Chocolate-Covered

Macadamia Nuts

December 16: National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day

Islander and her family would send boxes of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts to friends on the mainland as gifts for Christmas or on special occasions. Now that Islander herself is a Hawaii expatriate, she receives care packages of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts from family and friends back in the islands. Ah, many  happy returns!

When the “provisions” run out and she gets a craving for them, she would make her own chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. They are easy to prepare for parties and are great to give as gifts during the holidays as well.

Remember, it is “better to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).” Chocolate-covered macadamia nuts will satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth with a touch of aloha (in fact, Hawaiian Host brand’s tag line for its treats is “Hawaii’s Gift to the World”). Make chocolate-covered macadamia nuts during this gift-giving season and on National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day.

Recipe

Ingredients

• chocolate bar or candy melts/wafers (we used Hershey’s brand milk chocolate bar 4.4 ounces)
• macadamia nuts, roasted and unsalted (whole and halves) (we recommend Mauna Loa brand)

Directions

Break the chocolate bar into small pieces. Melt in the microwave at 30 second intervals until slightly liquified. Stir until smooth. Line a mini muffin pan with paper baking cups. Spoon a little bit of the melted chocolate on the bottom of the cups, about ¼ inch thick. Refrigerate for about five minutes to set the chocolate but do not let it solidify.

Place nuts in the center of each. Pour the remaining melted chocolate over the nuts. Refrigerate until solid. Remove from the muffin pan. Serve at room temperature.

We also decorated each chocolate-covered macadamia nut cups with a holly-and-berries motif for the holiday season. Squeeze a small dot of red tube icing (we used Wilton brand red gel) on top of the chocolate. Position three red nonpareils (berries) on the icing (we used CK Products brand 4 millimeter size sugar pearls). Pipe out the holly leaves with green tube icing (we used Wilton brand Kelly Green color and leaf tip #352). Refrigerate to set. Place them in pretty boxes or decorative tins for gift-giving or set them on a platter for serving at socials.

Notes

• One 4.4-ounce milk chocolate Hershey’s candy bar yields six mini-muffin sized chocolate-covered macadamia nut portions. Other brands of chocolate or candy melts/wafers may be used.
• Dark chocolate and salted macadamia nuts may be substituted in this recipe.
• The brands we buy for boxed chocolate-covered macadamia nuts are the more popular Hawaiian Host and Mauna Loa. Other brands include Island Princess, Big Island Candies and Hawaiian Sun.
• Search our blog for more macadamia nut recipes. And check out our other chocolate recipes as well.

Santa Lucia Leves (St. Lucy Soup)

December 13: Feast Day of St. Lucy

Warm up during the winter weather with a saintly soup! On those darker, depressing December days in the northern hemisphere, we like to lighten up with leves (soup) of Santa Lucia.

St. Lucy, whose name means “light” in Latin, was a third-century saint from Sicily, Italy. Legends state that she was tortured to death by having her eyes gouged out and being burned at the stake for her Christian faith. St. Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye problems, as she gives hope to see the Light and Savior of the World—Jesus!

Santa Lucia Leves is a Hungarian recipe. This soup can be served during the season of Advent and Christmas and on the Feast Day of St. Lucy.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking With the Saints by Ernst Scheugraf)

Ingredients

• ½ cup rice, uncooked
• 8 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• ¼ cup onion, minced
• 1 cup fully-cooked ham, chopped
• ½ cup flour

Directions

Boil the rice in salted water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the rice-flavored water into a large bowl. Save the rice for another recipe, if desired (see Notes).

Mince the onions and chop the ham into tiny pieces. In a large pot, melt the butter over low heat.

Saute the onions and ham until shiny. Mix in the flour until smooth. Pour in the rice-flavored water and simmer to thicken. Stir and ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with  parsley flakes (optional). Serve hot with bread or crackers.

Notes

• Use the leftover boiled rice to make Italian-style arancini (recipe is posted on National Rice Month in September). These Sicilian rice balls are normally filled with a tomato or meat sauce, mozzarella cheese and/or peas. But on the Feast Day of St. Lucy, Sicilians celebrate with sweetened rice arancini filled with chocolate.
• We will feature other recipes and feast day foods for St. Lucy in future blog posts.

Lager Chicken Wings

December 10: National Lager Day 

Islander’s Uncle Ernie B. loved lager for pau hana time and parties. His particular favorite was Primo beer, one of a few Hawaiian-style lagers made on the islands (a brewery used to be near his house in Aiea, Oahu) with a touch of sugar cane from the local plantations. So he and his other beer buddies were disappointed when Primo was discontinued for a decade.

“Hawaii’s original beer” has an interesting history. The Honolulu Brewing and Malting Company was formed around 1898 and launched the Primo lager brand in 1901. Prohibition during 1920-1933 halted operations. Since then, Hawaiian Brewing Corporation, Schlitz and Stroh brewing companies, respectively, acquired ownership of Primo. In 1997, Stroh stopped manufacturing the beer and, two years, later was bought out by Pabst.

Pabst brought back Primo in 2007. The lager sold in-state is produced on Kauai by Keoki Brewing Company, which was later  acquired by Hawaii Nui (formerly Mehana) Brewing Company. Today, Primo is an iconic beer brand and is a sponsor at surf contests and supporter of Hawaiian culture conservation organizations.

For National Lager Day, we used Primo beer and Hawaiian honey in a marinade to make Lager Chicken Wings. Okole maluna!

Recipe

(Adapted from Food.com)

Ingredients

• 8 chicken wings
• 2 cups lager (we used Primo Hawaiian beer)
• 1 tablespoon honey (we used Big Island Bees brand Macadamia Nut Blossom flavor)
• pinch of salt (we used Hawaiian black lava salt)
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Soak wooden skewers in water then spear them through the chicken wings. In a bowl, pour the lager. Season with salt.

Add the honey, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Grill the chicken wings, basting with a bit of the liquid from the marinade, until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Or broil the chicken in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, basting occasionally with the marinade and turning once, until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken from the grill or broiler onto a platter. Remove the skewers (optional) and serve hot.

Notes

• We halved the recipe above to feed just the two of us. Other chicken pieces (legs, thighs, breasts, etc.) instead of wings may be used with or without skin.
• The original recipe for Lager Chicken Wings is a bit bland. Seasoning the skewered meat with salt (we use Hawaiian sea salt) and pepper during grilling helps to improve the taste somewhat. Also brushing lightly with soy sauce (we use Aloha Shoyu brand) adds flavor and a brown beer coloring to the chicken.