Kamaboko Patties

It's nice to have had a holiday last week.  The next holiday will be spring break, so it is still weeks away.  And there will be no trip to sweeten the deal of spring break (at least not this year).  Oh well.

I was hoping to be posting a bunch of Instant Pot recipes by now, but that won't happen this week.  I've been trying things in the Instant Pot (IP), but I don't think I'm ready to throw out my Crock Pot and Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker just yet.  I learned that you CAN overcook food in the IP.  Last week, I tried making braised English-style short ribs.  It was a conventional recipe (stove top, oven) which I attempted to adapt to the IP.  I overcooked the ribs!  Yes, overcooked.  The meat was falling-off-the- bone tender, and that was not a good thing.  Short rib has a thick piece of non-meat which feels like a cross between rubber and plastic.  These pieces were attached to every bit of meat!  Gross.

And if that wasn't bad enough, I managed to spill short rib liquid on a placemat.  In spite of washing the placemat multiple times, the placemat, my washer and my dryer still smell like beef.  Seriously.  I will not be having beef for a while.

So until I get things like that  (as well as the clean-up) sorted out, I will not be posting any IP recipes.  I'm going to stick to safe recipes while I wait for additional IP accessories to arrive.  I ordered a silicone steamer, some mini mitts, and a 7" springform pan.  I have not ordered a glass lid yet, although I probably need to get one since I do not have a glass lid which fits it.  My friend Odie ordered a non-stick pan.  That might be something to order eventually.

With the Olympics on TV, I did not spend much time in the kitchen.  I wanted to watch my favorite events, the alpine events...Super G and Downhill.  I'm always amazed at how quickly those people make it down the hill.  I'm even more amazed at some of the freestyle events and how more of those athletes don't end up paralyzed from nasty falls. 

And it's not your imagination.  My last blog post was also about patties, clam patties to be exact.  I guess I like making patties.  In addition to being quick to cook, they are easy to serve and easy to pack as leftovers for lunch.  If you have burger buns on hand, these patties make a great sandwich filling too.  While these are good as is, The Help likes his with Bulldog tonkatsu sauce.  I like to have mine with a sesame kochujang dipping sauce.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Kamaboko Patties

     1 kamaboko, grated (medium coarse)
     6 shrimps, chopped
     1 can water chestnuts, chopped
     green onion
     3/4 c flour
     1/2 tsp salt
     1 tsp sugar
     1/4 c water

Combine flour, salt and sugar.  Stir in water.  Add remaining ingredients and combine well.  Using a small ince cream scoop, make patties.  Fry on both sides in oil until light brown.

Last Day

October 13, 2017:  Day 5

Saying goodbye to Hokkaido was a sad day.  Toyoko Inn graciously offered to hold our things while we spent the day traipsing around Sapporo.  In spite of Toyoko Inn being a basic hotel, I actually enjoyed my stay.  The place was clean and the daily breakfast, had I not been a piggie, would've been more than ample.

Most of my day alone was spent looking for yarn stores.  I managed to find Mariya, which was a total disappointment.  There was hardly anything of interest to me.

A few days prior, I managed to find a Kanariya outpost in the ESTA shopping arcade at the Sapporo station.  I was thrilled.

But I hit the motherlode again when I found this store, Yuzawaya.  I cannot read Japanese, so I asked someone to read the characters for me, even though the knitting sheep made me quite certain I was at the right place.

This was indeed an awesome store, and I bought some goodies to share with a few special Rav friends.

After all that shopping, I was totally hungry.  I knew I could find something to eat at the station, and it would put me closer to retrieving my bags at Toyoko Inn.

The Keeper was on the outskirts of the city exploring some kind of temple so he was out of play.  Just when I was trying to decide what to eat, I came across Nakaz, also looking for a meal.  We decided to indulge ourselves one last time at Tonkatsu Wako.  Since it was lunch, there was a slightly different menu...different combination sets.  Yum!  This was a great last-meal-of-the-trip, and it was nice to have good company as well.

There was another memorable food experience...a frozen fruit cocktail mochi.  I regret not getting any pics of it, but it was like eating a creamy fruit cocktail in a mochi.

A final thank you to The Keeper for getting me to Sapporo and back home (and every minute in between) safely.

Goodbye, Sapporo...until next time.

After many hours, I finally walked into my home.  Traveling is fun, but it's also nice to come home and enjoy the travel mementos (sake glass from Kitaichi Glass, Otaru).

Clam Patties

There are nights when I really have no idea what to cook.  And for whatever reason, going to the supermarket after work seems like too much trouble.  That's when I start digging in the pantry for my stash of clams.

These clam patties are quick to make, and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand.  Clams are reasonably priced, and they are often on sale at KTA or Longs.


Feel free to buy canned clams wherever you want, but you won't run into me at Long's.  I don't go to Longs anymore since the pharmacy lost my mom's pain killer prescription when she was dying of cancer.  Imagine that...the pharmacist blamed the misplaced prescription on a pharmacist-in-training from the local college.  She told me she would have the prescription ready the next day.  Bullshit!  My mother had just been released from the hospital and had only a few hours to fill her prescription before getting on a plane for a last-ditch treatment effort.  So no limp apology from a pharmacist can compensate for my mom's pain.  Thanks for nothing, you incompetent dipshits!  Actually, I stopped going to Long's way before that, but I was there to pick up my mother's prescription.  Long's pharmacy does not have their shit together, that's for sure.   They seem to have the fake apology down though, and the pharmacists are good at talking down to people too.  I take my business to Safeway or KTA.

Maybe this rant isn't fair.  Maybe there IS a Long's pharmacy out there which is staffed by competent people.  My mother's incident happened in June 2016 at the Long's which used to be next to the Hilo Safeway.  Okay, enough about Long's.  This is pissing me off all over again.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, I was talking about clam patties.  When we have this, I ask The Help to make tartar sauce (he does a good job).  It also goes very well with potsticker sauce.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Clam Patties

     2 cans minced clams

     1 egg

     2/3 c flour

     1 tsp baking powder

     dash of Tabasco

     1/2 tsp salt

     dash of pepper

     2 tbsp minced celery

     1 tbsp minced parsley

     oil for frying

Drain clams, reserving 1/3 c liquid.  Beat egg in a small bowl and whisk in reserved clam liquid, flour, baking powder, Tabasco, salt, and pepper.  Stir in clams, celery, and parsley.  Heat 1/2" oil in a skillet.  Drop a teaspoonful of batter into hot oil.  Batter will flatten out.  Flip when golden brown to fry other side.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve with tartar sauce or potsticker sauce.  Patties can be kept warm in a 250 degree oven.

Hakodate, Japan

October 12, 2017:  Day 4

Prior to heading to the train station, The Keeper and I went to the far end of the Hokkaido University campus.  He wanted to check out picturesque gingko trees lining the entrance to the campus.

The Keeper told me Hakodate was a 3+ hour train ride away from Sapporo.  I was excited because I had fond memories of train rides.

 Our first stop in Hakodate was the morning market.  In spite of snacking on the train ride, I was starving when we arrived.

The Keeper suggested a restaurant on the edge of the market which served freshly killed seafood.  After the abalone at Ohiso (near Nijo Market in Sapporo), I knew I had to get abalone again.

The specialty of the restaurant was finely minced fatty salmon with ikura over a bowl of rice.  I regret getting the small portion.  I know I could've eaten the large size.  This was probably THE best raw food I had during the trip.

One of the "attractions" at the Hakodate market is catching your own squid and having them clean (read=kill) it and prepare it for you.  The restaurant we went to for breakfast also served freshly "prepared" squid.  It wasn't a big deal to me about catching my own squid, but I knew this was something I had to eat too.  Good thing The Keeper has a good appetite.

Like Otaru, Hakodate has a bunch of red brick buildings.  These are now filled with shops.  Marion Crepes, which also has an outpost in Shirokiya Japan Village Walk, has a counter in one of these buildings.  The yummy filled crepes are half the price of the ones in Honolulu!

We took a streetcar to get to Goryokaku, a star-shaped fort built in the mid-19th century.  We didn't actually go into the fort, but we went to the top of the observation tower.  The tower has sweeping views over the fort and the city.

I love how the manhole covers are whimsically decorated with regional touches.

We returned to Sapporo and went to grab dinner at the ramen yokocho in Susukino.  This time, we ate at Aji No Karyu, the place where Anthony Bourdain ate (this is the first shop, the one that is on the main street at the entrance to the yokocho).  I took a picture of the shop here.  I wanted to take a picture of my corn-less bowl of shoyu ramen (by this time, I realized I don't like corn in my ramen), but there was a large sign in English saying "no photos".  Shit!!!

This was a sad day for me because I knew that in a few days I would be back at work. . .and I was staring down the barrel of an 8-hour plane ride the next day.
 

Kim Chee Patties

Last week was a difficult week.  We had some restoring to do at the hale (house).  The Help put back the gazebo cover.  He replaced the tarp on the tempermanent carport.  He also replaced the loose clamps on the pool heater.

He did a lot, and I'm grateful for his help, but I know there are families out there who still have it bad.  Some of my friends in Kapoho just got electricity restored this weekend.  Many had already capitulated and purchased generators.  I offered to do laundry for some of my work friends, but nobody took  me up on my offer.  I hope it wasn't because of my only stipulation, "no undies". . .didn't want uncomfortable smiles (or new good friends) at work.

This past weekend was a long weekend (unlike the long weekend created by the arrival of Iselle, this weekend was planned). . .Admissions Day holiday on Friday.  Since D2's birthday fell on Thursday, I threw her a slumber party on Thursday evening.  She had a few friends over for pizza (yes, she finally eats pizza) and swimming.  Although I kept an eye on them, its nice to know kids are able to swim on their own.  I wonder when they became "old". . .

Not sure why, but I started feeling really lousy on Friday.  I woke up with a headache right behind the eyes.  I think the Aleve upset my stomach because I had to go back to bed and rest.  It made me think that in spite of being with students all last year, I didn't take any sick leave.  The only time I called a substitute was to attend a workshop.  Amazing!  The previous year, when I was only with adults, I developed bronchitis.  I think the adults gave me more sickness germs than the kids.

Feeling under the weather, I asked The Help to get me some kim chee to eat with the taegu (seasoned codfish) I had.  My reasoning was that the chili pepper heat would kill the bad germs.  It must've worked because I felt fine by the time cake and ice cream time rolled around, and I was even able to keep my claws appointment.  I tried out a new salon since TK was on vacation. 

The next day, I felt fine so I accompanied The Help to a yearbook photo shoot in the morning.  I also managed to squeeze in a test drive of a cute car I've been thinking about for D1.  I'm still thinking. . .

I spent the entire afternoon at preseason football games with The Help.  My job was to sherpa photo equipment.  I think I went above and beyond the call because I actually shot some frames myself!  I have students on both the junior varsity and varsity teams, and it is always nice to see them in a non-classroom environment.  The 3rd quarter of the varsity game seemed endless!  I spent over five hours at the stadium and had no energy to come home and cook dinner.  We ate Korean food at Restaurant Osaka (yes, Restaurant Osaka serves Korean food). . .guess I was still ono for heat.

By Sunday evening, with my Korean food craving practically satiated, I decided to give it the one final hurrah.  I didn't want the jar of kim chee to be forgotten in the fridge, so I made kim chee patties with the rest of the kim chee (I didn't eat much of it when I was feeling under the weather).   Kim chee patties are easy to make because the patties fry up quickly.  Because they are rather thin, they make a whole lot which means there will be leftovers for lunch the next day (and maybe even the day after too)!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Kim Chee Patties

     1 jar (10-12 oz) kim chee
     1 lb ground beef
     2 tbsp sugar
     2 tbsp shoyu
     1 1/2 tsp salt
     5 eggs
     1/4 c flour
     3/4 c cornstarch

Drain kim chee, reserving 1/2 c liquid (if liquid is less than 1/2 c, use water to make up the difference).  Chop kim chee and combine with ground beef.  Combine remaining ingredients.  Add to kim chee/ground beef mixture.  Batter will be runny.  Heat oil in skillet.  Scoop 2 tbsp at a time and fry in skillet (flatten out a little) until brown on one side.  Turn over and fry other side.  Add oil as needed.  Skillet should not be dry.  Drain on paper towels.

Preseason football got underway this weekend.  Both the JV and varsity squads were victorious in their debut versus crosstown rival Waiakea.  Way to go VIKS!

making for the end zone

tough-as nails running back on the jv roster. . .she scored a rushing TD

senior running back weaving through Waiakea defenders

Bring back memories, eh, Matsu???