick to our tried-and-true drop cookies in the future.

The boys are suddenly very interested in my menu planning, asking to be part of the process and wanting to look up what’s for dinner online rather than just talking to me about it. It’s very cute, and makes me feel happy that I put in the work to plan.

Monday: Trying Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Crust for make your own pizza and calzones; garden salad

Tuesday: Baked Barley Risotto With Butternut Squash (+ spinach), Sweet Potato Rolls, sliced cheese

Wednesday: Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze (from the freezer), spaghetti, sauteed broccoli

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Out to eat

Saturday: Grilled rib eye steaks, potatoes, and asparagus; garden salad

Sunday: Black Chocolate Cake with a White Meringue Frosting (I needed a non-dairy dessert) for an afternoon family birthday celebration; leftovers for dinner

For more menu planning ideas, check out Laura at Organizing Junkie.

The bright green of this soup caught my eye as I was leafing through a recent issue of Martha Stewart Living. The color comes from dark green curly kale, lightened by the white of the cauliflower. It is a surprisingly hearty and flavorful soup considering it is vegan, low fat, and uses water as a base. It’s a perfect soup to get your eating back on track after the excess of the December holidays and New Year celebrations.

Both J. and I enjoyed it, and I’ll make it again. It’s an easy way to eat your veggies. This soup can be served hot or cold.

Creamy Cauliflower & Dill Soup (Vegan)
Adapted from Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Greens, Martha Stewart Living

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized slices
4 c. water
small bunch of curly kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
1/4 c. fresh dill, chopped fine
1 tsp. kosher salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

In a stock pot, heat the olive oil and add your diced onion. Stir the onions and cover the pot, allowing the onions to soften for 5 minutes over a low heat. Add the garlic, cauliflower, and water; stir and then bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat and then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped kale, cover, and simmer for another few minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool for 5 minutes.

Using an immersion (stick) blender, puree the soup in the pot until the soup is completely smooth. (You can carefully transfer the soup to a regular blender if you don’t have an immersion blender.) Season the soup with the dill, salt, and pepper. Serve warm, garnishing each bowl with a drizzle of a half teaspoon of olive oil and a grind of black pepper, if desired.