Handcrafted Ready-to-Bake Cookie Dough from Dough Boi

Fresh out of the oven!

For Mother's Day, I wanted my kids to bake me cookies from a recipe I found off the internet. When I told my daughter, she enthusiastically said OK, but when I told my son, he asked for my second choice. So when I was introduced to Dough Boi, a mom who handcrafts ready-to-bake premium cookie dough, I knew this would make a great gift from non-bakers like my son.

You can see the weekly flavors on Instagram @doughboi_hi and DM your order. I picked up my order from Mililani. The dough packs of 10 ready-to-bake balls of cookie dough come neatly packaged in a cute container and can be kept in the freezer. You get 2 dough packs for $25.

I tried the chocolate chip, macnut with white chocolate, and chocolate with white chocolate. I knew I was going to love the chocolate chip, but I was surprised that I really enjoyed the other two flavors as I am usually not a fan of white chocolate. The combos are just so tasty! The cookies are soft with crispy edges and perfectly sized.

Two packs for $25

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

These dough packs are definitely a gift I would love to receive so I was happy to gift them to people that I knew would enjoy them. I love having one in my freezer so that I can enjoy freshly baked cookies with no mess anytime the sweet craving hits.

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Hali'a by Side Street Inn Now Open at Wai Kai!

Last week, I got to preview the menu at Hali'a by Side Street Inn located in Wai Kai in Ewa Beach. Hali'a is Hawaiian, meaning honor and remembrance of a loved one. In this case, the restaurant name is honoring the memory of Side Street Inn founder Colin Nishida who opened the original location in 1992 and passed away in 2018. Carrying on the legacy are owners and best friends, Cheryl DeAngelo and Lisa Meyer.

The location is beautiful with indoor, outdoor, and terrace seating. The service is also incredibly friendly and attentive. The menu has all of your favorite Side Street Inn classics plus a variety of poke and all new signature cocktails!

Spicy Ahi Poke

Chinese Chicken Salad

Signature Garlic Chicken

"The Works" Fried Rice

Sizzling Boneless Kalbi

Pan-fried Pork Chops

Mom's Sweet Bread Pudding

Signature Peanut Butter Crunch

New Cocktails

Hali'a now open!

Owners Cheryl DeAngelo and Lisa Meyer

The restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 4pm to 10pm and Friday through Sunday from 4pm to 11pm. You can make reservations on their Yelp page. 

Hali'a by Side Street Inn

808-752-2288

     

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Mother's Day Specials at Choco le'a

Mother's Day Special Set

Mother's Day is just around the corner and if you are still searching for the perfect gift, Choco le'a has got you covered. Hawaii Mom Blog was delighted to be gifted this Mother's Day Special Set (retail of $76.99) which includes: their NEW Strawberry Matcha Crunch a le'a (exclusive to this set and not sold separately); one Dark Chocolate Covered Animal Crackers; one Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon Dark Chocolate Truffle; and one 9 piece of Mom's Favorite Flavors Truffle Box (Hokkaido Yubari Melon, Hojicha, Lychee, Salted Caramel & Almond, Triple Chocolate, Fudge, Orange Creamsicle, Vietnamese Coffee, Lavender).

This gift set is luxurious, decadent, and enough to share with the entire family - although I am setting aside the box of truffles to enjoy slowly. My favorite so far has been the dark chocolate covered animal crackers! As a big fan of dark chocolate, I love this sweet and crunchy treat. 

9pc Mom's Favorite Flavors Truffle Box

NEW Strawberry Matcha Crunch a le'a

Choco le'a is located in Manoa and is open Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00am - 5:00pm (closed Sunday & Monday). You can also easily shop online here: https://www.chocolea.com/shop

Thank you Choco le'a! 

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Bento at Higoto Japanese Eatery

Tonkatsu Bento

We have been wanting to check out the bento from Higoto Japanese Eatery for a long
time! We were scared away by the visible line from the parking lot twice, but you know,
the third time’s the charm. But really, we just waited in line. The small shop allows three
customers in at a time so be patient because the food is worth the wait. Besides bento,
they offer musubi, rolls, cup sushi, salads, inari sushi, and desserts by Malu Honolulu.

We had the tonkatsu bento, nori bento, and shoyu garlic salmon bento. They were
delicious! The food portions are generous and I enjoyed all the sides they included. I will
definitely be back.

Shoyu Garlic Salmon Bento

Nori Ben

Located on Waialae in Kaimuki, Higoto is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am

to 4pm. You can also preorder your bento, but for same day order the earliest time for
pick up is 11:30am.

Higoto Jaoanese Eatery 3221 Waialae Ave, Ste a4Honolulu, HI 96816

(808) 892-1199

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Made to Order Lei from Island Boy Shop

Women's lei

I have been obsessed with the style of lei that uses flower blocking made popular by Jill Harunaga of Stamen + Style. She retails her lei and hosts lei workshops out of Island Boy Shop in Kaimuki, of which also creates equally beautiful lei. I had admired Island Boy's work for quite some time and when the special occasion arose, I took the opportunity of ordering the guest of honor's lei from them. 

I especially appreciated the ease of ordering from their website. I chose the women's lei which is a made to order lei using their seasonal best flowers. You can also upgrade to several variations ranging in price as follows: premium, luxe, unique crafted, hapai, and premium hapai. In the notes section, I indicated the date I wanted to pick up and I paid for the lei on-line. In minutes I got a text confirming my order. Pick up was simple as they are open daily from 10am to 6pm. 

I absolutely love the lei and will definitely shop here again!  

Island Boy Shop
3464 Waialae

Honolulu, Hawaii

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Sweet Party Favors from Fujiya Hawaii

In search of a yummy party favor? Fujiya Hawaii is a great option! I recently ordered their 3 piece chichi dango individually wrapped for $2.75 each. I was able to customize the colors and flavors of the mochi too. I placed the order a couple of weeks ahead of the event and paid over the phone. It was so simple! 

Fujiya also offers an assortment of mochi and chichi dango trays as well as manju sets that are sure to please your guests. While you are there, make sure to check out their selection of handcrafted senbei and li hing gummy candies too! They are open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 am to 3 pm and closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Fujiya Hawaii

930 Hau’oli Street, Honolulu, HI 96826

Phone: (808) 845-2921

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Da Big Kahuna’s Pizza

Sumo Special

Da Big Kahuna’s Pizza first opened its doors in 1994, but has remained locally owned and is now centrally located at the Airport Trade Center. Da Big Kahuna makes their own dough every day which ensures their pan pizzas, sandwiches, and not to be missed garlic cheese balls are especially fresh and delicious.

I’ve been a fan of Big Kahuna’s since their Mapunapuna days and love that their pizzas come in a small personal size as well as regular. My favorite pizza is the Sumo Special Pizza topped with pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, bacon, Portuguese sausage, kalua pork, onions, fresh mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, and black olives. I favor barbeque so I also love the Paniolo Beef Brisket Sandwich. No matter what you order, make sure to try the garlic cheese balls that are baked in butter and garlic and topped with five cheeses. For their complete menu, visit here. 

Garlic Cheese Balls

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Mr Donuts and Bakery New Location in Wahiawa

Mr Donuts and Bakery has opened up shop in Wahiawa close to Walgreens.  They are open Monday through Sunday from 6am to 3pm to accommodate all of your fresh donut needs!

Donuts start at $2.07 and go up to $4.74 for signature donuts (less if you are ordering by the dozen) depending on if you are paying cash or card.  They also offer baked goods like muffins, croissants, and butter rolls. 

At first I was a little surprised that my twist was over $4 as it is a "fancy" donut, but look at the size of it!  It's about the size of two donuts. 

Support local businesses and visit Mr Donuts and Bakery next time you are craving a donut! 

MR DONUTS AND BAKERY

95 S Kamehameha Hwy #103

Wahiawa, HI

808-699-8860 

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The Mochi Bar: Homemade Mochi with Alcohol

The Mochi Bar Holiday Sampler

On Instagram, Melissa808 taste-tested a whole set of stuffed mochi with alcohol. As I watched her and her friends giggle throughout the tasting, I could tell that the mochi not only looked amazing, but was incredibly fun to eat and share. 

I finally got my pre-order in and lucky for me it was The Mochi Bar's last offering of their holiday flavors. In the 6 pack I received the following flavors: Snickerdoodle with Bourbon, Eggnog, Nutella with Rum Chata Peppermint Bark, Oreo with Vodka, Coffee with Bailey's Espresso, and Bailey's apple pie liqueur. The pieces of mochi are huge so it's definitely big enough to share.

The mochi was soft, but thick enough to hold the huge amount of filling inside. The fillings were great! I thought some of the alcohol flavors were stronger than others. My favorites were eggnog and oreo with vodka. I am excited to try owner Christina's new flavor creations. She just released an umeshu sampler last week. Her orders open on Tuesdays, the next one being January 25th. 

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Choco le'a Book Club + Upcoming Specials

Photo Courtesy of Choco le'a

I really enjoyed reading Erin Kanno Uehara's (owner of Choco le'a) book, “Bringing Peace To Our World, One Chocolate Story At A Time” 20 Reflections & 20 Routines from 2020. I found her honest reflections that evolved into sharing her lessons learned and finding the opportunities now very interesting so I have logged into her weekly book club that is held on Instagram live.

It's a great, no pressure way to hear her discuss chapter lessons, provide personal examples of taking the opportunity now, and answer questions about herself and the business. If you're interested, her book is still available for sale at www.chocolea.com and you can join her book club @chocoleahawaii on Fridays at noon on Instagram. You can also subscribe to Choco le'a's emails and be the first to know about upcoming chocolate specials like the ones for Administrative Professional's Day and Children's Day!

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Sweet Little Mochi

Sweet Little Mochi 4 pack

I've been the lucky recipient of mochi from Sweet Little Mochi twice now and I am a huge fan!  The mochi is incredibly soft with the yummiest of fillings! The mochi is made the very same day as pick up!  Now that's fresh!  Also, the owner/baker says you can even refrigerate her mochi and it was stay soft. I've never put this to the test because we have never had any leftover!

If you love mochi, head to her IG and you will find that she has a Girl's Day Sale with preorders starting TODAY, February 25th at 3pm.  She also offers mochi party platters of stuffed mochi and chichi dango that can be customized with the flavors she offers.  Pickups are in Ewa, but stay tuned to her IG for the occasional pop-up!   

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Hawaiian Hurricane Popcorn

One of the most popular ways of eating popcorn in Hawaii is hurricane-style - with butter, kaki mochi, and furikake.  I remember as a kid going to a cart outside our local grocery store to buy bags of the addicting popcorn.

Hawaiian Hurricane Popcorn eventually began selling their kits of microwave popcorn, butter, kaki mochi (mochi crunch), and furikake, along with a large plastic bag, so people could start making their own hurricane popcorn at home.

I had no idea that there are different flavors!

There is Typhoon (Sour Cream / Chives / Nori), Li Hing Hurricane, and Kim Chee Hurricane.

So far, of the 3 flavors, I tried the Kim Chee Hurricane, since I like spicy.  The kim chee seasoning did give a nice kick to the popcorn, so if you like spicy as well, you'll love this variety.  

Hawaiian Hurricane Popcorn offers free shipping for purchases over $50 - send someone a taste of the islands!

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Blue Bagel Co. Delivers Free From Kapolei to Kaimuki

Popping all over my IG feed have been freshly baked bagels and other baked goodies from Blue Bagel Co.  The delicious looking baked treats are preservative free and made with local ingredients.  Best of all, Roel, delivers his baked goods for free anywhere between Kapolei to town (Mililani included!) on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  

There are about a million varieties of bagels and cream cheese spreads to choose from so good thing the bagels are sold in half dozen batches.  I chose the Everything Bagel and I let my kids pick another flavor.  It was between the Funfetti and the Cookie Monster, but as we were all curious about the very blue creation we went with the Cookie Monster.  The Cookie Monster bagel is made with a sweet vanilla dough mixed with Oreo cookies.

I wanted to try everything so I also ordered a veggie cream cheese spread, ham and cheddar rolls, and blueberry cream cheese scones.  I got my order delivered to my doorstep as promised and it was just in time for breakfast.

My kids and I had the best time tasting everything!  It was all very delicious, but we all had our favorites.  My daughter and I favored the ham and cheddar rolls while my son loved the Everything Bagel with the veggie cream cheese - so much that he had it again for dinner.  The scones reheated nicely in the toaster oven and I was able to get that freshly baked exterior I love.  The Cookie Monster bagels tasted great with or without the cream cheese.  My daughter said it reminded her of a manapua bun which I thought was a pretty good description.

We were very happy with our order and look forward to ordering again!  Head over to his IG @bluebagelco  to order!

 

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`Ulu Mana Chips & Hummus

I love hummus, and I've been wanting to try `Ulu Mana's Hawaiian Hummus for a while now.  I noticed they were offering free shipping plus a kama`aina discount, so I thought it would be a perfect time to try out the hummus as well as the `ulu chips!

The `ulu chips are tasty, and have a light crunch.

The `ulu hummus is so delish!  My favorite is the Hoppin` Jalapeno, which has a nice kick to it.

The Fun-dried tomato is my second favorite, however, they are all yummy!  

In addition to `ulu, the hummus includes ingredients that are hand-picked to give each variety its character. 

The hummus is a little more dense than traditional hummus, but the flavors are nice and bold.  

If you love hummus you definitely need to try `Ulu Mana's Hawaiian Hummus!  

Visit https://ulumanahawaii.com/ to order. 

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Choco le'a Celebrates Four Years in Manoa

Choco le`a, one of Hawaii's favorite gourmet chocolate companies, is celebrating their 4th birthday by giving away one 4 piece truffle box EVERYDAY for the month of September! All you need to do is follow @ChocoleaHawaii on Instagram, look for their daily contest post, post a comment telling them your favorite thing about Choco le`a, and tag four friends. One lucky person will be selected each day!

I love Choco le`a truffles, and so I entered their contest every day, and one day I received a direct message from them notifying me that I won!

Today I stopped by their retail shop in Manoa to pick up my prize.

There are over 20 flavors to choose from. Can you imagine narrowing it down to just 4?!

Here's what I ended up selecting:

My truffles were nicely packaged in this custom box. 

The box was half empty by the time I got to my car.

And in case you're wondering what their top seller is ....

Click HERE to see the other specials/promos going on this month! 

Happy 4th Birthday Choco le`a!

Choco le`a

2909 Lowrey Avenue

(808) 371-2234

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Kailua General Store

While eating lunch at Panda Express in Kailua, my boys said they wanted to get shave ice for dessert. Since one of my sons had done well at swim class earlier that morning, I thought it would be a well-deserved treat. Our go-to for shave ice in Kailua has always been the Island Snow location a block from Kailua Beach Park, but since there was a canoe regatta going on, I didn't want to go near the beach park. So I opened my trusty Yelp app and did a search for shave ice businesses nearby, and Kailua General Store popped up on the list. I had never heard of this store before, but after skimming through the reviews, which were all four and five star reviews, I loaded the boys in the truck and headed straight for the store. 

Kailua General Store is a small hole in the wall store that sells a little bit of everything, from fishing supplies to children's books ... t-shirts to locally made soaps and lotions. 

If you've spent any time in Kailua, you will recognize the "967-tree-4" logo that a lot of people have on their car windows.  I always wondered where you can get those stickers, and now I know where.

My boys bypassed all the retail items and went straight for the shave ice area towards the back. 

They loved being able to watch their shave cones being made at their eye level.  A keiki cone is only $2 and you can choose up to three flavors!  The shave ice is very fine and they do not skimp on the syrups.

 There is a narrow bench right outside the window, as well as a smaller bench on the opposite side of the sidewalk, as well as a small trash can for your rubbish when you're done.

My boys liked it so much they wanted to go back again the next day.  At $2 per cone, I had no problem taking them back for another treat!

With all of the gentrification going on in Kailua, I'm happy to see that there are still a few of these local gems still around. We'll definitely be coming here more often from now on!

KAILUA GENERAL STORE

316 Kuulei Rd, Kailua, HI 96734

(808) 261 -5740

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