Mochi Mommy

Make quick Belgian waffles from Pillsbury buttermilk biscuit dough in just TWO MINUTES. Place biscuits in Belgian waffle maker (I have a Hamilton Beach one that I love*) Cook times MAY vary slightly, but be very careful not to leave it in too long because the waffles will get very dry and tough if overcooked. If you liked this post, definitely check out my other biscuit dough food hack for making malasadas!

Either way, it’s got all the flavors of your favorite Japanese-American/Japanese-Hawaiian sushi roll but without the fuss. While I cannot find any definitive answer for who created sushi bake and where it came from, it most likely came as a result of Japanese immigration to Hawaii, which is no surprise. All three sushi bake (or pan sushi) recipes that I have in my cookbook are similar in that they are made of a bed of rice in casserole dish, some sort of fishy protein, some sort of creamy spread, and furikake seasoning. One has the protein and spread on top of the rice; another has the protein sandwiched in between two layers of rice and wrapped in seaweed, like a spam musubi.

I never did much for Hinamatsuri in the past, but since our daughter has started Japanese immersion daycare, I’ve been trying to do better at celebrating Japanese holidays. This year I bought the girls some new Japanese outfits and made temari sushi for the first time! I feel like Hinamatsuri is a Japanese holiday that didn’t really get picked up by the Japanese American community. This year I made temari sushi for the first time, which is a sushi that is shaped like a ball and decorated with various toppings.

Purple sweet potato haupia pie is one of my favorite Hawaiian desserts. My recipe uses an 8×8″ square baking tin to make pie bars, but you could easily double the recipe for a 9×13″ dish or even your standard 9″ pie. Bake them at 425 degrees F until they get soft (if you peel and cut them into 1 inch chunks beforehand it’ll only take about 25 minutes) * Peel and cut them into chunks, then boil until soft (20-30 minutes)