Not Just a Rice Cooker

When it comes to cooking I am a huge fan of anything I can turn on and then walk away from. Sure, on the weekends, when I have time I like to spend it cooking, baking, and prepping for the week. But the weekdays are another story. Mornings are always a tight schedule and evenings I am just exhausted from a long day of teaching. My rice cooker comes in quite handy every day after work. Just put the stuff in, turn it on, and you're good to go. So when I discovered that a rice cooker could cook other things besides rice, this little contraption started working double duty. Now I use my rice cooker every morning as well! For what you might ask? Oatmeal!

Yes! Oatmeal! 

I start with a cup or cup and a half of oats. 

Then I add water... Double what I did for oats. 1 cup oats to 2 cups water; 1.5 cup oats to 3 cups water. Sometimes I throw a splash of vanilla in there too. 

Now here is the funny thing. I learned that you have to cook it with the lid OFF. My oatmeal kept bubbling over and spilling over the sides. It was a real mess. Without the lid it does just fine. 

Then just turn it on and in about ten minutes or so you've got ready to eat oatmeal! And the best part is you can just walk away and come back when you are ready!

My husband and I take ours on the go. I place it in a traveling mug with a little cinnamon and honey, and we've got a hot warm meal that will keep us full until lunch!

Yummy!

Haupia Pi Day

This has been the first year that I have actually celebrated Pi Day. But hey, give me a break, I teach 5 and 6 year olds so my brain is focused on Dr. Seuss Day and Johnny Appleseed Day! Luckily for me, I have friends who a Pi Day enthusiasts! For my first Pi Day celebration I decided to make a Haupia Sweet Potato Pie. Doesn't that look delicious!

I have never made a three layer anything, so this task seemed a bit daunting. I was pleasantly surprised by how simple it actually was. The bottom layer is a graham cracker crust. It's just ground up graham cracker and melted butter! 

Once I put the crust in the oven it was time to move on to the next layer: the sweet potato. 

I have two large okinawan sweet potatoes in half and placed them in a pot to boil. You don't even need to peel them. Once they were boiled (and cooled) the skin peels right off!

I then mixed the mashed potato with brown sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, and some spices. This then went on top of the graham cracker crust and in to the oven.

Now it was time for the haupia. Mmmm mmmm. I love haupia! And now that I know how easy it is to make it is gonna be a regular in this household. All it takes is a can of coconut milk, sugar, and cornstarch. 

When the sweet potato was cooked and cooled I poured the haupia mixture on top and placed it in the fridge. 

All night and the next morning I thought about eating this magnificent pie. And it did not disappoint. It was fantastic and quite beautiful if I do say so myself!

Here is the recipe I used if you want to give it a try yourself. It is really easy, however it does take a couple hours total cause you need to cook and cool all the different layers. Definitely a weekend time dessert!

Purple Sweet Potato and Haupia Pie

Teachers Pay Teachers

If you are a teacher, then you have probably heard of an awesome site called "Teachers Pay Teachers". If you haven't heard of it, "Teachers Pay Teachers" is a way for teachers to share and sell the products they have made with other teachers to use. Over the years I have found a whole bunch of great activities and worksheets that have been created by other teachers to use in my classroom.

And now it's time to give back...

I decided that it was time that I shared the (limited) fruits of my labor when it comes to teacher made materials. I created my own store on "Teachers Pay Teachers" and uploaded my first product! Earlier this year I had made some literacy awards for my class. Whenever students were making good decisions or answered questions they received one of these awards. Each award had a particular task for the students to accomplish. I made ones for rhyming and ones of finding synonyms.

If you are a teacher and want to try out these literacy awards you can download them for free at the link below:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Literacy-Awards-1752243

If you are also interested in becoming a seller on "Teachers Pay Teachers" you can click on my referral link below:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Signup/referral:jennincr12


Happy Teaching!

Plans for Dinner

I don't know about you, but I find that trying to figure out what to make for dinner can be one of the most tiresome decisions there is. I find this especially true after a long day of working with first graders, and by the time I get home I have no brain power left in me.

At the beginning of the school year I tried to use a meal planning template I found on Pinterest. I put it in a picture frame so that I could write on it with whiteboard marker.

I was diligent with it for a few weeks, and then I ended up going about an entire semester without changing it.

Last week I decided to give it another go. It helped me plan out the main courses for the week but that was it. When it came time to cook dinner, I made the main course and then when it was all over I would realize I forgot to make rice or I forget to make veggies to go with it. I am also using a couple of new cookbooks, and I would have to search and search just to find the recipes I wanted before I could even start cooking. That was really frustrating.

So, when I went to redo our meal planner for this week, I decided that this format wasn't going to work for me. It may be cute, but it just isn't efficient. I wanted to be able to plan out all the components to dinner (entree, side, veggie) and have enough space to write where I could find the recipe. I also wanted to have room to start compiling a grocery list as I planned out the week's meals. Finally, I wanted to be able to have it as a file on my computer so that I could edit it each week (and not have to write it out by hand.) I scoured the internet looking for something that filled my requirements but to no avail. There wasn't much that I liked, and when I did find something I liked the file either wasn't editable or didn't work at all. This led me to create one myself, and that way I could make it just how I wanted it.

If you have the same requirements for a weekly meal planner as I do, then I am more than welcome to share! Just click on the link below, and you will be able to download the template version to you own computer!

Weekly Meal Planner


Happy meal planning!

Birthday Bistro

This weekend was my husband's birthday and to celebrate we went to his favorite restaurant: Lemongrass Bistro. If you live in Kona and you have never been to Lemongrass, well you are missing out! And if you ever plan to visit the west side of the Big Island, then you definitely need to try Lemongrass Bistro.

If you've never eaten here don't feel too bad. I have never been until I started dating my husband. But now that I have tasted its deliciousness there is no going back!

When we went for dinner on Saturday night it just so happened to also be happy hour. (Who doesn't love a good happy hour!) On top of their regular menu they had some discounted pupus. We got the shrimp and veggie tempura. Mmmmm, I love me some tempura!

One of my husband's favorite appetizers here is the macadamia nut crusted tofu. Trust me, it is also delicious! This crispy, crunchy tofu delicacy comes with an awesome thai peanut sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking of it!

Isn't it pretty!

When it comes to the entrees my husband has two favorites. The last couple of times we came he has gotten the crispy duck. For his birthday dinner he went with his other favorite: Crying Tiger NY Steak. I got my new favorite: Massaman Curry. I get mine with the shrimp, but you can get it with chicken, fish, beef, or tofu. 

                                        

The best thing about eating at Lemongrass Bistro is that everything is fresh and light. When we were done eating we definitely felt full, but we sure didn't feel weighed down by a heavy meal. So the next time you are in for some super yummy and completely satisfying food you got to check out Lemongrass!