Summer Solstice 2011

Today is the first day of summer, and I wanted to share an excerpt from a post that Mariko did on her blog, The Little Foodie, that she called A Meaningful Summer.  I just love her writing style.   Her words are so picturesque to me that I often find myself reading them over and over.  And on top of that, she takes awesome photos too. 


"I could hold summer with my bare hands, chew noisily, and let its juice slide down my chin.
I could run through summer and get its mud all over my nice clothes.
I could bathe in summer until my toe skin gets wrinkly like dried apricots.
I could read every last word of summer, staying up late with a flashlight under the covers.
I love summer."

Didi's Chicken Tsukune

Okay, you guys who wanted recipes from Sunday's gathering.  Here's one for now . . . waaaaay too complicated for me to make myself.   Most unfortunate 'cause it was super, super ono.  Isn't Didi da bomb for sharing her recipe?  I LOOOOVE YOU DIDI!!!



1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, finely minced
½ lb. ground chicken
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch ginger, peeled, grated
3 stalks green onion, finely chopped
2 large eggs
2 slices whole wheat bread, day old, crumbled or ½ c. bread crumbs
2 TB oyster sauce
2-3 TB sriracha sauce, as desired
2 TB soy sauce
 Wooden bamboo skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes

 Teriyaki Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
2 TB sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-quarter size ginger, peeled, grated
2 stalks green onion, finely chopped

 Chicken: In a mixing bowl; combine chicken with remaining ingredients well. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Teriyaki Sauce: In a saucepan over medium high heat; bring soy sauce and mirin to a boil. Reduce heat; stir in sugar, until dissolved. Add ginger and garlic; simmer 5-10 minutes until slightly reduced. Remove from heat; cool. Add green onion. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape mixture into 1-1 ½ inch patties. Line patties onto prepared baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Patties do not need to be cooked through completely. Skewer 2-3 patties on each skewer.

On flat grill, or in skillet over medium heat, cook patties, drizzling with Teriyaki Sauce. Cook until glazed on both sides. Serves 6-8.

Note from Didi: Traditional recipes call for boiling chicken patties/balls before grilling, I think you lose a lot of the flavor by boiling them.

Baby Bear Beanie

I know some of you are waiting for the recipes from yesterday's feast, but I just had to show off my newest beanie.  Isn't it cuuuuuute!!  If you can crochet even just a little, you can make it too.  The instruction video is on my earlier post called I Learned How to Crochet!   I couldn't follow it exactly 'cause for some reason . . . dunno what I'm doing wrong . . . but I'm always off in my measurements.  When she says I should have six stitches left to go, I got twelve.  When she says it should be 5 inches across, I'm like 6 or 7 inches.  I keep having to unravel . . .  but I finally finished it and it's sooooo cute! 



Recipes coming from tomorrow. I promise.

Colin's First Birthday

We had a small-kine celebration today for Colin's 1st Birthday.  So fast yeah!!  The food theme was Kushiyaki (skewer grilled) food.  Hoo hoo!!!  Soooo ono!!  Wait till you see da food!

My brother Cy, his wife Diem and Colin.


Didi greeting Colin.  All of my sisters are great cooks, but with Didi it's a passion.


Colin playing with Uncle Glenn's face.


My sisters Didi, Geri and Leigh (we call her Sweetie).


The grillers Cy, Glenn and my son Landon.  Wendell played in a softball tournament today and didn't come home until around 3ish.


My first beanie model!!


Sweetie made a musubi assortment including yaki musubi.


Here's the start of the kushiyaki.  I have to ask my sisters for the recipe if you want um.  Let me know which one if you're interested.


Chicken Tsukune.   Didi actually fried these on a grill pan instead of putting them on the hibachi.

Gyutan (tongue)


Teriyaki Meat.  Geri bought sukiyaki meat and marinated.


Kim Chee Pork


Baby Tako


Yaki Tomorokoshi Corn


Bacon-wrapped Shrimp.   I marinated them in French dressing.


Bacon-wrapped asparagus.  I drizzled lemon-flavored olive oil on it.


Arabiki Sausage.  I loved the snap as you bite into it!

Giving Back to the Aina with Mano

I used to call Mano my "good friend" even when I barely knew him.  That's the kind of guy he is.  Something about him just makes you feel like you've known him forever.  That's how special he is.  So guess what Mano did to celebrate his birthday?   He had a Give Back to the Aina celebration today and invited his friends and family to meet him at a nature preserve deep in Kalihi Valley called  Ho'oulu 'Aina, for a morning dedicated to servicing the land.

Update from Mano:  Hey guys, every 3rd Saturday, everyone is welcomed to come and help weed, clean, pick up trash, harvest the fruits and veges on the land. 100 acres owned by the state that the community fought for and won over real estate developers. The community comes, takes ownership into the land, and everyone walks away afterwards with bags of freshly harvested produce and meeting cool people.



Ho'oulu 'Aina is located at the very end of Kalihi Street after this wooden bridge . . .


which spans over a part of Kalihi Stream.






Here's Mano.


I was surprised to see my girlfriend's daughter Sharlynn and her husband Ryan. Sharlynn said that they help out at the preserve about every other month.  She and Ryan created HIHO (Hands in Helping Out) a nonprofit organization geared to helping people become volunteers.  Pretty awesome yah!