Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables, in loving memory of AuntieKH

Gung Hee Fat Choy!

The lunar new year will be upon us soon.  In a few days we will welcome the year of the goat.  How will you celebrate?

For me, it will be a work day, so there will not be much celebrating.  I'm sure the Ds will eventually coax a belated Chinese dinner out of Mr. Dependable.  I will probably end up cooking, which really isn't so bad.  Unless you are The Help.

The Help has decided to follow a strict eating regimen to bring down his blood sugar levels.  Since his last doctor visit, he has been steering clear of ice cream cookies, Napples, and other yummy goodies.  He has also been limiting his consumption of starch, replacing the mound of rice with a green salad.  I know how hard it is to stay away from foods which are unhealthy but taste so good.  I've been fighting the cholesterol war for years, trying desperately to stay off meds.  I applaud The Help's valiant effort. But that's sort of where it ends.

Unfortunately, the rest of us here, myself included, have not demonstrated compassion with our actions.  Last night I saw D2 polish off 5 ice cream cookies with her glass of milk.  D1 was busy unwrapping and popping Dove chocolates in between nibbles of li hing lichee.  Of course, I've been hitting the tin of Yoku Moku I received as a gift from Dee.  Yeah, I know it probably wasn't nice of me to stuff my face with those things, especially those rolled wafers (those are my favorite), but I really wanted to get rid of the temptation, for The Help's sake.  You know what I mean.

Anyway, for dinner on Thursday, I'll be making something we can all (even The Help) enjoy.  There is something for everyone in Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables.  D2 will eat this because she loves baby corn and won bok.  D1 will eat this because she enjoys bell peppers and rice noodles.  The Help can eat this without restraint because it is light and low in fat.  Don't be fooled by the healthy sound of the recipe title.  This dish is extremely tasty, even to high school students.  Last year, D1 brought a pan of this to a junior council potluck.  She was a bit apprehensive about how it would be received, but she reported that they totally cleaned it up.  I guess I will do my part and have a serving of this too.  But I also plan on making gao and gai dan tat so I will have something to look forward to after dinner. . .sorry, but low-fat is really not my bag!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables

     1 block tofu, sliced into 6 pieces and drained on paper towels overnight
     vegetable oil
     16 oz dried rice noodles (1/2" wide)
     1 1/4 c water
     1 tbsp dried salted black beans
     6 large dried shrimp
     1 medium onion, cut into 1" pieces
     2 large won bok leaves, sliced into 3/8" pieces
     1/2 zucchini, sliced then cut into fourths
     1 bell pepper, cut in 1" pieces
     1 can baby corn, drained
     handful garlic (flat) chives, cut into 1" pieces
     6 T oyster sauce
     6 T shoyu
     1 1/2 tbsp mirin
     1 1/2 tbsp shao xing
   

Heat 1/4" of vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet.  Cut each tofu slice into 6 pieces (3 x 2).  Fry tofu pieces until golden brown and crisp.  Drain on paper towels.  Soak rice noodles in warm water to cover for 30 minutes.  Soak dried shrimp and salted black beans in 1 1/4 c water for 5 minutes.  remove shrimp and black beans and chop fine.  Reserve soaking water.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok.  Saute chopped dried shrimp, black beans, and onions for 1 minutes.  Add won bok and zucchini and saute for a minute.  Add fried tofu cubes.  Add bell pepper, baby corn and chives.  Saute for another minute.  Remove everything from the wok and place on a platter.  Add reserved water to wok.  Drain noodles and cut into thirds.  Add to water in wok.  Cook until water evaporates.  Return tofu and vegetables to wok.  Combine oyster sauce, shoyu, mirin and shao xing. Add to wok, and toss to coat everything in wok.  Remove from heat and serve.



With a heavy heart, I would like to dedicate this post (and original recipe) to my beloved auntieKH.  auntieKH left our physical world  last Tuesday.  While I am devastated by her passing, I am comforted by the fact that she left peacefully, surrounded by those who meant the most to her.  We will all miss auntieKH, but as LA said, auntieKH lives on in our wonderful memories.  

And auntieKH, if you're reading this, I don't think I thanked you enough when you were with us. . .thank you for marrying UM.  Without your love and support, he would've been just another family weirdo!

Rest in peace, Auntie

January 30, 1947-February 10, 2015

FATTIE's Chicken Curry

Thank you to Presidents Washington and Lincoln for inspiring the USA to create a holiday in the middle of February!  I'm enjoying my day off while I take a trip down memory lane.

This is very similar to a delicious dish I was served at the wedding rehearsal dinner of someone an ex-boyfriend could not get over.  While the company at the dinner sucked ass, the curry was remarkably creamy, satisfying and comforting.

While this picture and the rehearsal dinner featured chicken in the curry, this can also be made with shrimp.  In fact, I do prefer curry made with shrimp, however, out of respect and compassion for D1s possible shellfish allergy, I'm trying to minimize the cooking/serving of questionable food while we await our appointment with Dr. Kuo.

Enjoy the holiday!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

FATTIE's Chicken (or Shrimp) Curry

     1/2 c butter
     2 cloves garlic, crushed
     4 tsp curry powder
     1 lb shrimp or chicken
     1 can chicken broth
     2 thin slices lemon
     1 bay leaf
     1/2 c flour
     1 c sour cream
     condiments:  chutney, chopped egg, bacon bits, chopped celery, chopped peanuts or mac nuts

Cut chicken into strips (If using shrimp, shell and devein).  Set aside.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in garlic and curry powder.  Add chicken/shrimp and saute until cooked.  Remove and set aside.  Add chicken broth, lemon slices, and bay leaf to saucepan.  Simmer 20 minutes.  Remove and discard lemon slices, and bay leaf.  Remove 1/2 c of liquid from saucepan and add to flour.  Stir until smooth then add to saucepan.  Stir until thickened.  Add sour cream.  Stir until fully incorporated.  Return chicken/shrimp to sauce mixture.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Serve with assorted condiments.

My original angle was to post a scathing account of the indignities I endured, but The Help suggested I tone it down, after all, the food should be the focus. . .not details of my sordid past relationships.  If you are like me and love a good story, email me and I can give you all the details!

We celebrated Valentine's Day!

Free picture collage customized with Smilebox

The Help bought us girls a Dream Cake from Zippy's.  D2 had been talking about the cake for weeks, saying it was her favorite cake. I used to see this cake in the dessert cases at Robert's Bakery and Lanky's Bakery, but it was not something my parents ever bought even if I asked for it many times.  Something about those chocolate curls. . .

D2 gave me a rubber band ring.  It fits me perfectly.  In addition to me, her dentist also received a gift.  He got a rubber band bracelet.  Thank you again, 3M, for the rubber band loom and supplies.  It came in handy this past weekend when KN and KB spent the night with D2.  Glad there is something which provides a break from the electronics these kids seem to love so much.  

The Help got me gold...liquid gold.  Not sure where he found this bottle of Kirk and Sweeney Dominican rum.  I will not be making a rum cake with this.  I will be using it as an antiseptic...to wash away the ills of a bad day.  It should be gone in a fortnight!

Batayaki Fever

I'm finally back at work for a seemingly endless stretch of days.  Its gonna be a brutal stretch.  43 more days of work until the end of the school year, and the only holiday in sight is Memorial Day.  For you non-Zone people, its 40 days and no holiday. . .Memorial Day will be the day just before the official beginning of your summer (I'm so jealous).

I think it was overkill with the anticipation of Easter (to me, Easter=all kinds of candy & sweets), but I feel like the only stuff I've been making has been sweets.  Right now, we have Easter sugar cookies (bunnies, eggs, chicks), orange slice cookies, brownies, hopping bunny buns, and mandarin orange cake.  I HAD TO buy a few boxes of Cadbury creme eggs too.  I wonder how many bags of Brach's pastel malted milk eggs Brucie boy bought this year.  Neither of us have  blood sugar problems. . .yet.  There is also a big box of See's Easter candy and some jellies from Grandma Help. 

I was unable to get motivated to cook dinner on Easter.  My excuse is I had a Dorito Locos taco from Taco Bell in the mid-afternoon, and that put me under.  The Help shelled out big $s for a gorgeous rib eye roast, but I could not bring myself to cook it.  I need to stop tweaking sugar and snap out of this high!  I need to get inspired to cook regular food again. If a rib eye roast won't do it, then maybe batayaki will, after all, the best batayaki is made with thinly sliced rib eye.

The kikukat house loves batayaki nights because there is something for everyone.  Batayaki nights provide an opportunity to exercise will power. . .you need to pace yourself with the cooking-eating cycle.

For those of you not familiar with batayaki, please allow me to explain.  Batayaki goes by several other names:  teppanyaki, yakiniku.  Thinly sliced meats and vegetables are cooked on a griddle which has been primed with butter.  Once cooked, the meats and vegetables are dipped in a shoyu-based sauce and eaten with hot rice.  Batayaki is a cannibalized word:  bata meaning butter and yaki meaning to cook.  Now I'm wondering if batayaki is a Hawaii word.

In the 70s, 80s & 90s, Restaurant Fuji in the Hilo Hotel was THE place to go out and enjoy a teppanyaki dinner.  Yukata-clad servers would bring a giant plate of raw food and a small dish with a block of butter to the table.  There were two options for teppanyaki:  teppanyaki which had an assortment of meat and some seafood and umi-no-ko which had only seafood.  The servers  would fire up the propane and begin the cooking process.  This is not the same as what you get at Benihana.  There were no fire knife theatrics.

To be honest, I never enjoyed teppanyaki at Restaurant Fuji.  I would always be disappointed when we got seated at a teppanyaki table because that meant I wouldn't be able to order anything from the regular menu.  They had two items on their regular menu that were awesome:  shrimp tempura and grilled butterfish.  I would have much preferred those things instead of batayaki.

When I lived in Honolulu in the 90s, there were (and still are) tons of yakiniku places.  Many of my family members would rave about Edokko or Yakiniku Camellia.  I went to one of those places with some friends, and I was not impressed.  It was a little different from Restaurant Fuji in that you went to a long buffet to load up your plate with raw items and then return to your table (with grill) to cook what was on your plate.  Same thing...cook food, dip in sauce, eat with rice.  Boring.

It didn't occur to me until I was older (close to 30) why I didn't enjoy batayaki/teppanyaki/yakiniku.  I never liked the dipping sauce.  The sauces were either too sour or just blecchhh.  The turning point happened when Mr. Dependable's friends suggested a batayaki dinner (I wasn't enthusiastic about this) and they insisted on bringing the sauce.  The sauce they brought was almost perfect and changed my whole take on batayaki.  For the first time in over 2 decades, I realized batayaki was something I could like. 

If you were lucky enough to have disposable income when Restaurant Fuji went out of business (mid/late 90s), you might have been able to score a table with a built-in propane griddle.  I don't think most people were so lucky (there were less than a dozen).  For most people, the most popular way to have batayaki at home is to use a table top griddle (I think mine is made by Presto) upon which a generous pat of butter is placed.  Some people use a frying pan on a butane burner for table top cooking.  If the cooking part isn't so important, everything can also be cooked in a skillet on a range and brought to the table already cooked.  I do the latter when I'm trying to finish the leftovers on the 2nd night. . .after the cooking drama from the 1st night is over.

What gets cooked varies from family to family.  We normally have  beef and pork (batayaki meat is sliced paper-thin).  Sometimes we have chicken.  Salmon is a non-negotiable.  Scallops and shrimp are good too.  I like eggplant (takes long to cook), won bok (napa cabbage), bean sprouts (mung), and mushrooms.  The best mushrooms are alii oyster (eryngii) mushrooms.  I've been told that some families will even cook sliced hot dogs and kamaboko (pink & white fishcake).  Mr. Dependable liked to have zucchini (yuck).  D1 will eat anything except mushrooms and eggplant.  D2 will eat only the leafy part of the won bok.

There is also great variation with the dipping sauce (each diner gets their own bowl. . .a community bowl would be disgusting).  Most sauces have some element of pucker, and in many cases, its too sour for my taste.  Ironically, pucker was the missing factor when Mr. Dependable's friends came over.  The sauce they brought was tasty but lacked any hint of tartness.  I fixed it with some minor adjustment of the ingredient amounts and the addition of lemon juice.  The grated daikon gives the sauce a slight heat, which is also important.

Speaking of heat. . .everytime I think we are going to start seeing warmer weather, a new storm system comes around and gives us days of rain.  I'm still having to turn on the electric blanket every night.  It doesn't matter what the weather is like because batayaki is something that can be enjoyed year-round. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe

KCs Batayaki Sauce

     1 c shoyu
     1/4 c sugar
     1/4 c mirin
     1 c chicken broth
     juice of 1/4 lemon

     5" piece of daikon, peeled & grated

Combine all ingredients, except grated daikon, in a medium saucepan.  Heat gently, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  To serve, place desired amount of grated daikon in a bowl.  Ladle sauce over.  Replenish sauce and daikon as needed.

Regarding the food in the pics:  Costco sells thinly sliced rib eye (yes, they have prime beef).  KTA and Marukai sell thinly sliced beef and pork.  Doesn't the salmon look gorgeous?  Its wild Alaskan king salmon courtesy of cousin Kento and his fabulous, non-fish-eater wife Julie.  They go on a yearly fishing expedition to the Waterfall Resort in Alaska and are generous in sharing their spoils.  Thank you!

Party Food: Ogo Salad

I'm feeling rather thankful the holiday party season is over, but perhaps I'm just a tad more anti-social than most people.

The family party on New Years Day was an endless affair.  I started my day before 6 am because I had so much to do.  Guests didn't arrive until after noon (the time I said we'd eat).  The last guest left a few minutes before midnight, so its accurate to say I had a full day.  I think I'm going to lay low from any parties for a few months. . .its going to take a while for me to recover anyway.

If you are a party animal or still in party season mode and need a dish to contribute, might I suggest ogo (seaweed) salad.  Ogo salad is welcome at any party in Hawaii, and most markets sell ogo year-round.  I think Marukai sells the best ogo, but since I don't always travel to Honolulu for work anymore, I usually just buy ogo from KTA.

This is the "salty" type of ogo.  Sometimes I'll make a sweet-sour version.  D1 prefers that, but I grew up on what we called "ogo kimchee", so when I'm jonesing for ogo, I'll go for the salty/spicy type first.   If you are allergic to or just don't care for the taste of dried shrimp, just leave it out.  The salad will be fine without it.

printable recipe
Ogo Salad

     1/2 lb ogo, cleaned, blanched and chopped

     2 tbsp sesame oil

     1/2 c shoyu

     1 clove garlic, crushed

     1 chili pepper, minced

     2 tomatoes, diced

     1/2 sweet onion, minced

     1 stalk green onion, sliced

     2 tbsp dried shrimp

     1 tbsp macadamia nuts, chopped (optional)

Combine sesame oil, shoyu, garlic, and chili pepper.  Toss with prepared ogo.  Add tomatoes, onion, green onion, dried shrimp and macadamia nuts.  Marinate overnight.

BTW, as far as the new years day party food went, I think some people should be banned from food preparation.  We had the ever-undercooked teriyaki meat sticks.  Even a 10-year old knew the meat wasn't cooked, so it blows my mind as to how adults can think its cooked.  After seeing the teriyaki sticks, I wasn't gonna chance the yakitori kabobs either.  I stuck to things that I knew were cooked well.

Mom wanted a family pic so The Help, with Dus' help, set up all his lights and reflectors by the khasy bamboo outside.  Unfortunately, he was working against daylight, as people were still in the coming-going mode.  He managed to take a pic of every family, but by then, D1 went off with Mr. Dependable.  The Help spent even more time processing the pics so each family could take home a cd of pics.  I was going to post a pic of the family, but I opted for one with two of my favorite people instead. . .nyuk nyuk.  Actually, they were the only ones willing to pose.  Most people ran inside to eat dinner and watch some bowl game.

Carry Along Shrimp

I'm still trying to get used to the longer work day.  Cannot say I've mastered it, but I'm doing okay for the moment.  Last week was a totally busy week for trainings, but we started it off with a meeting that ended with my coworker chewing out the bosses.  As I left, she asked me to close the door.  Later, she told me that during her chewing out process, one of the bosses apologized to her because she was made to feel unsafe.

The irony is that I was the actual victim of the scenario my coworker referenced!  I was the one who looked like an ass in front of the entire office staff at the opening-of-the-year staff meeting.  It was apparent that three other coworkers were given a different set of directions from what I was given.  This resulted in me standing up and talking for 2 minutes about the wonderful experience I had at the Culture Matters day and the 3 of them taking close to 30 minutes to do an interactive (and with powerpoint slides), multi-sensory presentation.  Uhhhh am I the only one who thinks I got screwed?

Anyway, I've added this to my anecdotal records of all the times I have been slighted  . . . the multiple times I have been mistreated/chastised/chastised publicly due to another coworker's screw ups.  I may be making a call to the Office of Civil Rights.  I called them two years ago about the same boss, and they gave me advice, which included continuing to compile anecdotal records.  Most of all they empowered me to believe that I don't need to take it.  I have been hesitant to report the boss because I don't want this to reflect poorly on the High Commander.  If anyone reading this happens to be a labor attorney (like crazy uncle George who worked for the National Labor Relations Board in the Seattle office) or a civil rights attorney, free advice is welcome.

Ironically, my cousin works in the complaints section of the Department of Education's Office of Human Resources, so I suppose if things get really bad, I could go to her.  But I don't want her coworkers to think I'm getting special treatment as her cousin. . .and really, with her voice, I don't think even my cats would take her seriously!

Last week,  The Help commented that my post about Kilauea Lodge lacked the zest, zeal, and colorful bitching which are normally rampant in my blog.  I think he was proud that I was exercising my inner censor.  Believe it or not, I intended to tone things down a bit since I have way more blog traffic now.  But this latest boss episode was just too much.  I'm just so disappointed in the boss. Again, the High Commander set the bar high, but not everyone can be the same.  Auwe!

Other than the trainings and me being shortchanged an apology, I had an okay week.  I didn't cook (thank you, leftovers, Hilo Lunch Shop, Restaurant Osaka, KTA, McDonald's, Hilo Rice Noodle, Tamari, The Rents), I worked on my online class, and at the urging of Kevo, JoFer & Weezee, I began reading Fifty Shades of Grey. I'm almost done, and I fully intend to buy the next 2 books in the trilogy.  Then Imma gonna look for Christian.

About my leftovers. . .a few weeks ago, Longs had large size (16/20) shrimp on sale.  A 4-pound box was under $25!  It was too good a deal to pass up, so I bought a box...I would've bought more than just 1 box if I had the room in my freezer.

D1 likes scampi (something about the butter and garlic being addictive), but I prefer grilled shrimp.  I usually rotate my repertoire for grilled shrimp. . .I have 3 recipes which I rely on.  They are:  Carry Along Shrimp, Mimi's Shrimp (recipe from a local cookbook) and the other needs no recipe (Italian dressing marinade).  Carry Along Shrimp is actually the favorite grilled shrimp recipe of The Help and The Rents.  My favorite is Mimi's.  Sorry.

I'm guessing this recipe got its name from the fact that you can throw the shrimp and the marinade into a ziploc bag and "carry" it "along" with you to a picnic.  Whatevers.  What I do know is that this works best when the shrimp are large (no smaller than 21/25).  Its a small pain to get the shells off, but its definitely worth it.  While this goes well with rice, I like it as an accompaniment to a tossed salad. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Carry Along Shrimp

     1/4 c mayonnaise

     1 1/2 tsp sugar

     3/4 tsp oyster sauce

     1 1/2 tsp finely minced garlic

     1 1/2 tsp lemon pepper

     3/4 tsp lemon juice

     1/2 - 3/4 lbs shrimp (size 21/25 or larger)

Remove legs from shrimp.  Butterfly the shrimp through the back without cutting completely through body.  Combine all other ingredients and whisk together thoroughly.  Combine shrimp and sauce, making sure sauce covers all parts of shrimp, even cut in the back.  Soak for 1 hour.  Grill.

Har Gao

I'm gonna do a lot of venting/bitching, so before I go on my rant, I need to congratulate D1 for making the HHS cheerleading squad for SY 12-13.  Way to go, D1!  I am so proud of her...managing all her activities and still maintaining a great GPA.  If only I could add "cleaning room" to the list of things she does well.

Deep breath. . .

Divide dough into equal pieces.  Flatten to a 3" circle.

Make 5 pleats close together.

Place filling in indentation.

This past week was a total bummer.  I wasted two-and-a-half days working.  I worked on Wednesday in Pahoa, half of Thursday at the office, and Friday was spent in the conference room at the office. 

At the meetings on Wednesday and Friday, the boss suggested working through lunch with early release.  Bullshit.  No way!  I've been fooled before, and I'm not letting it happen again.  I'm not giving a dishonor another chance.  

Fold edges together, pinching edges to seal.

This week, I'm reporting to work for a half day on Wednesday.  I am meeting with coworkers to work on a training.  I plan to count the hours I show up at the office.

Gently bend dumpling into a crescent shape.

The High Commander offered me an opportunity to work at the end of the month, and I may take her up on it.  It could be 1, 2 or 3 days, but I don't think I could take all 3 days, so I'm thinking of just doing it for 1 or 2 days.  The High Commander also praised me for my San Antonio slideshow.

In addition to working this week, I'm having lunch with Edz and Brucie.  I hope Edz is feeling better.  He had a rough week (maybe several weeks), and I hope that the person responsible for his misery receives his just desserts.  What an asshole!  I should kidnap him and tickle his feet with a feather.  The Ds will work him over and he will never be the same again.  

My driving job continues as well.  With the happy news of D1, I will be driving her daily to practices.  D1 & D2 both indicated a desire to continue with sewing classes for the second session, so I'll be on the road on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  The Gemini internship won't be starting until later this month, so I have a bit of a reprieve now.

Last week I noticed that the cats' fur around their butts was getting long and unruly, so both Desiree and Kendra got a nice summer trim.  Now that both are finally speaking to me again, I'll try and get pics of them with their lion cuts. 

Since school let out for the summer, I've been trying to exercise more.  The iPad app, RunKeeper, has been helpful for tracking the time and distance of my treadmill walks.  I'm hoping that the results on my next blood test will show that all this walking is paying off.  All this exercising should also give me license to eat whatever I want, right?

Last week, The Help took me and the Ds to dinner at IHOP (my choice).  The idea of having breakfast for dinner was very appealing, and I was thrilled to see red velvet pancakes on the menu.  They were actually good, and it got me thinking that its been a while since I've been to Boots & Kimo's on the Windward side (of Oahu).  Now I'm ono for their mac nut pancakes.

 I'm still hoping to get to Honolulu before I need to go back to work.  Boots & Kimo's might be out of the question if its an overnight trip, but dim sum is not negotiable.  And I could not have dim sum without ordering har gao.  Har gao is one of the indispensable dim sum dishes no matter where you go (and I've eaten dim sum all over America).


Har gao at restaurants tend to be small and dainty.  At home, I make them the size of potstickers!

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Har Gow Filling

     3/4 lb shrimp, chopped

     1/4 c bamboo shoots, chopped

     1 tsp salt

     1 tsp sesame oil

     1/2 tsp sugar

     1 egg white

     2 tbsp cornstarch

 Combine all ingredients.  Chill for 1 hour.

Har Gow Wrappers

     1 c wheat starch

     1/2 c tapioca starch

     1/2 tsp salt

     1 c boiling water

     2 tbsp oil

Combine dry ingredients.  Add boiling water and mix.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  Add oil and knead until a smooth dough forms.  Cover and set aside until filling is ready.

Divide dough into 24 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball then flatten into a 3" circle.  A tortilla press is very handy to have, but a rolling pin or a cleaver will also work. 

 Make pleats close together in one section of wrapper.  I usually make 5 or 7 pleats.  The pleats will naturally create a well.  Place filling (scant #60 scoop) in well.  Pinch edges of wrapper together.  Bend each dumpling to form a crescent.  Place on parchment paper in a steamer.  Steam for 15 minutes.  Serve with shoyu.

If you don't have parchment paper, you could also just oil the steamer surface, but I prefer to use parchment (perforated).  Some people don't care for the earthy taste bamboo steamers impart on food.  While aluminum steamers don't add any flavor, they are more prone to sticking so you have greater potential of ending up with a mess.

     

Salt & Pepper Shrimp

I'd like to wish happy birthday to The Help today.  Its a milestone birthday, and I hope he buys whatever he wants.  I was going to get him a Canon 7D, but both Adorama and B & H Photo are closed for most of the month.  Oh well, I guess he'll just have to settle for the Rottweiler puppy.

The high point of my week was being invited to add my blog to petitchef.com, a foodie website based in France.  I'm glad I have three years of high school French and a year of college French under my belt.  I might be able to understand any comments en francais. 

Unfortunately, my week was littered with low points too.  The Rents' new printer crashed, and replacing it entailed multiple visits to OfficeMax.  I also had a situation where I NEEDED to take po chai pills (I'm sure you know what I'm talking about).  There were major issues at work too.   Why won't some people just admit fault and work towards resolution.  Why do we pussy-foot and tell people its a "win-win" situation?  Games have winners.  This is not a game.  I guess when you deal with people who think like adolescents (or preschoolers), it is perceived as a game.  Anyway, I should've guessed how the week was gonna go when we began the week at an all-day draining at Imiloa Astronomy Center.  Double ugghhh.  The information shared in the morning was interesting, however the presenters sucked.  I don't even think they knew a lot about education.  I got the impression they didn't prepare adequately.  But a day at Imiloa beats a day at the office, so it wasn't all that bad.  At least the toilet paper at Imiloa is in a dispenser.

The best part about Imiloa is the on-site restaurant.  They offer an all-you-can-eat-stuff-your-face buffet, complete with salad bar, a myriad of entrees, and a wide dessert selection.  Most people pile their plates with salt & pepper shrimp, and I can't say I blame them.  I love salt & pepper shrimp.

While Imiloa's salt & pepper shrimp is good, homemade salt & pepper shrimp totally rocks.  While some people get grossed out when they see the shrimp head, I like head-on shrimp because I like to suck on the head.    This happened to be local (Kauai) shrimp which I found at KTA.  Not all markets have it.  For salt & pepper shrimp, the shrimp should be no larger than 26/30. 

Cornstarch-dusted shrimp are deep fried until cooked.

Seasonings are added to the fried shrimp.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Salt & Pepper Shrimp

     1 lb shrimp

     1/4 c cornstarch

     1 1/2 c oil

     2 stalks green onion, chopped

     1 clove garlic, minced

     1 chili pepper, minced

     1/2 tsp salt

     2 pinches 5-spice

     2 pinches sugar

     1 pinch white pepper

     1 tbsp rice wine

If using head-on shrimp, begin by tossing shrimp with cornstarch.  If using headless shrimp, prepare shrimp by slitting back to remove intestinal vein.  Slip shrimp out of shell but do not detach shell.  Toss shrimp with cornstarch and let stand 10 minutes.  Heat oil in a wok.  Fry shrimp until crisp (this will need to be done in batches).  When all shrimp are fried, drain oil from wok.  Return shrimp to work and add all ingredients except rice wine.  Toss.  Add rice wine.  Toss.  Remove from wok to serve.

Oh, and Easter, yeah, Easter.  I had lots of fun coloring eggs by myself.  I got to leave them in the dye for a long time, and I made all solid color eggs.  The Ds would've been so upset.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I can still recall the moment when bell peppers ceased being "the dreaded food".  I was at a birthday party for my nephew and some kind of wraps were served.  Although I was tempted, it would've been rude of me to open up the wrap and remove the bell pepper slivers.  My plan was to eat the wrap and swallow fast.  I was shocked to discover that I enjoyed the wraps, and my original plan to swallow quickly just did not happen.  From that moment, a door to many wonderful recipes using bell peppers was opened.

One of my favorite ways (D1 loves this too) to eat bell peppers is stuffed with shrimp paste.  Legend Seafood Restaurant in Honolulu's Chinatown offers this from one of their carts, but homemade is better (not as much "fillers" in the shrimp paste).  This makes a great pupu (appetizer) or a main dish.  Its very convenient because the filling can be made ahead of time.  Just be sure to let the filling sit out for 15 minutes before using, and stir it up well several times.  Another trick is to keep the inside of the bell peppers dry.  This will help the filling adhere.

The filling (or any leftover filling) can also be formed into small patties and pan-fried as well.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Stuffed Bell Peppers

     4 bell peppers in assorted colors

     1 lb shrimp, peeled, de-veined & coarsely chopped

     1/4 c coarsely chopped bamboo shoots

     2 tbsp chopped water chestnuts

     2 tbsp rice wine

     2 tsp sesame oil

     1 tsp salt

     2 tbsp cornstarch

     1 egg white

     oil for pan frying

Combine shrimp, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts in work bowl of a food processor until shrimp is chopped fine.  Transfer to a bowl and add rice wine, sesame oil, salt, cornstarch, and egg white.  At this point, mixture can be refrigerated and removed from refrigerator 15 minutes before assembly, stirring several times.  Quarter each bell pepper.  Remove seeds.  Cut each quarter into 2 or 3 pieces.  Press a layer of filling (1/4"-1/2" thick) onto inner surface of bell pepper.  Heat oil in skillet.  Pan fry each piece, shrimp-side down only.  Do not fry bell pepper side.  Remove from pan when filling is golden brown and cooked through.