Look What I Made!

Well. Gestational Diabetes has changed my diet, hopefully forever. While this diet was fraught with worry, the changes were the easiest "diet" I ever did: My little man was all the motivation I needed, and fear of hurting him made cutting out all those sugars and carbs a very easy choice.
Somehow, being a professional chef made eating a valued and gluttonous activity. All that is over now. Being a mama makes eating a fuel-based choice. I am fine, and he was born fine. Wish us luck to stay healthy!

KOSHARY!

I used to get a bowl of this for around 30 cents! So good!
This was from Saveur Magazine, and the photo just made me want to make some RIGHT NOW!

Merry Christmas!

My mother had one thing on her Christmas wish: That my brother and I would plan, shop for, and make Christmas Dinner, thus relieving her of all duty and stress! Now, she did have a bit of stress in the letting-go phase, and we did ask her to swing by her friend's farm for salad greens. She was able to relax, nap, run errands, and socialize while we cooked, however! My brother and I both shopped, Dad bought the meat, and we cooked over 3 days to produce:

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread for breakfast!

• Local Green salad with Cukes and Onions.
• Prime Rib with au jus.
• Real Yorkshire Puddings!
• Green Beans with Proscuitto and Leeks.
• Not-Canned Fruit salad in rum sauce.
• Macaroni and Cheese with ham and jalapenos.
• Roasted Red Potatoes.

And For Dessert!

• Granny Smith Apple Pie (undercooked- my bad).
• Eggnog Cheesecake with Rum Caramel Sauce.
  

It was all incredibly good, beautiful, filling, and too much food for 5 people. We had leftovers for a long time afterwards, and perhaps created some new traditions!
Yummy Merry Christmas!

Boeuf Bourguignon

"Didn't you just read that?" DBF says to me, perusing the egg-beater cover of "Julie and Julia" by Julie Powell. "Nope", I replied, "I just read 'My Life in France' by Julia Child, and I just saw the movie 'Julie and Julia', which is based both on this book and 'My Life in France'..."
I could see I had lost him at "France"... the first time I said it.
Oddly enough, the Powell book I had on reserve at the library came in today, and I picked it up on my way to the store to get tomato paste and beef stock (had none made at the moment) for my 'Boeuf Bourguignon' ala Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which is in the oven as I write this.
It was delicious, of course.
DBF, who rejects all things French, said, "I've had something like this before..."
After a moment's pause I ventured, "...Stew?"
Bon Apetit!

Q: What Do You NEVER See in Hawaii?

Answer: Individually Portioned SPAM.
Yeah, like someone in Hawaii could really stop with just one?
(Photo taken in California. Obviously.)

Sushi

Wonderful Ahi here in Hawai'i means I can make great sushi, and recently a friend taught me how to make real Miso soup. DBF gets spoiled if I do this too often...

Eating in the Philippines

I only took a few photos! Some fried banana fritters, squid awaiting the fryer,and coconuts!

The Gecko Likes the Cookies!

MMMMMMM! Spiced Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies cooling on a rack... with an early admirer snagging a taste!

Meringue Cookies

It is winter in Hawaii, and in honor of beautiful Mauna Kea iced with snow, I made meringue cookies with chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
Okay, i had some eggwhites in the fridge from all the holiday baking, and I needed to use them.
This recipe makes wonderfully chewy meringues, which I like better than the crispy ones.

Some Time to Cook

My honey has been busy in the garden, which gives me ample opportunity for cooking with garden ingredients! I am a terrible gardener, but I can cook! This tomato broke it's branch before it ripened, so will end life as a fried green tomato.
The pie came as an accident. I had a bunch of eggs laid by a friend's chickens, and beautiful leeks from the farmer's market. I made crust for a quiche. DBF claimed to not like quiche for the over-cooked egg flavor. Pie crust quickly became a flat tart dough for sausage and leek tart... with runny yolked baked eggs atop. The quiche shell got a can of peaches and a makeshift brown sugar crumble and voila! Peach pie with whipped cream!