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A vanilla cupcake. How boring!
Need a colorful and exciting snack idea? Check out this recipe for tie-dyed cupcakes!!
Now that I’m back at school, I will unfortunately have to announce that my posting will probably be less frequent. 
But it will be once a week at the least. Thank you to all my awesome readers!! ♥
Up for posting today is the highly mysterious and tasty art of chinese pastries: “Bao”, “Manapua”, or just “buns from chinatown.” I don’t know a lot about baking fancy things, but thanks to an ABSK orientation workshop hosted by the talented + sweet baker kakaner the other day, we all got to make our own and they were GOOD! =)
The toughest part - DOUGH
Recipe:
Mix 6 tsp yeast, 1 2/3 cup sugar, 1 2/3 cup *hot* water, and 1 cup oil in a bowl. Let it sit for about ten minutes to let the yeast “boil” or make bubbles.
Once you’ve got a few bubbly type formations (which form verrryyy slowly) you can add a couple tsp of salt and 5 2/3 cup flour.
Then knead the dough for a bit to smooth it out. =P
=) After it’s kneaded (aka “punched”), an important part of doughmaking is letting it rise for about 20 minutes. Heat helps.
The yummy part – FILLINGS
There are a zillion more types of delicious fillings than what we tried out, but here are a few common favorites:
Curry beef – a mixture of ground beef and curry spices.
Red bean paste – mmm. From the can! 
Sweet pork – chopped char siu pork (from a chinese restaurant) mixed with green onions, regular onions, and hoisin sauce. P:
Hot dogs - simple + good.
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Assembling the pastry
This is the simple and fun part of making your own! 
First, flour your hands to prevent the dough from sticking to them. Grab a small handful of dough and flatten it out like so, spooning a bit of filling onto your flattened piece. I found it easier to do it in my hands rather than on the table.
by the way- this guy has TOO MUCH filling. Start small!
Next, you’ll have to close up the bun by pinching up the sides over the filling until it’s like a closed dumpling ball. If you turn it over and place it on a greased baking sheet, the nicely round part will be on top. =) If you do it well, when it’s baked you’ll hardly be able to tell where the opening was!
The right way————————————————–The “Umm..” way
Note: for filling with hot dogs, the correct way to do it is to roll the dough out into a long piece like you’re making a pretzel, and wrap it around half a hot dog to make a mini treat.
Rising again
This is important for another 20 minutes, unless you’re willing to eat really dense pastries. 
They don’t taste bad that way, though. =)
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Baking: 18 minutes at 350°
DELICIOSO BUNS! ♥
thanks kakaner! ♥
Disclaimer: I don’t drink. =) My parents just mastered a fragrant martini concoction inspired by a drink from Outback Steakhouse in Kihei. It smells great, and looks good
you don’t need the straight Vodka, it won’t taste good
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Kai imported Lychee flavored Vodka
1.5 oz Soho Lychee flavored liqueur
a couple spoonfuls of lychee juice, from the can
1 lychee, fresh or canned
Prepare: Lychee goes in the bottom of the glass. Put the juice, Kai, and Soho in a mixer with ice, then pour into your martini glass. Voila!
Smells great and tastes “sweet and yummy with a hint of tang.” =]
Where to get the Kai and Soho?
We found them at the Hawaii Liquor Collection store in Ward Warehouse, Honolulu. It’s also been spotted at your local Hawaii Longs! =)
