Cripes! Earthquake!!!

By now, you've probably heard about the huge earthquakes and the lava in east Hawaii.

On Thursday, May 3, mid-morning, there was a quick jolt.  It was enough to send me running to the doorway, but not enough to rattle the only student in my class that day.  He sat unfazed until I told him to get in the doorway with me.  The shaking stopped just as he stood up to join me.

By that late afternoon/early evening, the news reported fissures popping up in the Leilani Estates subdivision, about 40 minutes away from where I live.  Aside from my sore shoulder, I had a rather calm evening and was looking forward to the May Day program the next day.

I felt pretty good, pretty top-shape, having dealt effectively with 2 technological malfunctions that week.  KikukatDad's 1st Generation iPad was unable to download an upgrade to the Star-Advertiser app.  For him, that was a deal-breaker.  He knew the time had come to purchase a new iPad.

In spite of being a technology-dunce, KikukatDad, who has never turned on a computer in his life, took to the iPad.  For over 6 years (it was my hand-me-down), KikukatDad has read his newspaper on the iPad.  He mastered scrolling, swiping, and zooming.  When he went to Honolulu for short trips, his iPad followed him.

After a quick run to Target and a short set-up at home, his new iPad was ready to go.  I delivered it to him and he was able to read his paper again.  The Help provided some navigational support to smooth the transition.  So far, so good.

On Thursday, shortly after the jolt, D2 came to my room to show me her cracked iPhone screen.  Weighing the options, I told her we'd get her screen fixed (she would pay for it).  She wanted to use the phone as-is, but I told her that was unacceptable, fearing the cracked screen would eventually give way and cause damage to the actual workings of the phone.  OfficeMax was able to replace her screen, and I was home in time to cook dinner.  Again, so far, so good.

Then on Friday, around 11:30 am, the sign fell off the wall, literally.  I was in the boss' office, complaining about a coworker and a student engaging in blatant academic fraudulence.  One of the vice principals had joined us in his office, as he was questioning a recent announcement.  Then the shaking began.  A sign from the wall behind me fell and landed a few inches behind me.  There was no desk to crawl under!  Well, there was, but I would've had to sit ON the boss!  So I did what any reasonable person would do...I jumped up and held onto the vice principal.  Not my proudest moment, but I did feel safe.

The students and staff were eventually corralled into the pool area.  I actually felt safe in the pool area. . .no second or third floor to collapse onto me.  No concrete to fall on my head.  But every measure of safety was thrown out when the shaking began.  I was floored that many students just sat on the bleachers.  I wanted to run.  Where to, I'm not sure, but I knew I wanted to run.  The shaking lasted a loooooong time.  A student managed to take video, and it was featured on Hawaii News Now (and other places have shown it since).  The vantage point of the video is actually very close to where I was when the shaking began.

We've had a few jolts since then, and it is unnerving every time it happens.  Thus far, the damage at home hasn't been bad.  I lost a Mikasa crystal drinking glass.  My room at school seemed intact too.  I'm fortunate.

I have a few friends who have had to evacuate, and my thoughts and prayers are with them.

In spite of the chaos last week, I don't think we've seen it all yet.  In chaotic times, I find myself resorting to fast and easy cooking.  Just a bit fancier than plain white sticky rice, warabi rice is quick and easy to make.  The ingredients are fairly easy to obtain here in Hawaii.  When things quiet down and tourists decide to check out the east side of the island again, warabi is definitely something to be tried (Suisan---warabi salad; Coqui's Hideaway---warabi fried rice).  If you are fortunate enough to receive warabi as a travel gift, try this rice recipe or my warabi kamaboko salad recipe.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Warabi Rice

     1-2 c warabi, chopped in 1/4" pieces

     1/4 c dried shrimp*, chopped

     1 kamaboko, diced

     2 pieces aburage, diced

     2 tsp salt

     1/4 tsp hondashi granules

     2 tbsp oil

     3 c rice (cook 3 c rice cooker cups as usual in rice cooker)

Heat oil and saute shrimp until golden.  Add kamaboko and aburage.  Fry until aburage is crispy.  Add warabi.  Sprinkle salt and hondashi and toss lightly.  Remove from heat.  In a large bowl, combine rice and warabi mixture using quick, light strokes.  

*My grandma used iriko (small, dried fish) instead of shrimp, but iriko is very hard to find now.

Many of my Rav buddies on the mainland messaged me with their concern.  I am grateful to be in their thoughts.  I think the stress of the earthquakes/lava have taken a toll on me, even if I'm not in such close proximity to the area being affected.  My shoulder has been aching more and more, and nights of good sleep are fewer.

My main hobby and outlet have been affected as well.  I have a few projects going, but I am careful about taking frequent breaks to stretch my shoulder.  This weekend, I finished a beaded beret for DHS.  I hope to finish an MKAL project soon too.  

I received 2 skeins of gorgeous yarn (pictured) from Western Sky Knits as prizes I won in a contest in the Plum Dandi group.  

The Keeper gave me a ramen t-shirt from our favorite Hawaii ramen place, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka.

And Nakaz bought me a yummy lunch on Friday.

I feel the love!

Somen Inari Sushi V2

I am pretty sick. . .sick because I see Labor Day as the end of summer (the season, not the vacation. . .that was over a long time ago).  There's just something to love about the warm temps of summer.  I love endless days of sun.  I love how the pool heats.  I love the long days.  I've already begun sleeping with my electric blanket on.  Sad, sick. . .shucks!

A few years ago, I blogged about somen inari sushi.  When I recently tried retrieving the recipe, the link was not linking to the correct issue of Currents, and I was unable to locate the correct issue.  This was the perfect opportunity for me to look at ways to change the original recipe to suit my taste/convenience.

While the original recipe was good, I didn't feel it contained enough somen noodles, and I would end up with some unfilled aburage since there wasn't enough filling for all the aburage in the jumbo package.  Problem solved by adding more noodles and liquid.  If possible, make this on the day you plan to serve it.  If it sits overnight, the somen noodles will turn green. . .color leeching from the ocean salad.  While the taste is not affected, the eye appeal might be compromised.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Somen Inari Sushi V2

     1 large (31.74 oz) package frozen seasoned deep fried bean curd rectangles, thawed

     10 oz somen noodles (dried)

     2 blocks kamaboko, slivered

     8 oz ocean salad

     3 oz Tropics oriental dressing

Break somen noodles in half and cook as directed on package.  Drain and cool.  Drain aburage, pouring liquid over well drained somen noodles.  Squeeze aburage pieces gently and add liquid to noodles.  Add kamaboko, ocean salad, and dressing to noodles.  Toss gently until kamaboko and ocean salad are distributed throughout.  Carefully open aburage rectangles and fill with somen mixture.  Chill until ready to serve.  Makes about 55 aburage cups.

 I tried to blog in mid-August, but I was just too dang busy.  My friends and I made a trek out to the Manta Restaurant at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel to enjoy their fabulous brunch.  It was a beautiful day.  I'm too embarrassed to show my plate of food.

And sometime at the end of last month, the high school football season began.  I accompanied The Help to HPA for the game.  I'm proud of another Viking victory.

I've been spending lots (too much) time knitting.  I managed to finish 4 projects in August, 2 of which are Christmas gifts.  I'm working feverishly to finish another project, a test knit for my fave designer.

Never Enough: Hijiki

Before I launch into the normal chit chat of my post, I'd like to give a big ALOHA to SN and the Ono Kine Recipes page on Facebook for sharing recipes from my blog.  The first 2 recipes shared were Korean Long Rice Salad and Warabi-Kamaboko Salad.  My buddy Dee messaged me and told me Ono Kine Recipes had posted two of my recipes.  I HAD to "like" the page after that!  If you have a facebook account, meander over to the Ono Kine Recipes page.  They have lots of recipes, including lots of yummy desserts. Prior to summer getting underway, I made a list of foods I wanted to try making.  So far, I made only 1 thing from the list:  Zoku pops.  I have not managed to make anything more because I keep getting sidetracked.  The market hasn't been on my side either.  Gravlax was way up high on my list, but I can't seem to find fresh wild salmon.  Another item high on that list was sponge drops, soft vanilla cookies with a creamy filling sandwiched between two cookies.  The cleanup for that will be hell. There was a holiday this past week. . .Kamehameha Day, and since I was already on vacation, the only difference was that D2 was home with me.  Doing an internship at a federal jobsite, D1 did not get Kamehameha Day off.  There were celebrations going on in Hilo and in Kohala, but I had no part of that.  Instead, I stayed home and cooked (and cleaned too). What I ended up cooking were a bunch of snacks and side dishes.  The 8-pound brisket The Help smoked on Sunday lasted us well into the week, so I put my effort into snacks for the family as well as other things we could eat with the brisket.  And even though we stopped eating the brisket, a huge chunk of it lives on in the freezer.  I'm gonna need to work up a lot of nerve to tackle it for round 2.  Harumphffff. One of the side dishes I made, which has absolutely no coherence with smoked brisket, is hijiki (seaweed).  I knew there was no chance of D2 touching smoked brisket so I figured I'd make her something to have along with microwaved frozen rice.  D2 loves hijiki, and I am certain many people have enjoyed hijiki at a sit-down Japanese restaurant at some point in their lives.  Even Japanese restaurants in small town Hilo serve it regularly.  Hijiki is often presented as one of the small morsels diners are served as a complimentary appetizer.  And no matter which Japanese restaurant you go to, the tidbit-sized portion is never enough.  During spring break, I took the Ds and D2's friend KN to Restaurant Miwa for lunch.  At the end of the meal, after D2 finished her udon and my hijiki, she announced that the next time we ate there, she would just order a bowl of hijiki and some rice.  And that's exactly the reason why making hijiki at home is such a good idea. . .you can eat all you want!  Restaurant hijiki usually just contains seasoned seaweed.  When you make it at home, you can add in other stuff.  Hijiki is not difficult to make, and it takes just a little forethought.  Aside from soaking the hijiki, the most time-consuming part is chopping the aburage and konnyaku.  Because everything gets cooked in one pan, clean up is also minimal.  click on recipe title for printable recipe Hijiki      1 pkg (2 oz) hijiki (wash and soak in water for 30 minutes or according to package directions)      1 tbsp oil      2 aburage, finely chopped      1 piece konnyaku, sliced thin      3 tbsp sugar      1/4 c mirin      1/4 c shoyu      2 tbsp sesame seeds Heat oil in pan.  Fry aburage till crispy.  Squeeze out water from hijiki.  Add hijiki, konnyaku, sugar, mirin, and shoyu to aburage.  Cook until liquid is absorbed.  Mix in sesame seeds.

Somen Inari Sushi

Its the last week of school/work before winter break, and I have food obligations for at least 2 food-centered events this week...an office luncheon (me) and a class activity (D1).  I'm sure D2 has something but I just haven't been notified yet, so make that 3 food-centered events this week.  D1 hasn't voiced an opinion for what she wants to bring (I'm thinking brownies), and I'm thinking about bringing somen inari sushi to the office luncheon. 

People often ask me where I find my recipes.  Although I have a huge collection of cookbooks, which I continually pore through, there are many times when I sample a dish at a party or a meeting then feel compelled to ask for the recipe.  Somen inari sushi happens to be a product of the latter.

 At our family Thanksgiving luncheon at Aunty Janice's house a few weeks ago, Cousin Vinny brought a platter of these fancy pockets.  I took one and persuaded D2 to try it.  Thinking she'd balk at being asked to take a bite of the aburage (she is a sworn tofu enemy), I let her taste a kamaboko sliver first, followed by a noodle, and then by something from the ocean salad.  At that point, she grabbed the aburage and just took a huge bite.  By the time we left Aunty Janice's house, she had consumed at least 5 of the somen inari sushi and was looking forward to diving into the ones we were taking home. There was no way I could've brought home enough, and she was disappointed when she had polished them all off.  After I showered, I texted Cousin Vinny and asked him for the recipe.  The recipe, "Stuffed Aburage", is on page 13 of the newsletter. 

My friend Colleen's mom made something like this for a party nearly 2 decades ago, so I know the recipe has been around a while.  I think I didn't attempt it sooner because I was daunted by having to prepare the aburage.  I didn't realize it came already pre-cooked and pre-seasoned.

Cousin Vinny gave me unsolicited advice on where to find frozen pre-seasoned aburage rectangles (KTA, of course), and he even gave me advice on how to deal with the liquid that gets squeezed out from the aburage.  All his knowledge lead me to question who actually made the dish. . .Cousin Vinny or his wife/boss Aunty Mia.  Cousin Vinny gave credit to Aunty Mia for making the dish, as he was busy making the baked beans, which we also enjoyed.

The One and Only Cousin Vinny and a Copycat

The baked beans was a whole conversation on its own, and The Help and I agreed it was one of the best baked beans we had ever eaten.  Unfortunately, Cousin Vinny was unable to provide a recipe. . .he just "threw in this and that" as a result of a telephone kokua call to Sweetie (his sister-in-law).

I was under the impression that the best cooks worked in my area, but after Thanksgiving, I'm pretty certain that the best cooks are masquerading as employees at Hilo High (Cousin Vinny and Sweetie both work there).