Bruschetta

Bruschetta

     2 lbs tomatoes, seeded and chopped small
     3 bell peppers, seeded and chopped small
     1 tbsp basil, chopped
     1/4 c chopped onion
     1 small can olives, drained and chopped small
     1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
     3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
     1/4 c extra virgin olive oil + additional for bread
     1/2 tsp garlic salt
     1/2 tsp salt
     baguette, sliced in 1/2" thick slices

Combine all ingredients except for baguette and additional olive oil.  Toss gently.  Set aside or refrigerate until an hour before serving. Grill baguette slices, brushing one side with olive oil.  Spoon vegetable topping onto baguette slices and serve.

Potluck Food: Caprese Tomatoes

We had a potluck at work last week and, in hindsight, I should've brought this dish (although the kamaboko & kim chee dip and butter mochi were appreciated).  It would've been so easy to toss everything together.  And the red tomatoes sprinkled with green basil chiffonade looks like this was made for the holiday season.  Shucks!  Maybe next year.  Maybe NOT!!!

The potluck!  Ugh.  Actually, there were some really good things on the buffet line, but when you're food-poisoning phobic like me, what you do take is limited to things you know are safe (food not easily spoiled, food you know was stored properly, or food brought by someone you deem "clean" and hygienic). And, of course, food free from any trace of the devil's condiment.

BTW, we had another potluck, a private potluck, on Thursday.  That was even better!  I brought spicy soybeans to share.  The Keeper brought an awesome warabi salad made by MamaKeeper.  I think D2 would love it, so my next trip to the market will also be a quest for shredded codfish. 

As I mentioned at the tail end of last week's post, D1 is back.  In some ways, it's like she never left.  She even picked up fighting with D2.  Our holiday picture this year was done in one take; it had to be.  D2 had only one smile in her.  She told me later that D1 had upset her just before the shoot.  So nothing changed.

In the past two weeks, we've experienced appliance malfunction here.  The toaster oven started twitching, and the rice cooker/warmer became just a rice cooker.  Crispy rice in a day is ridiculous.  I just don't get it.  Looks like I'll be spending vacation trying to replace those must-have kitchen items.

Meanwhile, I guess all is not lost since I can still make this salad.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Caprese Tomatoes

     6-8 tomatoes

     3 tbsp chopped fresh basil

     2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

     2 tsp fresh thyme

     2 stalks green onion, chopped

     1 tbsp sugar

     1/4 tsp ground black pepper

     1 1/2 tsp garlic salt

     1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt

     6 tbsp red wine vinegar

     2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

     3/4 c vegetable oil

     1 log fresh mozzarella, sliced or 1 container fresh mozzarella balls

In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients (except for tomatoes and mozzarella) together.  Cut each tomato into 8 wedges and remove all seeds.  Add to mixture.  Stir gently and allow to sit 3 hours.  Serve with mozzarella cheese.

Crock Pot Cassoulet

I went to Kona this past weekend to buy some bulk items...dog food, eggs, toilet paper, etc.  It was the first weekend for the new offers, so, as can be imagined, Costco was packed. 

Going to Costco on a weekend is a sure-fire way to run into many people you know.  I saw the boss man and his lovely wife in the frozen foods aisle.  I even saw my neighbor!  Had I stayed longer, I would have also run into the BWCK ohana.  But staying longer in Costco was out of the question.  Because of the crowd, it was difficult to navigate, and I spent barely over $100.

In spite of the masses at Costco, the worst part of the day was driving to and from Kona.  There were a whole bunch of idiot drivers on the road.  Going over, some slow ass red Geo Metro was taking their sweet time.  The Honda Pilot following was no better, as it refused to pass.  Fortunately, the Pilot pulled off the road, which allowed The Help to pass the red Geo Metro just before we got to the thick blanket of fog on the DKI.

On the way home, a white Toyota Corolla held up over 2 dozen cars.  The Help was too far back in the lineup to make any attempt to pass, but it didn't stop him from cursing the second car, who should've been the one to pass the Corolla when the fog cleared.  Because of the Corolla, it took nearly 2 hours to get home, which is unheard of since the new section of the Saddle opened.

I didn't mention it above, but one of the things we bought was a bulk package of little smokies.  Costco sells them in 3- or 4-pound bags, and they have my favorite brand, Hillshire Farms.  Little smokies are a guilty pleasure.  Yes, I know they're packed with fat and sodium, but they taste so darn good.  I've tried several Pinterest recipes with them...grape jelly bbq smokies and the bacon-brown sugar baked smokies.  Both were delicious.  I love them just fried too!  Unfortunately, I'm getting back on the wagon in my battle against cholesterol, so I need to diffuse cholesterol in preparation for my upcoming dr appt.

About a year ago, I saw the recipe for Smoked Sausage Cassoulet Soup in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser one morning (I've since seen that version called Smoked Sausage Cassoulet in Cooking Light).  I don't normally get to the paper until the afternoon, but I happened to open up the app one morning.  12 hours later, we were sitting down to our version of it for dinner.  Thank goodness The Help wasn't working that day, and thank goodness he can follow my directions.  I adapted the recipe to make use of what we already had on hand. . .little smokies and fresh herbs!

In spite of being tempted to make the brown sugar-bacon smokies, I will be making Crock Pot Cassoulet instead.  The chilly weather and the smell of it cooking sort of eases the pain of missing out on brown sugar & bacon!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Crock Pot Cassoulet

(adapted from Hawaiian Electric/Cooking Light)

     3 bacon slices
     1 onion, chopped
     3 thyme sprigs
     1 tsp rosemary needles
     3 garlic cloves, minced
     1/2 teaspoon salt
     1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
     2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
     2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
     1 pound boneless pork (I used shoulder), cut into 1-inch cubes
     1/2 pound little smokies smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
     3 tbsp finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
     2 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion, thyme, rosemary, and garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender.  Stir in crumbled bacon, salt, pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.  Add beans, pork, and sausage; stir well. Place half of bean mixture in a 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker; top with half of tomato mixture. Repeat layers.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours.  Ladle into bowls, removing thyme sprigs.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.  Makes 6 servings. 

Greek Pasta Salad

KABOOM!!!  By now, most people have heard about what happened at work this past Thursday (it made the Huffington Post).  I was talking to 3M in her office as recess ended and students made their way to their 5th period class.  We heard a loud noise.  It sounded like a single firecracker (although someone thought it was much louder).  When I looked outside 3M's door, the kids were proceeding to class as usual, and nothing looked awry.  I went to the main parking lot to move my car to the makai driveway (it was Thursday so D1 had to go to the hospital for her internship) because its a lot easier to get out from the makai driveway than the main entrance.  I went back to my room and found a slip of paper I meant to give to another teacher for her meeting that afternoon.  While in her room, the lockdown alarm sounded.  I was on my way back to my room (running) when I saw D1's friend in the building corridor.  She had been in the bathroom and got locked out of the near classrooms.  Poor thing!  I told security I'd take her so we ran to my room and locked down.  We busied ourselves by eating snacks and drinking soda.

Lockdown lasted about an hour-and-a-half.  Two students were arrested for detonating a water bottle bomb near the auditorium.  All of this was on the local news. . .including a picture of my car parked on the makai side of campus!  I'm glad nobody got hurt, and I am so proud of the way the situation was handled by the administration.  We really do have the best administrators! 

The uproar caused by the bottle bomb notwithstanding, this was a busy week.  I attended two boys basketball games (both losses).  One game was against the dreaded crosstown rival.  The other game was against the "haves" (we are the "have nots").  The Help came along to take pics for D1's cheer coach.  Of course, he took the opportunity to snap some practice shots of the game.  In spite of all the running he had to do on the football field, he declared that taking football pics was much more enjoyable than taking basketball pics.

Hilo had another week of mostly cold (by Hawaii standards), wet weather.  I took advantage of the opportunity to wear some of the boots & covered shoes I bought.  After years of wearing sandals & slip-ons, I decided to go back to wearing covered shoes.  I love it.  It keeps my feet nice and warm.  Come to think of it, the day of the bomb was the first dry-ish day we've had in a while.  Anyway, a bunch of my fb friends drove up to the mountain this past weekend to play in the snow.  Some random trucks could also be seen driving through Hilo with snow in the cargo area.  Oddly enough, by the time the weekend came around, Hilo was warmer. . .in the 80s.

I'm beginning the countdown until the next holiday.  TEN days.  I might need to start the spring break countdown soon too.  I know there are 73 days of school left for the seniors.  We counted together.

It is too early to be thinking about salads, but with all the counting down, I'm kinda looking forward to summer vacation (or spring break. . .since it will come before than summer).  And I took advantage of the warm weekend weather to throw this salad together for Super Bowl food.  Actually, I wanted to make something else, but there must be some kind of onion shortage going on because I could only find reasonably priced red onions at the market (and I didn't feel like driving around).

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Greek Pasta Salad

     1 c orzo (uncooked)
     2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
     1/2 red onion, finely chopped
     1/2 c minced flat-leaf parsley
     1/3 c red wine vinegar
     1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
     1 tsp salt
     1 1/2 tsp sugar
     1/8 tsp pepper
     1 tomato, chopped
     1 bell pepper, chopped
     1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
     1/2 c kalamata olives, drained and sliced
     1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

Cook orzo as directed on package.  Drain well and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine onion, parsley, vinegar, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper.  Add orzo and toss to coat.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.  Just before serving, toss pasta with remaining ingredients.

On Saturday, The Help and I stopped by Short N Sweet Bakery to try the creme brulee cupcakes we saw on their FB page.  What a treat!

The cupcakes have that classic carmelized sugar topping which shatters when you dig in with a spoon.  But you will definitely need to use a spoon to get all the custard goodness (a nice surprise!).


If you're on the Big Island and you're looking for a nice treat for Valentine's Day, call Short N Sweet and place an order.  These are worth the price!


They are also cheaper than Maui onions.  I am NOT kidding.  When we went to Safeway, a bag of Maui onions (with 3 small-ish onions) was over $10!  That is crazy!!!

Ode to Joy: The Most Blogged About Pasta Sauce in the CyberWorld

According to my fellow blogger Joy, this pasta sauce is the most blogged about pasta sauce around.  All I can say is that there is a good reason for that.  The sauce was amazing!  You can find the recipe on Joy's blog here.


This could possibly also be the most expensive pasta sauce I ever made because I went through a lot of trouble to get the tomatoes.  Because there is no Whole Foods on the Big Island, I had to go to Whole Foods Kahala to get the tomatoes (I'm sure Safeway or KTA would've had something similar, but I wanted to say I made the version on Joy's blog).  One thing led to another, and before too long, in addition to the $4 (not on sale) for the tomatoes, I had racked up a huge bill for the weekend!  All this for tomatoes!!!  Okay, the Chinese cousins are probably squirming now, right Housie? Jo?  So before we get all bent, I'm kidding, at least partially.  I had to go to Honolulu for a training, so The Help thought we'd make it an overnight trip.  Hotel, car, his airfare, frivolous meals (more about this later), and shopping, all helped hike up the price of that can of tomatoes.

In spite of the butter in the recipe, this is a light sauce which packs a lot of flavor.  It takes an hour or so to cook down the liquid.  I used an immersion blender to break up the large chunks of tomato.  Like Joy, I pulled out the onion, which The Help later used in chicken soup.  After spending all that $ for the tomatoes, I had to make sure nothing was wasted!

The Help had already wasted a ton of $ in Honolulu!  Astonishingly, we were allowed back at The Hawaii Prince. . .I guess they decided to overlook the housekeeping incident the last time we were there.  The Help heard about Sweet Es and wanted to try the stuffed french toast.  I went for the kalua pork eggs benedict.  Both dishes were good, but the fried rice had a strange taste (burnt sesame oil).  The Help wanted to try Sushi Sasabune. . .I warned him that it was impossible to make it through all the omakase courses, but he wanted to try (or be brave in the attempt).  He was 2 dishes short!  We revisited YogurStory for breakfast, and I finally got to try the fat pig fried rice.  They could teach Sweet E's a thing or two about making fried rice.  I thought our meals were done, but The Help insisted on eating another meal before heading to the airport.  He suggested Goma Tei, but I pulled rank and told him to try Little Village Noodle Shop first.  Luckily, there was ample parking (not too many people eat lunch at 2:30 pm), and we had 3 outstanding dishes:  stir-fried seafood in taro basket, sizzling short ribs, and Shanghai stir-fried mochi.

The Help also bought a new lens which, he HAD to mention, was cheaper than the hotel and the dinner.  Jeez!

LA brought me another can of these tomatoes when she and Stason came to visit, but I used it to make ribollita.  I guess I'll need to make a stop at Whole Foods when I go to Honolulu.  I'll brace myself well because I know they carry Vosges Chocolates Mo's Bacon Bar, and the Ds cannot seem to get enough of it.  Too bad one bar costs more than a Leung's 3-choice plate!

Korean Tofu Salad

The weather seemed to be  getting warmer (I know I saw blue skies a few times last week), but if the local news weather bunny is correct, we have some bad weather coming our way.  I just hope the rain won't last too long.  If I recall correctly, it rained most of the time last spring break.  I am soooo tired of cold and rain.  I don't want to purchase blueprints for building an ark!

The last run of cold and damp weather took its toll on me.  I had a sinus infection, pink eye, a cold and some stomach virus (may have been food poisoning from a bad bento) within the past month.  I spent more days on drugs than off.  I managed to kick the Nyquil, but now I have an inhaler for the hypersensitivity in my bronchial tubes.  I'm also low on po chai.

GP was sick too.  He missed three days of work!  Thats unheard of for him.  He said he had a bad sinus infection which kept him in bed for five days, save for a quick trip to the doc.  He also told me he drank two bottles of Nyquil during that time.  Two bottles!  Thats insane.  I'm amazed he is still alive.  Perhaps he thinks the dosing info on the box is just a friendly suggestion.  GP does not understand the meaning of the word "moderation".  I've known GP to consume three cans of diet soda within half a work day!

Last week I anticipated the hammer falling at my visit with Dr. KO, but it looks like I'm going to live a little longer (at least until June, when I go for my next blood letting and visit).  I did not celebrate with a bacon and fried egg sandwich, but I did indulge in some food from Hilo Lunch Shop.  While they had warabi salad (usually something I like), I was sad to discover they were out of their pipinola shoots salad.  Bummers because I can make warabi salad, but I don't know how to prepare pipinola shoots, although I'm quite certain they need to be cooked in some fashion.

By the time I left Hilo Lunch Shop, I was jonesing for a good sesame-tasting salad so I decided to make Korean tofu salad.  Having learned lessons from previous encounters with Korean tofu salad, I didn't use most of the watercress stems.  The stems tend to have major bite, and I didn't feel like having a mouthful of bang.  My favorite taegu (other than the one Mom makes, although she hasn't made for a long time) is the ManNani brand, which is sold at most supermarkets here.  The one sold in the big tub at Costco is also good.  Taegu is seasoned Korean codfish strips. . .should've mentioned this earlier.

I can never eat the entire Korean tofu salad in a single sitting by myself so I split it among several containers when I make it.  To make it easier for serving, I also toss the dressing with the salad instead of serving it layered (come on. . .we all know dressing hogs!).  I was looking forward to taking leftover salad for lunch, but having to eat the same thing for 3 lunches in a row was NOT my idea of pleasure.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Korean Tofu Salad

     1 bunch watercress

     1 pkg bean sprouts

     1/2 red onion, sliced thin

     1 block firm tofu, cubed

     2 tomatoes, diced

     6 oz takuwan, slivered

     8 oz taegu

     1/4 c green onions, chopped

Dressing:  1/2 c vegetable oil

                 1/2 c shoyu

                 2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine dressing ingredients and bring to a boil.  Cool thoroughly.  Wash watercress and cut leafy portion into 1 1/2" lengths.  Discard stems or save for another use.  Layer all ingredients in the order given.  A 9 x 13" pan or a large round platter works well.  Pour dressing over salad 10 minutes before serving.  If you are not planning on consuming this salad in a single sitting, pour dressing over individual servings.

In the middle of last week, D2 asked me if I could help her read directions from a Christmas gift.  Puzzled, I took the package from her and soon realized there was NO WAY I could read the directions. . .they were in hieroglyphics (likely Japanese).  Someone had given her a Japanese food craft kit...Happy Kitchen Donuts.  It was a candy-making kit where the candy gets shaped in donuts (that part I got).  She ended up going to you tube to learn how to do it.  Here are the products of her hard work, and no, we did not eat them. 

Who thinks of these things anyway?  I'm squeezing ass here because she still has another kit to play with. . .extremely ominous-sounding "Decoration Cake".  Doesn't the sound of that send shivers through your spine?

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.