Almost Pike Place Chowder: New England Clam Chowder

This past weekend, the weather was miserable.  After weeks of hot, sticky humidity, we got bombarded by rain.  A new weather system formed just southeast of us, bringing a ton of rain to Hilo.

The Help and I survived a wet football game at Wong Stadium (affectionately called "Lake Wong").  The Help learned that Columbia rain products are not on equal footing with NorthFace; he was soaked, while my layers remained dry.   Maybe Santa will bring him a NorthFace jacket this year.

On Saturday, as the downpour continued, The Help made a strange comment, something to the effect of "so this is what it's like to live in Seattle."  Ummmmm NO.

Seattle rain is nothing like Hilo rain.  In Hilo, the rain comes down in buckets.  Walking ten feet in the rain is capable of soaking through layers of clothes (including a Columbia supposed-rain jacket).  Seattle rain is different.  It doesn't come down in buckets, but it's always present.  I had a hard time explaining the difference to The Help.  I did, however, make a big deal about the temperature of the rain.  Seattle rain is cold.

Anyway, The Help's comment about Seattle brought back memories of a recent trip to the Emerald City.  I had the opportunity to stop at Pike Place Chowder for a steaming bowl of their award-winning chowder.  It was every bit as good as the hype made it out to be.  No disappointment at all, although I was somewhat surprised at how small the place was.  There were hardly any tables/chairs, yet that didn't see to stop people from lining up.  I tried both the seafood bisque and the New England style clam chowder.  Both were awesome, and they are high up on my to-eat list for my next trip to Seattle.

So as a reward for opening his mouth, The Help found himself heading out in the rain on Saturday to pick up the ingredients for my copycat version of Pike Place Chowder's New England Clam Chowder.  Although my next trip to Seattle will need to wait for a while (I need to go to AZ first), I found myself sitting down to a nice, hot bowl of soup while lamenting those darn Dawgs!  WTF?!?

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Almost Pike Place Chowder:  New England Clam Chowder

     2 tbsp butter

     1/2 onion, diced

     2 stalks celery, diced

     1/3 c flour

     1 can chicken broth (add water to make 2 cups)

     2 cans (10 oz each) clams (minced, chopped or combination)

     1 c heavy cream

     2 bay leaves

     1 lb russet potatoes, cubed 1/2"

     1/2 tsp salt

     1/8 tsp pepper

Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Add onion and celery and saute until soft.  Stir in flour.  Add chicken broth, clam juice (reserve clams for later), cream, bay leaves, and potatoes.  Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often.  Add clams, salt, and pepper.  Serve.

I had quite a scare on Saturday night.  Sometime during the slaughter at Sun Devil Stadium, I decided to check my fb page.  My heart sank when I saw a post about a stampede at the Summer Ends Music Festival at Tempe Beach Park.  Prior to leaving for Tempe, D1 purchased her ticket online, so I knew she was there (rather than at the stadium).  The fb news clip said two juvenile females, who were close to the stage, were taken to a local trauma center with life-threatening injuries.  I immediately texted and called D1, but there was no response.  As a parent 3,000 miles away, all sorts of things went through my mind.  I breathe a deep sigh of relief when the phone rang as I was talking to Mr. Dependable about the events.  Darn kid said she had left her phone at home for safe-keeping and was unaware (until later) as to why she had been ordered by concert officials to evacuate Tempe Beach Park.

Later, as I was praying and hoping for the best for all those injured, The Help said he knew all along D1 was fine...said she would never have dished out the extra $$$ to be close to the stage.  Being pake probably saved her ass.

Easy Minestrone

This was certainly an adventure-filled fall break.  I'm almost looking forward to this week back at work...at least I know the bleeding ends at 3:00 pm.

On Wednesday, the Ds and I headed to Honolulu.  We were conveniently able to schedule a follow-up appointment with the allergist on Thursday.  We spent the rest of the time shopping, eating, and rubbing elbows with family at a wedding.

My "little" cousin LA and her fiancee SN tied the knot at the beautiful and classy Halekulani Hotel.  Talk about the wedding of weddings!  Every girl should want a wedding like that.  While the venue was impeccably set up, the food was absolutely delicious.  Glad the happy couple was so concerned about the guests eating well!

After all the indulgences last week, I think it's best to scale back and eat light this week.  I noticed the weather here seems cooler than it was a few weeks ago, making it good soup weather.  This recipe cheats a little and uses 2 cans of Campbell's condensed soup for the base.  But when you're pressed for time on a weeknight, the canned soup ensures everything will come together quickly.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe
Easy Minestrone

     3 slices bacon, chopped (or use 3 tbsp bacon bits + 2 tsp olive oil)

     1 c chopped onion

     1/2 c chopped celery

     1 can Campbell's bean & bacon soup

     1 can Campbell's beef broth

     18 oz water

     1/2 tsp salt

     1 can (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes or stewed tomatoes, broken up

     1/2 c pasta

     1-2 c diced zucchini

     1-2 c shredded cabbage

     1 clove garlic, minced

     1 tsp shredded basil leaves, optional

Brown bacon (or bacon bits and olive oil), onion, celery, garlic & basil.  Add soup, broth, water, tomatoes, salt, macaroni, zucchini & cabbage.  Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes or until zucchini is cooked.

Toaster Oven Food: Scalloped Potatoes

The first week of summer vacation is behind me.  "Vacation" might not be the proper word to use because I'm super fricken busy.  I voluntarily attended a computer workshop on Saturday, something I would've been vehemently opposed to doing during the normal work year.  But I went.  For no credit.  For no stipend.  And I checked my PayPal account, and those baboozes still haven't reimbursed me the $20 registration fee (reimbursement contingent upon attending the session). 

I also began the first of multiple summer jobs.  I think this job is even more demanding than my regular day job.  Being a paraprofessional is not the cake walk everyone thinks it is.  The only silver lining is not having to deal directly with headache parents.  Oh, and I did get to see JN, whom I haven't seen in years.  Hi, JN!  Long time no-see.  Seeing you made me think back to the time your car didn't start at the luau in Seattle because some doodoo head you were dating left the lights on!  BTW, its years overdue, but thanks for the ride home that night.

In a week, I will be done with my stint as a paraprofessional and will be returning to the ranks of teacher.  I will be attending a 4-day draining.  One of my work pals, who was supposed to attend with me, saw the list of those attending and decided there was no way in hell he could stomach 4 days with those clowns, so he begged out, leaving me to fend off the infidels by myself.  Wimp!  Weakling!  I actually considered bailing with him, but I'm trying to build my war chest for the upcoming October trip.  The Halekulani isn't free!

I had hoped to be enjoying hot summer days, but instead, I found myself pulling back into the garage to run in the house to retrieve a jacket.  I know it wasn't just me because even D2 ran back in for a jacket.  And more than once in the past week, I turned on the electric blanket, a Valentine gift from The Help from a few years ago.  Now I'm not feeling so foolish for buying 4 giant boxes of Cal Oak firewood from Safeway last month.  I guess we are still not out of fireplace season.

In light of the weather, I'm not feeling so apt to rush out and buy lettuce.  I think I'm gonna stick to the comfort foods for a few more weeks. . .Beryl's Meatloaf, Sugar Bath Ham, Roasted Chicken, to name a few.  And what better to accompany those feel-good foods than a big mound of scalloped potatoes!  And should the weather unexpectedly turn warm, this can (and should, no matter the circumstance) be baked in a toaster oven. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Scalloped Potatoes

     4 c thinly sliced potatoes
     1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
     1/2 c milk
     pepper
     1 c shredded cheese, divided
     1 tbsp butter
     paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine soup and milk.  Add a dash of black pepper.  Grease a square baking dish.  Layer 1/3 of potatoes.  Cover with 1/3 of sauce.  Sprinkle 1/3 cup of cheese.  Repeat layers two more times.  Dot with butter and sprinkle with paprika.  Cover with foil and bake 1 hour.  Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes.

For those who have tried my blog recipes using cake mix (non-pudding type), I have gone back and updated the recipes (both the blog versions and the printable versions) to include the "work around" for the currently-available cake mixes.  Cake mixes sold before 2013 were sold in 18+ oz. boxes.  When Duncan Hines decided to re-do their cake mixes, the boxes shrank to 15 oz.  Apparently, Duncan Hines didn't give a shit about consumers who had religiously purchased their product, developed recipes using a box of cake mix as a base, or even had enough faith in their product to think consumers would be willing to pay a little more to keep the product size the same. . .I know I would've been willing to pay a little more.  Anyway, thanks to the Cake Mix Doctor, there is a a remedy!

Salsa

Happy Cinqo de Mayo!

How are YOU celebrating?

My family is definitely not big on Mexican food, so there will be no trip to the taqueria.  Tequila and I don't really get along either, thanks to a bad experience in Salem, OR, of all places.  One weekend, I took the Amtrak and went to Salem to visit my then-bf.  My then-bf and his friends decided to drink before going to the movies.  I wasn't planning to drink, but it was cold, and I thought that a tequila sunrise would surely make me feel warmer.  It did that and more!  It sent me to the Devil's abode and I ended up praying to the porcelain god for the rest of the evening.  I never made it to the movies, and I'm sure my gut was on fire all weekend.  Euwwww.

Shortly after the tequila sunrise disaster, I moved off-campus to a new apartment complex on Ninth Avenue NE.  As luck would have it, my apartment was located across the street from a Mexican restaurant, Aurora's.  While I frequented the restaurant for snacks and meals (the chilaquiles were the best), I steered clear of any margarita or Jose Cuervo shot special.  Living across the street from a Mexican restaurant made for easy Cinqo de Mayo celebrations.  Most people spent a long time jousting for parking, but all I had to do was walk across the street (and it was a one-way street too!).  And like all other Mexican restaurants, Aurora's provided tortilla chips and salsa for munching while waiting for your food order. 

I think the "starving college student" image lends itself well to the typical dorm room snack, tortilla chips and salsa.  A jar of salsa and a bag of chips are easy to bring to parties, although I really wasn't a huge fan of salsa while in college.  Aurora's indulgences notwithstanding, I seldom ate chips and salsa when left to fend for myself.  Salsa just didn't taste right.

I converted years later when I attended a work meeting in Honolulu.  A coworker brought a tub of salsa to the meeting, and nobody could get enough.  It was so good.  It was nothing like the stuff in the jar!  She was more than willing to share the recipe, and with that good will, I've been sharing it ever since.  Every time I've brought the salsa to an event, someone has requested the recipe. . .it never fails.  I have seen variations of the recipe in cookbooks, but I always stick to the original recipe.

click on recipe title for printable recipa

Salsa

     2 cans (14-15 oz each) stewed tomatoes*
     1 can chopped olives
     8 oz fat-free Italian dressing
     1 onion, chopped
     1 bell pepper, chopped
     1/2 bunch cilantro, minced
     few sprigs of green onion, chopped
     dash of sugar
     dash of oregano, crumbled
     dash of garlic salt

Drain stewed tomatoes.  Chop and place in a medium non-reactive bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

*One of the cans can be Italian style, but do not use Italian style stewed tomatoes for both cans. 

If you have any salsa leftover (all you need is a cup), consider making this soup.  Fellow blogger Karen Loase's recipe for Black Bean Soup is a winner! Go to the second helpings blog and make the soup.

On Friday, our school made the local news.  Unfortunately it was due to a large "affray" which occurred just after school ended.   I did not witness any part of it, although D1 and my cousin both shared bits and pieces of what they had witnessed.  When I went to the office, an hour after the melee, there were police, students, and school personnel congregating in the area of the administration office.  I never saw anything like this in all my years as a teacher, so this was a first!  According to the anecdotes shared with me, police, school security, administrators and custodians all had to work to restore order and control the fighters.  Some adults were thrown to the ground.  This entire episode saddens me, as our school has always had a reputation of being accepting and tolerant of differences. 

It was a year ago when I was given the wonderful opportunity to return, to do a better job than I did the first time around.  I still feel this school is the best place to work and to learn, no matter what any stinking state audit says.  Even in the wake of Friday's fracas, I have no regrets in coming back.  I am  grateful to those who made it happen, and I know we will bounce back.

It may not look like much, but it IS home.  Hooray for second chances!

Remembering Vovo: Portuguese Bean Soup

It's too early to be thinking about salads, that's for sure!  With the fickle weather we've been having, it's hard to tell if I should pack up the electric blanket or buy more UGGs.  Most of last week was so cold that I wore boots to work multiple times.  Then on Friday, by afternoon, it seemed like summer was about to begin.  My short-sleeve Manuheali`i blouse was perfect WITHOUT a jacket!  I had to re-think the weather on Saturday. . .once again we were treated to a major light show.  The kats and mastiffs were not happy with the accompanying thunder.  And yesterday was another quasi-summery day. . .t-shirt & crop pants weather.

It will be interesting to see what kind of weather we will have this week.  There will be a visiting group of asses coming from Honolulu to assess our school (nyuk nyuk) and tell us why we suddenly suck.  This is what I don't get.  A few months ago, our school was a "continuous improvement" school.  Then someone in a monkey suit (I'm sure this is a person who wears Reyn Spooner inside-out print shirts) realized he made a "calculation" error, and suddenly our school became a "focus" school.  We are still the same school that was praised for being in continuous improvement. . .nothing changed, but now, because we have a different label, the rules of the game have changed.  And I bet that idiot who made the calculation error did not even attend our school!  So since a large team is coming, they will need to find something wrong in order to justify their trip. 

And leave it to the state to go looking for trouble.  I live in a state where kindergarten is not mandatory.  Now the state is creating preschools at select schools.  We can't even get the compulsory kindergarten right yet they wanna dive into preschool.  State DOE preschools w/o mandatory kindergarten is definitely gonna be a clusterfuck.  I can't believe the state (upper-level, not the teachers) is so stupid.

Oh well. . .I'm just glad I survived last week.  It's always hard to go back to work after a vacation, and last week was no exception.  I have a challenging student, and while I'm itching to tell him where he can go stick it, I took the higher road and gave him suggestions on how to curry favor with the parents of his flavor-of-the-month. . .hoping some if it will rub off in the classroom.  I also reminded myself that in a little over 4 months, he will no longer be my problem (and he better not even think about dating D1!). 

For the most part though, it was nice to be back at work.  I can't remember the last time when I didn't totally dread going back to work after a vacation.  And after seeing facebook posts from people I used to work with, I'm even more grateful to be where I am today.  I'm amazed at what I've observed over the past few years.  Five years ago, I would have believed that people in poverty-stricken areas would be grateful for whatever they receive.  Now I know different.  Many are not grateful.  Many shamelessly ask what else they will get.  This is not what the books say.  I am just glad to be where I am.  Most students and parents are awesome.  Most of my colleagues and all the bosses are competent.  This is way more that I can say about that OTHER place.

Perhaps this is why I didn't mind the boss asking us to be in our rooms this week when the visiting team does their sleuthing.  It's not difficult to want to please the guy. . .to want to make him look good.  He is a really nice man, and I would be pissed if any member of the visiting team disrespects him.  I will tow the line. . .no going to pick up lunch this week.  I will be bringing leftovers. . .leftover Portuguese Bean Soup (PBS).

I used to make PBS from a recipe I found in a cookbook.  But ever since The Help arrived, he has taken over the PBS-making duties.  This recipe is a modified version of the original recipe, which came from his vovo (Portuguese for grandmother).  Here is what puzzles me. . .in many cookbooks I've read, instructions always say to cook beans fully before adding acidic ingredients.  But The Help dumps everything in the pot at the same time, and the soup turns out great every time.  I just don't get it. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe

The Help's Portuguese Bean Soup

     1 lb kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained

     3 ham hocks

     1 ring Portuguese sausage, chopped

     2 round onions, chopped

     2 cloves garlic, chopped

     1 small bunch parsley, chopped

     1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

     2 1/2 quarts warm water

     salt & pepper to taste

Bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer for 3 hours.

This is one of those dishes which only gets better over days.  I don't like to find bones in my soup, so The Help removes the ham hock bones as the hocks begin to disintegrate.  He also removes the rubbery skin.

Comfort in a Bowl: Trotter Soup

Christmas came and went at the Kikukat house.  The Ds got a lot of goodies, and The Help treated me to an Amazon Prime membership.  I wanted to get him a new monopod (for shooting football games), but he waved me off.  He had to settle for a Ping golf shirt instead.  Poor buggah!

I finally got around to seeing Edz, whom I missed dearly.  Now that I work across town, I don't get to do the "pop in" on him at work.  We had lunch at Hilo Bay Cafe.  It was really nice, and I always kick myself as to why we don't have lunch more often.  I got to show off my new pair of Dr. Martens to him.  Only Edz could give UGeo a run for his money when it comes to shopping.  When we lived in Honolulu, Edz and I would often spend Sundays worshipping at the House (Liberty House Ala Moana) and then having lunch at Orson's.    Edz would have the po' boy and I would have oysters rockefeller.  I guess I'm showing my age because Orson's closed a long time ago.

I also got to do lunch with Brucie!  I haven't lunched with Brucie since fall intersession.  I'm hoping to see more of him during high school basketball season.

In a few hours I will get to see LA & SN.  They are here until the 3rd.  Other out-of-town ohana arrived a few days ago. . .UMiles & AKathy and AChar.  Jin Young from Korea arrived last month.  I suppose I will have lots of family obligations these next few days.  I'm sad OT & Dus couldn't make it home.  The Help has been keeping a watchful eye on Dus' bottle of Jameson Gold Reserve.  OT could help me kill the Kraken.  Kikukat Dad is so proud of OT's ability to consume alcohol!

Right now it is storming in Hilo, and I mean STORMING.  I'm worried about the pv system and my car because we had hail last night/this morning.  I am certain that when this storm is over, there will be a thick layer of snow on Mauna Kea.  LA & SN will have a bumpy flight coming in to Hilo!

Anyway, its almost new years eve, and that means one thing to me. . .pig feet soup.  While many people enjoy a huge spread of food at holiday parties, on new years eve, I much prefer to have a bowl of soup.  Soup is the ultimate comfort food, and there are few things which provide more comfort than pig feet soup.

I have fond memories of sitting down to a steaming hot bowl of pig feet soup for dinner.  The silky feel of the pork skin, sucking on the rounded knuckle bones, bits of char floating in the broth. . .all evoke a strong sense of nostalgia.  As I got older, I began dipping pieces of the succulent meat in freshly grated ginger mixed with shoyu.

Both Mr. Dependable and The Help have become pig feet soup converts as well.  Mr. Dependable grew up in a house which served sweet-sour pig feet, and he was certainly not fond of it.  The closest The Help ever got to pig feet was a smoked ham hock. 

What can I say?  I grew up eating pig feet.  Kikukat Mom made it sweet-sour style (hers wasn't as puckery as Mr. Dependable's mom).  We often had a jar of Hormel pickled pig feet in the fridge that Kikukat Dad and I would eat for dinner (with a generous splash of shoyu).  Mt. View gramma braised pig feet with peppercorns and bay leaf. . .kinda like adobo, but not as puckery either.  And I'm guessing it was Mt. View gramma who taught Kikukat Dad how to make pig feet soup.

I was in college when I realized pig feet wasn't eaten in every household.  My townie roommate (from Hawaii Kai) said she never tasted pig feet in her life.  My other roommate, who was also my high school classmate, once bought me a jar of pickled pig feet just so she could watch me eat it. . .she couldn't believe people actually ate the stuff in the jar which grossed her out.

One thing about pig feet that does gross me out is when the stubble isn't completely cleaned.  I singe the pig feet on the grill outside.  What doesn't burn off gets yanked with fish tweezers.  Yes, that does take a while, but its worth it to me not to see black stubble on the skin.

Pig feet soup is best made the day before you plan to eat it.  If you have a pressure cooker and a fat separator, it can be made and eaten on the same day.  While the flavor comes from the skin, try and find pieces with lots of meat.  Some people add araimo (dasheen).  I don't like to add it because it makes the broth slimy. . . same reason why I never add konbu.  If you are like me and use this as your ozoni soup (I don't like the pink ear thing), heat the mochi separately and add it to each individual bowl instead of adding the mochi to the pot.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe
Pig Feet Soup

     2-3 lbs pig feet
     water
     3-4 thumb-size pieces of ginger, smashed
     2 tsp hondashi
     2 tsp salt
     2 tbsp shoyu
     additions:  togan (winter melon chunks), watercress, won bok, sliced daikon, carrots, mochi

Singe pig feet over flame to burn off hairs.  Place in a pot and cover with water.  Boil rapidly for 15 minutes.  Discard water and rinse scum off pieces.  Place cleaned pig feet in a large pot.  Add 10 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 2 hours.  Refrigerate overnight.  Skim hardened fat from surface (there should not be much).  Add ginger, hondashi, salt, shoyu, and any "additions" (consider how long additions will take to cook; togan chunks will take about 40 minutes)  and cook for 1 hour.

I spent some time in the kitchen this past week.  I made mini M & M cookies for Santa and I also updated an earlier recipe, Lemon Cake.  The recipe now includes directions for baking mini loaves, perfect for gift-giving.  D1's coaches, her club advisor, and her friend AC were the lucky recipients of lemon cake. 

Emotional first aid was also provided to my boss, as he wrestled with calibrating his oven temperature.  He had a lemon-lilikoi bar project going.

Sadly, it was I who probably needed the emotional first aid most.  I started and re-started a knitting project.  The first time, I made just 2 inches of the cowl before I realized I dropped a stitch.  The second time, I was over half-way through when I discovered I was missing a stitch.  Son of a bitch!  I don't know why I torture myself with this thing called knitting.

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Crock Pot Food: Beef & Barley Soup

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.  I broke down and invited some old aunties over for a simple lunch.  I didn't go nuts (local style), and I limited the food to traditional fare:  turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, candied yams, roasted asparagus, cranberry sauce, rolls, and pumpkin crunch cake.  Everyone took home enough leftovers for at least another meal, and I was left with a manageable amount of everything.  I'm sure my mom pooh-poohed the amount of food, but I think I made more than enough.  Kikukat Mom grew up in Hawaii, so by her measure, if I didn't make enough to hold the party 3x over, I really didn't make enough.  Well, I don't care if she thought that because the whole thing was over by 2:40!  That gave The Help enough time to help Kikukat Mom with her printer troubles.

It was nice to see the old aunties.  ABetty (of corned beef hash fame) is doing much better and moving around well. . .well enough to help herself to a second serving.  AJanice asked me if there was a book she could get which defines slang and text jargon.  She said she is currently reading a J. K. Rowling book with all kinds of profanity.  "I know what fuck and shit are, but I don't know what snogging means," said AJanice.  I had to laugh.  AJanice earned a living as a speech therapist just outside the Beltway, so "fuck" and "shit" were enunciated with utmost precision as ABetty looked on unfazed.  ABetty, the older of the two is closing in on 90, but even she will say a "fuck" here and there.  If I ever live that long. . .

The Ds popped in for a short time to get changed for a brunch.  D1 looked towering in her heels, and D2 looked so pretty in a floral dress.  Nice to see her wearing something other than a t-shirt and shorts.  Neither D is big on turkey so I hope their brunch served other things as well.

Even though the leftovers were manageable for me, I'm turkey'd out for a while.  I decided to buy a turkey breast roast (even if the whole turkey was much cheaper).  Nobody here really cares for dark meat so I figured the thighs and drumstick would only get in the way.  Glad I did.  The turkey breast cooked in under 3 hours, and because I brined it, it was juicy and seasoned throughout.  3M offered to deep fry my turkey, and I may take her up on it next year...if I buy a whole turkey.

I'm also kinda ham'd out.  I made Sugar Bath Ham.  The Help and I had ham sandwiches for a few days.  I like ham, but after 3 days, even ham loses its welcome.  I'm looking forward to eating "plain" food now.

Oahu and Kauai were under flash flood watch this past weekend, and I couldn't help but wonder if the rains would eventually reach us here.  While the weather wasn't all that great, it was primarily dry.  The Help watched a lot of football in between doing his chores (taking care of animals, washing car, etc.).  I managed to throw together this soup in the crock pot.  It was a nice break from turkey & ham.  It also went well with the leftover rolls from turkey day (giant bag from Safeway was $6.99).  Although the instructions say to initially add the barley to part of the vegetables on the stove, I'm quite certain everything could be just thrown into the crock pot. 

With the craziness of Thanksgiving behind us, its now time to do the countdown until the next break:  Winter Vacation!!!  15 work days stands between now and another break.  If I call in sick or take personal leave, I can shave off a day or two too!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Beef & Barley Soup

     1- 1 1/2 lbs beef chuck, cut in 3/4" cubes

     1 tbsp oil

     1 c chopped onion

     1 c diced carrots

     1/2 c diced celery

     1 clove garlic, minced

     12-16 oz mushrooms, cut in quarters (or smaller)

     3 sprigs thyme

     1/2 c pearl barley, rinsed and drained

     1 can beef broth

     1 can chicken broth

     2 c hot water

     1/8 tsp pepper

     1 tsp salt

     fresh Italian parsley

Heat oil in large skillet.  Saute beef cubes til no longer pink.  Using a slotted spoon, remove meat to 4-quart or larger crock pot.  Add beef broth, cover, and cook on high.  Using same skillet, add onion, carrots, and celery.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add garlic, mushrooms, and thyme.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, place at least half of vegetable mixture in crock pot.  To remaining vegetable mixture, add pearl barley and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil then add to crock pot, along with hot water, pepper, and salt.  Cook on high for 5 hours.  Remove thyme sprigs before serving.  Garnish with parsley.

Restaurant Chatter: Cham Cham is Back

Today is the first day of Fall Intersession, and unlike this time last year, I am going to try and be a couch potato instead of iron chef.  I've purchased all but season 5 of Criminal Minds (I have a bid on the season 5 dvd set) and my goal is to watch as many episodes of Criminal Minds as possible.  Cooking will likely interfere with my plans so I'll be doing a lot of takeout meals.

I'm really glad that my favorite Korean restaurant in Hilo is open again.  The Cham Cham Restaurant (421 Kalanikoa Street, Suite 102) serves the best Korean food in Hilo.  Some of you might be familiar with it as the old Snappy's Pizza location.  I like that the facilities are clean, there is ample parking for dinner, and the main waiter speaks English.  The little dishes of pickled vegetables are nice too.  But what I love most is the taste of the food.  Everything I have ever eaten at Cham Cham has been delicious.

Hilo almost lost Cham Cham.  In early June, I went to the Cham Cham for dinner and was shocked to see the place dark and a note on the door explaining that they were closed due to unforeseen circumstances beyond their control.  I thought perhaps someone was ill (turns out nobody was ill), so I went back the following week.  Same sign, same dark restaurant.  I was devastated.  It was back to XX for my bi bim bap fix.  Don't get me wrong. XX makes a decent bi bim bap, but unlike Cham Cham, XX is not the "total package".

A few weeks ago, I heard a rumor that Cham Cham was going to reopen.  I went to see for myself yesterday, and sure enough, it was open!  I had dinner there Friday night and Saturday night (yes, its THAT good. . . I couldn't stay away).  In case you're wondering, I didn't have dinner there last night; the Cham Cham is closed on Sundays.

I love the assortment of little dishes.

garlic shoots

 My all-time favorite dish there is the bi bim bap.  It comes in a classy brass bowl, and you can select either bbq beef or bbq chicken as a topping.

The Korean chicken is another favorite.  This is NOT the same kind of Korean chicken your mom made (if your mom made Korean chicken).  Homestyle, Hawaii-style Korean chicken is usually some wing part which has been fried then dipped into a slightly-sweet soy, green onion & sesame oil sauce.  I enjoy Mom's Korean chicken, but Cham Cham Korean chicken is an entirely different dish altogether.  Instead of a teriyaki-like sauce, the sauce is clear with a definite vinegar taste.  It is neither overpowering nor cloying, but it takes the crispy chicken to a new level.

 If spice is your passion, try the Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup.  Laden with calamari pieces, shrimp, and a mussel, the hearty broth will definitely warm you to the bone on a cold, wet Hilo night.

This is a dish which competes with bi bim bap as my all-time favorite.  Its a seafood pancake that is as large as the size of a dinner plate.  Its served with a sesame dipping sauce.  Ask for the pancake to be cooked extra crispy.

 

If you don't mind the heat and are looking for a very filling meal, consider the kim chee fried rice.  You get a choice of meat (bbq chicken or some other kind of bbq meat), and it comes with a nicely fried egg sitting on top.

Cham Cham also does takeout plates and bentos (currently $6 for a combination bento).  Call (808-961-4741) at least 15 minutes in advance.  I took out a kal bi & mean juhn combination.  It came with 2 mandoo, a generous bed of rice and 4 different sides:  taegu, daikon kim chee, won bok kim chee, and namul.

chicken katsu & spicy pork bento

Kal bi & meat juhn combination plate (take out)