Blog Archives

Hawaiian Seasoned Salt

6/30/2012

This is by no means the only recipe for Hawaiian Seasoned Salt.

When the "Hui" (a club I belong to) decided to make a big batch for a fund-raiser, we found many delicious recipes. We decided on this one because it works equally well on meats, poultry, and fish. We made huge batches (enough for 30 jars) and sold individual jars. Ono!

Here is the recipe, for one batch.

Hawaiian Seasoned Salt
1/3 cup Hawaiian Salt
1 T. Smoked Paprika
1/2 T. Red Pepper Flakes
2 T. Oregano
2 T. Thyme
1 T. Garlic Powder

Combine ingredients. Store in an airtight jar. To use, sprinkle a little on beef, pork, chicken or fish before grilling or baking.

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June 23rd, 2012

6/23/2012

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Good Lychee/Bad Lychee

6/20/2012

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In the above photo: Ideal gift of lychee from a neighbor. They are cleaned, washed, sorted and even chilled. They made a delightful dessert, and snack the next day.

Second photo: GAAAAAH. Second neighbor brings lychees. Bag must weigh 10 pounds. Halfheartedly attempted to eat some, but frankly, four or five were enough. Office-mates groaned when I brought them to work. Tried to share them, but other neighbors were also tired of them. In desperation, I looked up recipes on the internet. They were stupid, unless I wanted to drink countless girly cocktails. I see another neighbor is harvesting from his tree. Time to close the curtains and lock the door.

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Kalamansi Vodka Tonic

6/17/2012

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Happy Father's Day!
Here is Mr. L.'s Kalamansi Vodka Tonic recipe. I think they are wonderful, especially on a hot day.

1½ oz. Vodka

Tonic water

1 Kalamansi, halved & seeded

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add 1½ oz. Vodka. Top with Tonic water. Stir gently. Squeeze seeded Kalamansi over drink, and float halves in drink.

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King Kamehameha Day

6/11/2012

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The Hilo Farmer's Market

6/10/2012

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Delicious!

I think I spent $10 in five minutes yesterday at the Hilo Farmer's Market. One minute, I had cash in my wallet and then swoooosh . . . gone. It was well worth, it, though. Above, left to right: Kalamansi, corn, avocados, grape tomatoes. Kalamansi are like little limes, although you'll also see them called Chinese Oranges. My hair stylist extraordinaire, Travis Enriques, likes to squeeze the juice into sparkling water or over pancit noodles. I like the fresh juice squeezed over fish. Mr. L makes a mean vodka tonic with these little gems. I need to talk a bit about that corn. Next Saturday, I will be lining up early to get some more of it. It was so sweet, crispy, and fresh! I just added a tiny bit of butter and salt. Mr. L and I devoured those ears. I am glad we have more for tonight's dinner. I will do my best to find the lovely ladies who were selling piles of beautiful vegetables and find out more about them. While in Hilo, the Hilo Farmer's Market is a "must" to check out.

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Aunt Joyce's Pork Chops

6/2/2012

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Miss Scarlett, our daughter, is now living in Brooklyn, New York, and is learning to cook. We armed her with a few cookbooks, but I felt like something was missing. Then, I remembered my old recipe box filled with "family favorites" so dug it out.

When I was about her age, my Aunt Joyce sent me a stack of handwritten recipe cards. They were a life-saver, because my repertoire was pretty small. I ate a lot of ramen. I have noticed she is eating a lot of spaghetti. Over the years, I have added recipes from my mother, father, grandmother, mother-in-law, aunts, uncles and good friends.

Hopefully, I can format this recipe so that she (and everyone else) finds it easy to follow.

Aunt Joyce’s Pork Chop and Potato Scallop

Serves: 2 (so you can have leftovers, tomorrow, chickie)

2 pork chops (either boneless or with bones)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/4 cup of water
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
2 large potatoes, peeled and then sliced into ¼ inch slices
About 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Aluminum foil

Baking pan
Frying pan
Mixing bowl

Okay, chickadee. The first thing you are going to want to do is to heat your oven to 375 degrees. Now, slice your potatoes.

Slice them 'taters

Next, combine the sour cream, water, and cream of mushroom soup in your mixing bowl.

Put a little olive oil into your baking dish and coat it with a pastry brush or paper towel. This is just so the food doesn’t stick and the pan is easier to wash, later.

Alternate layers of sliced potatoes, salt and pepper, and sauce. Top with the browned pork chops. Don’t overfill your baking dish, or it will bubble over, causing a yukky mess in the oven. Cover the whole thing with foil and pop into the oven for one hour and 15 minutes.

Layers of potatoes and sauce, topped with browned pork chops.

Remove from oven and carefully remove foil. Voila! Dinner. Sprinkle with parsley if you’re feeling fancy.

When you cook for friends, just double the recipe. Cooked carrots or green beans are nice with this.

Dressing it up: Add a layer of thinly-sliced onions, and a ¼ cup of cooking sherry to the sauce. Definitely add chopped parsley on top.

Baked and ready to serve

Dinner is served.

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