PIZZA PIE DAY
Monday, February 9th is ‘Pizza Pie Day’. Are you going to go out and have pizza? Or are you going to make and bake your own? Homemade Pizza is delicious and easy to make. I will say that it probably won’t cost you any less to make it than to buy it but the ingredients you use will be better than the ‘Take-Out Pizza’ or the Pizzeria Pizza.
To start with, you need good ingredients. You could cheat a little and buy the Dough already made at Trader Joe’s or an Italian Deli. But, if you have a Food Processor or a Sanding Mixer making the Dough is a cinch. For the recipe see pizza-dough/
Shaped Pizza Dough
For the toppings you will need: Crushed Tomatoes (use a good brand – you want a thick one)
Basil, Oregano, Salt & Pepper
Whole Milk Mozzarella (whole milk is by far better tasting than low-fat)
Shredded Mozzarella
Other additional ingredients: Mushrooms, Onions, Bell Peppers, Olives,
Vegetable Topped Pizza
Pepperoni or whatever else you want on your pizza.
Pepperoni and Vegie Pizza
If you don’t want to create your own, here are some suggestions from other Posts and Pages from Sylveees Kitchen.
Sun-dried Tomato Pizza – -sun-dried-tomato/
Hawaiian Pizza
Mexican Pizza – mexican-pizza
Pizza Night pizza-time/
Okay everyone, get busy and make some Pizza tonight or tomorrow. If you don’t get around to it tomorrow which is Pizza Pie Day, you can still do it anytime this week. The second week in February is ‘American Pizza Bake Week’.
Categories: Baking, Bread, Cheese, Dairy, Italian, Main, Mexican, National Food Days, Pizza, Tropical Tags: baking, Cheese, Cookie Recipes, family dinner, Mushrooms, National Food Days, Pineapple, Tomatoes, Vegetables
NATIONAL BREAKFAST MONTH
Here we are again talking about Breakfasts. Since September is ‘National Breakfast Month’ this is a good format to use – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – simply because you are breaking a long fast between the last meal of the day before and the first meal of the current day. Your body, like your car, needs fuel to run on and your brain especially needs that fuel to keep you thinking straight. In the last blog I talked about Western Style Breakfasts – that is the Breakfast as we know it in American and also in parts of Europe.
Pictured above is Pineapple and Pork Fried Rice – this would make a good and healthy breakfast for any culture so try having an Asian Style Breakfast sometime if you have leftovers.
Today I am going to be talking about Asian Breakfasts. People in Asia, for the most part, do not have special foods that they eat for Breakfast. Usually it is food left over from the day before. However, in China, Congee, a porridge made from Rice is the preferred Breakfast. Usually leftovers of vegetables, fruit or meat are added to the Congee. Interestingly, the last time we were in Thailand our Hotel served a Breakfast Buffet every morning. Since a considerable number of Chinese people visit Thailand, along with Westerners, the Hotel served a Chinese Breakfast. Congee with a large number of different items that could be added to it. They also served a Western Breakfast. I always have a habit of observing what other people are eating and I noticed that the Chinese guests were eating the Western Style Breakfast. I who always eat a Western Style Breakfast at home was eating the Congee or the Chinese Breakfast. I guess people all over the world do like a little variety in their food.
Japanese people usually eat whatever is left over from the night before as do the people of Thailand. Even though Breakfast Foods per se are not common among the Thai people there are plenty of restaurants in Thailand that do serve a Western Style Breakfast. That being said, if you are Thai you probably have Rice along with perhaps some Pork or whatever happens to be available. When my Sons and Daughter- in – Law were here visiting, my Thai Daughter – in – Law fell in love with Breakfast Jacks. She also loves to make a Thai Omelet which isn’t necessarily eaten for Breakfast. A Thai Omelet is similar to Egg Foo Young but is still different. It is quite delicious and can be eaten for any meal of the day.
Chicken Fried Rice
Kauai Fried Rice
More Fried Rice Photos just to the left. The top one is Chicken-Fried Rice – a good way to use up leftover Chicken and the one on the bottom is Fried Rice I made when we were in Kauai. There is a strong Asian influence in modern Hawaiian Food and Rice is frequently eaten for any meal.
For Western Breakfast Ideas please see the previous post ‘Breakfast’ in this Blog.
Categories: Asian, Breakfast Ideas, Main, National Food Days Tags: Asian, Breakfast, Congee, Eggs, National Food Days, Pineapple, Rice, Tropical, Western Breakfast
DINING ON MAUI – (cont’d.)
Tuesday we lunch at a Storefront Restaurant called Coconuts Fish Cafe. Even though it was storefront restaurant, the food quality was excellent and the décor was very attractive. In the photo above, the car is reflected in the door’s windows. (Not great photography, but the only photo I have) The tables and benches were all made in the shape of Surfboards as were the recipe boards. The fish was all very fresh and prepared quite well. Ev wanted Fish and Chips; these were not your ordinary Fish & Chips that one would get Stateside. The meal consisted of Ahi and Mahi and the Fries were skinny and crispy. I ordered their signature dish which was Fish Tacos. Again these were no ordinary Fish Tacos – the Fish was not breaded, just grilled and good and was again Hawaiian Fish. Diced Mango, Lettuce and Tomato were also on the Tacos. The order consisted of two Tacos and each was served on a separate plate. This meal was so good that we visited this Restaurant again before we left for home.
Fish and Chips at Coconuts
Fish Tacos at Coconuts
Tuesday night, since lunch was sufficient to call dinner we decided just to stay in and cook a simple meal for ourselves. Dinner or Supper consisted of Bacon and Eggs, Grilled Pineapple and strips of Baby Jicama. If you have never had Baby Jicama do try it during the summer when the Farmer’s Markets Vendors are bound to have. It is tender and sweet and the skin is much thinner than in the more mature varieties.
The next day was Wednesday and we spent most of the morning at Hosmer Grove in Haleakala National Park. The object of course, was to look for Native Birds and we did see the birds we set out to see – the I`iwi, `Apapane, `Amakihi and Maui Creeper as well as the Red–billed Leiothrix. On our way back from the Mountain we stopped and picked up lunch of Roast Beef Sandwiches and Potato/Mac Salad. The Potato/Mac Salad is an Hawaiian traditional side dish. Potato/Mac Salad is as it sounds: Potato Salad with cooked Elbow Macaroni in it – in this way you get two salads at once – Potato and Macaroni.
After exerting a lot of energy on the Mountain we went back to the Condo and spent the afternoon resting. I tried out the Hot Tub at the poolside and treated myself to a Shave Ice – another favorite specialty in the Hawaiian Islands. For dinner we went to a Restaurant called Pizza Madness and had a Pepperoni/Vegie Pizza. Even though it was only a medium it was so large that we had enough to take home for lunch the next day.
Pepperoni and Vegie Pizza
Categories: Breakfast Ideas, Dinner Ideas, Fruit, Lunch Ideas, Main, Pizza Tags: Dessert Ideas, Eggs, family dinner, Fruit, Mushrooms, Pineapple, Pizza
DINING ON MAUI
Just about one year ago, I blogged about our Food Odyssey on the Hawaiian Island of Lanai. This year we spent our tropical vacation on Maui and did eat some very good food so I am going to talk about it here and display some photographs. Maybe even give some recipes. Hope you will enjoy this tropical respite.
Since we live on the west coast of the United States during the Daylight Savings time we are 3 hours ahead of Hawaiian time or Pacific Standard Time. Our plane left Los Angeles at approximately 8:30 PDT and arrived in Maui at 10:30. Even though we had eaten at the Airport and had some snacks on board, my husband was still up for breakfast. We stopped at the Azeka Plaza and ate our Sunday Brunch at Amigos Mexican Restaurant. Ev had the Banana/Macadamia Nut Pancakes (definitely Hawaiian style) and I had the Shrimp Ceviche. Ceviche is very similar to the Hawaiian Poke (a marinated fish dish) so I really was right in keeping with the tropical food theme. The pancakes huge which made me glad that I didn’t order them because I would only have been able to eat about half. The Avocado Shrimp Ceviche was perfect for me.
After eating we went to our Condo Complex and checked in. Fortunately, even though we were early our unit was ready for us. We had a fantastic garden and ocean view with palm trees waving and two fountains operating. After unpacking and resting a while, we went out to pick up some food essentials for our stay here. Before shopping, we decided to eat dinner and ended up in a small place called King’s Chinese Barbecue. We had delicious Roasted Duck and Vegetable Chow Mein. The seating was outdoors and was right across the street from the beach, so again we had the ocean view and the palm trees waving, even though there were cars driving down the street in front of us.
Vegetable Chow Mein
We purchased Blueberry Muffins, Hawaiian Vanilla/Macadamia Nut Coffee, Half & Half, Turbinado Sugar (grown and processed on Maui) and a few other things such as juice and soft drinks.
The next day after a Breakfast of Cornflakes and Coffee we went to the Kealia Ponds which have been designated as a bird refuge. One of our major hobbies is ‘birding’ and when in the tropics (or any vacation for that matter) we try and see as many birds as possible. The last time were here, the ponds were half dry, but this time they were quite full. As a result, we saw many more birds this time than we did last time. After our birding venture we drove up to a Tropical Plantation that we like to visit when we are here. One of the reasons we decided to go this day (Monday) because my list of Farmer’s Markets said that they had one on Monday. Wrong, when we got there the sign said Tuesday. No loss though, because we did get to see more birds as there are plenty of ponds in this venue as well as beautiful tropical plantings. They also had a store where we could purchase tropical food items. One of the things which I bought was a bag of Pineapple/Coconut Caramel Corn – this was very yummy!
On the way back from the Tropical Plantation we stopped at an ‘Open-Air Market’ on Kihei Road and purchased some fresh Tropical Fruit which included Papaya, Maui Gold Pineapple, Apple Bananas, Baby Jicama and a lime which was almost pink in the middle. Our next stop this morning was the Market again where we purchased ready-made sandwiches (one thing we noticed this visit is that all the Markets and ABC Stores and Whalers Stores have a very nice Deli Counter and you can get almost anything for any meal. Competition I’m sure the restaurants don’t like) In addition to the sandwiches we purchased Cornflakes which managed to last us most of the 11 days that we were there.
For dinner we went to the Five Palms Restaurant which was just down the street from our Condo. Not only was the food delicious but the view was fantastic. In addition to the foregoing they also have a very good ‘Happy Hour’ that lasts from 3PM until 7PM. We got there about 5 PM and since it was so busy and the patio was full we were seated inside and had great comfortable seating and a great view.
View-at-5-Palms
We ordered California Roll, Coconut Fried Shrimp and Chicken/Lettuce Wraps along with Beverages. Not necessarily Hawaiian Food except for the Shrimp but nonetheless very good.
Calif. Roll at 5 Palms
Coconut-Shrimp-at-5-Palms
Lettuce-Wrap-at-5-Palms
The next day for Breakfast we each had a half of a Papaya filled with cubed Pineapple and sliced Bananas sprinkled with a little Turbinado Sugar and sweet Lime Juice as well as Hawaiian Coffee.
Papaya Halves filled with Pineapple and Banana slices
To make the Fruity Breakfast simply slice a ‘ripe’ Papaya in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds (a delicious Salad Dressing – popular in Hawaii can be made from the seeds), squeeze a little lime on the fruit and then fill with fruit of your choice such as sliced Bananas and Pineapples or whatever your preference is.
Check back for more on our Maui Food Adventures.
Categories: Breakfast Ideas, Dinner Ideas, Lunch Ideas, Main, Tropical Food Tags: Coconut, Fruit, Gourmet Foods, Maui, Pineapple, Shrimp, Tropical
HAWAIIAN FOOD DIARY
This Spring on our ‘almost yearly’ trip to Hawaii we rented a Condo so that we would have a kitchen so that we could cook the fresh produce and seafood that we were able to purchase at the Farmer’s Markets and Seafood Stores. The following is about the food we purchase, cooked and ate.
Let’s start with Breakfast. On several mornings we arose very early to go Birding which is one of our favorite things to do on Vacation. On these days, we just brought along some pastries and drinks but on the days that we slept a little bit later and ate breakfast in the condo, I did cook for at least a couple of them.
For one of the mornings, we had a Cinnamon Pull-Apart loaf from Foodland which to our liking did not have enough Cinnamon so I turned it into French Toast. Cinnamon Bread, Egg Bread, Hawaiian Sweet Bread or Brioche make a delicious French Toast product. -french-toast/To make the French Toast, I first sliced the Cinnamon Bread into thick slices and then let it air dry overnight.
Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread
French Toast in Egg Bath
At Breakfast time, I made a Batter with Eggs, Cream, a little Sugar, Cinnamon and Vanilla. I then soaked the sliced Bread in the Egg Mixture and then fried it in Butter and just a little bit of Oil. The Oil helps to keep the Butter form burning. (Oil has a higher smoking point than Butter).
The soaked Bread Slices were cooked in the hot Butter/Oil combo to develop a nice brown crust on the outside. We ate it with Coconut Syrup for Ev and just Sugar for myself. This was a very good breakfast and we even had a slice leftover for a snack later in the day.
The second Breakfast that I made was Coconut Pancakes with Grilled Baby Pineapple. Unfortunately most of the Pineapple is now grown in the Philippines, but the Baby Pineapple that I purchased was grown on Kauai. (This was a Certified Farmers Market and all of the produce must be grown in Hawaii). The Pineapple was exceptionally sweet, but when you grill it in a little Butter the sweetness is brought out and becomes intensified. To give it just a little caramelization I used a small amount of Sugar in with the Butter. Not only did it give a nice golden/brown color to the pineapple but it did fortify the flavor of the pineapple.
Grilled Pineapple
Usually I make my Pancake Batter from scratch, but since we were on the Island only for 10 days, I did not want to start buying a lot of ingredients that we would not use. So therefore, I purchased a bag of Coconut Pancake Mix. The directions on the package said to add only water, but I never pay attention to that. We want our pancakes to have a lot of flavor and nutrition, so I added an egg and used milk instead of water. I also added a small amount of melted butter to the batter. In the photo of the batter you will see some small lumps. Pancake Batter should never be beaten until smooth. This will cause the panckes to be tough!
Coconut Pancake Mix
Pancake Batter
You will notice in the photo below that the Pancakes were cooked in a skillet rather than a griddle. When renting condos, you have to make do with what is available unless you want to bring your own equipment. Next time I am definitely going to bring my own knives, because the knives that were there were barely functional.
Pancakes Cooked
The pancakes were delicious with the Coconut Syrup (made in Hawaii) and the grilled Pineapple Chunks.
The rest of our breakfasts were cereal, eggs and bacon, etc.
Most of our dinners were eaten out, but I did cook on some of the evenings. One night for dinner we had a Huli Roasted Chicken from the market. Since it was too much for two people to consume at one time, I saved the Breasts and made a Chicken Salad in Papaya Boats for dinner the next night. I put diced Maui Onion and Celery into the Chicken and dressed it with Papaya Seed Dressing. Along with the salad we had sautéed Baby Bok Choy (from the local Farmer’s Market in Hanalei) with Ginger and fresh Garlic.
Chicken Papaya Boats with Baby Bok Choy, Ginger and Garlic
The next night we had sautéed Ono with Shitake Mushrooms and a Green Salad with Papaya Seed Dressing. I sprinkled the Ono with a Hawaiian seasoning mix and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Next I sautéed Shitake Mushrooms with some Ginger and fresh Garlic.
Shitake Sautee
When the Mushrooms just started to soften, I pushed them aside and added the Ono which I lightly sautéed on each side. Ono is such a good fish and this was so fresh that It did not need to be cooked all the way through. Just browned on the outside and pink on the inside is the way to go! For an added boost to the sautee, I added just a touch of Sesame Oil at the very end of the cooking.
Ono Sauteeing
For dessert we had Pineapple/Coconut Ice Cream with Chocolate Cake.
Our beverage that night was Hawaiian Sun Tea which I made by placing some Tea Bags in a pitcher of cold water along with lime slices. This was put out on the balcony table to brew under the sun.
One of the items that we ate, but did not cook was a classic but made in an unusual way. This was a Bacon/Lettuce/Tomato and Avocado Sandwich on a Taro Brioche. What was unusual about it was of course, the Taro Bun, but in addition it was made completely to order. The Bacon was cooked just for our sandwiches and the Tomato and Avocado were sliced to order. We did have to wait about 15 minutes for our sandwiches, but they were well worth it.
BLT on Taro Brioche
One other food item that we ate out was Pizza at the Bakery in Kilauea. They make excellent pizza and we have been going there for years every time we go to the North Shore of Kauai. We had a pizza dressed with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Basil Pesto with Pepperoni and Mushrooms and of course Mozzarella.
Pizza at Kilauea Bakery
One day in Ka Paa I had Lettuce Tacos at Pacific Bistro which is now actually a Chinese Restaurant. The Lettuce Tacos were actually what is known as lettuce wraps, except the lettuce wasn’t wrapped; it was actually just little lettuce cups.
Lettuce Tacos
The other two places that we ate at that were noteworthy was the restaurant at the St. Regis Hotel (formerly Princeville Hotel) and the Lighthouse Bistro in Kilauea.
For dinner at the St. Regis we had Steak with a Burgundy Mushroom Sauce, a very tasty Sweet Potato Dish, sautéed Spinach and a delicious dessert cobbler made from Mango and Strawberries.
At the Lighthouse Bistro Ev had Shrimp in a Coconut Sauce over Linguini and I had a steak again. Dessert was a Passion Fruit Crème Brule with Chocolate Sauce on the side for Ev.
Passion Fruit Creme Brulee
- Aside from the food our vacation was a success as usual. We enjoyed the ambience, the sweet smelling Hawaiian Fragrances, the balmy breezes and our gorgeous ocean view.
Ocean View from Princeville Condo
Ocean View during Rainstorm on the Horizon
Categories: Condiments, Cooking for Everyone, Dessert Ideas, Dinner Ideas, Lunch Ideas, Main, Salads, Tropical Food Tags: Celery, Fruit, Kauai, Mushrooms, ono, Pineapple, Salad, Shitake, Vegetables
‘National Taco Day’.
Thursday, October 4th is ‘National Taco Day’. Like many other ethnic foods, Tacos have become as American as Apple Pie, although Apple Pie actually originated in England. Just like people, there are many variations of tacos. If you want authentic tacos, try going to Olvera Street in Downtown Los Angeles where there are many Mexican Restaurants. Here in Newbury Park, we have a taco place that is as authentic as I have ever eaten here in the States. It is called ‘Taco Sanchez’ and it is situated in the old Taco Bell building by Roma’s Italian Deli right off of Borchard Road.
Pictured are Carne Asado Tacos
with Mango Salsa and Guacamole
Since Thursday is ‘National Taco Day’, it would be fun to make tacos for your family and/or your friends for dinner. Tacos are one of those dishes that can be turned into party food very easily and what is more fun than to have a Taco Bar Party. To make a Taco Bar Party or just Tacos for dinner you will need some important ingredients and you will have to decide what fillings your Tacos should have.
MEAT FILLINGS ACCOMPANIMENTS
- Carne Asada (Beef) Salsa Cruda
- Carnitas (Pork) Guacamole
- Chicken Shredded Cabbage or Lettuce
- Shrimp Diced Tomatoes
- Lobster Shredded Cheese
- Ahi Green Onions
- Tofu Sliced Radishes
Additional Items
Crema (Mexican version of Creme Fraiche)
Tortilla Chips
Grilled Scallions (Green Onions)
Sliced Olives
Cilantro Leaves
To make your Tacos, it is best to prep all the items ahead of time, except maybe for the Meat Fillings which should be hot when served. Some items can be reheated, but most are best right after being origianlly cooked.
Prepare your Garnishes or Accompaniments first and refrigerate if there is going to be a lot of time between prep and serving.
salsa-cruda/ is an uncooked Tomato Salsa usually made with Tomatoes, Chilies, Garlic and Cilantro along with a little Salt and the Juice of a Lime or two.
Salsa Cruda
Guacamole is a wonderful condiment made from Avocadoes, Garlic, Jalapenos (optional), Salt, Cilantro and Lime Juice. The Guacamole we were served in Guadlajara was simply mashed Avocadoes and Lime Juice, but I like it with the additional ingredients listed above. Mole refers to ‘sauce’ and the name guaca as told to me by one of my Hispanic Students just means crazy, mixed, so therefore,Guacamole is just a sauce of ‘mixed up’ Avocadoes. Hence, the mashed Avocadoes and Lime in Guadalajara. The lime wasn’t even in it – just served on the side. For the recipe go to chunky-guacamole/
Guacamole
Shredded Lettuce and Diced Tomaotes
Guacamole, Lettuce & Tomatoes
The filling that I recently used was Ground Beef cooked with Garlic, diced Onions and diced Red Bell Pepper or Pimiento in Spanish. The Garlic and Onions were sauteed first and then the Beef was added. The Bell Peppers were added just at the end to avoid being overcooked.
Cooking the Meat
Cooked Meat with diced Bell Peppers added
Keep the Meat warm while frying your Taco Shells. You can also do the Taco Shells ahead and keep warm in the oven. Tacos are usually made from Corn Tortillas, but you can also use Flour Tortillas, especially if you want soft tacos. Corn Tortillas are usually fried crisp but you can also cook them so that they will be soft. When frying your Tortillas in Oil, be sure to either drain them on a rack set over a baking pan or drain on paper towels. The rack method is best in that the oil drips down. With the paper towels, the Taco Shells will be sitting on the oil that drains off of them. First fry them on each side, flat then use a wooden spoon to help fold them and leave a space for the filling to be put into.
Frying Tortillas
Fried Tortillas
Mexican Fruit Salad is a nice accompaniment to a Taco Meal. Use Tropical Fruit such as Papaya, Pineapple, Mango and Melons.
Mexican Fruit Salad with Blood Orange Syrup and Lime Juice
To complete the meal, add Mexican Rice mexican-rice/ or refried Beans.
Whichever way you make your Tacos, enjoy them or if you don’t feel like cooking, just go to your local Tacqueria!
Categories: Condiments, Dinner Ideas, Lunch Ideas, Main, Mexican, National Food Days, Salads, Tropical Food Tags: Asado, Carnitas, Chicken, family dinner, Fruit, Guacamole, Lettuce, Pineapple, Salad, Salsa, Salsal Cruda, Seafood, Tomatoes, Tropical
PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE DAY
Today is Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day. Make one for your family! Or go buy one at the local bakery. That is if you like Pineapple Upside Down Cake. To make Pineapple Upside Down Cake you will of course need Pineapple. A 20 oz. Can of Pineapple Rings will do or you can buy a fresh Pineapple and cut your own rings. Fresh is always best, of course, but the canned variety will still give you a pretty good cake. Most recipes will call for Maraschino Cherries to be put in the middle of each piece of pineapple, but you can also use fresh (when in season) or canned Bing Cherries. Pecan halves can also be used in place of the Cherries or in addition to them. If you use canned pineapple and cherries, make sure they are blotted dry, otherwise your cake will be soggy. One nice way to make sure the pineapple has given up enough moisture is to grill the slices. I did this on my stove top grill, but first I sprinkled the Pineapple Slices with Demarara Sugar (coarse brown sugar, sometimes called raw, which of course is not really raw). The Sugar gives a nice caramelization to the Pineapple.
Grilling the Pineapple
To make Pineapple Upside Down Cake, once your fruit has be prepared, you melt some butter in your baking pan, and then add brown sugar. Spread the Brown Sugar evenly over the pan and then add the pineapple. Unless you would like to have chopped pecans as a finish for the cake, then you would add the chopped pecans before you add the pineapple slices. Once the pineapple slices are in the pan, then you add the cherries or pecan halves. The Cherries or Pecans Halves would go in the center of each piece of Pineapple and in between the slices, where there is room.
Arranged in Pan
Next you preheat your oven to 350 and then make the cake batter. The best recipes will tell you to separate the whites from the yolks. The whites will be beaten until stiff and then folded into the prepared cake batter. This helps to make a light cake.
Beaten Egg Whites
Adding the Egg Whites to the Batter
Pineapple Upside Down Cake can be served warm with Whipped Cream or Ice Cream. It can also be served at room temperature or even cold from the refrigerator. Leftover Pineapple Upside Down Cake should be stored in the refrigerator as there is still quite a bit of moisture in the fruit and this can cause mold to form if left out.
When your Pineapple Upside Down Cake comes out of the oven, give it about ten minutes to set up before inverting it onto a serving plate. To invert the cake, place your serving plate over the pan (be sure to use potholders if the pan is stillt too warm to handle) and then invert. Give it a minute ot two, to allow the cak to drop down, before removing the pan. You should have a beautiful Pineapple Upside Down Cake which will be ready to serve immediately or later on. Whichever way you make your cake and however you serve it, enjoy! And don’t forget, Pineapple Upsidedown Cake, leftover from dessert last night will make a great breakfast this morning!
For two Pineapple Upside Cake Recipe, please see the recipe section of this blog. pineapple-upside-down-cake/
Categories: Baking, Dessert Ideas, Fruit, Main, National Food Days, Tropical Food Tags: baking, Cherries, Dessert Ideas, Fruit, holiday recipes, Pecans, Pineapple, Upside Down Cakes
CULINARY MAKEOVERS – Number Five CHICKEN SALAD & RICE CROQUETTES
Pinapple Chicken Salad, Rice/Mozarella Croquette and Edamame
Here we go again. What to make out of the leftovers. Today’s leftovers consisted of a chicken breast, miso mayonnaise, some diced pineapple, short grain rice and mozzarella cheese.
The Chicken Breast was turned into Chicken Salad:
Dice the Chicken and the Pineapple and Mince 2 ribs Celery. Combine in a medium size bowl and add leftover Miso Mayonnaise along with some additional Mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard, 2 tablespoons of pickle relish and voila, there is you Chicken Salad. My leftover chicken was from Korean BBQ Chicken that I had made for dinner two nights ago and it had plenty of seasoning. If you use poached or roasted chicken breast, you may want to add some salt and pepper to it or even some diced onion. Chopped Salted Cashews or Macadamia Nuts will go well with this salad also.
The Short Grain Rice was turned into Rice/Mozzarella Croquettes:
1 cup leftover cooked Short Grain Rice
½ cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Egg White
Dash Cayenne
Additional Egg White or Yolk
Seasoned Bread Crumbs (Panko Crumbs work very well)
Combine all the ingredients except for the Additional Egg White and the Bread Crumbs.
Mix well and form into patties. Dip each patty into the additional white or yolk and then into the bread crumbs.
Heat about 1 inch of Peanut or Corn Oil in a frying pan. When the oil reaches 350 degrees gently place the patties into the hot oil and fry one side until golden brown. Carefully turn and cook on the other side until the color on that side is golden brown. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Serve while still warm. Yield: Aprox. 4 small croquettes
I also prepared some Edamame by microwaving them with a small amount of von Fass Ginger/Sesame Oil and tossed with a little gray sea salt.
Our meal this night consisted of:
Chicken Salad
Rice/Mozzarella Croquettes
Sautéed Edamame
Summer is just around the corner and cool salads make great entrees on hot summer evenings so try your own version of leftover chicken salad and any other side dishes to go with it. One leftover that works well with chicken salad are potatoes that can be made into potato salad or home fries or you can make pasta or fruit salad along with fresh croissants or biscuits from the corner bakery.
Categories: Dinner Ideas, Fruit, Leftovers, Lunch Ideas, Main, Salads Tags: Cheese, Chicken, Edamame, family dinner, Fruit, Leftovers, Pineapple, Rice, Salad
TROPICAL FOOD CHRONICLES – DAY NINE
Today was another early rising day as we had decided to drive towards the northern end of Kauai to look for birds in the reserve in the Wailua River Valley. We also stopped to view the waterfall and to look over the Wailua River into the restored Hawaiian Village. It was a beautiful day and we had some good viewing. We also saw quite a lot of birds there as well.
Wailua Reserve - early morning
After our early morning sightseeing we stopped at Smith’s Tropical Paradise. Their lush tropical gardens cover 30 acres of land; it is right next to the river. In the evenings they host luaus that anyone can purchase a ticket to attend. They also offer boat rides on the river. We saw quite a few different birds here but the most entertaining were the peacocks which of course are introduced birds. It is breeding season, the mails in all the finery strut around and around as if they were in a fashion show. (Will put up a video of one on U-Tube).
- Peacock Finery
Peacock at Smth's
Back in Poipu we went to the Poipu Shopping Mall for lunch and tried out the dogs at Puka Dogs. The most outstanding thing about this eatery is all the different toppings that they provide for their dogs. Ev decided on the Polish Dog with Coconut Relish and I had the Polish Dog with Mango Relish. Their Polish Dogs taste more like regular hot dogs. I normally don’t like Polish Dogs, but their regular hot dogs were veggie dogs and that didn’t sit too well with me. I like my hot dogs to be made with beef. The best thing about this eatery was their fresh made-to order lemonade. It was very good. To see Puka Dog’s Menu go to http://www.pukadog.com/menu After lunch it was more beach time.
For dinner this evening we went back to Kalapaki Joe’s and tried out a couple of their menu items that featured fresh lobster. Ev had the lobster burrito which was quite large and contained more than an ample portion of lobster. I had the lobster salad and it too had an ample portion of grilled lobster with a variety of vegetables and was topped with grilled pineapple slices. This salad came with a wonderful sesame dressing which was absolutely perfect.
After dinner we walked back to the condo and spent some time outside on the grounds to soak up what was left of our time on the island. Kauai is a very peaceful place with beautiful scenery. With the gentle breeze, you feel like you are being bathed in silken strands. It is a wonderful feeling and one that you can carry with you in your memory for a long time afterwards.
Categories: Dinner Ideas, Lunch Ideas, Salads, Tropical Food Tags: birds, Fruit, Hotdogs, laua, lobster, Pineapple, poki, river valley, Salad, Tropical, Vegetables
TROPICAL FOOD CHRONICLES – DAY EIGHT
Today was Sunday so we decided to have breakfast out again at Burgers in Paradise. As mentioned earlier, this restaurant offers a lot more than Burgers and provides quite a variety of breakfast items. Ev had Pancakes which were rather large but quite good tasting. My breakfast was a Papaya /Pineapple Boat that was served with toasted coconut and chopped macadamia nuts. The boat was a very healthy and tasty breakfast. We both enjoyed cups of Hawaiian Coffee with the meal. After breakfast we returned to the condo and then to the beach for more sun, sand and surf.
Papaya / Pineapple Boat
For lunch, we ate the leftover stir-fried vegetables with what was left of the Tako and Ahi Poki. So far, our meals have been quite healthy and tasty. Eating good fresh fish with perky seasonings is really a good way to go, whether you are looking to lose weight or to just have a healthy, tasty and satisfying meal.
For dinner this night we decided to try Brennecke’s Broiler. We have been to Kauai many times, but never actually ate at this restaurant as we usually stay at the North Shore and don’t like driving at night between the North and South Shores. The main restaurant is upstairs with a great view of the ocean and beach just across the street. The restaurant features both steaks and seafood and since by this time we had just about had our fill of seafood we decided to go with beef dinners. Ev ordered the Prime Rib and I ordered the Rib Eye Steak. Both these items are basically from the same cut of beef, but one is roasted whole and then sliced and the other is cut into steaks before cooking. Both dinners were served with rosemary mashed potatoes and the Rib Eye was served with a mushroom wine sauce. The Prime Rib was served with au jus and horseradish. Since Ev doesn’t like horseradish, I used that on my steak along with the mushroom wine sauce.
When we finished dinner there was an unexpected downpour (typical of tropical climate) so we waited it out in the downstairs portion of Brennecke’s where we purchased a few items for our breakfast ‘on the go on’ Monday morning. After about 5-10 minutes the rain let up enough for us to make to the car without getting wet. We shortly arrived back at the condo for another relaxing evening in Paradise.
Poipu Beach
Categories: Breakfast Ideas, Dinner Ideas, Lunch Ideas, Main, Salads, Tropical Food Tags: ahi, broiler, fresh fish, Mushrooms, Papaya, Pineapple, poipu beach, poki, prime rib, steak, Tropical
