Chicken Satay

Geri's freezer broke so all us sistahs scored some chicken from her.  I decided to try and make some Chicken Satay for Wendell and Lan's softball after-game pupus. 

Landon texted me this photo while he was grilling.  He said that it came out ono.  

Of course, I had to do it the cheat way.  Landon got this from Safeway sometime last week.  That's what gave me the idea to do the satay.  I used half of this bottle for the marinade and saved the other half to be used as a sauce to be spooned on before eating (no dipping nowadays).

I researched online to come up with some kind of recipe to enhance the bottled sauce and found one that called for Turmeric and Coriander, so I was stoked to find this in our spice cabinet.  

I actually considered adding coconut milk too, but didn't wanna open a can just for 1/4 cup-ish worth so I didn't.  Six thighs made 21 skewers.

Here's my recipe:

1/2 bottle Signature Select Thai Style Peanut Sauce

3 cloves minced garlic

2 teaspoons Indian Curry Seasoning

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

Marinate for a few hours.  Grill.  Broiling would probably be okay too, right?  Top with peanut sauce before eating.

Dd's Chicago-Style Giardiniera

Didi makes a Giardiniera that my family just loves.  I'm so grateful that she took the time to put together a recipe for me to share.  Thank you, Didi!!

She puts it in her Bratwurst and Italian Beef sandwiches.

I use it to enhance my salads.  Landon uses it on everything. 

Dd’s CHICAGO STYLE GIARDINIERA

 

 

Heavily salted water

1 large carrot, peeled, small dice

2 large stalks celery, peeled, small dice

1 small* cauliflower, florets, small dice

½ medium red bell pepper, seeded, small diced

12 oz. pimento stuffed green olives, drained, sliced

¼-1/2 c. pickled jalapeno peppers, drained, sliced, as desired

**Vinaigrette:

¾ c. olive oil

½ c. red wine vinegar

¼ c. apple cider vinegar

½ tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

 

*There is no such thing as a small cauliflower…find the smallest one that you can.

In a large heatproof bowl combine carrot, celery, cauliflower and bell peppers. Set aside. 

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat bring salted water to a simmer until salt dissolves. Pour over vegetables to cover. Allow to sit 15 minutes. 

Drain; do not rinse. Stir in olives and jalapeno peppers. Add additional jalapeno peppers according to heat desired. Spoon vegetable mixture tightly into containers/jars. Set aside. 

In a pouring measuring cup whisk together vinaigrette ingredients well. Slowly pour over vegetables allowing vinaigrette to settle. Fill as desired. Allow to marinate overnight. Giardiniera will only get better with time.  

Makes not enough.  (😂 true dat - jalna)

Dd's Pork Ginger

PORK GINGER

 

2-inches ginger, peeled, thin slivers*

1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced*

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 TB vegetable oil

½ # pork belly, shoulder blade or loin, thinly sliced

Salt, white pepper

½ large onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 stalks green onion, 1-inch slices

Sauce:

1 tsp. ginger, grated

1 TB vegetable oil

2 TB sake

2 TB mirin

2 TB soy sauce

2 tsp. corn starch

1 tsp. agave syrup

Garnish: chopped green onion, crispy fried ginger & garlic*

 

In a small skillet over medium heat brown garlic slices and ginger slivers in combination 

of sesame and vegetable oils until browned crisp, about 6-7 minutes. Transfer onto paper 

towels. Set aside for service. 

Scrape oil into a medium skillet. In a small mixing bowl combine sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Generously season pork slices with salt and pepper. Into skillet with oil over medium high heat brown pork on all sides. Cook in batches as needed. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion has slightly wilted. Stir in reserved sauce and green onion to warm through. 

For service garnish with green onion and fried ginger slivers. Serves 2-3.

Meat and Cheese Piroshki

I found this blog from back in April that I never posted.  The piroshki came out ono, but it was a bit too humbug for me to make again.  

The recipe is from Tatyana's Everyday Food.

Ingredients

• For Yeast Dough:
• 1 1/2 cups (354ml) milk
• 1 tablespoon (9g) dry yeast
• 1/2 tablespoon (6g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons (43g) melted butter
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 cups (440g) all-purpose flour
• For Meat Filling:
• 1 pound (453g) ground beef, turkey or pork
• 1/2 large onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups (150g) mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup (100g) cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
• 1 beaten egg, for egg wash

Instructions

1. Prepare the yeast dough first. Heat the milk until warm to touch, then pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and sprinkle the yeast evenly over the milk. Allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, whisk in the melted butter, salt and egg. Gradually add the flour, whisking the mixture until it thickens into a thick batter. Continue adding flour until soft dough forms. 
2. Turn dough out onto well-floured work surface; use additional flour as needed. Knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Return the dough to mixing bowl, cover the bowl with a clean towel and allow the dough to proof until doubled in size; about 45 to 60 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Preheat a large frying over medium-high heat, add a splash of oil and fry the ground beef for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces. Let the meat cool until just warm. Place the onion and garlic into a food processor and pulse into a puree. Alternatively, use a grater to puree the onion and finely mince the garlic. In a large bowl combine all of the filling ingredients: fried beef, pureed onion, garlic, cheeses, egg and seasonings. Use your hands to knead the ingredients together to form a uniform mixture. 
4. Once dough has proof, punch it down and knead again for a few minutes. Divide the dough into even portions - 8 pieces for large piroshki, 16 pieces for smaller piroshki. Roll each piece of dough into a circle, add filling into the center, then press the dough together to seal the filling inside (watch my video to see how it's done!). 
5. Deep Fried: preheat approximately 8 to 10 cups of vegetable or canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, until the oil temperature reads 325F/162C. Shape 3 to 4 piroshki at a time; DO NOT allow them to proof! Add the shaped piroshki straight into the hot oil, seam side down first. Turn the piroshki often, frying for 5 to 6 minutes, until they're a rich, golden brown color.
6. Baked: Place piroshki seam side up onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with an egg wash using a pastry brush. Allow the piroshki to proof for 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F. Once the piroshki have proofed, bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of your piroshki. Remove from baking sheet onto a cooling rack to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before enjoying. The filling will be extremely hot when the piroshki come out of the oven! Allow them to cool before enjoy.

Von's Korean Fried Chicken

 I was at Palama Market the other day and decided to get some Von's Chicken.  

I asked the gal at the counter which was their most popular, and she said the Crispy Fried Shoyu was their no. 1 most favorite.  So I ordered a 10 piece.

It was so so so so ono!  I must tell you that it was just drumettes and wings so the pieces were small.  But ho, it was such a nice treat for me.

Landon's Chimichurri Sauce

Landon made this Argentinian chimichurri sauce to use as a condiment topping to steaks that he and his friends were having at his friend's house.

For a quick taste test he fried up an omelet for us to try it with.  It was winnahs. 

He said he finely chopped 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, 1 bunch of regular parsley and 6 to 7 cloves of garlic.  Then he added in "some" roasted red bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, salt and pepper.  

I found a recipe at the Bon Appétit website here for more precise measurements. 

Dd's Jambalaya

Didi's Jambalaya includes chicken, andouille sausage AND shrimp . . . WOW!! 

 

JAMBALAYA

 

1 chicken breast, 1 ½-inch cubes

2 links andouille sausage, sliced diagonally

10-12 pc. shrimp (dependent on size), peeled, deveined

Salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic salt

1 tsp. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, chopped

½ small green bell pepper, chopped

½ small red bell pepper, chopped

1 TB tomato paste

1 c. long grain rice

2 c. chicken broth

1 TB Cajun seasoning*

1 bay leaf

Garnish: chopped green onion

 

*Cajun Seasoning:

1 ¼ tsp. paprika

1 tsp. each salt, garlic powder

½ tsp. each freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper

½ tsp. each oregano, thyme

½ tsp. each cumin, dry mustard

¼ tsp. ground bay leaves

 

*In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients for Cajun seasoning well. Set aside. Makes approximately 2 TB.

Season chicken and shrimp with seasoning mix. Set aside. 

In a medium saucepot over medium heat sauté chicken until cooked through. Add sausage, onion, garlic, 

celery and peppers. Cook until vegetables are limp. Add seasoned shrimp. Cook until shrimp are “just” pink. Remove shrimp, set aside. 

Stir in tomato paste stirring until completely incorporated. Add rice, chicken broth, remaining seasoning mix and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and let simmer 20 minutes. 

Add shrimp; allow to sit 1 minute to warm through. 

Serve immediately. Garnish with green onion. Serves 2-3.

Don't Buy This

Holy cow, it had a weird smell and taste.  I took one bite and was about to take a second one, but I just couldn't do it. 

I ended up rinsing off the noodles really well, and I put it in the fridge in a container of water.  I'm thinking that maybe later I can prepare it differently somehow, but I have my doubts.  If it has even the slightest bit of scent of that powdered broth that came with it, it's gonna make me gag.  

Here it is before the powdered broth got dissolved.  Lordy, Lordy it was baaaaad.

Skin Tags

Do you have skin tags?  I do.

The other day while taking a shower I noticed that some of them were kinda gone or at least diminished in size.  I wondered if it had something to do with my recent change in diet.

I found the following info at the Medical News Today website.  I thought it was interesting.  It suggests that skin tags, although harmless in itself, may be an indication of underlying health issues. 

Skin tags appear to be more common in:

• people who are overweight and obese
• those with diabetes
• women during pregnancy, possibly due to hormonal changes and high levels of growth factors
• those with some types of human papilloma virus (HPV)
• people with a sex-steroid imbalance, especially if there are changes in levels of estrogen and progesterone 
• those whose close family members also have skin tags

Studies have found that skin tags are more likely to occur with:

• obesity
• dyslipidemia, for example, high cholesterol levels
• hypertension, or high blood pressure

They have also been linked to insulin resistance and elevated high-sensitive C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation.

This suggests that skin tags may offer an external sign of an increased risk of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

Soup Starter Mix from Ross

 Here's another Ross find that I liked.  I even went back and got a few more bags.  It was $2.99.

Maybe it was adding this in that did the trick.

Even Landon said that I "make good soup".   (I'm so proud.)

Here's what I did:

5 slices bacon, chopped - fry and remove from pot.  Discard oil.

1 pound pork sausage - fry and remove from pot.

1 large minced onion, 1/2 cup chopped carrots, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 4 cloves minced garlic - sauté until onion is transparent.

10 cups of chicken stock and soup mix - add and bring to a boil; simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Return meats to pot before serving. 

Note:  I didn't add any seasoning at all, and it was very tasty.

Line Cutter

I was next in line at Ross the other day when this lady blazed by me, and instead of waiting in the queue behind me, she decided to wait here so that she would be helped next.  I guess her dog needed his toy ASAP. 

Here's what I bought.  

I actually bought one of these at the Kahala Ross earlier and liked it so much when I drizzled some on my avocado toast that I went to the Hawaii Kai branch to pick up more.  It was $4.99.

I haven't tried this yet.  There are two servings in this bag.

I also got this small table.  It was $19.99.

Wendell's Chicken Long Rice

Wendell cheated and used the $5 Costco roast chicken to make this.  Good idea yah!  The recipe is from Kathy Y. L. Chan's Onolicious Hawaii site.  It was very onolicious.

 

Ingredients

1 pound chicken thighs

1 4-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced

6 cups chicken broth

2 bundles (1.32 oz each) vermicelli noodles

4 stalks green onions, chopped

Instructions

1. Put the vermicelli noodles in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak for 15 minutes. Drain water and set aside.
2. Season the chicken thighs with salt. In a deep saucepan, brown both sides on medium-high heat (about a minute on each side). 
3. Add the sliced ginger to the pan. Add the chicken broth to the pan. Let simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken thighs are cooked through. 
4. Remove the chicken thighs from the pan. Let cool and shred into 1/4-inch pieces. 
5. Bring the broth back up to a boil. Add in the drained vermicelli noodles. Cook for a minute. 
6. Add back the shredded chicken thighs. Add in the chopped green onions. Cook for 3-5 more minutes until everything is cooked through.
7. Then spoon out into bowls. Serve and eat!

Diet Update

It's been 3 months, and I lost 14 pounds!   

I'm 6 pounds away from my goal of losing 20 pounds, but . . . even after losing the 20 pounds my BMI will still put me in the "overweight" class.  How rude, right?!  

But anyway, here's the best thing that happened.  I went for my blood test a few days ago.  My cholesterol results have never been better!  And with my doctor's approval I stopped taking my high blood pressure medicine about a month ago.  My daily readings were getting pretty low even at a half dose, and my occasional lightheadedness was worrisome to me.

My blood glucose only improved slightly and my A1C at 6.0 still puts me in the prediabetic range.  I'm thinking that maybe I have to start doing some weight-bearing exercises, so that my liver (or was it pancreas?) sends the sugar from my blood to my muscles for energy (something like that).

My mobility continues to improve, which is the reason I started this in the first place.  It's easier getting around and up and down.  My knees are doing better.   

K den.  That's it for now.   

ili ili Cash & Carry

ili ili Cash & Carry is mosty known for its ono pizza, but so far I like their Chopped Salad the best.  It's $14.

Monk Fruit Sweetener

I got this sweetener at Ross. I think it was $6.99.  I actually had it for awhile before I finally used it.  I'm really not good at trying new things, but I decided to use it instead of sugar when I made some Broccoli Salad.  I used about 1/8 cup, maybe even less than that.  

I was so surprised.  I couldn't tell the difference in sweetness.  Tasted the same to me.

I wondered if it was good for my health or not.  I ended up watching this almost 1/2-hour long video by Dr. Sten Ekberg.  He started with the bad sweeteners, then the not-so-bad sweeteners and finally ended with the good sweeteners.  Mostly I didn't understand his explanations.  They were a bit too technical for me.  I should have just skipped to the end. 

And in the end his three favorite "good" sweeteners were monk fruit, stevia and chicory root.  Even the sweetener with the chemical sounding name "erythritol" is on his okay list.  

I'll probably be using the monk fruit more now, but for the bananas on my overnight oats I'm sticking to a drizzle of honey.  😄