Korean Spicy BBQ Pork

Gaaaah!  Today is my last day of vacation.  Talk about a real bummer.  I guess my total house cleaning will need to wait until my next break.  Oops...I won't be around for the next big break, so we can put off house cleaning until winter vacation.

I spent a good chunk of the summer working, but I really cannot grumble about that because I have a bunch of trips planned, and the extra $ will come in handy.

The Ds made it safely back from Russia and Japan; it was always in the back of my mind that they would be detained in Russia so I'm very relieved.  D1 also made it safely back to AZ.  She seems to be settled into her new digs, although she was splitting her time between both places so she could help clean the kitchen.  I was proud to hear that she was doing her part and sharing in the move-out cleaning duties, but then it hit me...how come she never offered to clean the kitchen here?

I did manage to take a trip to Oahu during my vacation for my cousin's wedding.  KikukatDad came along, and we were lucky enough to stay with UMiles in his new home.  When I grow up, that's the kind of place I want to have....huge kitchen, lots of storage, and tons of bathrooms!  It would have been nice to play with my youngest relative, Cody, but he was attending a wedding in Long Beach that weekend.  Cody isn't even eating solid food yet, but the kiddo has logged in more traveling miles than many adults I know!  UMiles deserves a huge shout out.  Not only did he chauffeur us around, but he took the hit from KikukatDad for all kinds of stuff.  He did it all with a smile (and sometimes a head shake).

My cousin's wedding was absolutely gorgeous.  The ceremony was at her picturesque home on the windward side.  They were married at the poolside gazebo which had been decorated with tulle and fresh flowers.  She must've been a good girl because the weather held up just long enough for Judge Sakamoto to marry them.  We toasted the newlyweds with flutes of Prosecco and sparkling cider.  Then the sky opened up.

Thankfully, the reception was at Ruth's Chris Steak House on the other side of the island, so we were able to escape from the rain.  I enjoyed the reception immensely, as we were given the luxury of selecting our entree.  I could not pass up the rib eye.  Of course, it was just too large for me to finish.  KikukatDad could not finish his rib eye either.  UMiles chose the fish option, as he had just regaled KikukatDad and me with tales of how beef/anything from the cow is bad for the health.

So with summer vacation over, I plan to mope a bit over the next few days/weeks.  It's just something I do every year.  My classroom is still not set up, and I have no desire to rush in to get everything set.  I'm hoping that the kind folks who took down my room at the ending of the school year kept everything in good order.

I will definitely miss the warm days, hanging out on the patio, the smell of food on a hibachi, and not having to worry about lesson plans and meetings.  In spite of my battle with GERD at the beginning of summer, I did do a lot of good eating (I just couldn't eat much).  The Help and I visited Shiono a few times.  They make a great salmon skin salad.  I was fortunate enough to be invited over to dinner by a coworker.  She and her husband made us (me and The Keeper) okonomiyaki.  Their version was much better than what I had in Japan.  They used a generous amount of bacon and poured some really good sake alongside.  Thanks to The Keeper, I got my bon dance andagi fix, and along with Nakaz and DHS we even managed to squeeze in an MKB brunch.

I did some pretty good cooking too.  We enjoyed Caprese salad several times, thanks to the thriving basil in the whiskey barrel garden.  The Help and KikukatDad enjoyed some grilled spicy pork.  Because the pork is marinated, it can be prepared in advance.  The pork I purchase for this is sliced "teriyaki" style, so somewhere between 1/8"-1/4". 

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Korean Spicy BBQ Pork

     1 1/2 lb thin sliced pork (not paper thin!)

     1 tbsp grated ginger

     2 tbsp sugar

     1 tbsp sesame seeds, ground

     1 tbsp sesame seed oil

     4 tbsp kochujang

     2 tbsp green onions, chopped

     4 cloves garlic, minced

     1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients except sliced pork.  Coat pork slices well and marinate at least 2 hours (overnight is best).  Grill pork slices.  Slice in strips to serve. 

Me Me Shrimp

Sometimes life can be really cruel.  For most of her life (up to this point), D1 has taken full advantage of indulging in one of her favorite crustaceans, shrimp. She has stuffed her face with shrimp at the Sky Garden buffet (Imiloa Astronomy Center).  She has even eaten tempura udon all along the west coast (USA), Hawaii, and Japan.  She was so looking forward to her Japan trip this year for the opportunity to sample more tempura udon.  Unfortunately, all dreams of finding the best tempura udon in Japan came to a screeching halt a few months ago.  A spring visit to the allergist in Honolulu confirmed what we had suspected for a few months. . .D1 has a seafood allergy.

Dr. Kuo performed the "thousand needle" skin test, which revealed crab to be the most allergenic.  There was a slight/mild reaction to shrimp, and no reaction to lobster.  However, Dr. Kuo said that since crab, shrimp and lobster are closely related, he advised avoiding all 3 to prevent cross-reaction.

D1 was devastated.  I know she has contemplated having shrimp several times since that diagnosis.  And Mr. Dependable sold her out and told me she eats shrimp almost every weekend when she is with him!  Unlike Mr. Dependable, I tend to walk on the side of caution.  While benadryl has worked well in the past to combat the itching, I always tell her not to push her luck.  In spite of her allergy, D1 has a lot to be thankful for. . .she can still eat a whole bunch of other tasty seafood.  Clams, oysters, scallops are all safe (per Dr. Kuo).  I remind D1 that there other people who are not able to eat any seafood, including oyster sauce (neither of the Ds would be able to handle an allergy to this).

At this moment, D1 is somewhere in Tokyo. . .I hope she's not at Aoi Marushin or buying crab from Tsukiji!  I hope she remembers to ask what they use to make dashi.  And I most certainly hope she will not be tempted to indulge, even with epipen handy.  With an air of self-indulgence, D2 told me before she left that she plans to stuff herself with crab and shrimp tempura while there.  She said she'd even eat some sweet potato tempura (I didn't know she eats this)!

When D1 was part of the shrimp-eating population, her favorite shrimp dish was a toss-up between carry-along shrimp, salt & pepper shrimp and this shrimp dish.  The original recipe title is Mimi's Shrimp, and it was in a local cookbook.  I looked online for a similar recipe, and I came across the original recipe here.  The recipe link does not have any pictures of the finished dish, so I hope they will link to this blog (or ask me for permission to use the pics).

I have posted several kick-ass shrimp recipes, but I prefer this recipe to carry-along shrimp and salt & pepper shrimp.  This is more versatile.  It can be eaten with rice or with a crisp, green salad.  It also doesn't require much marinating time.  Because it's cooked on a grill, there is no oil to clean up (yay).  As a play on the original name of this recipe, we referred to this (when we were cooking shrimp) as "me me" (an homage to "Mimi") shrimp.  D1 is the ultimate "me me". . .the queen of the selfie!

Hibachi Food, Potluck Food: Bacon Pickle Hot Dog

It's that time of year. . .hibachi season!  The next few months will be filled with graduation parties, picnics, Fourth of July BBQs, off-to-college parties and, eventually, tailgating.  Uh-oh.  Tailgating reminds me that the next school year is just around the corner (and we haven't officially ended this one yet!).

The Help and I came to the decision that we need to replace our current outdoor grill in order to be in top shape for hibachi season.  After several surgeries, it's time to just start fresh.  Hopefully the Weber grills will be on special!  We are looking at Weber because the replacement parts are easier to find.  Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Target have some off-brands which, while well priced, are difficult to repair.  The Charmglow gas grill on the patio has been looking like Frankenstein's monster for a while.  It is time.

If you are having a barbecue (or invited to one), bacon pickle hot dog is a great contribution.  UJames neighbor, GarretK, made this for one of his parties.  Upon first glance, it didn't seem appetizing at all, but I was amazed at how the tart dill pickle enhances the smokiness of the bacon and hot dog.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Bacon Pickle Hot Dog

hot dogs, preferably red (found in Hawaii)
bacon, 1 slice for each hot dog
pickle spears, sliced thin, 1 slice for each hot dog

Slit hot dogs lengthwise, but don't cut all the way through.  Slice pickle spears lengthwise into quarters, sixths, or eights, depending on girth of pickle.  Shove pickle slice into slit of hot dog.  Wrap hot dog with bacon slice.  Broil or grill until bacon is cooked.  Cut each hot dog wrap in half to serve.

This weekend was a big graduation week.  For the first time in over a decade, I attended commencement and watched with pride when my students received their diplomas.  It was a great feeling to be able to congratulate the seniors as they made their way back to their seats.  Even the distasteful sight of the poorest excuse for an administrator #yofadagotuin did not dampen the moment.  The tassel changing was definitely a chicken skin moment, and it made me realize that my place is with the students.  I haven't felt this excited about my job in years!

The following day, Saturday, graduation excitement touched my own family.  CP, the first-born of the next generation, graduated from high school!  Congratulations, hugs and kisses go out to him!  Although I wasn't able to make it to the commencement exercises, I made him a lei to commemorate his momentous occasion.  If only his grandfather could have been there. . .he would have been so proud. 

This weekend served as a bittersweet reminder that in a year, D1 will be participating in her own commencement exercises.  If I could give her one bit of advice, it would be, "Make the most of your senior year.  Once it is over, there is no turning back."

Almost Boots & Kimo's: Pulehu Short Ribs

Summer vacation for me will be over in three weeks, and I have no plans in sight for a Honolulu trip.  Sigh.  I've spent so much time on the road this summer that I think I could've easily driven to Oahu and back!  Double sigh.

I guess I need to celebrate small victories of the first half of summer:  clearing the dining table (it remained clean for a day), swimming in water colder than 87 degrees, biting the bullet and buying the handheld cordless Dyson.  I would also like to recognize Kennie for protecting our family again and killing that ugly centipede.
 
Hilo weather has been, well, typical Hilo weather.  We had a few days of solid sunshine, followed by the second coming of winter... not kidding.  I'm going to be positive and hope that more sunny days will be in the forecast before I need to head back to work.  I love sunny days because that means its hibachi time...time to heat those ManGrates and start grilling.  My favorite grilled food (yes, even more favorite than rib eye steak) is pulehu short ribs. 

In 2005, some nice coworkers took me to breakfast at a hole-in-the wall in Kailua, Oahu:  Boots & Kimo's.  I ordered corned beef hash, but they insisted I try the macadamia nut pancakes and pulehu short ribs.  Once again, there I was, wishing I had ordered something else.

I never considered pulehu short ribs to be a breakfast food, but I'm no longer a doubter.  Of course, pulehu short ribs are good for any meal, and my recipe for pulehu short ribs definitely represents.  While it may not taste exactly like Boots & Kimo's, it can definitely hold its own.  Btw, pulehu is a Hawaiian word meaning to roast over a fire.

This recipe uses the same cut of short ribs used for khal bi (korean broiled short ribs), the flanken cut.  For more info on the different short rib cuts, click here.  For this recipe, do not be tempted to buy the boneless variety.  It just won't taste as good without the bones.

The picture on the left is a family pack of short ribs.  If you are worried about cholesterol, it might be a good idea to save this recipe for your periodic splurge because short ribs are a fatty cut.

If anyone out there has a good copycat recipe for the real star of Boots & Kimo's (the macadamia nut pancakes), please post a comment so we can discuss your price!

 click on recipe title for printable recipe
Pulehu Short Ribs

     3-4 lbs short ribs

     2 tbsp sugar

     2 tbsp rock salt

     3 tbsp shoyu

     1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

     1/4 tsp shichimi togarashi powder

Combine all ingredients (except short ribs).  Rub mixture onto both sides of short ribs.  Let stand at 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Grill on both sides.

We celebrated a belated Father's Day with The Rents at Hilo Bay Cafe.  Grampy ordered some wheat beer which he said was unreal sour.  I personally think they played the Jedi Mind Trick on him with the lemon slice on the glass.  Nevertheless, it took two silver bullets to wash the sour taste from his mouth. 

The Ds with their favorite victim.

Take Your Pick Teriyaki

teriyaki chicken

I am truly sick of turkey right now.  The Foodland turkey dinner package turned out to be a huge hit (definitely worth it for not having to store all the food before cooking and for the absence of all the greasy dishes from roasting the turkey and making the gravy). After handing off the dark meat to the Pars, its "a hui hou" to turkey for a while.  I wanna go back to eating simple food, food that goes well with a plate of rice.  Nothing fussy, just everyday food.  Hmmmmm. . .teriyaki to the rescue!

In my house, teriyaki goes over very nicely with the Ds.  Its a versatile meal which can be prepped ahead and reheats nicely.  D2 is partial to thin-sliced beef teriyaki.  D1 will eat anything.  But both kids will insist on grilled teriyaki (not pan-fried).  I don't blame them.  The smell of teriyaki cooking on a hibachi is ethereal.  Its the ultimate local comfort smell.  I'm sure you've experienced the feeling of longing when you catch a whiff of someone else making hibachi!

The marinade for making chicken or beef teriyaki is the same.  I prefer white meat (yes!), but thighs can also be soaked too.  Its best to marinate deboned chicken.  Skin-on or skin-off is an individual preference.  If I'm using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I take a mallet and pound the breast halves to an even 1/2" thickness.  Thin-sliced beef is D2's favorite, but hunky rib eye steaks can also bathe in the marinade too.  Rules for marinating chicken and beef are the same.  Marinate overnight and discard any unused marinade.  Do not use the marinade as a basting sauce.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Teriyaki Marinade

     1/2 c sugar

     1/2 c shoyu

     1 clove garlic, smashed

     1" piece ginger, grated
     1 tsp sake
     1 tsp sesame oil

Combine marinade ingredients.  Add a 1-2 pounds of desired meat.  Allow to marinate overnight.  Cook over a hibachi.