Boiled Peanuts

I barely survived the long weekend (for those of you not familiar with Hawaii history, this past Friday was Statehood Day/Admission Day).  While county and state government employees get the day off, not everyone is pleased with the day.  Many native Hawaiians are still angry at the overthrow of the monarchy and being made the 50th state, so the day is also a day for demonstrations.  While I'm glad to have the day off, I do respect the opinion of others and am sensitive to the fact that not everyone sees this day as a cause for celebration.

The long holiday allowed D2 to host a sleepover for her birthday.  This was the first sleepover party D2 ever hosted...she had friends over for the night before, but 2 girls are a lot different from 8!  I must've been intoxicated when she asked me for permission to have a sleepover.

The party began with a pizza dinner, followed by the showing of Rise of the Guardians dvd with popcorn & kakimochi.  I went to bed before 11 pm, and I was awakened by laughter at 4:00 am.  I fed the kids blueberry muffins and apple strudels for breakfast.  I was planning on making li hing mui lollipops with them, but some kids were already in the pool.  At that point, I decided to forgo the lollipops.  While the kids were playing, The Help went to pick up the birthday cake and enough bentos to feed us all.  Kids had lunch, cake, ice cream, and pinata treats.  Then it was time to go home.

I barely had time to rest before it was time to watch D1 cheering at the 1st football game of the school year...a pre-season duel with the cross-town rival.  It was a great game, especially for my school because we won handily.  I hope this is a sign of a great season for the Viks.  I also got to flash my employee ID to get into the game at a major discount!

In honor of D2's birthday, this week's recipe is something she really enjoys. . .boiled peanuts.  I totally get why she loves this.  Boiled peanuts were one of my favorite snacks when I was younger.  I still can't resist buying a bag when I see it in the stores (supermarkets in Hawaii sell boiled peanuts near the produce department).

I've seen boiled peanuts for sale in the Smithfield Marketplace catalog, and GP, my former coworker, would tell me that boiled peanuts were a popular snack in parts of the south.  But I was taken by surprise one day when he asked me why the peanuts on my plate were so dark.  I told him they were boiled, and it was like he had never seen a boiled goober before.  So now I'm curious about what southern boiled peanuts are like.  The ones I see in Hawaii are all dark.

My buddy Tyson swears that the best peanuts in Hilo are sold at George's Meat Market.  I've had theirs, and he is right.  The salt is just right, and the peanuts are cooked just right.  George's Meat Market has some oddball hours, so if you find yourself jonesing for some good nuts and can't get to George's, you can always make your own.  It only takes a few hours to make, and if you are like me and D2 and have an affinity for flavor of anise, you can throw in a couple of stars for the "Chinese" taste.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Local Style Boiled Peanuts

     2 lbs fresh peanuts
     1/4 c rock salt
     2 star anise
     2 qts water

Place peanuts into large pot.  Cover with water.  Add salt and star anise.  Bring to a rolling boil.  Start timer (25 minutes) when water is at a rolling boil.  Remove pot from heat, but leave peanuts in pot until they all sink to the bottom.  Drain.

6/2014 update:  KTA sells raw peanuts with their signature "1916" label.  These peanuts are huge!  If using these special 1916 peanuts, boil peanuts much longer than 25 minutes.  Begin checking after 45 minutes of boiling.  You will also need to add water during the boiling process.