I'm Baaaack

My sister Sweetie and I had a really great trip.  I didn't take as many pictures as I used to in the past, but here are some food photos for you at least.

We bought choke omiyage.  Stay tuned for my Omiyage Giveaway.  

 

   

   

   

   

   

 

Update

Kai's hotspot area is healing really nicely, but he still likes to lick so the cone goes on at night when we're asleep and whenever I catch him licking.  He's adjusted to having it on as you can see in the short video below.

Me. I'm pretty pooped.  Dunno when I'll be back to blogging.  I'm going to Japan again next month and am looking forward to the break.  See you at least after I get back.

Recuperating Kai

Kai developed a raw and painful large hotspot from over-licking a rash in his groin region.  I couldn't see it under his fur and didn't even realize it until a few nights ago when I saw that he was finding it hard to comfortably lie down.

It was a rough first few days (and nights).  Wearing the cone to prevent further licking terrified him, but he has gotten more used to it although he still does need coaxing sometimes getting through what he thinks are tight spots. 

 

Below are two videos from this morning.  You can click on them to view.

   

 

Kai - 6 months

So fast he became a Big Boy.  But he's still a puppy at heart.

Just FYI, I'm gonna be taking a break from blogging for awhile.  No particular reason.  See you again soon. 

 

You can click on the photo below to watch Kai entertaining himself.

  

Dd's Lemon Feta Seafood with Spinach

Too hard for me to make, but maybe some of you can try.  Sure looks yummy!

 

LEMON FETA SEAFOOD WITH SPINACH

 

*Sauce:

6 TB olive oil

½ tsp. lemon zest

1/4 c fresh lemon juice

1/4 c feta cheese, crumbled

1 TB agave nectar or honey

Salt, freshly cracked black pepper

Seafood:

1 large onion, thinly sliced

½ c green onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TB butter

1 TB olive oil

1 # fresh baby spinach

6 pc. small scallops, patted dry

3 large shrimp, peeled, deveined

4 oz. pc. salmon, cut into thirds

Salt, freshly cracked black pepper

Garnish: chopped green onion, crumbled feta cheese

 

Sauce: In a blender puree oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, feta cheese, and agave nectar. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside. 

In a skillet over medium heat sauté onion, green onions, and garlic in olive oil until softened, about 10 minutes. Add spinach; season with salt and pepper. Stir until just wilted. Transfer into mixing bowl; keep warm.  

Wipe out pan and return to medium-high heat.  Brush seafood with remaining 2 TB oil; season with salt and pepper. Add any leftover oil to pan. Sear seafood until they easily release and have browned, about 2-3 minutes. Turn seafood and sear until cooked through, 2-3  minutes. 

For service place spinach mixture among plates and top with seafood and drizzle with sauce. Garnish as desired.

Serves 2-4.

 

 

Wash Day for Stinky Toys

Kai's favorite toys just had to be washed.  They had become so gross that I didn't even want to touch them.

 

Kai was most happy to get back Big Lambchop.

   

   

 

Cy's Breakfast

 Duck and chicken from Meimei in Maunakea Marketplace.  $14.

Kai's Puzzle Toy

Kai loves this puzzle toy and gets all excited when I'm prepping it with treats.  It's the opposite of Kona who had no interest in his toy at all.  You can check out Kona's reaction to his toy here. 

 

I hide pumpkin/apple treats in the puzzle and Kai needs to uncover them to enjoy. 

   

  You can click on the photo below to watch a video.

Praying Mantisessssssss

Can you imagine how big my eyes got when I saw this!  I was so lucky to be able to get off a few shots before they all ran off.

 

   

   

   

 

Cy's Akule Poke

Per Cy:  Akule, limu kohu, kukui nut, sesame oil, onion and Lan's smoked chili pepper salt.  Lots of work but worth it.

Dd's Beef Sukiyaki

I want to eat this with a big bowl of white rice!

 BEEF SUKIYAKi

 

1/2 lb. sukiyaki style beef, paper thin slices

2 tsp. vegetable oil

1 large onion, 1-inch slices

3 stalks green onion, 2-inch diagonal slices

3 cloves garlic, smashed

3 thin slices fresh ginger, julienne

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 TB mirin sake

2 TB sugar

1/3 c. soy sauce

freshly ground black pepper

4 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

Garnish: slivered green onions

 

In a large skillet over medium high heat, sauté beef in oil. Add onions, garlic, ginger. 

In a small mixing bowl combine cornstarch, mirin, sugar, soy sauce and pepper.  Into skillet stir in sauce mixture and mushrooms; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes until no liquid remains. 

Top with sliced green onions. Serves 2-3.

My Best Pickled Onions

This was actually my first time making pickled onions, but came out good so I think it qualifies as my best.

I followed a recipe from the Keeping it Relle site.  I added Thai chili peppers and made just half recipe 'cause I wasn't sure how it would turn out. 

• 1 cup white vinegar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup water
• 2 ½ tablespoons Hawaiian salt
• 2 pounds sweet onions

1. Place sugar, vinegar, water, and Hawaiian salt into a saucepan set over high heat. Bring to a boil and heat through until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Set this aside to cool slightly.
2. Thinly slice onions and place into a jar or container.
3. Pour the pickling liquid over the onions until completely submerged. Allow to cool at room temperature.
4. Place the lid on and store in the refrigerator. 

Caesar Millan

Here's Kai watching Caesar Millian showing how to walk a dog properly.  I don't think he learned anything.

Cy's and Colin's Breakfast

From Rainbow Drive-In.  Boneless Chicken Cutlet ($12.75) with extra gravy and Chili Dog ($6.75). 

Da Best Pho

Da Best Pho is actually the name of the place and not really my opinion, but I really did like the two noodle soups that I got.  It's located in Market City, my old stomping grounds on the way to Kaimuki High School.  It's great that they open at 9:00 am, perfect for me because that's about the time when I'm in that area on my way home from the swap meet.  

On the left is Wonton Soup with Egg Noodle ($16.99) and on the right is Crab Meat Soup ($18.99).  My favorite part of both was the crispy chicken skin that they gave for garnish. 

 

   

   

   

   

   

 

Dd's Pan-Fried Rib Eye Steak

 I think Didi didn't really have a recipe for this, but I asked her for one because it looked so good.

2 each 10-14 oz. bone in rib eye steaks

Kosher salt, as needed

Freshly cracked black pepper, as needed

3-4 TB butter

1 TB olive oil

Garnish: straight/creamed horseradish

 

Generously salt and pepper both sides of rib eyes. Allow to sit in refrigerator 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.  

In a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat melt butter. Add oil. Sear rib eye well, turn over. Baste with butter oil mixture until seared on both sides and done to your preference.

Serve with horseradish. Serves 2 with leftovers.

Kai's New Fave Toy

I saw this tip for making a fun toy for Kai on YouTube.  He loves it.  He even runs away from me with it if he thinks I'm gonna take it away from him.  😁

 

You can click on the photo below to watch a short video.  BTW, you might notice a couple of elevated trash containers in the video.  Kai found and ate a Clorox wipe (or two) from the trash awhile back so now they're on pedestals.

  

Chrissy's Banana Bread

I used up all of the Chrissy Teigen banana bread mix that I found at Ross, so I decided to try and make it from scratch.  You can find more in-depth (and funny) instructions at Chrissy's blog here. 

It came out similar (moist and ono), but just as with the mix I upped the temperature to 350 degrees and baked for longer than instructed.  And for sure, you could use less sugar.

 

• 2 cups mashed very ripe bananas

• 4 eggs

• 2⁄3 cup canola oil (or melted butter), plus a little more to grease the pan

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little more for dusting the pan

• 2 cups sugar (or half brown sugar, half white sugar)

• 1 (3.5-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

• 1 (3.5-ounce) bar dark chocolate, chopped into chunks (or anything you love—peanut butter chips, nuts, etc.)

• 
  

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, and oil. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine well BUT GENTLY.  Fold in the coconut and chocolate chunks.

3. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Pour the batter into the pan. (This can also make two 8 × 4-inch loaves, but it’s so much more moist in one Bundt pan!) 

4. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55–60 minutes.

Slow Feeder

I bought this contraption to put into Kai's food bowl to stop him from gobbling up his food so fast.  It was $7.99 from Amazon.

It works great.  Now Kai takes about 6 to 8 minutes to finish his meal instead of 30 seconds.

 

   

I ended up switching to Kona's plastic bowl because Kai (just like Kona) doesn't like the clanging noise made by food dropping back into the metal bowl.

  

You can click on the photo below to see a short video of excited Kai.

 

Wendell's Grilled Shrimp with Chile and Garlic

Wendell saw this recipe in the recent Crave section of the Star Advertiser.  The article is from the New York Times and is by Ali Slagle.

It says that baking soda added into mayonnaise intensifies the mayo's fat.  Can't go wrong, yah.  I ate it with some pita bread and soup.  Was yummy!

• 
  

  INGREDIENTS

• 6garlic cloves
• ½ to 1fresh hot chile, such as jalapeño or Fresno (depending on the chile’s kick and your heat tolerance)
• ¼cup mayonnaise
• 1½teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
• Heaping ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on, patted dry
• 
  

  PREPARATION

  1. Step 1

     Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for high heat. (If you don’t have a grill, you can cook the shrimp in a cast-iron skillet over high heat, with the vent on, following the same timing.) Using a Microplane or the small holes of a box grater, grate the garlic and chile into a medium bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise, salt and baking soda. Add the shrimp and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.

  2. Step 2

     Clean the grates with a grill brush (no need to grease the grates), then grill the shrimp until well browned, 2 to 4 minutes. (If using a gas grill, close the lid to maintain temperature.) Flip and cook until opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes. Eat right away.

Kai - 5 Months