Main dish

Comfort food during hurricane week & when you’re feeling under the weather

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We made it through the week. As y’all probably heard on the news, Hawaii was under hurricane warnings most of the week. The storm has been downgraded to a tropical storm today. Great news! It was a hectic week. Everyone was panicking and the roads, stores, and gas stations were filled with people prepping for the storm. It was an unpredictable storm. We were very blessed that we didn’t get the full hurricane effects.

My tummy has been upset the past couple days so I decided to make okayu, Japanese rice porridge to help settle it. I think it worked. It’s a simple, hearty dish. I cooked white rice with extra water to make the rice extra soft. I seasoned it with pepper, salt, and shoyu (soy sauce). At the end, I cracked a couple eggs before serving. That’s it!

Everyone makes their okayu differently. I found this recipe online: https://www.thespruceeats.com/okayu-2031328

Fish head curry!

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Happy #TravelTuesday!

Today’s blog entry is taking us to Singapore where I tried their famous fish head curry at an Indian restaurant, called Gayatri in Little India. That was such a cute town. I loved the ambience of the restaurant. Here are some things to do in Little India: What to do in Little India

The curry was spicy, but I loved it! It was also the first time I got to try okra (lady fingers). I really enjoyed that, too.

Singapore was the first Asian country I visited and I fell in love. I’ve been there twice. One of my besties is from there and she invited me twice when she went back home to visit her family. I love how clean it is there. It’s great that their government implemented those rules and fines if people break the rules. They don’t call it a “Fine City” for nothing.

Visti Gayatri Restaurant when you’re in Little India: https://www.gayatrirestaurant.com/#!/home

Until next time! Ciao!

 

 

Dad’s Bday at Hy’s!

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Happy Sunday! My family and I celebrated my dad’s bday a couple months ago to this day at Hy’s Steak House in Waikiki. We love steak and I haven’t been to Hy’s in years! We really enjoyed the food. The ambience was sophisticated and quiet. It was a very intimate dinner with great company and delicious food.

I ordered the steak au poivre, which is a New York striploin with black peppercorns and au poivre sauce. Au poivre basically means “pepper steak.” My favorite seasoning- pepper! I had to try this dish.

I absolutely loved it. The peppercorns with the sauce was amazing! The steak was cooked at medium-rate- my preference- and it was tender. I loved my sides, too- mashed potatoes and green beans. Got to have green beans- my ultimate favorite.

I haven’t been to a steak house that didn’t disappoint.

Have a great week!

This Filipino grindz is BOMB!

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Happy Sunday!

My sis and I had a day out during Memorial Day weekend and dined at one of our fave Filipino joints- Thelma’s Restaurant in Waipahu. We love it there. I’ve grown to love this cuisine and pancit and squid guisado are my all-time favorite dishes. My definite go-tos! I also love pinakbet, Sari Sari soup, chicken adobo, etc. So many more delish foods to try!

What I want to try is the all-you-can-eat buffet for either lunch or dinner. That’ll be an amazing to try the variety of different Filipino foods.

What I love about Thelma’s is their family-friendly atmosphere; it’s not-too-loud, and the customer service is great. Oh, and we can’t forget about the ono food!!

Got to make another trip back to Thelma’s.

Until next time.

 

 

Breakfast for Father’s Day dinner

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Happy July! We had an extended Father’s Day celebration. My sis and I cooked dinner for our dad. We made him breakfast for dinner!!!! Whoo hoo!

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Bam! Breakfast pasta, ready to be served!

This was an extremely simple dish.

Ingredients:

  • Package of organic spaghetti pasta
  • Olive oil
  • Eight cloves of garlic
  • Six cage-free brown eggs
  • Handfuls of organic spinach
  • Ground lamb
  • Portuguese sausage
  • Bacon (crispy)

I first cooked the pasta and set it aside. I added some olive oil into a pot, then cooked the garlic with the ground lamb. After the meat was fully cooked, I added in the Portuguese sausage. I cooked the eggs in a separate pan and then added them into the pot with the existing ingredients. I added the cooked pasta and some handfuls of spinach, before topping the dish off with some crispy bacon. Mmm!

Next, was dessert! Waffle sundae split.

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Dairy-free is the way to go! Loved that cookie dough ice cream with cashew milk.

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The final product! I bought cinnamon and chocolate chip banana waffles.

Hope y’all had a great Father’s Day!

Be on the lookout for a change in the social media accounts- Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. Exciting times!!!!

Spring chicken soup before spring is over!

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I saw this awesome spring chicken soup recipe while browsing my Facebook and I HAD to make it!

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a19992009/spring-chicken-soup-recipe/

Ingredients: (of course, as y’all know, I modified the recipe.)
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 c. low-sodium organic chicken broth
1 whole chicken, shredded
2 sprigs thyme
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 cans of Southwest corn
Lemon slices, for garnish
My ingredients for this awesome soup!
Directions:
  1. In a large pot over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion, carrots, celery, and asparagus, and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, then add oregano, salt, and pepper.
  2. Pour in chicken broth and thyme. Bring to a boil then add chicken and lower heat. Let simmer until chicken is cooked through, 10 minutes.
  3. Remove chicken from pot and shred with two forks. Add chicken, lemon juice, and corn to pot. Cook until warmed through, 5 minutes. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley to serve.
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This soup was amazing! It lasted my family and I for three days!

I made pesto grilled cheese sandwiches to go along with the hearty soup.

The homemade pesto recipe is super simple:

  • Basil (Thai basil is also fine to use)
  • Pine nuts
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic cloves

Blend ingredients in a food processor or blender. It is so good! The best pesto I’ve ever eaten!

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I wanted to try Muenster cheese. It reminds me of Swiss. It was very yummy!

Good ol’ pasta & steak

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Happy Sunday!

I love experimenting and making different and unique dishes. This time, I made pasta with vodka sauce. Yes, vodka! 😏

I was inspired by this recipe: https://shewearsmanyhats.com/pasta-vodka-sauce-recipe/

I, of course, altered the recipe, as I always do, to make it my own.
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound pasta
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
  • 8 cloves garlic, grated
  • 32 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
  • ¼ cup vodka
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish (or Gruyere)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • garnish: fresh chopped parsley, grated Parmesan
  • I added arugula to the dish. I added about three handfuls of the batch.
Instructions:
  1. Begin cooking pasta to al dente stage according to package instructions.
  2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chili flakes and grated garlic, cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add tomatoes and vodka, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes.
  4. Stir in cream, Parmesan cheese, plus ¼ cup of pasta water until smooth. If needed, add more pasta water a little at a time until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Drain pasta, add to pan with sauce and toss until coated.
  6. Serve with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan.

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Mmm! I may have put a wee bit more cheese than anticipated. Still, it was yummy!

I was in the mood for steaks to pair with the pasta. I was dying to use honey and balsamic vinegar again. So I made this: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/balsamic-glazed-sirloin-steak-10900

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 pound 1/2-inch-thick boneless sirloin steak
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
  • 3 tablespoons medium-dry Sherry
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

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Doesn’t this look mouth watering?