Daddy's Birthday

So, my Dad's birthday is tomorrow and I've been doing some serious research on local hawaiian favorites! I wanted to make him some of his favorites. (Or, some of my favorites!) Macaroni Salad (The local hawaiian kind), Sticky rice, Manapua, and for desert... GUAVA CAKE and Mochi Ice Cream! (Or haupia cake, if I remember to pick up the ingredients I need).

The guava cake is looking delicious, however...I had to make a little change and make them cupcakes instead because eric took one of my cake pans to work! But I'm sure they'll turn out good this way, too.  It is going to be one delicious dinner.

I went to this wonderful Oriental Market in Springfield and found some old favorites that I haven't eaten in years. Shrimp Chips, Manapua, Yum Yums, Dried Seasoned Seaweed, Mochi Ice cream, etc....I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

When I put the guava cake together and the other dishes, expect pictures...

Here are the recipes, in case you'd like to try a little hawaiian culture of your own:

Macaroni Salad #2

Ingredients 1 Bag macaroni
1 Can tuna
2 Scoops mayo
1 Med onion (peeled) 1 Ccarrot (peeled)
Salt & pepper to taste
1 Celery (chopped) *optional* Cooking Instructions First of all go boil da water for da macaroni. While boiling, throw in da macaroni with some salt. Ok, while this is cooking over there, start chopping your onion and carrot, for the carrot I just grate um , more fast and more easy but I chop da onion. Small kine cryin going on. Then strain da macaroni with hot water I use hot water so da macaroni no be all wet and make the salad watery. Then throw everything in one big bambutcha bowl. Mix it all up. The mayo varies on how ~mushy~ you like it ! Serve cold. Additional Comments Dis is my specialty salad. It's so easy and fast for make. You cannot go wrong if you bring this to one gathering, BBQ or whatever. Every gotta luv da mac salad!

Guava Cake
Ingredients:
1 pkg Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
1 1/3 C Guava juice
3 Eggs
1/3 C Vegetable oil
1 8-ounce Package cream cheese, softened
1/3 C Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 small pkg Cool Whip, thawed
2 C Guava juice
1/2 C Sugar
1/4 C Cornstarch
Cooking Instructions:
Bake cake according to package directions, substituting guava juice for water. In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with hand mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla and beat in. Slowly fold in the Cool Whip and refrigerate until ready to use. In a medium sauce pan, bring the 2 cups guava juice and sugar to a boil. Make a paste out of the cornstarch and a small amount of water. Remove guava juice from heat and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Return to heat and bring back to a boil and boil for one minute. Cool in refrigerator.
To assemble cooled cake:
Thickly ice the cake with all of the cream cheese mixture. Glaze the top of the cake with guava gel. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Haupia Cake

Ingredients Cake:

1 pkg White cake mix (for a 9X13" pan)
1 C Coconut milk
2/3 C Water
2 Egg whites

Frosting:

1 Tbsp Unflavored gelatin
2 C Heavy cream
6 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Lemon extract
Shredded coconut to taste Haupia filling:

2 C Coconut milk
1/2 C Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Cornstarch
1/2 C Water
1 tsp Vanilla Cooking

Instructions FO' MAKE CAKE:

Prepare cake mix according to package directions using 2/3 cup of the coconut milk, the water, and the egg whites. Cool cake, remove from pan and split carefully into 3 layers. Reserve top layer; spread haupia filling on the remaining layers. Chill layers until filling is set.
While layers are chilling: soften gelatin in remaining 1/3 cup coconut milk; dissolve over hot water. Cool. Whip cream; fold in gelatin mixture, sugar and extract. Stack chilled cake layers; frost with whipped cream mixture. Sprinkle cake with coconut.

FO' MAKE HAUPIA FILLING:

In a sauce pan heat coconut milk (do not boil). Mix sugar, salt, and cornstarch with water; stir into hot coconut milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (cook over low heat to avoid curdling). Stir in vanilla and cool.

NOTE: It is best to chill the haupia until it is somewhat thick, but still spreadable; otherwise it kind of goops up when you try to spread it on the layers. Chill the frosting, too, before you spread it.

You can already see the culture, can't you?