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Cereal Bars, Charlotte Bronte, and What We're Eating in Hilo, Hawaii

6/28/2015

I have been experimenting with cereal bars lately, because they don't require baking, and it's hot. Today I messed around with another recipe for a while, then sat down to read more of Villette. Then I fell asleep, which explains this late post. It isn't that I haven't loved Villette. I couldn't put it down until around page 500, which is kind of when it seems like it should have ended. But it keeps going. Miss Scarlett sends me really good books to read, and I always love them. This one was no exception until the last 100 pages. I won't cheat and just read the ending, though. There may be a quiz.

So, back to the cereal bars. I made a batch a couple of weeks ago that were considerably healthier, but the dang things wouldn't stay together. I clearly needed to melt some marshmallows. This batch has marshmallow glue, and so far, so good. Mr. L cleaned out the pan and shared with the dogs; everyone approved.

Here is the recipe:

3 T. butter
1 package mini-marshmallows
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
5 cups Cheerios
1 cup trail mix (mine had raisins, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts)

Butter a 9 x 13 pan. Melt butter and marshmallows. Stir in peanut butter until the entire mixture is creamy. Add in Cheerios and trail mix. Spoon into buttered pan and attempt to chill before household eats it. Cut into bars.

Here are this week's menus:
Sunday: Bow-Tie Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage (we really like the Isernio's brand); Zucchini
Monday: Chicken Stir-Fry with Peppers, Yellow Squash, and BOK CHOY fresh from the garden over rice. Can you tell I am excited about the bok choy?
Tuesday: Ribs, Potato Salad, and Tossed Green Salad
Wednesday: Birds-Eye Three-Cheese Chicken Pasta; Salad; French Bread
Thursday: Chicken Normandy and Mashed Potatoes; Peas
Friday: Salmon, Broccoli, and Rice PIlaf
Saturday: Pupus with Friends and Fireworks

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Bourbon Cake, Rainbows, and What We're Eating in Hilo, Hawaii

6/20/2015

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Mr. L took this beautiful picture recently, while we were out walking the dogs. Along with the palm trees, puffy clouds and ocean, it is quintessentially Hawaii. We have now been here for almost eleven years, and I am not yet jaded by rainbows or the ocean. I cannot imagine that would ever happen.

Today is Father's Day, and I hope the fathers in your life are having a good one. Mr. L is watching golf. My own father is too, so I will wait to call him. We have a special menu for tonight, in honor of Father's Day. It includes Chicken Tetrazzini and Bourbon-Chocolate cake. As with all good recipes, there is a story behind this one.

My mother used to make this cake for a lot of picnics and get-togethers with friends. We just loved it. I had a good laugh today, when I realized I was eating bourbon pound cake for years as a KID. People would probably come unglued about that in this day and age. It's not like dad put it on my sack lunches or anything, though. (And thanks, Dad, for packing my lunches for all those years!) Anyway, after mom's death, the recipe was lost. I have searched for it, on and off, for years. I recently came across a Twitter account called @RecipesLost and asked for their help. They came up with this recipe, so that is what I am trying out. I appreciate their very prompt assistance and recommend them. However, I cannot report back yet about whether it is similar to mom's recipe, since we won't be cutting into it until much later. Best case scenario: Nailed it. Worst case: Really good cake.

Here is how the week is looking:

Sunday: Chicken Tetrazzini, Broccoli, and French Bread; Bourbon-Chocolate Pound Cake
Monday: Grilled Spearfish, Salad, Salsa Fresca and Tortilla Chips
Tuesday: Chicken with Buttered Snap Peas and Lettuces; French Bread
Wednesday: Couscous "Alfredo" with Mushrooms; Salad
Thursday: Burritos (Black Beans, Olives, Chiles and Cream Cheese); Salad
Friday: Pork Chops with BBQ Sauce Twice-Baked Potatoes, and Green Beans
Saturday: Joe's Special

Notes: I'm using Israeli tri-colored couscous for the Alfredo. Prepare as directed; add sauteed mushrooms, and make an Alfredo sauce to go on top (butter, whipped cream parmesan cheese).

Here is that pound cake, cooling down. Mmmm. Have a great week!

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Garage Sales and What We're Eating in Hilo, Hawaii

6/14/2015

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Apologies for the late post! Here it is Sunday evening, already. Where does the weekend go? Well, a fun part of ours went for going to Saturday garage sales, one of our favorite pastimes. We love a good bargain. We seem to either get really lucky or be totally skunked. Yesterday, except for a few rolls of ribbon, was a "skunked" day. One sale was over on Haulaulani Place, in Wainaku, where I hadn't been in years. If you are visiting Hilo, seeing this street is a fun thing to do. There are amazing Craftsman-style homes there (listed on the National Historic Register, in fact) that really made me wonder about life here in Hilo in the 1920s. Here is one that was built by the pioneering Lyman family, now for sale. Donna Duryea of has the listing, if you are home-shopping. Google "Haulaulani Place Images" if you want to see more examples of the beautiful homes.

As promised, I am reporting back on the Zucchini-Mushroom Lasagna of last week. It was great and I will pop in a photo below. I did salt and drain the zucchini, drain the cottage cheese, and sauteed and drained the mushrooms. I made a bechamel sauce and added mozzarella cheese. Yum!

Here are this week's plans:
Sunday: Found some spearfish at Choice-Mart in Captain Cook, so we'll grill that. Costco had a new Caprese Salad that I hadn't tried before, so picked one of those up, too.
Monday: Shrimp and Broccoli Fettucini; Leftover Caprese Salad
Tuesday: Lentils with Sausages and Mushrooms; Tossed Salad
Wednesday: Ham, Red Cabbage with Apples (I cook in butter and a little brown sugar, and then add balsamic vinegar), and Parsley Noodles
Thursday: Fried Chicken, Fresh Corn (thanks again, Choice-Mart), and Mashed Potatoes
Friday: Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms, Olives, Red Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese
Saturday: Chili with Tortilla Chips and Guacamole

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Gardening Progress and What We're Eating in Hilo, Hawaii

6/6/2015

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Criminy, that was one wet spring. Today is June 6 and the garden is finally in. Mr. L put up the green bean trellis today. Bring on the beans! We're ready! Green beans must be the most rewarding thing there is to grow. There is also some bok choy back there, about ready to be thinned. The beets are starting to pop up. At least the anthurium and oranges were happy about all that rain.

As I write this, the neighborhood kids are out in the street, playing baseball. Earlier, they were chasing each other with a hose. Summer is great stuff, isn't it?

To heck with tonight's original item on the menu plan, stuffed tomatoes. Although I love them, this is the first sunny Saturday in quite some time and we are barbequing, dammit. I have pork chops, bone-in, and I like those grilled and placed over (literally on top of) a tossed salad. I could serve them separately but putting right on the top does something awesome to a salad. Carnivore, meet vegetarian. Shake hands. Eat it all. And I will.

Here is how the rest of the week is looking.

Sunday: Mushroom-Zucchini Lasagne with Bechamel Sauce; Salad
Monday: Sausages, Red Potato Salad, and Broccoli with Dijon Mustard Sauce
Tuesday: Israeli Couscous with Chicken, Peas, Mushrooms and Parmesan
Wednesday: Ahi Bowls with Avocado, Cilantro, and Cucumber
Thursday: Poor Man's Filet, Rice Pilaf, Tossed Salad
Friday: Angel Hair Refrigerator Cleanout
Saturday: Turkey Chili over Chips with Guacamole

Recipe Notes:

The lasagne is an experiment, or I would include the recipe. Basically, I plan to layer the mushrooms, zucchini, and noodles. My research tells me I should (a) saute' the mushrooms to remove liquid and (b) slice and salt the zucchini and drain to remove moisture. I will try both. I also prefer cottage cheese over ricotta, but it will need to be drained, also. I plan to slather the whole lasagne in a bechamel sauce.

Angel Hair Refrigerator Cleanout is pretty much how it sounds. Boil angel-hair pasta, add whatever. Lots of parmesan on top; maybe a fried egg is things are sparse.

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