SPECIAL POST!!! Malasada Day!!! Fat Tuesday!!!

HAPPY MALASADA DAY!!!

Hello or Olá my Family, Friends and everyone else who enjoys a good treat!

Normally I would talk to you about eating healthy and cutting down on desserts. NOT TODAY!!! Today we will all EAT HAPPILY!!! Today is Terça-feira Gorda, Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras depending on your race, creed or just on how your family happens to celebrate TODAY. My family knows this day as MALASADA DAY!!! Every Tuesday before Lent my family makes fried dough and we cover it in sugar and eat until our hearts are content!!!

Aunty Cori's house in Kauai!

My Grandma

This year I know My Mom and all my Aunts are making a batch of Malasadas. They all learned from their Mom who learned from her Mom who learned... well you get the idea. It is a day of sharing and family. A day of openness and fun. Growing up I LOVED waking up to the smell of the fresh dough rising. Grandma was usually the tennis ball size dough balls up. As a kid I couldn't wait to get my hands on one... Although my OLD Cousin Kahanu usually got to them first. Punk. An hour later and about a pound of Malasadas rolling around in our bowling ball sized tummies my cousins and I would be running around Grandma's House and yard on EXTREME SUGAR RUSH!!! No wonder we were all cranky for church the next day. I didn't know the historical and religious aspects of this day. I just thought it was a special day to EAT MALASADAS!!!

Making Malasadas!!!

Aunty Rocki pounding the
dough!

There are many different recipes for Malasadas. Originally Malasadas were made as a way for Catholic-Portuguese households to used up all lard, butter and flour in the house before Ash Wednesday and Lent. Another tale I heard was that the yeast would go bad faster in Hawaii and the dough wouldn't rise or would take on a funny taste. Back in the day you couldn't go to the grocery store for more supplies. You had to make do with what you had even if it was BAD DOUGH. That's the story my Mom gave me and if you don't agree... I welcome you to argue with her.


Back to the recipes... There are a few really amazing bakeries out there that make a mean Malasada. If you look online you can find the recipe. Even Emeril Lagasse has a recipe!!! NO ONE IS BETTER THAN MY VOVO! I'm not even talking about my Grandma. MY VOVO was my Grandma's Mother. I know my Grandma would agree, MY VOVO HAS THE BEST RECIPE... and MY GRANDMA makes it THE BEST. 

OUR Vovo... Our Grandmothers, Mother. 

THE BEST MALASADAS CAN BE FOUND AT MY GRANDMA'S HOUSE!

If you are reading this and you haven't gotten your Malasadas from my Grandma's House... Then "TOO BAD!" As my Grandma would say, "YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE!" My Grandmothers Kitchen was open from 6AM to 9AM.

Unfortunately... I will not share the recipe with you. My Grandma said she gives her recipe book (Our Family Malasada recipe is in it) to whoever she want. If she hasn't given it to you... then there is nothing I can do about it. I will leave you with a few links to recipes online...

Cousins Pili and Kehau.
Crazyfacing.

Click *MALASADAS* for more information from Wikipedia!!!

MALASADAS from all recipes.com

MALASADAS from epicurious.com and TEX's Drive in on the Big Island.

PLEASE check back here for more pictures! I gotta go sleep! Long fun day of FAMILY, MALASADAS and EATING HAPPILY!



Aloha,

Cousin Pili

Aunty Ku'uipo, My Mom. My Brother and My Sister!

Stuffing our face! Cousin Kahanu and I.

Cousin Kanoe... In Malasada Heaven!!!