Belgian Waffles

This week was a killer week!  I swear I still have jet lag.  The Help thinks I'm crazy to think jet lag can persist for days.  I have not fully recovered from my trip.  I noticed that the students were actually better than teachers as far as not extending vacation.  There are still a few teachers who were still on vacation when school resumed.  Mercifully, this week was s short one for students, as the teachers had their union day on Friday.

I have "attended" every union day since I began teaching.  This will be our first union day in a while, as the union day was taken away from teachers when we had the furloughs.  The union days are pretty much the same.  But this year, being that the day happened so soon after my trip, I sat there and let my mind replay my trip.

I wanted to bring back a cooler of chilled seafood, but that didn't happen.  While strolling through Pike Place Market, I noticed that both City Fish and Pike Place Fish both pack airline-approved coolers guaranteed for 48 hours of freshness.  I wonder when I will break down and order something.  I don't think I ate enough seafood while there (Really, can this ever be possible?  One can never eat enough seafood).

I thought about buying a whole bunch of things.  I saw the cutest cat-art prints (Bad Kitties), but I didn't buy the print I desired because I didn't want the responsibility and worry of making sure it came home in good shape.  There were many stalls displaying beautiful fruit, but I didn't buy any, as I wasn't about to eat fruit in lieu of a meal while in Seattle.  I was intrigued by a chocolate pasta. . .meant to be a dessert pasta.

While I was thinking about food, it occurred to me that while I was away, I never once had a sit-down breakfast with all the trimmings.  Most of my breakfasts were some kind of grab-and-go pastry (Nielsen's potato, almond croissant, Top Pot doughnuts, some disgusting thing called kringler that tasted like the vile condiment).  Suddenly I felt shortchanged.  I remember having fabulous breakfasts when I was a student in Seattle.  Was I so preoccupied with other things that I couldn't take the time to have a sit-down breakfast?  I guess so.

Cafe Kaila Belgian waffle

I'm a bit taken aback because a sit-down breakfast is a luxury of vacation.  When I visit Honolulu, I make it a point to go to Cafe Kaila.  They make the best Belgian waffles.  I've tried Sweet Es and Yogurstory, but after having it at Cafe Kaila, the others pale by comparison.  The waffle at Cafe Kaila is light and crispy.  You can even get it topped with seasonal fruit.  The last time I was there, D1 got it as a "side" with bacon (looked like a pound of crispy bacon).

If you happen to be in Hilo (Tuesdays-Saturdays), stop in at Paul's Place.  Its across Agasa Furniture, near the Hilo Farmer's Market.  Paul's Place features a Belgian waffle which can totally hold its own against Cafe Kaila.  In spite of it being so awesome, I seldom order it because there are other things on the menu that I find irresistible.  The Help always orders it, and getting him to share a bite with me is like taking candy from a baby.

Since the Ds were with me this weekend, I decided to make up for what I missed in Seattle.  . . a good breakfast.  We made waffles! 

A few months ago, The Help upgraded my double Krups Belgian waffle maker to 4-banger by All-Clad.  It was taking too long to cook just 2 waffles at a time.  Since then, we've experimented with a bunch of different waffle batters.  Some required yeast for leavening, while others entailed separating the eggs.  One of the yeast batters produced a waffle which tasted like bread (not surprising).  Both The Help and I found that we preferred waffles made with batters where the eggs were separated.  We also liked a hint of lemon (over vanilla).  The Help and the Ds love to top their waffles with fruits, especially blueberries, but I prefer it unadulterated.

Have you had breakfast yet? 

 click on recipe title for printable recipe

 Belgian Waffles

     2 c flour
     3 tbsp sugar
     2 tsp baking powder
     1/2 tsp salt
     2 eggs, separated
     1 1/4 c milk
     1/3 c vegetable oil
     1/4 tsp lemon extract


In a medium size bowl, sift dry ingredients together.  Beat egg whites until stiff.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, beat egg yolks and milk.  Add egg mixture, vegetable oil, and lemon extract to dry ingredients.  Mix only until moistened.  Fold in egg whites.  Bake in Belgian waffle iron for 5 minutes.

Restaurant Chatter: Kilauea Lodge

Nestled in cozy Volcano Village, Kilauea Lodge is the reigning monarch of Volcano-area eateries.  I have eaten breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner at Kilauea Lodge, and I can say with confidence that my favorite meal there is brunch.

I do have specific gripes about the food at breakfast, lunch and dinner.  First of all, the fruit served with breakfast comes with papaya, something I detest (maybe 3rd on my list of hated foods).  The meal I had for lunch was a French Dip sandwich (pic is further down on page) which had jalapenos in it.  It was an odd taste combination. I haven't had dinner at Kilauea Lodge for a long time, but the last time I did, maybe 2 or 3 years ago, I remember the menu having a heavy German lean.  I have nothing against Germans/Germany, but their favorite condiment happens to be my MOST detested food of all time, and I'm certain I saw THE WORD in several places on their dinner menu.  Bleccchhhhh.

The dining room is spacious with high ceilings and a charming stone fireplace.

I like the way the dining room appears during the day.  There is a very airy, expansive feel to the place.  At night, the dining room is transformed into a dark, cozy room with a true "mountain lodge" type feeling.

The fireplace is embedded with old and foreign coins as well as plaques from different organizations.  Every time I go, I'm tempted to linger in front of the fireplace to read everything that is there, but I know it would take too long and other diners would likely not appreciate me doing so. 

The entire dining room is also an essay in local hardwoods, namely mango and koa. 

A small gift shop selling all kinds of Volcano-area products is tucked away in the corner of the dining room.   I was tempted to buy 2 things:  a glass ornament and a vase by local artisans Michael and Misato Mortara.  They operate 2400 Fahrenheit, a glass studio on the edge of the national park area.

Here are some food pics, along with the eaters' reviews:

crab cakes benedict - the crab cakes had a strange spice taste, but the home fries rocked

buffalo burger - lean and tasty

lava tube omelet - very good, likely to order again

apple/pear bread - this comes free with the meal. . .good thing because its not very good

teriyaki chicken and rice - epic fail, however, the chicken is a nice breast piece

club sandwich - yum

french dip - good, except the jalapenos seemed out of place

happy diners

the grounds are well maintained

Last week, I posted a recipe for Chicken Potstickers, and I mentioned a spicy dipping sauce which I like to have with the potstickers.  If I'm bringing the potstickers to a party, I usually double the sauce recipe.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Dumpling (Potsticker) Sauce

     1 tbsp ginger, chopped fine

     1 clove garlic, chopped fine

     3 tbsp shoyu (or Chinese light shoyu)

     1 tbsp red wine vinegar

     1 tsp sugar

     1/4 tsp salt

     1 tsp hot pepper oil

Combine all ingredients.  Serve with dumplings or potstickers.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

The Help returned safely from his trip to the Bay Area.  He brought back lots of goodies for me and the Ds, along with a shitload of pics.

This was a killer week...the first of the 4-days til 4:00 and 1-day til 3:00 weeks.  I don't know if I can last the year.  Actually the time wasn't too bad, but this, being the 1st week of school, was chaos in some schools.  I dealt with idiocy all week, both at the teacher and admin levels.  I deserve combat pay.  Its not my fault admins sign teachers up for trainings and then accuse you of not informing them (the admin) about the training.  Its not my fault that teachers lack relationship-maintaining skills.  Its not my fault some people have no balls.  Lotsa emotions running high.  Patience running low.

The Oregonians (the people, not the newspaper)

And as to be expected, the High Commander was totally gracious as drones adjusted to the new everything (school year, schedules, students, personnel, etc.).  In fact, the week with Uncle was great too.  Maybe things might actually work out with Uncle.  I think people are on a high because the kids did well on last year's high stakes testing.  I ended the week at a workshop at Imiloa where I got to see my two favorite Oregonians.  We didn't have much time to chat, but I'm sure they will be around for a while.

I (and all my fellow 10-month teachers in the Zone) received a double paycheck on Friday.  I hope they did what I did...went to the bank and put that entire paycheck into savings.  What the stinking brass forgot to mention to the workforce was that come 8/2013 or 2014, whenever the PD days end and the Zone shifts back to the "normal" 24-paycheck cycle, teachers in Zone schools will miss a paycheck.  I tried to caution my representative to the articulation team about this, but I guess nobody took me seriously.  I'm not accusing the state of stealing my $...I'm merely cautioning my constituents that they extra paycheck was not really "extra".  And if anyone has questions on how the Zone teachers managed to get that extra paycheck, leave a comment so I can explain.  I got the info straight from some dude named Edwin in the state $ office.

On the home front, we are adjusting well to The Help being back, and we've been going through tons of pics of northern Cali.  The Help took about 400 pics, so he has been busy editing, tagging & uploading them.  Here is one of my favorite pics from his trip:

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, hoping this week will be as good as last week.