We moved to Florida from Hawaii about four years ago and every once in awhile, something will really, really make us miss the islands.

We always kind of miss the islands–but sometimes we REALLY MISS them.

And, that happened to us last Friday night. You see, my husband is a big time surfer and I, although not a surfer, really have an appreciation for surfing and LOVE watching it. The other night, a friend posted a link to SURFLINE’s web page where they were streaming, LIVE, in high defition, the swell that had just arrived in Waikiki.

We were sitting on our bed, in Florida, watching surfers in Hawaii surf in real time. On waves that we were very familiar with.

It was kind of painful to watch. More for my husband than me. I wanted to be there to jump in the water and eat some good food–but he wanted to be there in the waves.

So, I decided to make him a little something that would make him feel a little less homesick–Hawaiian Sweet Bread with Kaula Pig sandwiches.

We often will eat these sandwiches in the form of a slider on the small Kings Hawaiian Sweet breads–but that was before we knew that they made larger hamburger buns. I added crunchy purple cabbage to the sandwiches for both crunch and color–and because I don’t like soft on soft sandwiches (just like the Amateur Gourmet!)

I served them with a little bit of BBQ sauce and a side of pineapple. A real Hawaiian treat.

It may not have really taken us back to Hawaii–but it did get Aaron reminiscing about the old Kings Restaurant where they would serve Hawaiian sweet. breads. We all sat around the dinner table listening to the old stories of Hawaii and the not so old stories. We actually got so inspired that we started to look up airplane tickets to visit family.

Aloha!

Do you want a chance to win a $200 gift card? King’s Hawaiian® wants to know how you bring people together. Reply below for a chance to win! Sweepstakes Rules.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kings Hawaiian. The opinions and text are all mine.

Awhile back, I was asked to test out the new Sitterati BabySitting app…a tool that has been designed to make it easier for parents to find and use babysitters, and to keep a nice and tidy little schedule of who will be watching our kids and when. The app is pretty nifty, I thought, but I don’t really use sitters very often and when I do, it is usually a phone call and a handful of cash–instead of online scheduling and paying. So, I realized pretty quickly that I wouldn’t really be using this app for personal babysitting type things.

However, my husband and I have recently started a business, called SURFit USA, and we will be offering summer camps this summer. 8 weeks of kids on the beach–learning stand up paddleboarding and surfing on the beautiful Florida beaches. And, that is where I think Sitterati can help us. The classes are being taught by my husband and we need to hire some young people to work alongside him and I had been racking my brains on how exactly to go about this–and I think Sitterati can help. Sitterati can help us find sitters and though we aren’t looking for sitters necessarily, we are looking for people who are good with kids and have experience working with them. Sitterati can develop schedules!
This is great because I anticipate that we will need to find a few different people to cover all of the weeks of the summer. My favorite aspect is that you can create a job and send it to all of your potential workers/sitters and they can accept or decline. You don’t have to send around lots of text messages or hang out on the phone all day.

Also, you can pay through Sitterati! Once your sitter/worker has a profile, you can send them money. No more searching for cash for the sitter and for our business it will help a lot. We are trying to streamline every aspect of our money process and paying through the app will be a great time saver and a good way to keep records (something I am very bad at doing).

I am quite excited to use this tool as a means to help out the business—-I think it will work perfectly.

How will you use the Sitteratti app? Do you think it seems like a useful tool or just another thing to have to remember your passwords for?

-Karla

I am posting this AGAIN because for some reason the recipe was just not working. Hopefully, this one should work. And, just so you know–this recipe is NOT vegan but I am working on a vegan adaptation and hope to get it up on the site soon.

A while back I made these Slutty Brownies, inspired by What’s Gaby Cooking and they have been one of the most popular recipes on the site.

And, one of our favorite things to take to ANY event in which bringing something is a requirement. They go fast. People rave about them–it feels good to have your food loved.

I was thinking about the dessert table for Thanksgiving and getting some cookie platters together for Christmas and my mind wandered to these goodies. I mean, why does it always have to be about the pie and the homemade candies?

I started to think about ways to modify these brownies for an even tastier treat and I think I may have found it–especially if you are peanut butter lover. These start with a layer of chocolate chip cookie, peanut butter sandwich cookies in the middle and a layer of peanut butter blondies on the top. Um, yum!

I actually tried two different versions—one using peanut butter cookies with peanut cream in them (similar to Nutter Butters, but I used an organic brand) and another using Newman O’s with the chocolate cookie with peanut butter filling. Both were great. But, the ones with the Nutter Butter like cookies were better.

So much better, in fact, that I couldn’t get a photo of them. The Newman O peanut butter sandwich cookies is definitely more photogenic, though. Don’t you agree? You could even use plain ol’ Oreos in the middle and tone down the peanut butter a tad. But, if you love peanut butter–you might not want to do that. There are so many possibilities! Like the slutty brownies, these are super easy to whip up. Super easy for everyone to eat too. Even if you don’t put these out for Thanksgiving, keep them in your back pocket for a show stopping  dessert.

Aaron loves it when I cook with wine. Just the smell of the wine de-glazing the goodies off the bottom of the pan is enough to drive him crazy. He is particularly happy when it is something heavily meaty but my most recent mushroom Bourginoin –a very satisfying vegan dish–got a great reaction from him. He called it “Comfort food at its best” and stated that he “didn’t think vegan food could taste so good.” To me, those were great compliments.

As for me, I am a little reluctant about this dish. I am not a huge fan of mushrooms. And, the dark brown gravy doesn’t really look that appealing to me. But, once you try it–you realize that the combination of the flavors, the textures, and the smells really make this dish amazing. It is good enough to serve to any meat eating friends and perfect for those on all sorts of different diets.

I made this during a particularly cold streak down here in Florida–where the highs were in the 60′s and the lows in the 40′s. And, though that doesn’t happen often down here–when it does, it makes all of us want to hibernate and eat good food.

I threw a big helping on top of some pasta and topped that with Tofutti Sour Cream and cilantro. You might want to consider throwing it on some brown rice or maybe even a helping of mashed potatoes. Hmmm.

Don’t worry, I am not sending my babysitter requests out on the internet. No way. But, I do need a babysitter. Since we have moved to Florida, we have made friends with other families that watch our kids when we want to go out (which is rarely, unfortunately). However, it seems that all of the families have much more active social lives than we do and usually have something planned on the days we ask to do a kid swap.

My friends that do have quality sitters are reluctant to give out the info–because once you have a great sitter, you never want to share, right? We do have a great nanny that we can call but at $15 per hour, an evening out can get expensive fast.

Back to needing a babysitter–Aaron is in the process of starting a business and we need lots of kid free time to get things organized. There is only so much time we want them sitting in front of the computer screen. And, lately there has been a lot of computer time.

So, I am on the lookout for a GOOD babysitter. One that will play with the kids (you know creative imaginative play), who will clean the kitchen and cook them a nice healthy meal? (We did have one girl once who made them chicken before it was fully thawed–the outside was cooked and the inside was frozen. I don’t even want to mention what happened when she watched the dogs.)

I need some leads on a babysitter. Do you have one? One that you don’t mind sharing? Please pass along her number!

Oh, and maybe you really, really love your babysitter…..why not show them how you feel by nominating them for Sitter City’s 2013 America’s Top Sitter contest. One lucky sitter will win $5000—and I know if I had one that I loved–I would really want them to win!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I told you I have been experimenting with eating as a vegan a few weeks ago. Well, so far so good. I have lost a few pounds, feel great and am loving all of the food experimentation. Unfortunately, I have not been as avid with my camera these days…something is wrong with the focus and it is driving me nuts. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s enough to drive me (more) insane.

So, my recipe testing will need to continue and I’ll just have to perfect the great things I have been making: miso udon, taco salad, and those chocolate chip cookies I mentioned a few days ago. (The best!)

This experiment, the vegan peanut butter dream bars was a success.

I started with Oh She Glows recipe for vegan Twix…but modified them a bit. To me, these are nothing like a Twix but more like a salty sweet chocolate covered peanut butter rice crispy treat–pretty much a dream come true. Hence the name, peanut butter dream bars.

I prefer these cold…a little hard, right out of the fridge.

Guess What? This little girl just turned 8!

For me, that is insanely hard to believe. She is my little baby–who wants to cuddle at night and eat cupcakes and read storybooks.

But, she is also the same little girl that can do a backhandspring and almost her kip, uses big words and wants to wear high heels and lipstick. (Did our parents have these issues? I never remember wanting to wear lipstick when I was 8. I never used big words like qualifications and disabilities, and I never asked for a cell phone.)

She is the best daughter a mom could ask for–loving, smart and crazy fun girl. I wish I could get her a long haired Chihuahua like she is begging for but she is going to have to settle for this one (at a local park) and a giant mom hug.

Happy Birthday Rosie!

I had been wanting to make truffles for awhile now and with Valentines Day coming right up, I thought it would be the perfect time. And, then one day, I got an email in my in-box asking me if I would like to work on creating a recipe for International Delight. You know, the creamers? I don’t use cream in my coffee, never have, never will–but I did think it might be kind of fun to use some of their flavored creamers to make truffles.

Ah…yes, truffles. The best valentines gift anyone could ask for and you can make them at home in no time. Impress your friends!

These could not be any easier. Don’t let the fact that they are cute and romantic scare you away.

My original batch I made with the International Delights York Peppermint Patty creamer, because York Peppermint Patty is my favorite candy. Once the truffles were formed into bite-size pieces, I rolled those in cocoa powder. I wanted to keep the chocolate to peppermint ratio at a reasonable level.

And then, I got this great idea to make more with the Almond Joy flavor of creamer–and I rolled those in coconut.

And for my final masterpiece, I used the Heath Bar Crunch creamer and rolled those little babies in crushed walnuts.

And, since I am on my year long vegan experiment, I feel the need to clarify something about these little truffles (and my experiment)–technically the International Delights creamers are lactose free but not actually vegan. They contain sodium caseinate, which is a milk derivative. I decided early on that I was not going to go deep into the weeds on some of these milk products. I’m not eating foods that contain milk or whey but I am not avoiding those with caseinate either.

So enough about that….here is the recipe. Make them for someone you love.

Peppermint Patty Truffles (Dairy Free)

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Serves	24
Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	1 hour
Dietary	Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 1/4 coconut oil
• 1/4 cup International Delight Creamer (York Peppermint Patty Flavor
• 1 1/4 cup Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 peppermint extract

Directions

Peppermint Patty Truffles
1	1) In a saucepan, bring the coconut oil and the International Delight creamer to a simmer. Careful because it will all of the sudden start to boil on you. 2) Pour the mixture over the chocolate chips, and still well until melted and mixed to a smooth consistency. 3) Put in the refrigerator until cool and a little bit thicker. 4) Once cool, using a small cookie dough scoop, make little balls of truffle. 5) Roll them in cocoa. 6) Serve!
Almond Joy Truffles
2	Follow all of the steps for the peppermint patty truffles but substitute International Delights Almond Joy creamer, and roll in coconut. Add a drop of vanilla in place of the peppermint extract.
3	Follow all of the steps for the peppermint patty truffles but substitute International Delights Almond Joy creamer, and roll in coconut. Add a drop of vanilla in place of the peppermint extract.
Heath Bar Truffles
4	Follow all of the steps for the peppermint patty truffles but substitute International Delights Heath Bar creamer, and roll in crushed nuts. If you have a drop of hazelnut extract, you can add it in place of the peprmint extract.
5	Follow all of the steps for the peppermint patty truffles but substitute International Delights Heath Bar creamer, and roll in crushed nuts. If you have a drop of hazelnut extract, you can add it in place of the peprmint extract.

Looking for an easy treat to make for your Valentine? I made three different truffle variations using the International Delight creamers. Check it out and let me know what you think.

This Valentine’s Day, share the love with recipes and homemade gift ideas! Don’t miss the International Delight Valentine’s Day Twitter Giveaway. Enter by following International Delight on Twitter and by tweeting your favorite ID flavor with the hashtag #IDLove. Winners will be contacted on February 15th and will receive ID Valentine’s Day Sampler Packages!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

This Valentine’s Day, share the love with recipes and homemade gift ideas! Don’t miss the International Delight Valentine’s Day Twitter Giveaway. Enter by following International Delight on Twitter and by tweeting your favorite ID flavor with the hashtag #IDLove. Winners will be contacted on February 15th and will receive ID Valentine’s Day Sampler Packages!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

And, of course…anyone who still might be reading (Donna?)  after I decided to pretty much take the entire month of January off.  It really has become kind of a pattern though—getting a really late start back to blogging after the crazy madness of the holiday season.

Its not like we haven’t been doing things. And, I have instagram to prove it!

See, just look below and you will see that I do lead a full and varied life. And, to prove it, I now own a crazy cat lady hat.

I plan to write about our trip to Vermont–the amazing places we stayed (Jekyll Island Resort), the cool things we saw (the Biltmore Mansion and the Luray Caverns), not to mention a re-cap of Washington DC.

I also have made some vegan Twix bars, mushroom stew, vegan taco salad, and the best every chocolate chip cookies that will blow your socks off! All of those will be up on the site in February! Promise.

And more….so please if you are still reading….please be patient and know that I am thinking of you.

Today, I wanted to let you know about my plan for this year.  I am going vegan (mostly).

Yep, that means no meat, no dairy, no eggs, and no foods that contain those ingredients.  The whole family is not doing this experiment with me so I will still be cooking other foods but you can bet there will be a lot more vegan recipes popping up on the site.

In the class that I teach, I always tell my students that the best thing we can do for the environment is to adopt a plant based diet.  A few of my students emailed me and told me that they were going vegan based on what they learned in my class.  So, I decided it was time to  practice what I preach. Not to mention, I feel that we have been eating less and less veggies around my house and this will get us, or at least me back in the veggie habit.

I already have a few recipes on the site that are vegan or vegan adaptable….and I am looking forward to adding a ton more. Here are 9 vegan recipes that you can already find on Forty Cakes.com.  There are more from the early days of the site but the photos are so bad–its embarrassing. I’ll have to re-make, re-shoot, and re-post them.

Protein Packed Vegan Kale Salad

Fruit and Kale Smoothie

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes—Mashed potatoes are good year round!

Green Thai Curry–Just don’t add the shrimp.  Use tofu instead.

Oh and don’t forget desserts!

Chocolate Banana Vegan Ice Cream

Raw Vegan Cheesecake–Not only vegan but gluten free and sugar free too.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Healthy Vegan Cookie Pie

Homemade Vegan Larabars–good food to go!

Enjoy these recipes and check back for more soon.  As well as details and photos from our whirlwind vacation.

Happy New Year!