Finally a date bar that surpasses the ones my Grandmother used to make… Thank you so much Rhonda for sharing this incredible recipe with us!  I have tested, tried and devoured my fair share of date bars over the years (since they are my top pick for any sweet treats) and this recipe I must say takes the cake… My entire family enjoyed them so much, fighting for every last crumb.  Thanks to Rhonda I know what I will be making for my son’s potluck at school on Friday …. Yummmmmy!!!

Be sure to visit the Hawaiian Style Cooking website to find more free Hawaiian recipes and to order the cookbook.

Pineapple Date Bars

Ingredients:
1 cube butter
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 cup sugar
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 pkg. dates, cut fine
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Instructions:
Combine butter, sugar and mix well. Add beaten eggs, mix until blended, add crushed pineapple, nuts and dates. Sift flour, baking soda and salt and add to first mixture. Pour into baking pan lined with wax paper. Bake in 350° oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Slice warm, roll in sugar.

Enjoy…..

I LOVE my salads and feel like I am always experimenting with different store bought dressings without ever finding that perfect one (not to mention also paying an arm and leg for a little bottle!).  I have made it my mission to come up with a home made dressing that tastes great (for my husband and I as well as my two little ones… this is the hard part), is healthy and much less expensive. With much trial and error, I believe I have finally come up with a recipe that is worthy of sharing with you all… Here it is, Jean & Abbott’s Papaya Seed Dressing:

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar (or if you prefer you can substitute with 2/3 cup Honey)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon English-style dry mustard
• 1 cup tarragon vinegar
• 1 cup light olive oil (of if you prefer the stronger olive flavor you can use full-bodied olive oil)
• 1/4 cup minced Maui sweet onion or red onion
• 1 papaya, halved, reserving 3 tablespoons of the seeds and reserving the fruit for another use

Preparation

In a blender or food processor blend the sugar (honey), the salt, the mustard, and the vinegar until the mixture is smooth. With the motor running add the oil in a stream and blend the dressing until it is emulsified. Add the onion and the reserved papaya seeds and blend the dressing until the papaya seeds are the consistency of ground pepper. The dressing keeps, covered and chilled, for 2 weeks.

I hope you enjoy this dressing as much as my family does… Happy Salad eating!

The sights, smells, and tastes of t

Coconut Crunch Granola:

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp cake flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp powdered instant coffee
1 Tbsp boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
7 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
8 Tbsp unsalted butter
7 large eggs
2-3/4 cups sugar
2 cups chopped walnuts
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or line them with parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside. Combine the instant coffee and boiling water to make a paste. Blend in the vanilla extract. Melt the unsweetened chocolate, chopped bittersweet chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat or in a bowl in the microwave in 15-to-20 second intervals. Gently stir to blend. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the eggs, sugar, peppermint extract and coffee paste mixture on high speed until light in texture and thick, 6-8 minutes.

Add the chocolate mixture with the machine running on medium speed. On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until just blended. Mix in the walnuts and chocolate chips until blended. Scrape down the bowl as needed during mixing to blend evenly.

Using a 1/4 cup measure or a small ice cream scoop, fill with the dough, level it and drop onto a prepared cookie sheet, leaving 3-4 inches between the cookies. In batches, bake the cookies until they are cracked on top but still slightly moist, rotating the pans as necessary to bake the cookies evenly, around 14 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy….