Surprise Package

One of my favorite sellers at the swap meet was selling a surprise package for $8. I could see some of the items under the see-through wrapping but most were obscured. The first item below caught my eye. Just the zippers alone would cost me $3 if I were to make the pouch myself, so I thought I'd take the chance and I bought the package. 

It was kinda like Christmas, digging the stuff out.

Wendell's Rigatoni with Portuguese Sausage

This is a recipe by Foodland's Chef Keoni.  More info about it can be found here. It was so ono, especially with bread and butter on the side. Ack!

3	Tablespoon	olive oil
2	each	Portuguese Sausage sliced bias
3	each	bell peppers, thinly sliced, assorted colors
1	each	yellow onion, thinly sliced
1⁄2	Teaspoon	kosher salt
1	Teaspoon	Black Pepper
1	Pound	dry rigatoni pasta, cooked and cooled
1	Tablespoon	fresh italian parsley chopped
1	Teaspoon	fresh basil, chopped
1	Cup	grated low moisture mozzarella
1	Cup	grated parmesan
8	Ounce	tomatoes

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning, for 2 minutes.
2. Add the peppers, onion, and cook for 4 minutes. Add in tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook until peppers are soft and tomatoes have burst their skins, 10 minutes.
3. Fold in pasta and allow to heat through. Add in parsley and basil.
4. Finish with a cup of grated low moisture mozzarella and the parmesan cheese.

The A-Salt Gun

Yay! Flickr fixed their bug!! "Fixed their bug" . . . LOL . . . so appropriate. Because this is what I wanted to share . . . Wendell's birthday present . . . a Bug-A-Salt weapon. Cool, hah! I got it from Amazon:  Bug-A-Salt. 

You gotta go kinda close to the target . . . three feet is the most effective range, but you can still stun from a farther distance.  It's like a shot gun that shoots a spray of salt. It only uses about 1/2 teaspoon per shot, so there really isn't much scatter.

It's supposed to be for flies, but Wendell was successful in getting a 747 cockroach the other night. He stunned it with the first blast and then shot it a couple more times after that.  He swept up the salt with the roach.



Here's Wendell practicing in the back yard. He also practiced on Landon's back . . . because Lan was curious about the power of the gun and asked Wendell to.  Wendell shot him from about 10 feet away. Landon yelled, "AAAAHHH!!" I laughed.

Martha Stewart Garlic Chopper

I wanted to show you Wendell's birthday present, but I'm having issues with Flickr so looks like it's not happening. According to Flickr's Help Forum, I'm not the only one so hopefully they'll resolve the problem soon. In the meantime, I have a few posts that are already loaded in my Draft folder, so at least I'm good for a few days. 

Today, you get to see this garlic chopper that I got at a rummage sale at Aina Haina Elementary a few months back. It was 25 cents.



I was surprised . . . it actually worked.


It has wheels on it. As you roll it across a flat surface, the blades go around and around and your garlic gets chopped.


Unfortunately, if you want one, it'll cost you $9.99 at Macy's. It's totally not worth 10 bucks, but at 25 cents it's good.

I used the same clams that I wrote about here and made this with the garlic. I sautéed the clams in butter, olive oil, clam juice and parsley and threw in linguine noodles. 

Geri's Broccoli Salad

My sister Geri made this super ono salad.  I ate the left half of the container before I thought to take a picture. Here's what's left of the salad.

1 or 2 “heads” of broccoli

About 1 red onion (you can use white onions, but red is preferable)

Dried cranberries – aka “Craisins” (can substitute raisins, and some people use grapes, as many as you like)

Roasted salted sunflower seeds (as many as you like)

Crumbled bacon (about as much as you like: if you use the “Hormel Precooked/precrumbled” package, about ½ a package is plenty.

Dressing: 1 cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tbs. red wine vinegar, adjust the sugar and vinegar as needed

The dressing will make enough for about 1 ½ recipes, but the leftovers keep well in the refrigerator.

Samsung "The Safety Truck"

So so so so cool of Samsung. Makes me wanna go out and buy one of their products.



Thanks for sharing, Ross!

The Tip

I went to pick up some food at a restaurant this past Sunday. While waiting for someone to notice me at the counter, I saw this cute mechanical toy. I figured that it was da kine that a coin gets sensed and then stolen like this one on Amazon.  I thought that it was a pretty sly way to get some tip money, but I was curious so I took the bait.  

I put a dime in front of the penguin. Nothing happened. I put it on the narrow table in the front of the device. Nothing happened. I put the dime halfway into the slot just above the table. Nothing happened. I pushed the dime all the way into the slot. Nothing happened. I felt all around the contraption to see if maybe there was an on/off switch.  

By this time a girl came to the counter to help me. I said, "Does this thing not work?" She said, "You gotta lift up the top." I said, "Wha? You lift up the top?" 

I lifted up the top.



It wasn't a mechanical anything.  It was a toothpick holder. 


And it stole my dime.

Bangkok Chef with Kat and Mich

If you read Kat's blog Adventures in Japan then you might already know that me and Mich met up with Kat last week. First time meeting Kat, but it was like meeting up with an old buddy. Pretty cool how that works, yah.

The Chicken Larb below is totally my favorite dish, but I was so excited meeting Kat, that my mind went blank and all I could say was, "It's a chicken dish . . . um, chicken . . . chicken . . . all cut up . . . " I think it was Kat who pointed at the menu board and said, "Is that it? No. 24?" Yup, that was it. 

And also, when you're ordering and you tell them that your name is "Sue" instead of "J-a-l-n-a" for convenience's sake, it's a good idea to remember your name when your order is ready. Just saying.

Chicken Laarb ($9.35)


This was their House Special Rad Nah. ($13 something)


Panang Chicken Curry ($8.45)


Spring Roll ($8.60)


We shared this Mango Panna Cotta ($2.95). Very refreshing! Thanks Mich!


And here's my goodies from Kat!  Thanks Kat! It really was fun meeting you.

Golden Retriever (Not Receiver)

Kona is kinda like this.

Wendell's Thai Shrimp and Eggplant Stir-Fry

Do you remember the Beef Broccoli and the Cauliflower with Tofu dishes that Wendell made recently? This recipe is from the same Health Magazine!

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 5 tsp. peanut oil
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 slender Japanese eggplants, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 Fresno chilies, seeded and slivered
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 cup loosely torn basil leaves
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Cooked rice noodles, optional

1. In a small bowl, whisk lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and 2 Tbsp. water.

2. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat until very hot; swirl to coat skillet. Add shrimp and stir-fry until just pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.

3. Add 2 tsp. oil and half of eggplant to skillet. Cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes, then stir-fry for 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl with shrimp. Add another 2 tsp. oil; repeat with remaining eggplant. Make a well in center and add remaining 1 tsp. oil, garlic, chilies and scallion. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Add shrimp, eggplant and sauce to skillet. Cook, tossing well, until heated through, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in basil. Serve with lime wedges and rice noodles, if desired. 

David Zinn, Chalk Artist

I wish I could draw like David Zinn.



Here's more:



And if you have 20 spare minutes:



Thanks for sharing, Rand!

Wendell's Cauliflower Masala with Tofu

Here's another dish that Wendell made using a recipe from a Health Magazine that he saw at his doctor's office. It was yummy.

• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 6 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1 pound cauliflower florets
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 5 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 Tbsp.)
• 1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 7- or 8-oz. package prebaked tofu, cut into bite-size cubes
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Naan, optional

1. In a small bowl, combine coconut milk and garam masala.

2. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp. oil over medium-high heat until very hot; swirl to coat skillet. Add half of cauliflower and half of onion; cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute, then stir-fry for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Add another 2 tsp. oil; repeat with remaining cauliflower and onion.

3. Add remaining 2 tsp. oil, ginger, garlic and jalapeño to skillet. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in spices and salt; add 3/4 cup water. Return cauliflower and onion to skillet. Stir in tofu. Cover and steam until cauliflower is just tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in peas and coconut milk mixture. Stir-fry until heated through, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and warm naan, if desired. 

Diana Kim and Her Dad

I used to see him hanging around at the intersection of King and Keeaumoku. He would stand in the hot sun all day long, talking to himself. I used to try to stay clear of him. He scared me.

I never imagined that he had a daughter who cared about him. Who would often drive around the area looking for him. Who would stop and visit with him trying to break through the barrier of his mental illness.

photo by Diana Kim


Here is Diana Kim's dad today.  You can read their story here: NBC News

photo by Diana Kim


Thanks for sharing, Shun Wah!

My New-Fangled Gadget

My iPhone's been running out of power kinda fast lately, so when this portable battery charger went on sale on Amazon I picked it up.  It caught my eye because it's small and light-weight and barely takes up any space in my small purse. It's normally $15.99 but I got it for $10.99. You can check it out here. 

It came in handy when we were at Tokoname (my previous blog post).  In the midst of taking pictures of our food, my phone went totally dead. The charger worked perfectly, allowing me finish getting the shots I needed.



So handy, yah!  I just plugged my phone into this end.


It even came with this pouch.

Tokoname

A couple of weekends ago, me, my mom and Sweetie ate at Tokoname in Manoa. It was our first time there. 





I loved the on-the-house edamame . . . very simply made with some salt sprinkled on top. Anybody know where I can get salt flakes like these from?


The dressing on the salad was on the sweet side, but still tasted good.


This was good.


Miso soup was delicious.


My Teishoku with shrimp/vegetable tempura and tonkatsu ($18.95).


Sweetie's Teishoku with shrimp/vegetable tempura and miso butterfish ($18.95). I tasted the butterfish.  It was excellent.


My mom's Miso Salmon Teishoku ($16.95), also excellent.


My tempura, on the other hand, was just okay. The texture was akin to buffet-type tempura . . . more on the heavy side and not light like how I like it.


And the tonkatsu was disappointing to me too . . . not anything like Menchanto Tei's.


Maybe the sushi is good there. 

Wendell's Beef Broccoli

This recipe is from the May 2015 issue of Health Magazine which Wendell saw at a doctor's office. The meat was very tender and the flavor onolicious. 

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 tsp. dry sherry
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 12 ounces flank steak, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced across the grain
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 6 teaspoons peanut oil
• 6 cups broccoli florets (about 1 lb.)
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 
  

1. In a medium bowl, stir 1 Tbsp. each soy sauce and sherry, 2 tsp. cornstarch, 1 tsp. sugar and a generous grind of pepper until sugar has dissolved. Stir in beef. Let stand for 15 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, whisk remaining 2 tsp. each soy sauce and sherry, 1 tsp. each cornstarch and sugar, broth, oyster sauce and sesame oil.

3. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 tsp. peanut oil over medium-high heat until very hot; swirl to coat skillet. Spread half of beef in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, for 90 seconds to sear, then stir-fry for 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Add another 1 1/2 tsp. peanut oil; repeat with remaining beef.

4. Add 2 tsp. peanut oil and broccoli to skillet; stir-fry for 1 minute. Make a well in center and add remaining 1 tsp. peanut oil, scallion, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Stir-fry until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1/3 cup water and cover skillet; steam until broccoli is just crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

5. Return beef to skillet. Whisk sauce and add to skillet. Cook, tossing well, until sauce is bubbling and thickened, about 1 minute. Serve with jasmine rice, if desired.