Okazuya Meat Loaf

One of the local okazuya's (now closed) would have meat loaf on their line.  I don't remember meat loaf being on okazuya offerings as a kid.

Panko Meat Loaf

click on recipe title for printable recipe

 

     1 1/2 lbs ground beef

     1/2 c panko

     1 egg

     1/3 c onion, finely chopped

     1 tbsp brown sugar

     1 tsp salt

     black pepper

     1/4 c water

     1 can condensed tomato soup, divided

Grease a 9" loaf pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients with 1/2 can of undiluted tomato soup.  Reserve remainder for later.  Place mixture into prepared loaf pan and bake 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and spread remaining soup evenly over top of loaf.  Bake additional 10 minutes.

Fried Mahimahi

I guess summer is here.  The rain has tapered off, the termites come around, and I haven't had to turn on my electric blankie for over a week.

When the weather turns warm, I try to serve food that won't add much to the heat...more veggies...less rice...no "gravy" foods.  The warm weather is also perfect for outdoor eating and "build your own" foods like fish tacos.

For several years, I've been making breaded mahi (short for mahimahi).  Breaded mahi/fried mahi, is an okazuya staple.  Pieces of golden brown fillets line trays, waiting to be packed in a box lunch.  "Breaded" usually refers to the use of panko breadcrumbs.  The Ds and The Help enjoy mahi because it's easy to eat; no bones to pick out.  I like making fried mahi at home (maybe because The Help makes the absolute best tartar sauce).  I would post his recipe for tartar sauce, but I am certain he doesn't use a recipe.  Magically, it turns out delicious every time.

In spite of willingly consuming breaded mahi, The Help isn't normally much of a fish, rice, and Japanese pickles eater.  So it wasn't a huge surprise when he broke from the norm and used my breaded mahi in fish tacos.  I suppose the stars were all in the right place. . .we happened to have won bok, carrots, purple cabbage, tortillas, AND salsa, on hand.

Whether you have breaded mahi in a bento, with rice or in a taco, making it at home isn't too difficult.  The results are delicious and well worth the effort.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Fried Mahimahi

     1 lb mahimahi, thinly sliced

     1 tbsp sugar

     2 tbsp cornstarch

     1 tsp salt

     1 tbsp sake

     1/2 tsp curry powder

     1 tbsp shoyu

     1 egg, beaten

     1 1/2 c panko

     oil for frying

Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, sake, curry powder and shoyu.  Add mahimahi and marinate for 1 hour.  Heat oil in a skillet.   Dip fish into beaten egg then roll in panko.  Fry until golden brown.

    

It seems like it's been a while since I went anywhere.  But a few weeks ago, I went to Honolulu to "fix" my shoulder.  A trip to Honolulu would not have been complete without visiting the newest (for now) member of my family, Cody.  Big congratulations go out to his parents, LA and Stason, and his beaming grandpa Miles.  Cody will have many rich years of listening to Grandpa Miles' stories about his youth, the dangers of going into Waikiki, and how he didn't enjoy napping while he was younger.

And we will forgive Stason for his ugly shirt.






Although I was in town for only an evening, I managed to get my dim sum fix.  We tried a new place called Yum Cha.  I was excited to see xiao long bao on the menu.  It was actually just okay, although this was the first place in Hawaii where I've actually had xiao long bao.  My previous experience has been limited to Din Tai Fung, so perhaps it's not a fair comparison.  The shrimp look funn was delicious.  Yum Cha is one of those places on Oahu where you can get the cute animal buns (I think the other place is Panda Dim Sum, a place I have yet to try).

The animal buns are dessert buns.  The piggies are filled with custard, and the doggies (sorry, no pic) have a black bean filling.  If you know me, then you know why there is no doggie bun pic.  I'm not a big fan of black bean.

The Help had to have his steamed char siu bao, and we also had an order of lo bok gao.  I managed to eat just one of the piggie buns because I could not leave without having my favorite, mango pudding.

For our only dinner,  it was a no-brainer.  We ended up at Tonkatsu Tamafuji.  I was smarter this time and ordered the white rice.  But next time, I think I will try the oyster and shrimp combo.  I don't think I need to eat the pork loin katsu again...not because it wasn't good, but it was just too heavy.

Since returning home, I've been putting a lot of time into my recovery.  In addition to physical therapy, I've been trying to stretch and do more at home.  While I am not back to normal yet, I can tell that I have made progress.  I can actually put on my own deodorant and wash my own hair.

While all this was happening, Kilauea volcano continued producing lava.  It is rather difficult to grasp the magnitude of changes which have occurred in the lower Puna area in the past 5 weeks.  I know of several people who had to evacuate, as well as others who have actually lost their homes.  D1 called me last week Thursday to tell me her long-time friend no longer has a home in Kapoho.  This is not a stranger.  This is someone who has spent time with our family over the years.  It's difficult to find words.

The Help allowed a friend to try out his Fuji, and he captured this amazing picture from his bedroom.   The foreground is bayfront (downtown Hilo).  The lava fountain (fissure 8) is about 20 miles away.

photo credit:  Nakaz42

And yesterday, I received an awesome gift from the valley of the sun. . .D1 returned! 😻

Oyster Rolls

I love oysters.

I will eat them raw.  I will eat them cooked.

I've eaten raw oysters on both coasts of the United States and in a foreign country.  I bought oyster shooters from some seafood stand in Pike Place Market.  In a fit of drunkenness, my friend DY and I went to a seafood restaurant up the street from our apartment, sat at the bar, and had a bunch of oysters before stumbling home.  My raw oyster experience on the opposite coast was much tamer.  My family and I went to a raw bar in Lexington Market (Baltimore) and filled up on oysters and clams.  I couldn't believe how fast those guys could shuck oysters!  When The Help and I went to Victoria, we enjoyed a cold platter at a seafood restaurant near the harbor.  I got to eat all of the raw oysters on the platter.

Whenever I go to Miyo's, I cannot help but order the fried oysters.  Having attempted, with very pathetic results, frying them at home myself, I can appreciate Miyo's.  I wanted to try the grilled oysters on sticks which were being sold on Miyajima, but I never got around to it.  Until I go back, missing out on the experience will always haunt me.

Unfortunately, the people I live with don't share my enthusiasm for oysters.  They just don't get it.  Losers.

But they will eat oyster rolls.  Go figure.  I think its because the oysters are chopped and there are other ingredients in the mix.  I suppose you could say it's rather underhanded of me to "hide" the oysters.  Oh well, it works.  And in spite of being allergic to some shellfish, D1 can eat oysters, which is a big plus for her since much of the food she associates with home contains oyster sauce.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Oyster Rolls

     2 cans (8 oz each) whole oysters, drained and chopped
     1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
     2 can (4 oz each) mushroom stems & pieces, drained and chopped
     2 tbsp cornstarch
     2 eggs
     1 lb fishcake paste
     2 tbsp sugar
     1 tbsp shoyu
     1/4 tsp 5-spice
     1/4 c chopped green onions
     panko
     oil for frying

Combine cornstarch and eggs with a whisk.  Mix in fishcake paste, sugar, shoyu, and 5-spice.  Stir in oysters, water chestnuts, mushrooms and green onions.  Heat oil in a skillet.  Place panko in a small bowl.  Drop heaping tablespoons (#40 disher) of mixture into panko.  Coat completely with panko then shape into 2-inch long flat oval.  Fry in heated oil, turning once.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve with shoyu-oyster sauce mix.

I barely survived the stress from the Summer Ends music festival from a few weeks ago, when D1 dropped another bomb on me.  She told me her school has a fall break too and she was going to visit friends in California and she was going to take the Greyhound bus to get there.  I was okay up until the "take the Greyhound bus" part.  I was hoping Mr. Dependable would put the brakes on this, but he didn't.

So D1 went on an 8-hour bus ride to downtown LA with her friend A, who was actually going home for the break.  She had contacted the SoCal Uncles earlier in the week, and fortunately, UDus was in town and able to get her from the station, which, I discovered, isn't too far from Skid Row.  Frick!  UDus got her safely to Orange County where she met up with Hawaii friends.

D1 sent me a bunch of pics from her trip.  I guess she had a lot of fun.  She mentioned going to Knotts.  Gee, it's been over 20 years since I've been to Knotts.  I'm sure the attractions have changed a lot.  I wonder if they still offer the chicken dinner.

Of course, all the vicarious happiness garnered from D1's fall break trip was tempered by the anxiety of her getting safely back to AZ.  OMG!  I was on pins and needles hoping she'd make it back to the Greyhound station on time.  It didn't help that she was going back on the overnight bus.  Then came the worry of how she'd get to campus.  I'm glad all went smoothly, and later that day, I received a pic of yukgaejang and banchan from HoDoRi, which seems to be the mainland doppelganger of Restaurant Osaka (she said they also make good katsu).


While D1 was stretching her wings and doing all kinds of shit, D2 was also keeping busy.  Mr. Dependable arranged golf lessons for her.  So far, things seem to be working out.  She hasn't grumbled about going.  We'll see how long this will last. . .

On behalf of all of us here, I'd like to extend a huge high-five to the man who re-energized my career.  Thank you for bringing be back and giving me the opportunity to spend valuable time with my children.  Thank you for helping me remember why I do what I do.  Thank you for having faith in me.  Best wishes in your new endeavor.  I hope our paths will meet again one day.

Fishcake Patties

Today finds us kicking off Fall Intersession for public school students and most teachers in the 50th state!  I am finally on break!  And I totally deserve it after the hell week last week.

Things at work were getting a little weird.  The week began with a call from an unrealistic parent...no, I don't think your child will ever be an Air Force One pilot.  Unforeseen collateral damage of professing high expectations is some parents interpret it in a twisted way and grow false hope that ALL children (no matter how cognitively compromised they may be) will be able to embark on a landmark journey which leads to acceptance at an Ivy League college and/or a stellar career.  High expectations are great, provided they are realistic.

Then came the farting.  Uncle passed the clerk's desk and broke wind right by her head.  Twice.  Uncle muttered, "pardon me", as the cheese was cut.  That is sooooo no class.  You had to do it right by the clerk's head?  Thats definitely a hostile work environment and assault, if you ask me.  Then we heard Uncle lifted up a cheek at a meeting, let it rip and said, "I'm so gassy today".  I'm sure students have been written up for doing stuff like that, but I guess some are above the law because it keeps happening.  Gross.

Maybe I'm the one with a stick up my ass (bwahahaha), but growing up, people just didn't do things like that, other than in a juvenile, prank-like way.  I must not be alone because other people voice disdain with that behavior.  The clerk wasn't very happy, and the "pardon me" just didn't cut it as an apology. 

Anyway, back to my break.  I'm planning on baking cookies with the Ds.  Neither of the Ds heard of peanut butter cookies with the criss-cross (the only peanut butter cookie they know is the peanut blossom variety) so I think we need to make peanut butter cookies with criss-cross pattern.  That was definitely a staple growing up.  The Help found a doggie donut recipe on the internet so I may modify the recipe and have D2 help me make some for Sammy & Rain.

I also want to smoke a brisket in the Kamado and make some ginger green onion crab.  I'm not sure how much I'll get to do, but its nice to have the option of planning meals which take time to prepare.  With all the craziness this past week, there was only time for fast, quick dinners.  These fishcake patties saved me one night (and provided lunch the next day). 

I wonder if fishcake patties are a Hilo thing.  Every okazu-ya here sells them in some form.  They are super quick to prepare (buy fishcake paste already made) and leftovers heat nicely.  If you have any veggies on hand such as carrots or beans, mince a small amount and toss them into the mix.  Fishcake paste from Hilo (Amano brand) is white and slightly sweet; Chinese fishcake paste you get in Honolulu is gelatinous gray and savory.  I've used the recipe below with both types of fishcake paste, and both taste great. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Fishcake Patties

     1/2 lb fishcake paste

     1 lb imitation crab, shredded

     1 egg

     1 tbsp sugar

     1 tbsp mirin

     2 stalks green onion

     1 can water chestnuts, diced

     1 c panko

Combine all ingredients except panko.  Using an ice cream scoop, drop ball of mixture into panko.  Coat well.  Flatten.  Fry until golden brown.

The panko step is very important if you want to keep the fishcake off your fingers.  Mom never did the panko step, and I remember her constantly wetting her fingers to minimize the sticking.  Of course, then she had the greater problem of keeping the water from her hands from dripping into the hot oil.  This is NOT a declaration that I am smarter than Mom (she might be reading this).