There are a lot of Flight of the Conchords fans out there.  I obviously learned that when trying to get my hands on tickets to their show here in San Francisco recently.  So while perusing Etsy, as I often do, I thought why not check and see if there’s any FOTC stuff listed.  Yes, there are DIYers out there that heart Bret and Jemaine.  Here’s the proof…

Flight of the Conchords Finger Puppets by AbbeyChristine: $30.00:

Flight of the Conchords Inspired Rock the Party Print by elloh: $24.00:

Flight of the Conchords Cookies by Groovy Cookies: $10.00:

FOTC Bret and Jemaine Earrings by Raychol Industries: $7.25:

Flight of the Conchords T-shirt/Towel by Sew It’s For You: $40.00/each:

Let me know if you’ve made any or seen any other fun FOTC stuff.

If you have never been to The Candy Store in San Francisco, well you just don’t know what you’re missing. Located in Russian Hill (just off of Polk Street on Vallejo) is a quaint shop that would make Willy Wonka proud. There are gummies, sours, licorice, chocolates, caramels…all sorts of sweets! Something that is truly darling, along with being a unique offering, is the collection of nostalgic hard to find candies. Goodies that are beautifully displayed - primarily in those old fashioned candy jars (or if you’re from Hawaii - the crack seed jars)…how could you not love it there!

The owner, Diane Campbell, is an amazing woman. She is so sweet and fun and you’ll enjoy just stopping by and meeting her. She knows everything about the delicious treats at her shop and can make great suggestions on what to try. The first time I visited The Candy Store I picked up a few items. I told her that I had been in a caramel mood so she offered me a sample of what became my favorite choosing of the day. They were these small chocolate balls that were filled with caramel - oh, yummmmm!

Next time you’re in the neighborhood definitely put The Candy Store on your list of places to visit.

By the way - Got an event or special party coming up? Diane can also provide you with the perfect sugar-filled treats for any occasion.

The Candy Store
1507 Vallejo Street (at Polk)
San Francisco, California 94109
p) 415.921.8000
Hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 11am - 7pm

I just had to do a little post about this. Any of you remember this from when you were a kid? I do…plus I’ve been craving shave ice - or Sno-Cones in Snoopy’s world…

Oh boy, does this bring back memories. Check it out at Fred Flare and look back on good times from childhood. Ah, the good ol’ days!

You will after you go to Hokulani Bake Shop. This cute little bakery located in Restaurant Row in Honolulu is amazing. You step through the doors and are welcomed by friendly faces who are ready to serve you up some sweetness. Using all-natural ingredients, no additives, preservities or mixes, these delicious delights are made from scratch and are oh-so-good. Can you tell I’ve tried them?

Yes, I finally stopped by Hokulani over the weekend while picking up a gift for a friend. So I thought, why not have a little treat for myself? I looked up at the menu board for the day and read words like “no trans fat” and “no hydrogenated oils”. I was sold. Now I KNEW I had to have one, maybe more, for myself. Anyway, I was lucky enough to have fresh cupcakes brought out and they were awesome! With flavors like Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, Toasted Coconut, Southern Red Velvet and Carrot Cake, how could you not have a bite? Oh, and that’s just the cupcakes. There are gorgeous cookies that are decorated by hand ranging in shapes that scream ‘Hawaii’ to any holiday you can think of.

At Hokulani Bake Shop they offer gift baskets and tins for any occasion. Husband and wife team Tushar and Ana Dubey are the owners of this lovely bakery. You can have your goodies personalized with names or even logos. There are even parties where you can decorate cupcakes or cookies and they even have delivery. Yes, if you’re in the downtown area they will actually bring you your cupcakes or cookie order on their bicycle that (otherwise known as the “cupcakemobile”). Fun, right?

Check out their site (they’re working on updates) or stop by if you’re in Honolulu. It’s so worth it. Just the sweet smell of the cookies and cupcakes baking will have you saying yummmmm….

Here are some new cookbooks that I just purchased and found in my mailbox! I’ve browsed a bit through each one of them and they ALL look good. I’ve heard so many good things about these cookbooks, especially Vegan With a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes!

Thanks, Post Punk Kitchen!!

As I’m sitting here thinking about what I should make for dinner tonight, I find myself going through the list of local foods that I’d love to cook up. But where to start?

In Hawaii there are so many choices of what and where to eat. With the amount of cultures here we have a vast selection of foods. If you live in Hawaii or are coming for a visit you should check out Mixed Plate’s Blog of the Week - The Tasty Island.

Pomai runs this blog that shares the diverse ethnic flavors that Hawaii has to offer. There are recipes and reviews of eateries ranging from the local plate lunch-style stand to fine dining restaurants. But how exactly does Pomai rate his eating experiences?

Enter the Spam Musubi Rating System (I LOVE this, by the way!). If you’re not familiar with spam musubi, it’s basically a staple at every picnic, outing, party, sporting event, etc. locally (see below). Pomai “grades” different places judging on his overall impression of the restaurant, item or recipe on hand.

So if you’re looking to see how your favorite island eating spot did and what kind of Musubi Grade they got, head on over to Pomai’s blog. Me? I’m about to eat right now - all this talk of spam musubis, recipes and plate lunches made me hungry!

Williams Sonoma has come out with some pretty great stuff recently for the little helper in your life. If you know a child that enjoys cooking or helping mom and dad out in the kitchen, check out some of the goods they offer. Everything from aprons to baking and cooking items and even cookbooks could be the perfect gift this holiday season. A number of the items can also be personalized through their site. If only they had fun gear like this when we were little…

Kitchen For Kids Cookbook; Little Helper Apron; Sweet Treats Cookbook:

Kids’ Silicone Rolling Pin & Mat, Pink; Fun Food Cookbook; Kids’ Melamine Bowls, Girls, Set of 3:

Yeah, I figured it’s about that time again. Time again to post about chocolate. You know you love it and so do I.

While I haven’t had a piece of chocolate in a while I thought I’d do a little something about it. I have seen this brand of chocolate locally in a store or two and have never tried it before. Partly because of the price…well, mostly because of the price. While a really good piece of fine chocolate is worth the money, I just know that my husband and I would probably devour it way too quickly!

MarieBelle Chocolates was founded in October of 2000 and is located in the lovely SOHO district in New York. Their collections use the finest chocolate and eclectic ingredients and combine that with MarieBelle’s artistic techniques to create yummy works of art. At the online shop you’ll find boxed chocolates, gift sets, teas and coffees and even hot chocolate.

So if you weren’t already having that mid-morning sweetness craving…well, you probably are now. Head on over to the site and get ready to drool.

25 Piece Blue & Brown Box; Aztec Dark Hot Chocolate; MarieBelle Trio Gift Set:

It’s that time of year when a lot of us seem to heat up our ovens a little more often. For a number of gifts, like for a lot of friends and co-workers, I tend to bake things. Last year I picked up some white pie boxes and filled them with cookies, brownies and a couple of fun cakes I had whipped up. The fun thing was that on the top of the boxes I made a “dessert specials” label. It looked kind of like a menu that had the name of each item in the box. Anyway…I thought it was a cute idea, but none of my cakepans did anything THIS cool!

A couple of things you may want to consider the next time you hit Williams Sonoma…

Railway Cake; Snowman Cake; Staidum Bundt Cake:

And the pans that made it all happen…

Railway Cake Pan; Snowman Cake Pan; Stadium Bundt Cake Pan:

That I just got back from my morning exercise and I pulled up a website that sells chocolate? Nope! It’s never a bad time (or wrong time) to look at or think about….oh, heck, or even eat chocolate!

If you’re ever on Oahu and are craving chocolate, you may want to stop by Honolulu Chocolate Company. Located at Ward Center, this shop is full of freshly made chocolates using the resources of the Hawaiian Islands along with some imported from Europe. While their website can’t possibly do the shop any justice, I assure you that this is some of the yummiest chocolates you’ll find in Hawaii.

Some of their treats include chocolate covered macadamia nuts, chocolate covered oreos, truffles and more. One of the most fun things about Honolulu Chocolate Company is that they are always so festive when it comes to the holidays. Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and currently Halloween items fill the store. You can purchase great decorations for almost any holiday there! Chocolates and holiday items? Can’t go wrong!
So if you’re having a chocolate craving while in the Ward area, head on over to Honolulu Chocolate Company. What? It’s not wrong!

Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts; Chocolate Covered Oreo Cookies; Gift Box (Chocolate Covered Kona Coffee Beans and Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts):

Ice Cream!!! I’m not sure what the weather is like where you are, but in Hawaii it’s been humid. I mean, crazy humid! Yesterday I went to eat shave ice. Today I’m wishing that I could eat a gallon of ice cream. Alright, so that’s not what I SHOULD do, but I can wish and imagine, right?

Here are some fun ice cream related things that would be just perfect for my scoop(s). Mmmm, cookies-n-cream…

Cow Ice Cream Bowl & Spoon from Wrapables; Andy Warhol Ice Cream Cone Set from Loft Party; Ice Cream Sandwich Molds from Williams Sonoma:

I’ve only been there once and it was work-related. While we were there my boss insisted on us going to this popcorn place. She swore it was the best popcorn and that folks would stand in line in the cold (and it was pretty cold when we were there a few years back in November) just to get some. I didn’t understand what the deal was with this popcorn. That was until I tried it…

We stood in line in the cold and it was totally worth the wait. Garrett Popcorn Shops has a variety of different popcorn flavors to choose from. We had the caramel and cheese combo. I’m not a big fan of caramel, but tried it just out of curiousity. It was worth standing in the cold to get that fresh, warm popcorn. Hey, my boss liked it so much that she had a tin of it Fed-Exed to Hawaii…from Chicago!

So, if you’re a popcorn fan and if you’re ever in Chicago (or feel like paying for it to be sent via Fed Ex), head on over to Garrett’s! Mmmmm…Now I’m craving Popcorn.

Here’s a couple of flavors so that I can share my popcorn craving with you…

CheeseCorn (mmmm…cheesy!); Caramel Crisp, CheeseCorn and Popcorn; Buttered Popcorn: