Island Way Sorbet

Wendell bought this from Costco for $15.80.  I asked him to pick it up after me and Landon tried one at the Bellows Open Market one Sunday and totally loooooved it.

It's cool how the sorbet comes in fruit shells.  The Heavenly Coconut actually comes in a coconut shell.  The Berry & Grapefruit is in a grapefruit rind, Mango in an orange rind (I think), and the Pomegranate is in a lemon rind (so smaller than the rest).

My fave was the Red Berry & Ruby Grapefruit, but I didn't get to try them all so I think I gotta go get another box.  

Playdate

Kai met up with his brother Teru and his dad Yume yesterday. He even got to enjoy a special meal prepared by R.  Kai had a blast and was so tired on the ride home that he could barely keep his eyes open. Thank you so much R and S!!

And it was awesome seeing you again, Kat!

Wanna Play?

 How could I deny, right?

Kai's Food

Kai's brother Teru eats human food for his meals, and it always looks so good.  I wanted Kai to enjoy some of that action too.  The photo is from a few days ago.

Thanks for your tips, Ryan!

In the short video below you can see Kai's reaction as I was preparing his special meal for the first time.

Layered Tonkatsu

This is my try at making tonkatsu like Nana Ai Katsu.  

Thanks to pal Linda for the idea and tip from my sister Didi about freezing, it came out good!

 

I bought shabu shabu pork and shabu shabu belly from Palama Market.  And BTW, did you know that the front part of the meat display case at the Makaloa branch lifts up so that you can get the meats yourself?  I didn't know that!  I'd been asking for help all this time.

 

I layered the meat 1 pork/3 belly/1 pork/3 belly/1 pork and made 5 cutlets.

  

I then breaded like I did for my chicken katsu and put them in the freezer.  See the chicken katsu instructions here.

   

The next day I fried them straight outa the freezer.

 

Dd's Chicken Puttanesca

This looks super yummy, especially knowing that it has anchovies in it!

 

CHICKEN PUTTANESCA

 

1 ½ # chicken breast, cubed

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

Flour as needed

2 TB olive oil

6-8 anchovy filets, with oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced

14 oz. can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes

¼ c. kalamata/black olives, sliced

2 TB capers

1 tsp. oregano

½ tsp. red pepper flakes, optional

Garnish: chopped Italian parsley, additional olives, capers

 

Season chicken well with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning on both sides. Dredge chicken in flour. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown chicken in oil. Transfer chicken to a serving plate. Set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Saute anchovy filets with oil. Cook 2 minute until melted. Add onion, cook 3-4 minutes until wilted. Add garlic, saute 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, olives, oregano and red pepper flakes. Bring sauce to a simmer 10-12 minutes. Return chicken into skillet. Allow to simmer 5 minutes. 

For service:  Garnish with parsley and additional olives and capers as desired.  Serves 2-3.

Cleta's Sanbaizuke

Cleta gave us a tub of her sanbaizuke and Wendell liked it so much that he asked for the recipe and made some for his softball team's after-game pupu.

Thank you, Cleta!!

 

 

Cleta tips:

I don't like too sweet a sauce so I lessen by about 1/2 cup.

I don't measure out the veggies, I just add what we like: daikon, cucumber, eggplant, mustard cabbage and hasu.

Also, 1) I've been only soaking for 1/2 day cuz I just want to get it done but I think boiling the sauce is a must. 2) The soaking with salt is by taste. If when I ready to squeeze and the salt water is too salty, I'll rinse with water. 3) I didn't add this time but I put wakame too. 4) I don't care to bite into ginger but I think adding ginger would be good.

Oh Oh

Colin's Corn Bread

My nephew Colin made this corn bread using a Zippy's Corn Bread mix.  The mix costs $5.60.  Cy said that they love it.

 

   

 

Kai - 4 Months Old

 

   

   

 

Newspaper Delivery Dog - Part 2

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

Then and Now

 Photo taken on 04/19/2024.

 

2 1/2 months later on 07/02/2024.

My Penguin Friend

 The last time I went to the theater was to watch Lord of the Rings with my mom.  I wonder if I can wait until this movie comes out in DVD format.  Just watching the trailer makes me teary.

Block of Wood

 It seems like Kai wants to bring his new-found toy into the house.

Dd's Lamb Merquez Meatballs

This sure looks yummy.  Too hard for me to make, but maybe some of you adventurous cooks might want to try.

 

LAMB MERQUEZ MEATBALLS

 

Meatballs:

¾ tsp. cumin seeds

½ tsp. coriander seeds

¼ tsp. fennel seeds

¼ tsp. hot paprika

¼ tsp. sumac

pinch cayenne pepper

¾ lbs. ground lamb

¼ c. breadcrumbs

¼ c. onion, minced

2 TB plain yogurt

1 TB harissa paste

¾ tsp. salt

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 large egg

Spicy Tomato Sauce:

Olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 TB harissa paste

1 TB tomato paste

14 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, blended

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Meatballs: In a skillet over medium low heat toast cumin, coriander and fennel seeds. Shake skillet, until they are fragrant and begins to change color, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Place seeds into a spice grinder and blend.  Place into a mixing bowl with hot paprika, sumac and cayenne and stir to combine. 

In a large mixing bowl, add lamb, spice blend and remaining ingredients. Combine gently. Roll into 1 ½-2 tablespoonful meatballs. Set aside in a baking dish.  Bake in preheated oven 10-15 minutes until browned. Set aside.

Sauce: Into same skillet over medium heat saute onions in oil until slightly softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant. Add harissa and tomato paste stirring to blend well. Stir in tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer sauce 20 minutes. 

Add meatballs; simmer 10-15 minutes. Serve over pasta. Serves 2-4.

Kai and the Kiddie Pool

I found a kiddie pool at Ross for $6.99!  We've used it twice, but Kai seems to very cautious (like me) and takes awhile to get used to things.  

 

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

Cy's Breakfast

 Beef Stew from Destiny and Lei's Eatery in Maunakea Marketplace $13.

 

Banana lumpia 3/$5.

   

 

Kai's Pen - 1 1/2 Months Later

 I previously wrote about Kai's pen twice before, here and here.

Kai Random Photos