Parmesan Chicken Wings

Thank you, armed service vets, for all your sacrifices which ensure our freedom.  Kikukat dad, The Help's dad, Mr. Dependable's dad, UGeo, and many of our family members and friends have proudly served in the military.  A few continue to serve. . .and we are so proud of them (big shout out to my nephew Joseph Cummings, my friend Kenneth Hara, and D1's friend LP).

Welcome to fall!  It finally feels like fall.  There was a definite nip in the air this week, and two fall "benchmarks" happened:  boots and fire.  After a decades-long hiatus, I wore boots again.  I notice that both students and teachers in my area dress much better than where I worked just before this.  Both students and teachers think nothing of donning a pair of boots.  Its nice to see people dressing well.  I'm sure there is no way to connect it to test scores, but for me, it makes me want to dress better and project a more polished appearance.

On Tuesday, I cleared the area around  the fireplace so The Help could make a fire.  I love the smell outside when there is a fire inside.  Nothing screams "fall" louder than a fire in the fireplace!  And we do the "wood" fireplace action, not the "flicking a switch" action.

I was trying to think of something quick to make with chicken...something that also could shoulder the fall theme, but I just ran out of ideas...or perhaps it was my decision to watch back episodes of Criminal Minds and NCIS: Los Angeles which caused a hiccup in my thoughts.  Regardless, I ended up making something which could be a year-round treat:  Parmesan Chicken Wings.

Chicken is always a baffling meal for the Kikukat house.  While The Help and I aren't too picky, the Ds are very particular about anything they eat.  Chicken is no exception.  If given a choice, D2 will suggest "shoyu chicken like the kind Kawamoto's has".  Unfortunately, I don't know how to make the kind Kawamoto's has, and I certainly don't want to buy chicken thighs (Kawamoto shoyu chicken is always thighs...yuck).

D1 gives a bit more rope when it comes to chicken, although she keeps saying she doesn't like chicken.  One thing we can all agree on is wings are the pieces of choice.  We love wings, and wings work well for us.  The Help likes the drummettes, while D1 and I prefer the flats.

Wings are great for just about anything. . .shoyu chicken (obviously not as good, per D2, as the one from Kawamoto Okazuya), fried, Korean, etc.  I'm not really keen on frying anything because The Help hates the mess the oil makes.  Sure, it tastes yummy, and the skin is crackling good, but I need to give The Help a break sometimes.

This is why The Help loves Parmesan Chicken Wings.  In spite of the crunchy coating, the wings are cooked entirely in the oven.  I like that the wings don't need to be flipped.  And since I'm basically a nice person, I cover the pan with aluminum foil to make clean up easier for The Help.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Parmesan Chicken Wings

     2 lbs chicken wings
     1-3 tsp minced fresh parsley
     2 tbsp bread crumbs (dried, like Progresso)
     1 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp pepper
     2 tsp dried oregano
     2 tsp paprika
     3/4 c grated parmesan cheese
     1 block melted butter

Disjoint each chicken wing into 3 pieces:  wing tip, drummette, flat.  Discard wing tips (or save for soup).  In a small bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, except for melted butter.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a shallow pan large enough to hold wing pieces in a single layer.  Dip each chicken piece in melted butter, then generously coat with parmesan cheese mixture.  Place in prepared pan.  Drizzle any remaining butter over chicken pieces.  Bake for 1 hour.

It was another Viking week!!!

The cheerleaders took 3rd place honors in the BIIF Cheerleading competition at the Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii Gym this past Wednesday.  They squeezed past the Warrior (Kamehameha) team with a great performance (and not dropping anyone).  This was the first time since 2005 the Vikings participated in competition.  They worked very hard on stunts, tumbling, and routines.  Kassie Kotake and Audra Paiva, HHS cheer coaches, and the Big Island Cheer Gym did an amazing job with the girls.  Thank you so much!!!

A big congratulations goes out to the Keaau Cougar Cheerleading squad who took 1st place in the BIIF competition.  Uncle Edz beamed proudly from the stands when they nailed their performance.  Those girls were awesome, and we wish them the best at States.

Football season for the Vikings came to an end on Friday evening. . .

The Viking football boys lost a hard-fought battle in the quarterfinals of the HHSAA Division I football tournament against the Campbell High School (Ewa Beach) Sabers.  They scored first and managed to stay even with Campbell for most of the game.  I was amazed at how many Campbell fans paid the airline ransom to support their boys.  As a member of the Viking ohana, I was so proud of our football boys.  Throughout the season, in both victory and defeat, the Viking boys played with their hearts and gave Hilo a renewed sense of football pride.  I can't wait for next season!

Jill's Caesar Salad Dressing

Pool season is officially here.  We hit 90 on Monday!  Tuesday and Wednesday were also 90 days.  Then the Hilo curse kicked in and we saw days of not even hitting 85.  Bummer.  Speaking of numbers.  .  .

If I counted correctly, there are 33 work days left in the school year.  For you luckier teachers, your count is 30.  So lucky, so lucky.  Oops, I just remembered. . .I have 30 work days left.  I'm on leave today, I have a doctor appointment later this month, and I'm taking personal leave in May to attend a ho'olaulea at D2's school.  She is the 5th grade attendant.  I also have 2 additional leave days I can take.  So far this year, I have been out a total of 4 days (2 sick leave and 2 personal. . .today is the 2nd personal leave).  In general, I don't think many teachers where I am abuse their leave, but I certainly know HGEA members who do. 

I took today off (and used personal leave, rather than a "mental health day") because I anticipated being wiped out from going out to dinner last night with Kikukat Mom's family.  I'm glad I did because last night was a late night.  We enjoyed a nice dinner at the Seaside Restaurant then went to AE's for dessert.  I did not make the creamy fruit salad from last week...UJohn brought a fancy ricotta cheesecake for us to enjoy.

It was really nice to finally meet SN.  He didn't run for the hills.  Of course, he didn't get the full onslaught of family craziness since he "feigned" a bout of food illness (not my food) to excuse himself from the post-birthday dinner festivities (Now why didn't any of us ever think of that?  Punahou education was worth something.).  They'll get you next time!  Snicker, snicker. 

SN & LA

Seeing LA was nice too.  Now that LA lives in Honolulu (after slowly making her way back from her college days at NYU), she can visit Hilo more frequently.  Last year she came several times, including a business trip with a coworker.  They did a presentation at an accountants' conference.  She was bombarded with questions about her Hilo ties (her surname is a giveaway, no doubt).

When LA lived on the mainland (she worked in Chicago for years), she would still take the time to visit Hilo.  On one of her trips to Hilo, I invited everyone for dinner.  It was after the holidays and people were kinda disgusted with "party food".  I ended up making spaghetti and Caesar salad.  I figured a simple, no-fuss meal would be a good break from the fried chicken-bbq meat sticks-barely cooked shrimp leftovers.  While the spaghetti was much appreciated, it was the Caesar salad that got wiped out.  All gone!  That's good because a dressed salad does not store well.  I knew the salad would be enjoyed because it was something I really enjoyed when I first tried it.

This is another of those recipes which came to me as a result of being involved in league tennis.  One of my teammates, Jill, brought this to a potluck.  I was a little skeptical of the egg-less recipe at first because the Caesar salad dressing at the fancier restaurants (Salerno's in McCully Shopping Center) usually include a coddled egg.  One taste and I abandoned buying bottled caesar dressing and the thought that all Caesar salad dressing need an egg.  Even Dad, who isn't really fond of Caesar salad at restaurants, has asked for this (along with the spaghetti, which he never received).

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Jill's Caesar Salad Dressing

     1/3 c mayonnaise

     1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

     2 tbsp lemon juice

     2 tbsp water

     1 flat can anchovies, chopped

     1/2 tsp black pepper

     2 cloves garlic, chopped

Combine all ingredients in blender.  Blend until smooth.

D2 & the help

I'd like to wish happy birthday to three people who celebrated birthdays this past week.  My friend Sue on Pitcairn Island celebrated a milestone birthday.  Happy belated birthday, girlfriend!!!  I sent Sue a happy birthday email and posted on her facebook wall.  I need to postpone my Pitcairn trip til retirement because I don't have enough vacation leave to do that.  It takes a while to get there and return, and you gotta ride on a teeny tiny plane.

The Help's birthday was also this past week.  In fact, it was the same day as Sue's birthday (but The Help is a year older).  The Help got a dinner, an ice cream cake, and a big surprise, which will be ready in a few weeks.  Needless to say, he was totally shocked.

birthday boy

The third person who celebrated a birthday this past week was UM.  I'd like to send a big thank you to Otee for footing the whopper bill (Dad said if you were there, you'd want him to drink) for dinner at the Seaside Restaurant.  It was a nice opportunity to get together with the family. 

D2 and AS

grampy & D1

the cousins from Seoul

Sending prayers and thoughts to those affected by the tragic events at Boston Marathon finish line earlier today.