Noods Ramen

We had Noods Ramen takeout for dinner last night which reminded me that I had photos from awhile back that I had never posted.  

I had opted for the Yuzu Shio Ramen which was okay and not as good as the now-closed AGU Ramen's.  😢

The guys enjoyed their ramens, and the fried rice and gyozas were ono with the chili garlic gyoza being our fave.

 

Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen ($17.00)

   

Yuzu Shio Ramen ($15.00)

   

Garlic Fried Rice ($4.00)

   

Garlic Chili Gyoza ($7.00)

   

Ginger Scallion Gyoza ($7.00)

  

Dd's Mushroom Soup

MUSHROOM SOUP

2 TB butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ # fresh cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated in 1 cup water, reserve liquid
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
2-3 TB flour, as needed

2 TB dry sherry
3 c. beef broth
1 tsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3-4 TB heavy cream

Garnish: croutons, chopped Italian parsley, grated parmesan cheese

In a large stockpot over medium heat sauté onions in butter until tender.  Add garlic, mushrooms and thyme.  Cook 2 minutes until mushrooms have wilted.  Add flour stirring until completely blended.  Add sherry, broth and reserved porcini liquid scraping any fond that has formed on the bottom of the pot.  Add soy sauce, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer.  Cook 10-12 minutes until mushrooms are tender.  Using an immersion blender purée soup to desired consistency.  Stir in heavy cream.  Garnish as desired. 

Serves 2-3 as entree.

Awesome Three-Ingredient Deep-Fried Eggplant

I've only ever had this at Mei Sum Dim Sum Restaurant.  It's my favorite eggplant dish, but I've never been able to find a recipe.  So I had to make one up.

I added "Awesome" to the title because that's what Landon said about it.

As always with eggplant, I soaked sliced eggplant in salted water for about an hour.  You can go shorter, but I took Kai to the dog park before cooking.

Pat dry and dredge in corn starch with fried garlic mixed in (plus salt to taste).  Then fry.

 

This is the fried garlic that I used.

   

I don't like deep frying because of the mess so I rarely do it, but this came out really good.  Do you think air frying would work?

  

Ceramics Class

Red is mine and Geri's.  Blue is Cleta's.  Green is Erick's.

Next week we glaze.  I have ten pieces to glaze.  So for our 2-hour class I can spend 12 minutes on each.  Wish me luck.

Honolulu Aunty, thank you for the underglazes!  We will totally make use of them.

Not Dropping It

Click on the photo below to watch a video of when the “drop it” command didn't work.

Cy's Breakfast

 Naty's Kitchen in Maunakea Market.  Pig's Feet with Rice ($10), Rice Soup ($6), Iced Coffee ($6.50).

   

Ceramics Class

I must say that the people in this class sure produce a lot of pieces.  The instructor said that she might need to do two bisque firings instead of just one to accommodate all of the pieces.

Here are my planters.  I did the one on the right in the last few minutes of the class with my leftover clay.  It was the most fun to do of the three. 😆

 

Green circle is Cleta's and red is Erick's.  Geri had a scratchy throat so didn't attend. 

   

   

   

Below is a short video of a flip through of my notebook.  It helps to keep my mind in order.

  

Roselani Ice Cream

I've been enjoying this Roselani Pa'uwela Sunrise Ice cream.  It's an orange dreamsicle flavored ice cream with pineapple chunks in it.  It's super ono.

 

It's also super expensive.  But I can’t take my money with me, right?

  

Hawaiian Chili Pepper Plants Update

I transplanted some of the seedlings into bigger pots.  Luckily, I had kept the wonderful cinder/soil mixture from the plants that my friend Ryan gave to me.  

I had to move the pots away from our other plants because they were getting white flies from them.  ☹️

I already gave Geri two of the plants.  I wanted to give her more because their survival rate is much greater with her than with me, but she said two was enough. 

Cleta's Zucchini Fries

Per Cleta:  Cut, salt and leave on paper towel to absorb water.  Roll in flour, dip in beaten egg, pat well in panko.  Hot oil is key for crisp outside, kinda firm inside.

Ceramics Class

Our second ceramics class was yesterday.   I made another paint palette on the lower right, this time with bigger wells than the one I made at the last session.  Erick made the dinosaur, Cleta's incense holder is below Erick's and Geri's vases/bowls are to the right of Cleta's. 

 

Geri's plate is on the left and my cat/owl planter is on the right.  I'm starting to feel more productive and less frustrated than before.  I think me and Clay can be friends. 

 

Chicken Adobo with Potatoes

Landon said that he was craving chicken adobo so I made some the other night.  

I followed my mom's recipe here.  I didn't use salt-free shoyu and I added in a potato at the end.

Cy's Breakfast

Lam's.  $14.65.  I love chow fun and this one looks good!

Ceramics Class

Ceramics class started again.  I made the two cigar ashtrays in the middle, Erick made a bonsai plant bowl to the left of them, Cleta made cute cat wind chimes above and Geri made the hibiscus plate on the upper right corner.  

Maybe I'm more used to the easily ruinable nature of working with clay now.  I’m not as annoyed at it as in the last session. Yet.

Being Kai

Below is a compilation of some phone videos of Kai.

Manju!

Wendell went to Kauai recently for a softball tournament and came home with some Lawai manju.  I've been craving it ever since and even wondered if we should go to Kauai to pick up more.

And so I started looking up recipes.  I decided on Keeping it Relle's Sweet Potato Manju recipe because it was "simple" and used a lot of buttah.  Plus, she did a YouTube video showing how to make them.

 

You don't have to put them on a wire rack to cool, but I did because . . . 

   

this is what they looked like just out of the oven!!  Whaaaat??!!  I thought I would need to drain them, but eventually the melted butter disappeared and I guess was absorbed into the manju.  I figured that the next time I make this I would use 2 sticks of butter instead of 3, BUUUUT it turned out so ono that I think I might just stick to 3.

You can find the recipe on YouTube just below the video.  I used one can of Koshian instead of sweet potato and ended up with 20 pieces instead of 18.  My bake time was about 10 minutes longer than stated.  Also, the recipe calls for 4 egg yolks, so I used the whites to do the egg wash instead of wasting another whole egg.

Dungeness Crab from Yi Xin Cafe

We ordered food from Yi Xin Cafe in Market City for Landon's birthday and the Dungeness crab was a major hit.  It was super meaty, super ono and super expensive.  

Curry Crab with Naan Bread ($72.95)

 

Singapore Style Chili Crab ($68.00)

 

It was messy to eat, but DA SAUCE.  DA SAUCE.  That was enough for me.

Drop It

The other day while playing in the yard I could tell that Kai had something in his mouth that he was trying to hide from me.

I told him to "drop it".

 

He spit it out.  It was a rock.

  

Dd's Beer-Braised Beef Shank

This looks so good, I'm thinking I need to go shopping for some beef shank.

BEER BRAISED BEEF SHANK

 

1 ½ # bone in beef shank

¼ c. flour

Kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper

Olive oil

1 small onion, stew-cut

1 celery stalk, stew-cut

1 small carrot, stew-cut

1 tomato, wedges

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 heaping TB tomato paste

12 oz. amber beer

1 c. beef stock

2 tsp Italian seasoning

¼ tsp. dried thyme

1 TB Worcestershire sauce

1 TB red wine vinegar

Kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper to taste

 

Place flour in a shallow dish; set aside. Season beef shank well on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour. In a saucepan over medium heat brown shank on both sides in oil. Add onion, celery, carrot and tomato into saucepan.  Saute until slightly limp, 3-4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cover. Simmer 1 1/2 -2 hours or until beef falls apart easily. 

Serves 2.

Wendell's Halibut with Lemon Caper Sauce

Mahina's parents went fishing in Alaska recently and shared some of their catch with us.

Wendell made this super onolicious dish using a recipe from the kitchn site.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small lemon
• 2 cloves 

  garlic 

• 1 tablespoon 

  capers

• 4 tablespoons 

  cold unsalted butter

• 2 sprigs 

  fresh parsley

• 4 (4 to 6-ounce) skinless halibut fillets
• 1 teaspoon 

  kosher salt, plus more as needed

• 1/4 teaspoon 

  freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

• 2 tablespoons 

  olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the following, adding each to the same small bowl as you complete it: Finely grate the zest of 1 small lemon (about 1 teaspoon). Juice the lemon until you have 2 tablespoons. Mince 2 garlic cloves. Rinse 1 tablespoon capers well under cold running water, if salt-packed, to remove salt.
2. Cut 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter into 4 pieces. Coarsely chop the leaves and tender stems of 2 fresh parsley sprigs (about 1 tablespoon). Pat 4 (4 to 6-ounce) skinless halibut fillets dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just starting to smoke, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the halibut and sear undisturbed until well browned on the bottom and the sides are cooked just past halfway up the fillets, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, flip the fillets, and cook until just cooked through and the flesh flakes easily, 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter or individual plates.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the lemon juice mixture and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the butter one piece at a time, waiting until each piece is almost completely melted before adding the next.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Pour over the halibut and serve immediately.

Cy's Breakfast

Beef Curry with Tripe and Tendon from Heaven Chinese Noodle and BBQ Cafe.  $13.

Wendell's Filipino Grilled Pork Belly

Wendell followed a Foodland five-ingredient recipe to make this.  He made it for his softball team and we got the leftovers.  It was yummy.

 

• 1 pound Pork belly
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Minced garlic
• 1/2 cup Brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Shoyu
• 1/2 cup Banana ketchup (or regular ketchup)
• 1 tablespoon Oil (any neutral oil)

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Cut pork belly into 1/2inch strips. In a large bowl, combine pork belly, salt, pepper, garlic, sugar, and shoyu. Mix well.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to marinate overnight or for at least 1hour.
• Once the pork belly has finished marinating, in a small bowl, mix ketchup and oil. Reserve for basting.
• Preheat grill to med-high heat.
• Once grill is ready, place pork belly down and cook for 6-8 minutes on each side, basting the top of the poke belly after flipping it over.
• Cook until internal temperature reaches 165°F or desired doneness.

Anything for Me?

This is Kai when I come home from shopping.

Potato Mac Salad (to go with your Hamburger Steak)

This was the best potato mac salad I ever made.  And the only . . . 

I looked at recipes online and kinda made up my own.

Throw together:

One good-sized potato, microwaved for 6 minutes, skinned and cubed

1 cup-ish macaroni, boiled and drained

2 boiled eggs, diced

1 can tuna, drained

1/2 cup (maybe more?) mayo

carrots, shredded

cilantro, minced (cause I had)

2 teaspoons onion powder (cause Landon doesn't like raw onions)

salt (sprinkle)

pepper (planny if you're Cy)

Hamburger Steak

I first posted this recipe back in 2008 and you can find it here.  It was super easy to make and so juicy ono that I want to make it again already.

 

Here's my bowl with the fixings . . . buttered corn, Geri's kimchee and Safeway potato salad.

   

I used this to make the gravy.  I added some of the juices from the frying pan to make it even more unhealthy.

  

Da Seedlings

Here are the Hawaiian chili pepper seedlings! 😬

Enchilada Sauce over Taquitos

This was the best enchilada sauce I ever made!  It was also the only enchilada sauce that I ever made.  The recipe is from the COOKIE + kate website.

I layered some taquitos from Costco in an 8 x 8 pyrex dish, covered them with some precooked taco meat (1 pound hamburger, 1/4 cup taco seasoning, 1/2 cup water), poured on the enchilada sauce and topped with choke cheese. Baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

It came out surprisingly good for an impromptu meal.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons flour 
• 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
• Pinch of cinnamon 
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. This sauce comes together quickly once you get started, so measure the dry ingredients (the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and optional cinnamon) into a small bowl and place it near the stove. Place the tomato paste and broth near the stove as well.
2. In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and don’t step away from the stove!
3. Once it’s ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.
4. Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.)
5. Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary.

Fred Update

 Fred is still around, though not as active as before, but still enjoying meal worms.