Fergalicious: Black Eyed Peas & Ham Hocks

This past week has definitely been a trying week.  Being out sick one day and having to attend to several evening activities didn't help at all.  Yes, I'm still not feeling 100%, but I really couldn't afford to check out because there were so many things scheduled.

On Wednesday evening I attended D1's open house.  It was followed by an athletics meeting that didn't end until 8 pm.  On Thursday, D1 and I attended Keaau Elementary's open house, where the Key Club was supposed to do a service project.  But D1 was the only Key Club member who showed.  When she phoned the advisor, the advisor was very nonchalant about those who signed up but didn't show.  The advisor has been working in the system for over 40 years.  I'm sure she's seen worse.

D2 did a good job pissing me off.  After nearly 4 weeks of school, I found out D2 hasn't been consistently doing her homework in spite of telling me she has.  I hit the roof when I found out, but get this...when I told her teacher I yelled at her, he told me to "go easy on her".  Well, frick, isn't that how this mess started???  I took away iPad, but now I need to look at my next intervention.  My head is still spinning.

Once again, time to prep meals for the week has been minimal.  I had to bring out the slow cooker and make a big pot of black eyed peas and ham hocks.  It was a good thing because its one of those dishes that tastes better with each day.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Black Eyed Peas & Ham Hocks

     1 lb dried black eyed peas

     3 c water

     2 smoked ham hocks

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 7 hours.  Remove meat from ham hocks and combine with beans.  You could also cook everything in a dutch oven on the stove.  If so, bring to a boil, skim scum, and simmer for 2 hours before separating meat from ham hocks.

The Help took a whole bunch of pics at the pre-season football game last weekend, and I wanted to share a pic of my favorite cheerleader:

Lumpia

This weekend was a three-day weekend, and I made good on my promise to take D2 to the sunny side of the island for her birthday celebration.  What made it extra special for her was that she got to bring a friend (KN), stay at her preferred hotel (HWV), and eat at one of her favorite restaurants (Sansei).

On the way to Waikoloa, we made at stop in Waimea to see D1 in her 1st cheering game of the season and watch the Viks win their first varsity football game in two years.  Their 21-18 win over favored Hawaii Preparatory Academy (coached by former UW Husky & NFL center Bern Brostek) was totally sweet.  I hope this football season will be a better than last year.  Gawd.

This would all have been fun, except that midweek (last week) I caught a cold and have been plagued by a scratchy throat and coughs for days.  Add to that a stuffy nose and uncontrollable sneezing and you'll understand why it was difficult to reap all the benefits of a suite at a 4-star hotel.  Then Help was very generous this weekend, and D2 thanked him for making this an unforgettable birthday.  I am grateful we survived the weekend intact, and I am even more grateful that The Help was able to retrieve his tripod plate after it fell onto the ground floor from the balcony.  Yes, I saw it happen in slow motion.

Because I've been under the weather recently, cooking here has slowed.  We picked up food a lot this past week (yes, like last week, but who is keeping track).  One place we went to again was Hilo Rice Noodle (HRN).  Its conveniently located for us...on the Waiakea side of town, and they have li hing soda, which is something I can count on to make me feel better when I am under the weather.  The other thing they have, which I have a hard time not ordering, is spring rolls.  Most people rave about their summer rolls (unfried), but for me, it is the spring rolls (yes, fried) that get me every time.  Spring rolls at HRN are thin and long like a Double Corona and crackle when you bite into the shell.

The spring rolls I make at home are nothing like the ones from HRN.  Mine are wider and not nearly as long and elegant looking.  Even the filling is different.  As I recall, Kilauea Market sells spring roll skins in all shapes and sizes, so maybe I need to buy a different kind of wrapper when I attempt to duplicate the spring rolls at HRN.  Of course, I'll post my culinary adventures here, but for now, I can only boast some proficiency in making lumpia, the Filipino cousin of spring rolls.

Like spring rolls, lumpia can be made with all kinds of fillings.  My ex-bf's family made lumpia with a pork and potato filling and served it alongside a vinegar-shoyu dipping sauce.  My friend's boyfriend (BS) makes lumpia the way I do with a pork and vegetable filling.  Of course, not sure how authentic this is because, unlike my ex-bf, neither of us is Filipino.  BS serves his lumpia with bottled sweet chili sauce.  I prefer mine with sweet and sour sauce, homemade, of course.

stir-fry filling

place filling on wrapper

fold wrapper over filling

roll up tight

pan fry lumpia

remove lumpia when golden brown

serve with sweet and sour sauce

 click on recipe title for printable recipe
Lumpia

     1 lb ground pork

     2 cloves garlic, minced

     2 pkgs chop suey vegetables

     1 1/2 tsp salt

     1/4 tsp pepper

     1 tbsp fish sauce

     2 tsp flour

     1/4 c water

     1 pkg Menlo lumpia wrappers (in freezer section), completely defrosted or whichever brand 
          wrapper you prefer to use (TYJ is good too)

     oil for frying

Brown pork and garlic.  Add vegetables, salt, pepper, and fish sauce.  Cook for about 2 minutes.  Drain and cool thoroughly.  Combine flour and water to form a thin paste.  Place 2 tbsp filling on a wrapper.  Fold bottom corner up, followed by left side and right side.  Spread paste on remaining corner before folding down.  Heat oil to 375 degrees.  Fry until golden brown.  Makes 30-40, depending upon amount of filling used.  Serve with sweet-sour sauce.

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.

Restaurant Chatter: Kilauea Lodge

Nestled in cozy Volcano Village, Kilauea Lodge is the reigning monarch of Volcano-area eateries.  I have eaten breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner at Kilauea Lodge, and I can say with confidence that my favorite meal there is brunch.

I do have specific gripes about the food at breakfast, lunch and dinner.  First of all, the fruit served with breakfast comes with papaya, something I detest (maybe 3rd on my list of hated foods).  The meal I had for lunch was a French Dip sandwich (pic is further down on page) which had jalapenos in it.  It was an odd taste combination. I haven't had dinner at Kilauea Lodge for a long time, but the last time I did, maybe 2 or 3 years ago, I remember the menu having a heavy German lean.  I have nothing against Germans/Germany, but their favorite condiment happens to be my MOST detested food of all time, and I'm certain I saw THE WORD in several places on their dinner menu.  Bleccchhhhh.

The dining room is spacious with high ceilings and a charming stone fireplace.

I like the way the dining room appears during the day.  There is a very airy, expansive feel to the place.  At night, the dining room is transformed into a dark, cozy room with a true "mountain lodge" type feeling.

The fireplace is embedded with old and foreign coins as well as plaques from different organizations.  Every time I go, I'm tempted to linger in front of the fireplace to read everything that is there, but I know it would take too long and other diners would likely not appreciate me doing so. 

The entire dining room is also an essay in local hardwoods, namely mango and koa. 

A small gift shop selling all kinds of Volcano-area products is tucked away in the corner of the dining room.   I was tempted to buy 2 things:  a glass ornament and a vase by local artisans Michael and Misato Mortara.  They operate 2400 Fahrenheit, a glass studio on the edge of the national park area.

Here are some food pics, along with the eaters' reviews:

crab cakes benedict - the crab cakes had a strange spice taste, but the home fries rocked

buffalo burger - lean and tasty

lava tube omelet - very good, likely to order again

apple/pear bread - this comes free with the meal. . .good thing because its not very good

teriyaki chicken and rice - epic fail, however, the chicken is a nice breast piece

club sandwich - yum

french dip - good, except the jalapenos seemed out of place

happy diners

the grounds are well maintained

Last week, I posted a recipe for Chicken Potstickers, and I mentioned a spicy dipping sauce which I like to have with the potstickers.  If I'm bringing the potstickers to a party, I usually double the sauce recipe.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Dumpling (Potsticker) Sauce

     1 tbsp ginger, chopped fine

     1 clove garlic, chopped fine

     3 tbsp shoyu (or Chinese light shoyu)

     1 tbsp red wine vinegar

     1 tsp sugar

     1/4 tsp salt

     1 tsp hot pepper oil

Combine all ingredients.  Serve with dumplings or potstickers.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

The Help returned safely from his trip to the Bay Area.  He brought back lots of goodies for me and the Ds, along with a shitload of pics.

This was a killer week...the first of the 4-days til 4:00 and 1-day til 3:00 weeks.  I don't know if I can last the year.  Actually the time wasn't too bad, but this, being the 1st week of school, was chaos in some schools.  I dealt with idiocy all week, both at the teacher and admin levels.  I deserve combat pay.  Its not my fault admins sign teachers up for trainings and then accuse you of not informing them (the admin) about the training.  Its not my fault that teachers lack relationship-maintaining skills.  Its not my fault some people have no balls.  Lotsa emotions running high.  Patience running low.

The Oregonians (the people, not the newspaper)

And as to be expected, the High Commander was totally gracious as drones adjusted to the new everything (school year, schedules, students, personnel, etc.).  In fact, the week with Uncle was great too.  Maybe things might actually work out with Uncle.  I think people are on a high because the kids did well on last year's high stakes testing.  I ended the week at a workshop at Imiloa where I got to see my two favorite Oregonians.  We didn't have much time to chat, but I'm sure they will be around for a while.

I (and all my fellow 10-month teachers in the Zone) received a double paycheck on Friday.  I hope they did what I did...went to the bank and put that entire paycheck into savings.  What the stinking brass forgot to mention to the workforce was that come 8/2013 or 2014, whenever the PD days end and the Zone shifts back to the "normal" 24-paycheck cycle, teachers in Zone schools will miss a paycheck.  I tried to caution my representative to the articulation team about this, but I guess nobody took me seriously.  I'm not accusing the state of stealing my $...I'm merely cautioning my constituents that they extra paycheck was not really "extra".  And if anyone has questions on how the Zone teachers managed to get that extra paycheck, leave a comment so I can explain.  I got the info straight from some dude named Edwin in the state $ office.

On the home front, we are adjusting well to The Help being back, and we've been going through tons of pics of northern Cali.  The Help took about 400 pics, so he has been busy editing, tagging & uploading them.  Here is one of my favorite pics from his trip:

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, hoping this week will be as good as last week.

Chicken Potstickers

OMG!  Work is brutal.  On Tuesday, the office phone began ringing off the hook.  It was ridiculous.  But the High Commander showed aloha, once again setting the bar high.  She bought a nice lunch for everyone at the district office.  We're talking over 30 lunches!  It just amazes me how some people miss out on all the "respect" and "relationships" talk.  And I loved how others talk about "honoring time" as one of the meeting norms then keep us beyond the 3 pm end-of-paid-work time. 

For the last day of torture last week, GP and I attended a data review session at one of the high schools.  We sat in with the ragamuffin group (not language arts, not math; this was all the rest), and we were treated to a show.  At one point we thought the teachers were gonna riot when they were told they'd be observed by their peers and rated.  The Freddie Mercury-look-alike presenter looked like he wanted to run and hide.  GP and I wondered why they even stayed at the school since they say the principal is outrageous (decided to be the gatekeeper on the hard-to-fill area bonuses instead of let geography dictate)...then we saw their schedule for the school year.  OMG!!!  Talk about not listening to the High Commander! 

I need a new job, I really do.  I keep asking my friend Keith (chef at Sansei) if he thinks DK will hire me for something.  I have no restaurant experience, but DK seems intelligent...nearly half-dozen successful restaurants must count for something.  I'm sure he could think of something I could do for his empire.  I asked my parents if they would support me if I quit work.  They said they would gladly welcome me back to their home, but I'd need to sell my home and let them tell me what I could and could not do.  Forget it!  I have less than 10 years left (before full retirement eligibility), and I'm sure time will pass slowly.  Ugh.  The system is sooo messed up.  It wasn't like this when I entered in the early 90s. Of course, I didn't have an iPad back then either.

In the past few weeks, there has been a huge increase in kikukat blog traffic.  I'm guessing pinterest is responsible...the strawberries with almond cream pic and recipe seem to be what draws people here.  I'd like to say a big ALOHA to my new pal Maggie in New York.  In her honor, I'm sharing a pic of omiyage from Edz' recent trip to the Big Apple.  My favorite New York snack...black & white cookies!  It took me a few days to finish them off, but with D2's help, we managed to put them all away.  The cookies in the pic came from 2 different places:  Junior's and Rossi's.  They taste similar, but I liked the small Junior's cookies the best.  But don't get me wrong...I will never turn away black & white cookies. 

The Help is away now.  He went to the Bay Area for a family trip.  I was invited, and The Help's daddy graciously offered to cover all travel expenses for me (he is a very kind, generous man), but when my district was given the green light to convert 2 "formerly-known-as-furlough" days to professional development days for teachers, I wasn't about to use two 8-hour leave days for 2 7-hour days.  I would be out 2 hours, and I know the Establishment would never allow me to take the 2 hours another time.  Fuckers.

Prior to leaving, The Help said he was gonna try and spend some time in San Francisco's Chinatown.  That made me really jealous because I kept thinking about all the goodies he'd get to eat and all the goodies I'd be missing out on.  Of course, he is in a van with 4 other family members, including a coddled and indulged pre-teen, so maybe my jealousy is tempered a bit.  After all, had I gone on the trip, I would've missed out on the last 2 days of torture and would not have had the opportunity to scream obscenities at Mr. Dependable over the car speaker phone.

Prior to the blowout with Mr. Dependable, I had been planning to pick up dinner from Leung's, a local Chinese dive with the greasiest, most ono kau yuk.  But when our conversation ended and I drove into the Leung's parking lot, I nearly ran smack into Mr. Dependable's pilot!  Fuming even more, I spun my car around and left.  There was no way Leung's could've handled both of us in the same room!  So instead of my greasy plate from Leung's, I decided to come home and eat from my freezer.  It took me some time to figure out what was available in there (and what should actually go into the trash).  I came across a bag of chicken potstickers and a wrapped up block of what turned out to be taro cake.  What a find!
 

I need to explain that the frozen potstickers I found were not store-bought.  I had made them last month.  When I make potstickers, I make a big batch (takes several hours), storing the filling in the refrigerator while I wait for the potstickers to get frozen (freezer real estate, especially for a large cookie sheet, is at a premium, and this is usually what determines how many I can make at a time.).  Most times, I don't eat any of the potstickers when I'm making it...its more to have on hand for those nights when I'm pressed for time.  Frozen potstickers take the same amount of cooking time as non-frozen potstickers, and because they are frozen individually, you can cook only what you need each time.  I like to eat potstickers with a spicy dipping sauce, but if I'm pressed for time, shoyu with a touch of sriracha and sesame oil works fine too.  While I enjoy potstickers, nobody in my house enjoys them more than D1.  Nobody.  Oh, yah, Mr. Dependable likes potstickers too, but he certainly won't be on my potsticker sharing list for a while.

For everyday cooking, I prefer to use stainless steel or enameled cast iron cookware (not non-stick), however, when making potstickers, I use a non-stick skillet to avoid the frustration of major sticking (its likely you will lose the bottom of the wrapper if you don't use non-stick).  You will end up souring the pan for hours!  How do I know this?  I learned this the hard way.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Chicken Potstickers

     1 lb ground chicken

     2 c chopped won bok

     1 tbsp grated ginger

     1 tsp shoyu

     1 tsp salt

     2 tsp sesame oil

     1 tsp shaoxing wine

     1/2 tsp sugar

     2 tbsp cornstarch

     2 pkgs Chun Wah Kam round wrappers or 1 pkg Twin Dragon gyoza wrappers

     oil (1 tbsp per frying pan-ful)

     chicken broth or water (1/2 c per frying pan-ful)

Combine chicken, won bok, ginger, shoyu, salt, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, sugar, and cornstarch.  Place 2 teaspoons of filling in center of wrapper.  Wet edge with water and seal, making pleats as you go, to form a half moon.   Pleats will naturally cause potsticker to curve.  At this point, potstickers may be frozen in a single layer.  When frozen, potstickers can be bagged together.  To cook, heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick skillet.  Place potstickers (directly from the freezer is fine too) into pan, flat-side down.  Add 1/2 cup chicken broth.  Cover pan and cook until most of the liquid evaporates.  Uncover and cook until bottom of potstickers are golden brown.  Serve with shoyu or dumpling sauce.  Makes about 4 dozen.

Chun Wah Kam wrappers are thicker than Twin Dragon wrappers.  You can also substitute ground pork for the chicken.
I will post the sauce recipe next week.

Baked Chow Mein

I do a lot of bitching here, the very kind of bitching which allows me to put on a somewhat happy face for most of the work week.  But before I continue with my bitchy ranting for the week, I need to say something about the High Commander.  As far as leaders go, she's got it going on!  She was publicly commended by the Supreme High Commander, and instead of just standing there like I know some others would do and take all the credit, the High Commander recognized that her  success as a leader was possible only because of all the good, hard-working people who work in her complex area.  And this is EXACTLY why I have tons of aloha and respect for her and why I go to work (I also need the $ because I don't always get my big fat child support payments in a timely fashion and I have services I need to buy).

Well, I managed to survive week 1 of work, and I'm going into week 2 not any happier than I was last week.  I need to look ahead and figure out how many more days until the next vacation/break.  Oh, yeah, it was supposed to be on Thursday, but my fellow union idiots sold their souls to the devil and voted to work on those days.  Some people will do anything for chump change!

And we didn't even get to the longer work day yet.  In a week from today, my work day will be longer by an hour (the school day for kids in my district will be longer also).  I suppose the hard work by the drones has been paying off.  According to last year's testing results, many schools did well.  Even the shoe chewer's school did well.  The thing that gets me most upset about the extended day is that I'm going to need even greater planning skills in order to get dinner on the table in a timely manner.  D1's cheer practice will be over at 6:00 pm, so I guess our dinners will be at 6:30 or so.  If I'm able to leave work at 4:00, I'll possibly be able to make it home by 4:30, which will not leave much time to prepare dinner.

Luckily, this easy noodle dish can be thrown together quickly, and it can even be made the night before.  I'm feeling like a lot of my cooking will be done ahead of time.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Baked Chow Mein

     1/2 lb char siu
     2 trays (@10-12 oz) chow mein noodles
     2 tbsp oyster sauce
     1 tbsp sugar
     1 tsp salt
     1 tbsp sesame seeds
     1 tbsp sesame oil
     1 pkg chop suey vegetables (about 10-12 oz)

Combine all ingredients thoroughly in a 9 x 13" pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring once during baking.

And if you're still reading along, here is a tip:  lightly grease the pan or line the baking pan with foil.  If you forget to do either of these things, you run the chance of baking your noodles into your pan and having to chip them off later with a chisel.  Not fun.

Speaking of "not fun", I spent this past weekend fixing 9 cheerleader skirts.  The skirts flared out too much, so somehow (according to D1, this whole issue is my mom's fault), I ended up doing the alterations.  OMF!!!  I don't want to see another seam ripper for a long time!