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!

No, I didn't make gecko tea!

My man is trying to train this gecko to be his friend. I caught him checking out the tea and espresso, and finally choosing to lick honey off the honey bear. Pretty!

My Whale Photo on Schmap!

My Humpback Whale photo has been chosen for inclusion on the Schmap of Kohala Coast! This was a mother and calf that I photographed this winter. Yay! I am not a very good photographer, but I guess I am actually a Professional, since my photos have appeared in the (now defunct) Hawaii Island Journal.

RIP HIJ

So we were informed yesterday (the day AFTER a deadline. Grrrr.) that the Hawaii Island Journal, the last Hawaii-island-wide Independent media and my employer for the last 2 years, is closing.

Or more to the point, has closed. Effective immediately. The last one comes out today or tomorrow and I don't think there was any warning at all: No Farewell Issue or even a note from the editor or owner.

What has happened over the last year and a half, is the State-wide Stephens Media Group, a company based in Las Vegas and owner of the West Hawaii Today, Hilo Tribune...basically EVERYONE else on the island, introduced the Big Island Weekly, a supposedly liberal and entertainment weekly free rag, and direct competition to the HIJ. Supposedly they do this: Release a competitor rag, cause the local independent media to shut down, then cancel the fake weekly after it has accomplished it's task.

I enjoyed working for the Hawaii Island Journal, and will be sad to see what happens now. Not only for myself, who is out of a really cool job as a food writer, but for the whole island, which has lost it's own Independent voice.

Mmmmm Sushi!

This sushi is from an ahi-heavy meal at Sansei. The Nigiri is self-explanatory (those are spicy tuna rolls on the left side. The ones with the Tempura maui onion rings are foie gras nigiri with caramelized onions and mango dice. Decadent fusion, I know.
The nigiri photo was used in the paper with my article. Yum!

Bananas!

DBF has bananas growing in the yard. They are so good! Little apple bananas that are yummy and fresh and great with nutella!

I've Been on a Key Lime Kick

DBF gave me a bag of limes! Since he doesn't drink (especially tequila) the first thing to come to mind was, of course, Key Lime Pie!

I made one for Easter, I made one for work, I made one for a friend's baby shower, and I made one for DBF (and a few ramekins just for snacking)

Of all the Key Lime Camps, I belong to this one:

Graham Crust (as opposed to pastry), Eggs and cooking (instead of non-cook versions), whipped cream (vs. merangue.) I add a bunch of macnuts to the crust, and a ton of zest- everywhere! While technically these were Tahitian Limes (hybrided to our local citrus) I do like making this pie with actual Key Limes, but they are so tiny and labor-intensive. I would also like to try this recipe with lemons, oranges, grapefruits, calumundums...

Last Ramekin: Maybe I can find Bogart in "Key Largo" on cable...

The beautiful gardenias were also from DBF: He spoils me with them. He grows them and always makes sure the house is filled with them. What an awesome man! I should make him more pie...

Local Iron Chef Waimea Competition!

Saturday the 15th (Ides of March!) I was a judge at our local Farmer's Market, which hosted an "Iron Chef" Local-Style competition between Chef Daniel Thiebaut from Daniel Thiebaut, and Chef Neil Murphy from Merriman's restaurant.

The event raised awareness of local foods and the sustainability of our farms, and was hosted by the Farmer's Market Association, Slow Food Hawaii, The Mala'ai Garden at Wiamea Middle School, and the Kids at Kahilu program at the Kahilu Theatre, including the dancers from Angel Prince Dance.













Rules were as follows: Chefs would get a mystery ingredient, and would have some time to shop around the market for more ingredients. Then they would have 45 minutes to create a dish, with help from one dancer from Angel Prince and one Middle School student from Mala'ai Garden. Dishes were judged by 3 judges (including me!) with the following criteria: Taste, Presentation, and use of local ingredients. (We tied them).

The secret ingredient was fresh ground lamb from my friend Jan's Maluhia Farms and Hawaiian Homegrown Wool Company. The lambs were Bluebell, Junior, and I can't remember the third's name, but she did shear them before slaughter and their Romney wool in very soft.

Thiebaut made the lamb stuffed yellow pepper with watermelon radish rattatouille. Murphy made a vegetable and lamb layered gateau with smoked tomato sauce and egg and mushroom scramble.

They both looked amazing (see Bill Adams' of North Hawaii News photo of Neil's Gateau here. Much prettier than my photo!), they both used a massive amount of local ingredients, including the lamb, vegetables, goat cheese, and eggs. 

I thought Neil's gateau tasted the best, while Bernice thought Thiebaut's pepper was the best, and Chef Piet, the third judge, couldn't decide and suggested we tie them.

Good Fun!

One Reason to Love March

As a former girl scout myself, I have an enduring love for the cookies. Note that I only love the ones that were available during my scouting time. Note also the lack of Tagalongs, the peanut butter ones: I like them, but they were always my sisters, while the coconut encrusted Samoas were mine (she never liked coconut).
She and I both hate February, as well. Is it coincidence that we both hate the month immediately preceding the release of girl scout cookies? I think not:
I have this theory that the little brownie bakers are drugging the cookies with, like, a time release heroin or something. All former girl scouts are hooked at a young age and thus insure a life-long customer base. February comes along and we all go into moody withdrawals until the cookies appear in March. Am I the only one who over-splurges? Hording, case-purchases, bulk-buys... not uncommon. A few years back, my usual dealer, er, innocent-little-girl-scout won a frickin' bicycle because her sales were so high. Yup: That was me. I was told that it would have been cheaper to just buy her the bike, but then I wouldn't have the cookies. Must.Have.Cookies!

Happy Red Squishy Valentines Day!

Tomatoes at Pau in Waimea.

Farmer's Market Lemons