Hawaii 5-0 Trail Mix

August 31: National Trail Mix Day

“Book’em, Danno!”

Islander and her family used to watch the original “Hawaii 5-0” on TV back in the 1970s. The series lasted from 1968-1980 and starred Jack Lord as Detective Steve McGarrett. Thirty years later, in 2010, “Hawaii 5-0” was rebooted, with Alex O’Loughlin as the lead actor. Islander saw his co-stars, Scott Caan (Detective Danny “Danno” Williams) and Teilor Grubbs (who plays his daughter Grace) while they were filming a scene at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. She and a curious crowd waited around three hours to watch them but the final scene in the aired episode lasted three minutes!

We are gearing up to watch another season of “Hawaii 5-0” premiering this fall. The Hilton Hawaiian Village hosts viewing parties as well. Why not eat an aptly named trail mix while watching the episodes (or reruns)? There are only five ingredients in the “Hawaii 5-0” trail mix recipe so it is easy to make for a snack.

Also try this tasty tropical treat on National Trail Mix Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from “Cookgirl” via Food.com)

Ingredients

• ½ cup dried pineapple, chopped
• 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped
• 6 mini Mounds chocolate-covered coconut candy bars
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, roasted (wholes and halves)
• 1 small bag taro chips (4-6 ounces)

Directions

Chop the dried pineapple and crystallized ginger into small pieces. Dice the Mounds candy bar into little bits. Place the pineapple, ginger and candy, along with the macadamia nuts, in a large bowl.

Add the taro chips to the mix, breaking the larger chips into smaller pieces. Combine well and serve immediately. Or package them an airtight container until ready to eat.

Notes

• Find bags of taro chips by Terra Chips at mainland grocers.  Some specialty health/natural food stores and Asian markets might sell taro chips as well.
• The final food photo of the tropical trail mix was taken against the backdrop of Islander’s “Hawaii 5-0” tee shirt.
• Islander took the photos of the cast and crew while they were filming on the grounds of the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Aug. 29, 2012. The segment they were shooting was part of “Hawaii 5-0” season 3, episode 6, number 53. “I Ka Wa Mamua” (“In a Time Past”) aired on Nov. 12, 2012.

Lemonade Cake

August 20: National Lemonade Day

Lemonade is summer’s quintessential thirst quencher. And when the temperatures rise to a scorching heat in South Texas, we definitely like to cool down with the tart and tasty citrus drink. Sure we support the neighborhood children whenever they open up their lemonade stands on the street corner. But what if the little entrepreneurs had a summer bake sale and offered slices of lemonade cake?!? That may be a creative idea (but perhaps too ambitious). Nevertheless, lemonade in a cake still makes a sweet summer treat, especially on National Lemonade Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor Returns by Anne Byrn)

For the lemonade cake

• 1 package (18.25 ounces) lemon cake mix
• 1 ¼ cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
• ¾ cup powdered sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the lemon cake mix with the water, vegetable oil and eggs. Mix until smooth. Pour into two 8-inch greased round cake pans. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes, testing the cake for doneness. Remove from the oven and cool the cakes in the pan for about 15 minutes.

Make the lemon glaze by mixing the lemonade concentrate with powdered sugar in a bowl until smooth. Poke holes in the warm cake with the tines of a fork. Drizzle the glaze on the cake, letting it seep through the holes. Cool the cakes completely. Invert one of the cakes onto a cake board or plate. Make the lemonade frosting.

For the lemonade frosting

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons lemonade concentrate, thawed (leftover from the cake recipe above)
• 3+ cups powdered sugar
• 2+ tablespoons water

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the lemonade. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Thin with water for a spreadable consistency.

Spread frosting on top of the bottom layer of the cake. Top with the second cake. Spread frosting on top layer and down the sides of the cake to crumbcoat. Chill in the refrigerator for half an hour to set.

Frost or decorate as desired (we covered our cake in rosettes; refer to our blog post for the Mystical Rosette Cake for additional directions). Slice and serve the cake.

Notes

• We doubled the recipe for the lemonade frosting to crumbcoat and decorate the cake in rosettes. We tinted half of it with a lemon yellow color for the latter.
• Try substituting pink lemonade and tinting the batter and frosting in pink for a different color cake.
• Love lemons? Search our blog for other lemon recipes!

Back-to-School Cupcakes

August: Back-to-School Season

Students and teachers alike are preparing for the new academic year this month and it seems that summer has gone by too fast (it always does!). Brighten up their back-to-school blues with colorful cupcakes!

Here are some school-themed sweet treats that we decorated and donated to the students and staff at Islander’s brother’s school. We looked at different Google images, studied how others decorated their cupcakes and made an educated guess on how to create our own. We got an A+ from the appreciative recipients.

Learn how to make back-to-school cupcakes by following the photo tutorial below. Decorating them is fun and as easy as ABC and 123!!!

Recipe

• Cupcakes
• Frosting
• Miniature chocolate bars
• Chocolate fudge frosting (we used Hershey’s S’mores dessert icing)
• White tube frosting
• Red round candy
• Green tube frosting
• Colorful sprinkles (optional)

Directions

Prepare the batter and bake the cupcakes in colorful paper liners. Cool completely.

Generously ice the tops of the cooled cupcakes with brightly colored frosting. Unwrap the mini chocolate bars. Outline the back edges with chocolate fudge frosting. Write letters and numbers using the white tube frosting.

Position the “chocolate chalkboards” slightly off-center on top of the cupcakes. Place a red round candy by the chalkboard. Pipe a small leaf using the green tube frosting to complete the “apple.” Sprinkle colorful nonpareils on top (optional).

Notes

• These cupcakes are perfect for parties with an education theme.
• Search our blog for other cupcake decorating ideas.