A Breakfast Treat Sure To Bowl Kids Over

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Wednesday - June 17, 2009

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Three years ago, Bowl for Kids’ Sake, a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters Honolulu, was on the verge of getting shelved because of lack of involvement. Now this fun day of bowling and partying at Aiea Bowl is BBBSH’s second-largest fundraiser, attracting more than 700 participants and raising nearly $200,000 for its volunteer mentoring program.

How did BBBSH do it?

By pulling together an event committee of people who put the fun in FUNdraiser! People like Rick Piper - when he’s not assisting small-business owners in his role as senior business development manager for ProService Hawaii, he’s thinking up ways to make this year’s Bowl for Kids’ Sake more fun than ever.

Rick honed his skills as a charity event organizer when he became one of the co-founders of ARTafterDARK, the extraordinarily successful after-hours event held each month at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. When ProService Hawaii got involved as a supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters two years ago, Rick made it his mission to help the event thrive. ProService put together a total of six teams from among its own staff, and best of all, Rick got several ProService client companies to participate, including America’s Mattress and Waialae Dental Care. They were all part of a crowd of more than 700 who enjoyed a great day at the lanes, pupus, beverages, a disc jockey and the chance to help out the kids in our community.

Bowl for Kids’ Sake will be held Aug. 8 at Aiea Bowl, and the theme is “Superhero Bowl.”

This column is dedicated to Rick Piper, ProService Hawaii and all the other superheroes who make great things happen for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Honolulu.

Keiki will love this breakfast treat, and it’s a good way to get them to eat their fruit.

Cinnamon is one of the world’s oldest known spices. It is mentioned in ancient Chinese writings dating back to 2800 B.C., and in the Bible. There are about 100 different species of cinnamon trees, all with similar taste and aroma. Ceylon and Chinese cinnamon are the two leading commercial varieties.

APPLE CINNAMON RAISIN TOAST

* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
* pinch allspice
* 1 1/3 cups apple juice
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon apple juice
* 2 Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
* 1 D’Anjou pear, cored, peeled and sliced thin
* 4 slices raisin bread
* 2 large ripe bananas, sliced

Combine cinnamon, brown sugar, allspice and apple juice until well-blended and sugar is melted. Add cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Add sliced fruit and cook until fruit is crisp-tender and warm. Set aside. Lightly toast raisin bread and arrange on four plates. Spoon the fruit syrup mixture over the toast and top with sliced bananas.

Makes four servings.

Approximate Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Calories: 185
Fat: 2 grams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Sodium: 158 milligrams

(Diana Helfand, author of “Hawaii Light and Healthy” and “The Best of Heart-y Cooking,” has taught nutrition in the Kapiolani Community College culinary arts program.)