Hong Kong Chicken

Spring Break is finally here!  Actually, it seems so early this year.  The weather has been freaking me out...it's colder than it was in December!  I have worn boots more times since this month began than I did in all of 2014!  Serious.

D1 flew to Los Angeles last week for a convention.  She reported that the interisland flight was unbelievably rough.  I figured.  The weather report said more snow was expected atop Mauna Kea.  They even mentioned something called "freezing fog".  I never heard of it, but it sounds nasty.

I was hoping it would be warm and sunny so D2 could invite friends over for a splash, but with sub-80 degree weather, only Sammy is willing to go for a dip.  You won't even catch me lounging.  It's too damn cold.

In light of the cold weather, I've been holding off on preparing salads.  I want to eat Canlis Salad, but I just can't bring myself to have a cold meal, especially for dinner.  I'm not even able to have ice cream for dessert.  Not yet.  Maybe in a month. 

Being on vacation is great, but I really earned it.  Last week, work was brutal.  I had a student attempt to steal from me.  I caught him in the act, which went from "stealing" to "just using".  What's the matter with some of these fucking kids?  They are seniors but still haven't learned about personal space/property.  And the idiot adults who defend the inappropriate behavior of these kids.  Amazing.  It's actually frightening that some adults who work with students cannot themselves distinguish right from wrong or, equally vile, choose to make excuses for the students.  "Oh, but the family is so poor" Since when does being poor give one a right to steal.  "Oh, but he really is a good boy".  Good boy, my ass.  This "good boy" just talked smack about you behind your back, and you are defending his character...yes, that's after you gave him part of your lunch.  "Oh, they are Hawaiian and that's local style"  Stealing is NOT local/Hawaiian style; it is a crime, and it doesn't matter what your ethnicity is.  And yup, this is someone who works with students! 

So yeah, last week I was a little pissy.  It was rather entertaining to hear an adult plead with me not to levy consequences on a student for stealing.  Of course, the easiest thing to do would be to turn away and let this go, but then I would be a fucked up as the adults who make excuses for the kids.

In previous years, I've looked forward to spring break.  Not only does it present a time to relax/regroup, but it was also a good time to try different recipes.  This year, however, things are different.  The Help, with his new eating regimen, is not so enthused about a plate of sugar (I still am) and carbs.  Since early February, he has lost over 10 pounds!  I'm trying to realign my cooking to support him. So instead of dessert, I'm going to focus on an entree that all of us can enjoy.

Upon college graduation, I took a trip to Vancouver, BC, with my grandfather, uGeo, CAE and UL, to visit some Canadian cousins.  We went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and that's where I had Hong Kong Chicken for the first time.  I don't think it was called "Hong Kong Chicken" on the menu, but it was a Chinese-style roasted chicken, chopped into pieces, and served with a small dish of spiced salt.  It was heaven.

Years later, I remember Mr. Dependable's mom bringing home roasted birds (duck, chicken) from Honolulu and producing a small, foil packet of damp, spiced salt.  Not sure what kind of warped thinking goes into keeping salt with hot food, but I realize we're not dealing with the brightest light.  This reminded me about the dish I had in Vancouver, and I wanted to make it myself (salt not damp, no duck, skin crispy).

Getting back to present day, Hong Kong Chicken is something we can all enjoy.  The Help can eat it as a topping for a salad.  D1 (when she gets back) can load the leftovers with a ton of spicy salt.  D2 can shred the breast meat and stick it between bread to make a Costco-chicken-like sandwich.  Me?  I always go for the wings.  The carcass can then be used to make a soup...perfect for those nights with freezing fog (whatever that is).

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Hong Kong Chicken

     3-5 lb chicken, neck and innards discarded
     1/4 c oyster sauce
     1 tbsp sugar
     1 tbsp shoyu
     1 tsp salt
     1 tsp 5-spice
     1 tsp sesame oil
     2 cloves garlic, grated
     1/2" piece ginger, grated

Basting Sauce:  1 tbsp oyster sauce
                          1 tbsp shoyu
                          1 tbsp mirin

Spiced Salt:  1 tsp salt
                     1 tsp 5-spice
                     1/4 tsp white pepper
                     1/8 tsp sugar

Wash and dry chicken.  Combine chicken with other ingredients (except basting sauce & spiced salt).  Marinate overnight.  Roast breast-side up (tuck wing tips under body) at 350 degrees (20 minutes per pound) until done.  Combine basting sauce ingredients.  Baste twice while chicken is roasting.  Chop chicken as desired.  Combine spiced salt ingredients.  Serve in a small dish alongside chopped chicken.

It's boys volleyball season!  I'd be hard-pressed to decide which sport I prefer watching...football or volleyball.

I was fortunate enough to be at the first home game of the season (not the first game of the season).  I was planning to attend as a spectator, but the opportunity to help out a friend presented itself so I found myself working at the game.  In spite of it being "work", I had a great time, and I got to watch both the jv and varsity games from a great seat.

The Viking victory (varsity) made the experience even sweeter.  Let's hope the jv can find their groove and win their next game.

This was my first athletic event in the new gym.  The new gym is first-rate.  You can even look onto the court from the AD's office. 

The best thing about Saturday's game?  The concession!  Having been watching my cholesterol for the past few weeks, I broke down and bought a smoked meat & onion bowl.  The $5 price was a bargain for the thrill it brought me.  Even my cousin, who has lost over 20 lbs just from eating healthier, broke down and had a bowl.  The meat was tender, and there was a good proportion of meat/onions to rice...not just rice in the bowl.  I was told the volleyball parents did the concession.  I hope they will take care of more concessions...I would have a hard time not buying the smoked meat bowl every time.

Matsu, Brenda & Lance...next visit to Hilo, stop by and check out the gym!  They are still accepting donations for the gym, so if you're interested, here's a link to the donation form. 

I must apologize...this was not the first home game of the season.  The first home game was on Wednesday, March 11, against Christian Liberty (varsity only).  I heard it was a very quick game.

Toaster Oven Food: Roast Chicken Breasts

This week was a crazy week at work.  We had our Open House, and I got to meet a handful of parents.  I had a record turnout this year. . .4!  Not kidding.  I'm good with it because the 4 parents who showed came at different times so I got to spend some time with each of them, telling them how their child was doing in my class.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to speak to one of the parents because she was ready to come at me about why her son was failing his vocabulary tests.  She told me that he is the type where if he writes the definition, he can remember it.  Her jaw dropped when I told her he does that every other Monday.  I explained further that we do other activities between the definitions and the test so its not like I'm expecting them to just know these words.  So now its her turn to give me an excuse why he doesn't do well, since I obviously already do what she was going to suggest.

The other three parents who showed up were really nice, and they were pleased with things.  Of course, their kids are always polite and on-task.

Along with Open House, I had a student meeting and a football game this week.  The student meeting went well.  Its always nice to see former students who thank you for teaching them when they were in school.  This is also a back-handed slap, as it means you've been at it long enough to be teaching another generation.  The football game also went favorably.  Nice to see the boys doing well.  All their hard work is paying off.  Kudos to the head coach and assistant coaches for putting in all the time with the boys. 

Because Mr. Dependable went out of town this weekend, I had the Ds for the whole weekend, which meant all the chauffeuring.  D1 went to the movies on Friday evening.  On Saturday she had a class work session, cheer practice, and the football game. 

With Open House and all the preparation, the student meeting, work sessions, cheer practice and the football game, you would think my week was rather full.  Add on a scavenger hunt around town to locate bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, and you've entered into a whole different dimension.

Is there some kind of chicken shortage in Hilo?  I went to multiple supermarkets looking for bone-in, skin-on half-breasts, and in all my trouble, I managed to find just 1 regular-size package of organic ones.  That's it.  I don't understand it.  There were trays and trays of thighs (bone-in, boneless/skinless, organic, hormone-raised, etc.), which I detest (dark meat = blecchhhhhh).  I didn't want to buy wings because I just made those last week. 

I was disappointed, but I still needed to eat so I made a half recipe of roast chicken.  And yes, I did it in my trusty toaster oven.  Since I installed pv in late 2012, I've been trying to be conscious about electricity usage.  When I didn't have pv, I used electricity without even thinking about conservation.  True, I have some things which suck the lifeblood out of my electricity generation (fish pond, doggie pond, and auto kitty drinking fountain, etc.), but other than those necessities, I do try to conserve when I can.  Roast chicken is so versatile.  I love making chicken salad mix from the leftovers.  I've also added chopped chicken into a wild rice salad.  The possibilities are endless.  Please don't be tempted to skip the step of smearing the herb butter mixture under the skin.  It totally pumps up the flavor.  Because I have it in my garden, I usually use thyme, tarragon and rosemary for the herb butter mix.  And when I'm lucky enough to find bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves, I buy four because four fits nicely in my toaster oven pan.  Crap!  I should have looked for chicken in Costco!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Herb Roasted Chicken Breasts

     4 bone-in chicken breast halves
     3 tbsp butter, softened
     1/2 tsp salt + additional for sprinkling
     1/4 tsp pepper
     1 tbsp assorted herbs, minced
     1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine butter, salt, pepper, and herbs.  Set aside.  Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Spread herb butter over chicken and under the skin.  Place skin-side up in a shallow pan.  Sprinkle with salt and drizzle olive oil over chicken.  Roast for 25 minutes.  Flip chicken pieces over (skin-side down) and roast for 20 minutes.  Flip chicken pieces over again (skin-side up) and roast for 15 minutes.  Remove chicken to a serving platter. 

Hey Six Sisters! Parmesan Honey Pork Roast

I need to start really cooking again.  I've really been lazy since returning from my Honolulu trip in mid-July.  I've hidden behind work as an excuse. . .not too hard since this is an arguably new experience for me. . .but even I get tired of eating out (or picking up) all the time.

In all fairness, my new job is not totally new.  I worked here a decade-and-a-half ago.  Some of the people are the same, and the campus is definitely still the same, but there are many things which have changed in my absence.  I have been sweating over some new things like the stupid rotating bell schedule.  This rotating schedule is just outrageous to keep track of, and if 6th and 7th periods are always at the end of the day, by the time the kids get to you, they are wiped out.  Then the Friday schedule has a life of its own too.  Some days the schedule lists even periods, and other times, it lists odd periods.  It is a record-keeping nightmare.

And I think its safe to say "the honeymoon is over".  This past week was totally trying.  Between D2 having tons of homework and D1 having a meltdown because a teacher misplaced her work, I just had it.  I was trying my best to help both of them, and I certainly didn't feel very appreciated.  I have also kept my tongue majorly in check with some of the adults on campus.  One guy was a totally rude asshole, and it makes me wonder how he is supposed to be helping kids with a stinking disposition like that.  Speaking to him for 5 minutes sent off so many red flags which, I'm sure, kids can pick up on too.  Many of the adults at my school don't know how good they have it.  The teachers in the district I worked in last year would kill to have such cushy jobs.

Because I've been so busy with work, I've been neglecting my personal technology time at home.  Candy Crush Saga must miss me, and I'm sure Pinterest misses me too.  I need to get back in form again since I haven't pinned things in a long time.

One of my earliest pins on Pinterest was Six Sisters' Stuff:  Slow Cooker Parmesan Honey Pork Roast.  I finally got around to trying it, and I must say that it was one of the best crock pot pork dishes I have ever had.  Unfortunately, due to my own ineptitude, I ended up having to slightly alter the recipe.  I've linked to the original recipe on their site, but the recipe I ended up using is at the end of this post.

For you locals, this tastes like a savory version of the shoyu pork your Japanese grandma made (or what I imagine the shoyu pork of a Japanese grandma would taste like. . .I wouldn't know because mine didn't make).  Okay, okay...its similar to the shoyu pork in the okazuya case at Kawamoto but not so dried out.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Parmesan Honey Pork Roast with Chinese Gravy

     3-4 lb boneless pork roast (I used shoulder)
     1/2 c honey
     3 tbsp shoyu
     1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
     1 tbsp vegetable oil
     1 clove garlic, minced
     2/3 c grated parmesan cheese
     5 fresh basil leaves
     2 tbsp cornstarch
     1/4 c water

Spray crock pot with cooking spray.  Place pork roast in crock pot.  Combine honey, shoyu, oils, parmesan cheese, and garlic.  Pour over pork.  Scatter basil leaves.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Remove roast to serving platter.  Pour liquid (use fat separator to remove as much fat as possible) into a saucepan.  Heat til boiling.  Combine cornstarch and water.  Whisk into saucepan, stirring until thickened.  Serve with pork (sliced or pulled).

On Saturday, an ER nurse left an anonymous comment on my blog, which was extremely nasty and insulting towards teachers.  Essentially, this person felt the need to accuse me of going into education for June, July & August (summer vacation).  This person continued his/her assault by saying teachers have the nerve to grumble about parents not participating in their child(ren)'s education because some of them work and have important jobs.  This person made it clear that the job of an ER nurse is more important that any job in education because they save lives.  This was the first and only comment I ever deleted without publishing.

An ER nurse is indeed someone who must be highly skilled, very intelligent, and have the ability to remain calm under intense conditions.  I think nursing is one of the most demanding fields, and I admire and respect anyone who works in a health care field.  Yes, you save lives and you help make the quality of our lives so much better.  However, one cannot become an ER nurse (or any other nurse or doctor. . .even in Grenada!) without somehow having benefitted from the work teachers do.  Someone had to teach them how to read and write!  Obviously, this particular ER nurse never learned manners, for if he/she had mastery of manners and a sense of common courtesy, he/she would never have made that comment.  It was downright rude, and to give you an idea of how dumb it was, it can be equated with saying something so idiotic like "those who go into nursing just wanna screw a doctor".  Yes, that's just fucking ridiculous...people go into nursing for the same reason people go into education. . .to help others, to make a difference in people's lives.  Like health care professionals who get upset with parents when their juvenile diabetic patients gorge on sugar, educators get upset with parents when their students don't study at home.  Jeezzzzz!  If you are so bothered by what I write, please refrain from reading my blog.  

Comments on my posts are welcome, especially those comments which offer unique recipe hints and tips.  I love those!  I am also open to publishing opinions which differ from my own, as not everyone has the time to create a blog of their own and just want to offer a different perspective.  Fine.  But I will not publish toxic, venomous comments, as nobody is being forced to read my blog.

Thank You, Charley: Prime Rib Roast

Its Veterans Day!  Thank you to the brave men and women who fought (and continue to fight) for freedom.  It is because of their efforts that I am able to live the way I do.  I'm also grateful that their honor and bravery have given us a holiday to day.  Yay!!!

Since we are knocking on the door of the holiday season, I thought I'd give you something to think about.  Towards the end of last week's post, I mentioned being undecided about what to do for our Thanksgiving meal this year.  And this year will actually be special because I get the Ds all to myself while Mr. Dependable is away on another trip.  No more having to ush them to dinner at the ex-out-laws.  Anyway, another option to buying a pre-made meal from the market would be to find a nice buffet in town and have dinner there (I suppose I'll include The Rents).

I don't know if the Ds are big on turkey either.  I know D1 is a real carnivore and loves prime rib.  This got me thinking that yet another option would be to forgo turkey altogether and just go for the beef.  I make a pretty wicked prime rib roast!

I need to admit that the roast and recipe you see here is NOT the roast I grew up on.  It is a roast that I was introduced to as an adult, after I got married.  Mr. Dependable and his family are yacht club members, and one of the foods the yacht club is known for is prime rib.  Yacht club prime rib is still made the way Charley did it back in the 1900's (2nd half, but still 1900's).  Charley was the cook at the yacht club back in the days when the yacht club had 3 dinner entrees:  prime rib, prawns, and lobster.

Ex-MIL had somehow gotten hold of Charley's secret and would make this roast for special family gatherings.  I never ate much of the roast when she made it because it was never cooked enough for my taste; it was cooked to HER family's liking, but I was, obviously, not family.  And really, I figured stuff she'd give me was poisoned anyway. . .like when she tried to kill me with her devil's condiment-laden "ham gravy".  That fucking thing was full of mustard!

One of the first cookbooks I purchased when I returned to Hilo was a fundraising cookbook for one of the local elementary schools, Ha`aheo School.  In the cookbook was a recipe for Prime Rib Roast submitted by Lorraine Murakami Ishimaru, a Ha`aheo alumnus.  The recipe appeared very similar to the way ex-MIL made her roast.  When I made the recipe one night, Mr. Dependable couldn't believe I had asked the wicked witch for her recipe.  I told him I did no such thing and explained I had found the recipe in a cookbook.  Hah!

A few years later, I had the opportunity of working summer school.  The summer school principal was Carole Ishimaru, Lorraine's daughter.  When I mentioned the roast to Carole, she promptly explained that her mom and Charley were good friends, and the recipe in the cookbook was the same recipe Charley had used to prepare the roasts at the yacht club!

History lesson pau!  Lets go on to the roast itself.  You will want to buy the best roast you can find.  My favorite is a rib roast, but in trying to placate The Rents, I have prepared a New York roast in the same manner, trying with great restraint not to express my disdain the entire time.  Why eat a New York roast when you can have a rib roast for the same price.  Thats stupid.

The best way to season the roast is to do 1 plane at a time.  I see a rib roast as having 5 panels:  2 ends, a fatty side, the underside (opposite the fatty side), and the small side.  Of course, I am not a butcher so this is my vocabulary.  So season 1 plane with garlic, brown, sugar, salt, and pepper (in that order), and then move on to another plane/panel.  The brown sugar will help the salt and pepper adhere to the meat.  Be generous with the seasonings, including the brown sugar.  Place the seasoned roast on a rack, and roast for the given time.

I will need to ponder this a while longer.  While I like turkey and trimmings, just looking at these pictures of the last roast I made is making my mouth water.  I really need to make my way to the west side. . .for BOTH Costco (the only place I know of on this island to get Prime meat) and Sansei (refer to last week's post).

 click on recipe title for printable recipe
Prime Rib Roast

     rib roast (allow 1 lb of meat per person)

     brown sugar
     minced garlic
     rock salt

     pepper

     

Rub brown sugar and garlic on all parts of roast.  Rub rock salt and pepper all over.  Place, uncovered, fat-side-up, in a roasting pan.  Bake at 325 degrees to desired doneness.  Let stand 15 minutes to firm meat before carving.

For rare, 30-32 minutes per pound.

For medium, 34-37 miutes per pound.

For well done, 39-42 minutes per pound.

A New York roast will cook in about half the time due to the shape.