The Chocolate And The Cheese

How about a food post? Haven't had one of those for awhile... so why not now? Well, typically when it's one of our birthdays, the other makes a dessert to celebrate. For my birthday last month Leslie made an amazing lemon poppy seed cake - that was perfect for me because I like the mixture of flavors and lightness of something like that. For Leslie, on the other hand, the richer the better. Since we were in Hawaii over her birthday, I didn't get around to making her dessert until we came home. So, to make up for the fact that it was over a week late, I decided to go big - a quadruple chocolate and raspberry cheesecake. What the heck even is that? Amazing is what it is.

I started off with an Oreo crust. Since I didn't want the filling to make the crust all mushy, I removed the filling from a whole package of Oreos and then made the crust out of just the cookies (I bet there are some of you out there who would have loved to have eaten the bowl of filling I had by the end... sorry for not sharing with you). You can probably find just chocolate wafer cookies, but there weren't any at Kroger and I didn't feel like hunting around a bunch of stores, so whatever. The cookies went into the food processor with a bunch of butter to make the crust, which was then formed onto the bottom and sides of the springform pan before getting tossed in the oven for a bit. Now the crust was all ready to receive the goodness that is cheesecake.

All I had to do was throw a bunch of cream cheese, sugar, salt, eggs, sour cream, and melted chocolate into the food processor to make the batter (or is it filling - I suppose it depends on if a cheesecake is a pie or a cake... or neither). That all went into the Oreo crust already set in the springform, which was then wrapped in foil, which was then placed into a water bath, which was then placed in the oven. The magical gas heat of the oven did its job, and an hour later a round piece of deliciousness emerged. This cooled on the counter for another hour before spending the night in the fridge.

The next day, I applied the next level of chocolate (number three, for those of you counting). This came in the form of a dark chocolate and raspberry ganache. This was a simple matter of heavy cream, dark chocolate, butter, and raspberry preserves all coming together. Once the ganache cooled enough, but not too much, it was spread on the cake/pie. The final layer of chocolate was just a white chocolate drizzle (even if white chocolate isn't technically chocolate... just go with it). And there you have it - a quadruple chocolate cheesecake. But wait, there's more! I then took fresh raspberries, sugar, and salt and made a raspberry syrup/sauce to be spooned on as a topping before eating. There was probably enough raspberry in the ganache already, but why not add a bit more?

And that's how you get a quadruple chocolate and raspberry cheesecake. This was my first time making a cheesecake (cheese pie? still not sure what this actually is...) and it turned out pretty nearly perfect. Now I'm partly really looking forward to making another, because it was delicious, and also scared to, because I'll probably mess it up if I try again. I also need a good excuse to make one, since I don't think Leslie and I need to be eating cheesecake on a regular basis (don't worry, we shared this one with people too... so no, we didn't just eat a whole cheesecake ourselves).

So yeah, there you go. And I guess that's it for now. Thanks for reading!

Aloha ʻOe

Strap in folks, this is a long one. And a long time coming. So, for those of you who didn't know, back in June we went on a lovely two week vacation in Hawaii. This is a detailed account of our trip, so feel free to just check out the pictures.

We started off on a Saturday. Leslie and I arrived on Maui that night, a day ahead of my family, after a long day of travel from Chicago with a long layover in Seattle. We checked into our Airbnb place before heading to Sansei, a local sushi bar I visited the last time I was on Maui. They have a late night thing on weekends with drink specials and half off sushi, and we were definitely ready for some food after spending so many hours on a plane.

The next day we got some breakfast at a great little place a bit off the beaten path. We originally planned to go to a more popular, probably more touristy place, but our plans changed when we saw the line wrapping around the building. But it was actually for the best, as our breakfast at Chez Meme was one of my favorite meals on the island. From there we went for a drive around the island, visiting some spots we wouldn't get to later and just passing time until we picked up my parents from the airport. We eventually worked our way back to Kahului to pick them up, then set out towards Kaanapali where we would be staying. Along the way we made a few stops including a little roadside fruit market that also had a smoothie truck. Smoothies for all, then back in the car! We checked into the Airbnb then hit the pool. Eventually we ended up at a small Mexican place nearby for dinner, but otherwise took it pretty easy that night as it was day of travel for some and we had big plans for the next day.

Monday morning meant getting up early for everyone. Like, really early. We left the resort around 3:00am in order to make it to Haleakalā for sunrise. One of the things I kept reading while planning the trip was that watching the sunrise over the crater at Haleakalā was a must-do. Monday made the most sense, since at least some of us would still be jet lagged enough that it wouldn't be too bad. So we left around 3 to get to the park before the 5:30 sunrise. And was it worth it? Yes! The views were incredible and the park was awesome. We didn't do any serious hiking, but went to all the more easily accessible areas and got to see a good amount. After spending a few hours at the park we headed out and got some breakfast at the Kula Lodge. We feasted on pancakes and waffles and omelettes, then headed south to Maui Wine. We did a little tour of the grounds followed by a tasting where we learned about their wines (especially the pineapple wines) and the history of the location. Needless to say, we purchased a few bottles to bring home. Then it was back in the car for the ride home, pool time for a bit, then dinner from Okazuya,  a nearby takeout joint. That evening, since the rain had stopped, we ventured down to Lahaina to walk Front Street and check out all the shops. It was a pretty full day, but highly rewarding.

It was a little chilly

Silverswords

The Lokelani flower, or Maui rose

Pineapple plants are so weird

Drinkable souvenirs!

Front St. in Lahaina

Lots of gelato choices

Our day on Tuesday started out much later and slower than Monday. We all just sort of hung out in the morning before eventually heading north. We first stopped to rent some snorkel gear, then grabbed some lunch at Taverna in Kapalua. After a delicious lunch we hit Kapalua Beach for snorkeling. Unfortunately the weather didn't want to cooperate with us, so after awhile it started pouring rain. That would have been fine if it was just us in the water, but those not snorkeling were on the beach, which is a lot less fun activity in a downpour. So we retreated to the resort and took it easy around there for the rest of the afternoon. After awhile we went back to Lahaina for dinner at the Aloha Mixed Plate, then it was off to bed not long after.

A friendly sea turtle

View from the condo

Dinner with the ocean waves just feet away

Wednesday was another big day. Another of the must-do things on Maui is the Road to Hana. This is a trip along the northern coast that eventually leads to the small town of Hana and the southern side of Haleakalā National Park, although it's the journey that counts, not so much the destination. We left early again so we could have time to see most everything. I downloaded a Gypsy Guide app on my phone that used the GPS to point out landmarks as we traveled ($5 seriously well spent - it was very informative and really helped us know what to see and where to go). The road has tons of turns and ups and downs, but, if you can survive the carsickness, the trip rewards you with scenic ocean views, cascading waterfalls, and delicious banana bread. The road really does take all day, so we didn't even pass through Paia until evening. We ended up driving a little more down to Kihei to get dinner at Maui Fish and Chips. I love fish, and oh man did that taste good after such a long day. After our delicious dinner it was back to the resort for some hot tub time and then bed.

Rainbow Eucalyptus at the Ke'anae Arboretum

Black sand beach at the Wai'anapanapa State Park

Seven Sacred Pools at Haleakalā

To compensate for the long day on Wednesday, Thursday was quite a bit slower. The majority of the day was spent snorkeling, hanging out at the beach, and eating some delicious food. We went to Leoda's Pie Shop for lunch - a cute little place with some really great food (so good that my family went back a second time after we left them). After that it was off to do some more snorkeling. That evening was another highlight of the trip - we went to a luau! There was lots of food and a hula show that focused on the history of Hawaii. It was really cool and I'm definitely glad that we got to go.

Entertainment at the luau

About to dig up the roasting pig

Friday was kind of a wrap up day. We did a few things, but nothing too crazy. The first thing on the schedule was a trip to the Maui Ocean Center. They have a lot of fish, obviously, but also some really interesting stuff on the ancient Polynesians and their relationship with the ocean. Plus they had one of those underwater tunnel things where the sharks swim over your head and stuff, so that was pretty cool too. After that we went to Jawz Fish Tacos (another place I'd visited last time on the island), because how can you visit an aquarium and not want to eat fish? Then we made a stop in Lahaina to visit Banyan Tree Park and check out a few shops. Then that night we did something a little different. We, the children, dropped off my parents for a nice dinner for just the two of them, while we went to Maui Brewing Co. for dinner. This gave them a chance to spend a little time together and gave us kids a chance to catch up a bit more and just hang out.

Banyan Tree Park

And finally we came to Saturday - our last full day on the island. When planning the trip I had left this day pretty well open so we could see what we felt like doing or perhaps do something that we had tried to do earlier in the week but hadn't worked out. As it turned out, we managed to do everything earlier in the week, so we instead just took the opportunity to visit a few more beaches and do some more snorkeling. That night we had our final dinner at the Sea House, which is a nice place right on the beach in Napili. It was a wonderful dinner, complete with a beautiful sunset just out the window, and a perfect end to this leg of the trip. We enjoyed our meal then took a walk along the beach in the moonlight before heading back to get some rest.

 

Little baby turtle

And a bigger turtle

The beach outside of the Sea House

But that wasn't really the end of the trip. Well, at least not for Leslie and me. My family flew back to the mainland Sunday evening while the two of us hopped on a little plane and headed off to the big island (Hawai'i) for a few more days. I booked our flight with Mokulele, which operates little nine seat prop planes between the islands. This was by far the smallest plane Leslie had been on, which wasn't great for her since she already isn't a huge fan of flying. But hey, we made it across safely, so no worries! We checked into our Airbnb place and then ended the day with Kona Brewing Co. for a lot of great beer and some awesome pizza.

Nervous smile before the plane takes off

Maui from the plane

Our ride (and some Asian couple that's not us)

Monday started off with breakfast at Splasher's Grill before heading out to Volcanoes National Park on the east side of the island. It's a really cool park filled with all kinds of crazy stuff. Lava flows, lava tubes, craters, steam vents... basically the furthest thing from what we have here in Indiana. On our way back to the resort from there we also stopped off at Punalu'u beach, famous for its black sand, for a quick photo. Then it was home again for a quiet evening in accompanied by some of leftover pizza from Kona Brewing the night before.

Steam vents at Volcanoes NP

Mauna Loa crater

Ancient petroglyphs

Walking through a lava tube

Black sand beach

The endangered state bird of Hawaii - the Nene

We started off Tuesday with a big breakfast at one of my favorite places of the whole trip: 808 Grindz Cafe. I got a huge stack of blueberry pancakes with their homemade macadamia nut sauce. They were absolutely delicious, but I couldn't even finish it all (which, for me, is extremely rare). From there we set off to Big Island Bees, an apiary that produces some amazing honey. They take their bees to different parts of the island at different times of the year to get honey made from only certain flowers. One of the keepers took us over to where they have some of the bees and showed us a few frames of the hive and talked about how the honey making process works along with the roles of the various types of bees. We were then given a chance to sample all the different kinds of honey they sell there (a honey flight, if you will). It was a fun experience and, since I love honey, we of course left with a jar. Our next stop on the day's agriculturally themed trip was Greenwell Farms where they grow coffee (you've probably heard of Kona coffee... well, this is that stuff). We got there between tours, so we had time to try all 83 varieties of coffee. Ok, more like 12 varieties, but still a lot. We aren't coffee snobs, so a think some of the magic was lost on us, but it was still fun to try everything. Another tour started before long, so we went along for that and got a good tour of how the farm operates. Besides coffee they also grow papaya, limes, avocados, mangoes, and more on a much smaller scale. So, even without without being huge coffee buffs, it was an interesting tour with a lot to see.

The berries coffee beans come from

Beans drying in the sun

On our way home from our little agro-tour, we stopped to get some grub. If you remember from some previous posts, I'm one of those fancy Yelp Elite people. As such, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to eat at the restaurant Yelp named #1 in the country in 2014 when they released rankings for the first time (#1 on their 2016 list is Porto's in Burbank, CA in case you're interested). This meant a stop at a tiny little place called Da Poke Shack. Poke (pronounced "poʊˈkeɪ", as in Pokemon), if you aren't familiar, is basically a raw fish salad and sort of like an Asian version of ceviche. We weren't terribly hungry, so we just split a bowl with three things: the Wet Hawaiian, the Spicy Garlic Sesame, and the Kimchi Muscles (plus rice on the side because obviously you need rice). It was all amazing, and Leslie even liked the muscles even though she didn't think she would!

After our little lunch we explored some of the shops to pick up a few souvenirs and kill some time. Then, once we had gotten a new little necklace for Leslie and a Hawaiian shirt for me it was evening and time to start our plans for the night. We started off with dinner at Rebel Kitchen, which was another of my favorite places of the trip. It's a simple little place with some really good food, plus homemade ketchup and hot sauce (and yes, I did buy a bottle of hot sauce to take home). After feasting there we started a two hour drive to the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station. Sounds lame, right? It's not. The station is located at 9,200 ft up on the side of the volcano. Every night they have rangers give a presentation on the night sky and telescopes set for viewing distant planets, star clusters, and whatever else there is to see. The weather cooperated and we got some great views and had a perfect night.

 

On the drive to Mauna Kea

The almost full moon rising on the horizon

One of the telescopes at the VIS

The next day, Wednesday, our last full day, started off with more driving. We headed out to Hilo nice and early to get there in time for what is apparently a very popular farmers market. We checked the place out and got a good breakfast of some fresh fruits, fruit juices, and fun stuff like that. After checking out the market we walked around the town a bit before heading out. Our next stop was at 'Akaka Falls State Park. It's nothing too fancy, but gave us a chance for a nice little hike to see a few waterfalls - definitely worth the few bucks and bit of time. After that we took a drive along the north coast to Kona and back to the resort for a bit of pool time and relaxing. Then, to finish off our night and our trip, we went to Jackie Rey's for a nice dinner. The food was delicious and a great way to cap the day.

And finally we came to Thursday, our last day of the trip. We got up early to get packed up and out the door. We stopped for breakfast at 808 Grindz again before hitting the airport because I really liked it that much. Then it was off to the airport and a long day of travel. We left Kona in the late morning and, with a long layover and the time change, didn't arrive back in Chicago until Friday morning. We were glad to be back on a Friday as that gave us the whole weekend to unpack, settle back in after being gone for two weeks, and get over jet lag before starting work on Monday.

This was an amazing vacation. Being gone for so long was great; it gave us time to really get away from work and the opportunity to get to see a lot more than we could have in just a week (like another whole island). We also got to eat so much great food. If you know Leslie and me, you know we like to travel for our stomachs. Well, our stomachs were really happy on this trip - just check out the pictures!

Omelette at the Kula Lodge

The Taverna Burger at Taverna (there really is a burger and bacon and cheese and stuff under all that arugula)

The Mixed Plate at Aloha Mixed Plate

Fried Ono and Volcano Fries at Maui Fish and Chips

Dessert Pies at Leoda's

Hand Pies at Leoda's

A plate of food at the Old Lahaina Luau

Fish Tacos at Jawz

Loaded Tater Tots at Maui Brewing Co.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich at Maui Brewing Co.

Surf and Turf at the Sea House

Basil Pesto Crusted Fish at the Sea House

Dessert at the Sea House

Crab Cakes Benedict at Splasher's Grill

Banana Crunch French Toast at Splasher's Grill

Blueberry Pancakes with Mac Nut Sauce at 808 Grindz Cafe

Mowie Wowie Omelette at 808 Grindz Cafe (second time around)

Poke from Da Poke Shack (definitely worth picturing twice, it's that good)

Jerk Chicken Sandwich with Pepperoni Garlic Fries at Rebel Kitchen

Mochiko Crusted Fish at Jackie Rey's

Brownie Roll at Jackie Rey's

We got to do some really great things like a luau, see two National Parks, and explore a culture we didn't know much about before. But it was also a great time with family. It's so nice to be able to go on a trip with them and not fight the entire time. This was especially special since this is probably the last family trip we'll be able to take for awhile, what with everyone starting to spread out more. So thanks for a great time, family, and thanks for a great trip. We love you and look forward to the next one!

But that's all for now. Thanks for reading!