September 19, 2008

Four Foods on Friday #47

Today is Friday. I know that. Surely I knew it late yesterday afternoon when I noticed my neighbor dragging his rubbish bin to the curb for pickup. I must have known it when I spent an hour cutting up palm fronds and plumeria branches and bagging them up, right? And when I dragged my own bin to the curb before going to bed, I did that because I knew it was Thursday night and rubbish pickup comes early on Friday, didn’t I? So can someone explain to me why I only just now realized that today is Friday and I haven’t done a Four Foods on Friday post yet? Siiiiigh! Nevermind. I don’t think I really need the answer to that. Let’s just move right along to the FFoF questions instead.

#1. Share a recipe for something Italian.

It’s late and I need to get this published. I’ll try to insert a recipe here later.

#2. Jam, jelly, preserves, marmalade, fruit butter or butter. What’s on your toast or bread?

I eat a slice of plain whole wheat toast every morning for nausea control. I rarely think to eat toast any other time, but there’s grape jam and apple butter in the fridge. Love them both on biscuits!

#3. What’s your favorite Kellogg’s product? (Since they’re multinational I’m hoping everyone can answer this one. If you don’t have Kellogg’s products, what’s your favorite cold breakfast cereal?)

I’ve never outgrown Frosted Flakes. They’re grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!

#4. Do you like liver? What about liverwurst?

I love the stuff. I can’t find calves liver in Hawaii, but I make liver & onions with beef liver frequently and I love deep-fried chicken livers. Liverwurst & bacon make a wonderful sandwich, especially when constructed on an onion bun with melted cheddar. Primo!

Technorati Tags: food, meme

September 10, 2008

Four Foods on Friday #46

The week is drawing to a close, so it’s almost time for Four Foods on Friday again. You’re invited to play along. Answer the questions below on your blog then go to Val’s post and leave your link in the comments. She’ll do a roundup post on Friday and throw a little linky love your way.

#1. Egg salad or deviled eggs. How do you prepare?

I never make either for myself. In years past when I made them I always took the easy way out: add sweet pickle relish to chopped up eggs (for egg salad) or to creamed, hard-boiled yolks (for deviled eggs.) Chopped onions can be added too, if desired. For egg salad, add mayo to create the right texture and spreadability, salt and pepper to taste and you’re done. For deviled eggs, add a little garlic powder, salt and pepper before stuffing the egg halves with the yolk mixture. Finish off with a sprinkle of paprika.

#2. French fries. Do you make homemade or frozen?

I don’t fry much of anything anymore. My digestion can’t handle the fats and I hate dealing with a greasy kitchen (a lot of the kitchens I inspect have a greasy film on cabinets and even walls, and they smell of stale grease. Yeeeech!) I buy frozen fries, usually the Ore-Ida Texas Crispers, spritz them with my olive oil sprayer and bake according to directions. All of the crispness and texture of deep-fried but without the mess and the excessive amounts of fat.

#3. Gravy. What do you use - homemade, jar, can or from a package?

Homemade, always. None of the pre-mades have ever tasted right to me.

#4. Share a recipe for a hot (temperature, not spice) dish.

I made my easy au gratin potatoes last night. Peel however many potatoes you need for the bunch you’re feeding. Slice thinly. Place a layer of potato slices in the bottom of a buttered casserole dish. Dot with butter, splash with a little milk and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Last night I added a sprinkle of dehydrated onion flakes. Fresh onions and/or garlic work well, too. Continue layering until all of the potatoes are in the dish. Cover with a layer of grated cheddar cheese. If you’re using a deep dish you might want to add a layer of cheese about halfway through, too. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the potatoes are done and the cheese is brown. I use a small (two-serving, three layers of potatoes) dish and it took about thirty or forty minutes. A standard-sized dish to feed a family will probably take about an hour.

Technorati Tags: food, food blogs, meme

September 5, 2008

Four Foods on Friday #45

Shoot, shoot, shoot!! I pasted the link & copied the quesitons yesterday for Four Food on Friday then totally forgot to write my post last night. I may already be too late, but here ya go:

#1. Artichokes. Love em or leave em?

I don’t dislike artichokes but I’ve never seen what all the hoopla is about. Tedious to prepare and for what? A few tablespoons of rather bland flavor?

#2. What’s your favorite kind of bean?

Hmmm! I like beans, though I don’t eat them very often. I think the baby navy beans are my faves - or maybe butter beans - yeah, butter beans!

#3. Share a recipe for any kind of cake.

There’s only one cake I ever bother making from scratch anymore (mixes are just too easy!) It’s the 1-2-3-4 Cake my mom used to make & taught me to make at a very young age. Definitely not like anything you’ll ever find in a mix! Here’s the recipe.

#4. What’s your favorite dairy product?

Oh, tough one! Dairy offers so much to love! Cheese - almost any kind of cheese - would have to be my favorite dairy, but I’m also quite partial to milk, butter and ICE CREAM!

I’m still getting used to my new computer and the replacement programs I’ve downloaded. I’ll try to slip a picture in here later, but such things are going very slowly for me right now, so I’ll go ahead and post with no image.

Technorati Tags: food, food blogs, recipe

Bounty from the sea

It’s time for me to quit moaning about computer viruses and expensive new laptops that hurt my wrists and whatever else I’ve been complaining about lately. The fact is that my life is filled to overflowing with good things. I know that, but I don’t share that part of my life with you guys often enough and I really should. I’m going to start doing more of that and I’ll kick it off by telling you about one of the blessings that has followed me most of my life. I have been so very fortunate to have spent most of my adult life in three port cities. That’s meant exposure to the diverse cultures that such environments breed, but I’ve shared many stories about that with you already. Today let’s talk about another blessing . Having had the wonderful opportunity to live near New Orleans, San Francisco and Honolulu has meant that I’ve always had access to the freshest seafood available. Growing up in a New Orleans kitchen fostered a love of fresh seafood that I was able to satisfy in San Francisco and that I still cater to here on Oahu. Sometimes I create a seafood meal at home, but I’ve also taken full advantage of always knowing that a great seafood restaurant is nearby for those days that I want someone else to tickle my taste buds. Seriously, I’ve wondered how people who can’t get fresh seafood can stand the deprivation! Well, today I learned that a whole bunch of you aren’t deprived at all because The Oceanaire has restaurants all over the US. What is The Oceanaire? It’s fine dining on fresh seafood which is flown in every day from the best seafood sources around the globe. The menu at each location is rewritten daily to reflect the chefs choices from among all of wonderful bounty he or she has found that day. Today The Oceanaire’s fine dining restaurant Washington DC has mahi mahi and ahi tuna that’s as fresh and succulent as it would be if you strolled over to Waianae Boat Harbor with me and bought it right off the boat. They’ve got seventeen other fresh seafood delights to choose from, too, and that’s just today’s menu. Other specialties are available seasonally, so there’s always a wealth of fresh choices. Want to savor the best seafood Minneapolis has to offer? Look no further than The Oceanaire! You don’t have to live right on the ocean or in a major port city to enjoy exquisite dining on fresh seafood because The Oceanaire gets their seafood delivered so quickly the gills are almost still puffing in and out when the chef begins preparing your meal. Seriously, I can’t imagine life without fresh seafood. If you can’t either, don’t despair! Make a reservation at The Oceanaire. “As sleek as a 1930s ocean liner, yet as relaxed as a dinner on the shore … ” Doesn’t that sound heavenly?

Technorati Tags: fine dining, food, The Oceanaire, restaurants, seafood restaurants

August 28, 2008

Four Foods on Friday #44

Val’s questions this week for Four Foods on Friday focus on the humble potoato. I’m good with that. Starches form the largest part of my diet because they are easy on my lousy digestion. Potatoes were an important part of my diet even when I had more options to pick from just because I’ve always liked them. They are so versitile that you could prepare potatoes daily and never run out of new ways to serve them. Right now I have russett potatoes and new potatoes on hand, in addition to several bags of frozen potatoes, one package of quickie potato casserole and a canister of instant mashed potatoes that is probably stale because I never think to make instant. I’ve had pototoes served various ways at least three times this week, and have the makings for potato/leek soup for tomorrow. Enough of that, though. On with the questions:

#1. Potato Chips. What kind of chips are your favorite?

I like potato chips, but rarely eat them. These days I go for the baked whole-grain chips instead, like Sun Chips. When I buy potato chips I usually buy the ridged plain ones to go with dip.

#2. What’s your favorite thing to dip chips in?

Nacho cheese dip.

#3. What’s your favorite way to eat a baked potato?

I sometimes make a meal out of an overstuffed baked potato with bacon, cheese, sour cream and mushrooms, but most frequently I eat them with just butter and maybe a little cheddar grated across the top. Plain is good, too!

#4. How do you make mashed potatoes?

Is there more than one way to make them? I guess I’ll find out when I visit the other FFoF participants and see how they answered. I cut the potatoes into manageable-sized cubes (with or with out peels depending on my mood.) Cover with water, add a little salt and boil. When they’re done I pour off most of the water and mash them. Once I’ve got the big chunks broken up I add a little milk and butter, then whip them with the electric mixer until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Chives, parsley and garlic are good add-ins, but not needed - plain mashed potatoes are great without any frills.

Technorati Tags: blogs, food blogs, food meme, potatoes

August 22, 2008

Four Foods on Friday #43

Val’s site was down late yesterday, but she’s back this morning. Hope it’s not too late for me to participate in Four Foods on Friday. Then again, her questions this week are all about healthy eating habits, so maybe it would be better if I just walk away. Let’s just say that my diet is not recommended for anyone who wants to eat right and leave it at that.

#1. What do you drink to rehydrate in the heat or after working out?

Iced tea, but I suppose the answer should be water, right?

#2. What do you eat to help boost or create energy?

Chocolate. It cures everything.

#3. What’s the healthiest snack you eat?

If I’m feeling virtuous I eat unbuttered, unsalted popcorn. I’m not that virtuous that often.

#4. Share a recipe or instructions for your ideal three course meal.

My ideal three course meal is meat (preferably with gravy or a rich sauce,) a starch and a chocolate dessert. An ideal healthy meal, which I do eat sometimes, would be grilled chicken breast or fish, a green salad and fresh fruit with a little cheese for dessert. Okay - I lied. I never eat that healthy. Bring on the gravy!

Sorry no picture this time. I’m still struggling with the Win32/Puper!generic trojan and my computer is running so slow I keep timing out. Editing photos is not going to happen.

Technorati Tags: food, food meme, Fun, Crafts and Recipes, healthy eating, trojan virus from hell

August 7, 2008

Four Foods on Friday #41

I managed to miss Four Foods on Friday for the last two weeks. Why? Because I can’t seem to keep track of what day it is. Honest to goodness, last week I started to write my FFoF post on Saturday, which I thought was Thursday. Today I thought all day that it was Wednesday, but I see now that it’s Thursday. I’m wondering if there’s a special name for senile dementia that only makes you lose track of time. Anyhoo, it is Thursday evening, which means there’s still time for you to play Four Foods on Friday with Val. Follow the link, put the answers to the quesitons on your blog, then let Val know you’ve played. There, see how easy that is?

The questions this week are all about food and traveling. I don’t travel, so I’ll be reaching into the dim past to try to remember what I used to do. Or making stuff up, or something. We’ll see.

#1. If you could travel anywhere to have a meal, where would you want to go and what would you want to eat.

I’m with Val on wanting to take a culinary journey to Italy. I’ve read several books over the last few years that spoke eloquently of the difference between Northern Italian and Southern Italian cuisine. I’d like to do my own comparisons, thank-you-very-much!

#2. When you go away do you make your own meals or eat out?

I’ve done both. I think I’ve always carried sandwiches, drinks and snacks, but road trips can be really tiring and drivers get weary. An hour lingering over a platter of ribs in a barbecue shack or sopping up gravy with biscuits is a necessary revival technique for keeping things on track, don’t you think?

#3. While traveling if you have to stop for a meal do you go in or do you go through the drive thru and eat in the car?

Ususally inside, because the break from the road is as important as the nutritional sustenance.

#4. Share a recipe or food related trip for people making a long trip by car.

Carry more than you think you’ll actually need. I’ve always taken a cooler full of sandwiches, veggies sticks, drinks, some sugary snacks plus lots of wipes!!

Technorati Tags: food, meme, road trips, road food, travel

August 3, 2008

Waianae farmer’s market

I’ve been seeing the banners beside the highway since the first Waianae Farmer’s Market back in June, but didn’t get to it until yesterday. Here’s the thing about farmer’s markets: Farmers wake up early and like to start work early. People who like to shop at farmer’s markets know to go early. I don’t do early. I arrived a little before 10:30 yesterday. There were still quite a few folks milling around, so I was hopeful that I would find some goodies to carry home.

I heard the music as soon as I got out of the car where I parked it, an acre or so away. Good thing I snapped a picture as soon as I was close enough, because they finished the song they were on and then packed it up. That’s Danny on the right and I think I remember that the guy on the keyboard is Ron. Danny is an outrageous flirt, so of course I remembered his name!

I first heard about Ma’o Organic Fruits and Vegetables when I saw a group of kids wearing their tee shirts a month or so ago. I didn’t know until this weekend that they provide internships for some of our local students from Waianae High School. Good for them!

I love the Pinoy Express man’s sign! Do you suppose it’s to let folks know that he delivers? Maybe not, since I don’t see a phone number anywhere and he’s not in the phone book. I didn’t think to ask, but will make it a point to do that next time.

All he had left by the time I got there was a few lumpia.

All of the produce stands were pretty much depleted, too. There were lots of herbs left, but I grow my own, so I didn’t need any.

Okinawan yams start out white-fleshed, but turn purple when cooked. They’re a little less moist and have less flavor than the orange-fleshed one that I prefer, so I passed on them, too.

Mangoes are abundant right now. I passed at least a half-a-dozen roadside stands selling them as I was driving to the farmer’s market. Some folks will be giving them away soon just to get rid of them.

The orchid booth had breathtakingly beautiful plants on display. I have orchids. I grow them indoors and out. The only time mine have ever had blooms is when I bought them. I don’t need any more green plants, to I resisted the temptation to bring more home with me.

In the end, the only thing I bought was a kalua pork sandwich to take home for my lunch. It’s a wonderful treat I don’t indulge in often: that’s grease, not juice, saturating the meat.

The Farmer’s Market is held at Makaha Resort in beautiful Makaha Valley on the first and third Saturday each month. It’s sponsored by the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and is their first farmer’s market set up to accept food stamps. I’d like to arrive early next time so that maybe I can bring home a goody bag full of fresh-from-the-farm yumminess. We’ll see if I can manage to drag myself out early for that special treat!

The photos for this post were taken with my little Kodak. I’m not unhappy with it, but it leaves a bit to be desired. I can’t do an upgrade right now but have been looking at other cameras online so I’ll be ready when the time comes. I really like this Canon Powershot. What do you think?

Technorati Tags: farmer’s market, fresh produce Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii farmer’s market, Hawaii outdoors, Hawaii photos, Waianae, Waianae Farmer’s Market, Waianae High School

July 17, 2008

Four Foods on Friday #38

This week Four Foods on Friday is all about smells - the good, the bad and the ugly. If you want to play, go to the link above. Copy the four questions, answer them in a post on your blog, then post a comment to Val letting her know you’ve played. Make sure you give her a link in your post. She’ll return the favor when she does her round-up post on Friday.

#1. Fruits and veggies. Do you prefer them peeled or not?

No choice - I can’t digest peels at all.

#2. What’s your favorite fresh fruit or vegetable smell?

Fruit: fresh, crisp apples! Vegetables: baked potatoes!

#3. What’s the worst food smell you’ve ever smelled?

Without a doubt, noni (picture above.) That stuff is just nasty. A lot of my neighbors grow it. It’s been a staple in many Polynesian diets for centuries and has a lot of medicinal uses. It’s gotten very popular in the health food industry in recent years, primarily as a juice. It’s usually mixed with grape or other strong-tasting and strong-smelling juice to disguise it’s disgusting nature. One of the neighbors gave me some noni paste to use on my foot when I had a bad burn a few years back. It did seem to speed up the healing process, but I was afraid to go around people when I had it smeared on. The smell penetrated multiple layers of bandages and was really nauseating. To make the paste, put some noni fruit in a jar and let it rot. Smash it up and keep in the jar, tightly sealed, in the fridge. Warn everyone before you open the jar - they’ll want to be far, far away! They don’t call it vomit fruit for nothing!

#4. Share the recipe for the dish that you love to smell cooking in your oven.

Tough question! My first thought was the whole Thanksgiving dinner thing. Does anything smell better than the combination of turkey, dressing, fresh veggies, pumpkin and pecan pies? I think not. But since you want a recipe, I’ll share what’s in the oven and smelling pretty good right now. It’s kind of muggy, so I didn’t want to do something that would keep me in the kitchen. I made up a meat loaf recipe that took about five minutes to mix. I’ve got the oven set at 350 degrees and the timer is set for thirty minutes. I’ve never made this before so I don’t know yet how it will taste or if it will be ready when the timer goes off. We’ll see. I think I’ll call it

Quick Italian Meatloaf

In a large mixing bowl combine:

1 &1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
two eggs
1/2 cup of prepared Italian tomato sauce (I’m using Hunt’s)
1 small can of chopped mushroom
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste.

Mush it all up together with your hands until well blended. Shape into a loaf, cover with another half-cup or so of sauce and pop it in the oven. I’ll let you know later how it comes out.

Edit: It was pretty tasty! I’ll use half the oregano and basil next time to let the meat flavor come through better. Cooking time depends on the size of your dish or pan. I used a small, oblong casserole dish, so the loaf was pretty condensed - about three inches thick. I needed a full hour to cook it.

So - not my best creation, but good, moist, flavorful. A few adjustments and it will be better next time.

Technorati Tags: food, meatloaf, meatloaf recipe, noni, recipe

July 11, 2008

Four Foods on Friday #37

This week hass been so crazy that I forgot about Four Foods on Friday! I think there’s still time to submit, so I’m going to do just that. This week Val is asking about entertaining. I haven’t done that in years. I had a party for the office gang in my old rented condo before I bought the house. I think that was the last time, and I’ve been in the house for over twelve years. I’ll rely on old memories to answer the qestions this week.

#1. Cake. Buttercream, whipped cream or ice cream?

Cake must have frosting! Adding whipped cream and ice cream is optional, but always a winner. Hey, desserts are why diet pills were invented!

#2. When entertaining do you use real, paper, plastic or styrofoam dishes?

Depends on the crowd. For kids parties I always bought the party packs of paper plates. For adults, real dishes if we’re eating inside, plastic or styrofoam for al fresco. I had some rattan plate holders for paper/plastic plates, but I haven’t seen them lately, so maybe they’ve gone away.

The ex and I, sharing an al fesco afternoon back in the eighties, at a pest control association picnic.

#3. When hosting a party do you cook, have it catered or go to a restaurant?

Trick question, right? What’s the catch? I cook!

#4. Share a recipe that you frequently serve when having a party.

This is so easy and so good that your friends will call you a kitchen goddess:

Center a block of cream cheese on a plate (it’s prettier if you buy the tub instead of a block, and the lite version of the spread works fine.) Cover with Pickapeppa Sauce. Lay a knife or spreader on the edge of the plate and put it on the table next to a platter or bowl of crackers. I especially like it spread on a Ritz. Prepare for a lot of “gee whiz” questions and compliments.

Technorati Tags: blogs, entertaining, food, food blogs, party recipe