 Yes, I know, that's beer, not pizza. But what goes better with pizza? I got a little thirsty just downloading that picture. I tried out a Cheeseburger Pizza recently and it's just great. That will be in this week's menus. See the picture and instructions, below. As I write this, we are checking out freezers in the sale ads. As you know, I have issues with my refrigerator, which includes the freezer. Mainly, it doesn't hold much. I would like to buy an after-Thanksgiving sale turkey right now, but I have absolutely nowhere to put it. We both grew up with parents who had giant chest freezers. I think my parents' possibly may have held some, uh, out-of-season venison. Mr. L says his parents' freezer contained a lot of freezer burn. If we get one, I vow to do better than that. On the menus, this week: Sunday: Roast Chicken, Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream and Garlic Chives, and Green Beans Monday: Sirloin Stroganoff, Buttered Noodles, and Broccoli Tuesday: Cheeseburger Pizza; Salad (instructions below) Wednesday: Andersen's Pea Soup and Popovers (and if you are ever in California near a Pea Soup Andersen's restaurant, just GO, okay?) Thursday: Sorta Swedish Meatballs, Pasta, Carrots with Dill (Note: I am using half of my turkey burger for the pizza, and the other half to make these meatballs. Use the leftover Newman's Own Sauce (see below) for the meatball sauce.) Friday: Baked Chicken Thighs and Rice with Artichoke Hearts and Peas (throw browned thighs everything into a baking dish, add a can of chicken broth and a little vermouth, cover and bake) Saturday: Quinoa-Avocado Salad with Chile-Lime Shrimp; Tortilla Chips and Salsa  Super-Easy Cheeseburger Pizza:
Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Roll out a Pillsbury crust (any type). Top with Newman's Own Alfredo Sauce, one-half package of browned turkey burger, four strips of crisped, crumbled bacon, 1/2 cup of chopped dill pickle, and two cups of grated cheddar. Top with sliced tomatoes and 1/4 cup of green onions. Bake at 375 for about 30 - 40 minutes, or until browned. Have a great week, everyone!
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 I’ve never been a big “bucket list” person, but last Saturday, as I was picking up lunch at Bear’s Coffee & Deli, I had an epiphany: It’d be cool to be one of the regulars, here. The waitresses know them by name. They pour the right coffee; they know how they like their eggs. I guess I have a start to my list. Bear’s has been a Hilo landmark since 1983. Clean, cool, and comfortable, it’s one of those places where you just relax as soon as you step inside. Service is terrific. It changed ownership not long ago, but managed to maintain its friendly aura. It used to be my breakfast-after-yoga-class spot but when my class ceased, I got out of the habit of going. That changed recently. Bear’s has been having specials, and an ad for one caught my eye a couple of weeks ago. Since the demise of O’Keefe’s Bakery, I have been sorely missing their Chicken Mac-Nut Sandwiches. (If you have lived in Hilo for a while, you know the sandwich to which I am referring. ) I ordered one, as well as the Fish Plate (more about that, later). The Chicken-Mac Salad Sandwich ($6.95) was available as a wrap, on sandwich bread, or stuffed into a tomato. I opted for the wrap. It turned out to be an excellent choice. While it wasn’t the “same” as the O’Keefe’s version, it was outstanding and also contained fresh avocado and crispy greens. We also really enjoyed the Fish Plate ($9.95). The cook at Bear's has a great touch with fish, which can be easily overcooked. This was perfectly moist and flaky. It came with a terrific side salad, brown rice, and perfectly-steamed broccoli. We couldn’t even eat everything; about a third of it became part of dinner, later. On another visit, we sampled the Stuffed Tomato ($5.50) and the Ono Buffalo Burger ($6.95). Again, the ono was cooked perfectly and was well-seasoned. I couldn’t finish the stuffed tomato, which was huge. Here are some more photos: Owner Mary Coursey tells me they plan to keep the specials going, keeping some favorites and adding others. Bear’s also excels in selecting and serving fresh produce. Fruit is sweet; vegetables are crispy. Everything seems extraordinarily “just-picked” and very high-quality. I usually ignore garnishes, which tend to be sad, but at Bear’s, I eat it all.
I just realized I hadn’t even mentioned their coffee, which is excellent. Try it with one of their home-made brownies. Also delicious are their steamed eggs. Steaming the eggs, Mary mentioned, is a lower-fat option, as no fats are added. One of my neighbors is a huge fan of the Eggs Benedict (Sundays, $7.95 for half-portions; $12.95 for full portions). Local art (available for sale) hangs on one wall; another has fascinating old pictures of Hilo (including tsunami pictures). They are now featuring live music, too. Bear’s is family-friendly. Some outside seating is available. See you there! Contact information: Bear’s Coffee & Deli Phone: 935-0878 Address: 106 Keawe Street, Hilo Hours: Monday – Friday: 6:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Saturday: 6:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Sunday: 6:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.   I'm a little bit of a vintage car nut, so I was sort of surprised when I recently saw this car on Maui last week and couldn't figure out what it was. I had to take a photo of the name: An Astre SJ. Turns out it was a Pontiac version of Chevy's Vega. (Mr. L guessed correctly, so he gets points.) It was so beautifully and lovingly restored. Being a car nut in Hawaii is especially challenging -- finding parts and getting them shipped ($$$) is no small task. At one time I had some fun and exotic cars -- those days are over. If I can't get replacement parts here, forget it. Reliability is a big deal. Credit to its owner for his or her hard work. It's a beauty.
We had a Plan A and Plan B of restaurants to try out today, but both were closed. Since we still had to do our Costco shopping and were starving by 2:30, we decided we'd just pick something up there for lunch. I got the Turkey and Provolone sandwiches for both of us. Holy smokes! They are great! Just out of curiosity, I googled, them, and I'm not the only one who thought so. Here is one blogger who figured out the recipe. At $4, they are hard to beat. So yes, Costco is my "restaurant recommendation" for the week. Here are the week's menus: Sunday: (Naturally) Costco Flatbread Pizzas Monday: Jambalaya Tuesday: Enchiladas and Green Salad with Avocados and Tomatoes Wednesday: Scampi; Italian Salad (with Artichoke Hearts, Olives, and Parmesan) Thursday: Salmon; Twice-Baked Potatoes, and Broccoli with Dijon-Mustard Sauce Friday: Kabocha Soup with Rice, Chicken, Peanuts and Cilantro Saturday: Leftovers Have a great week, everyone! - C. Ironing  Oh, heck no -- I didn't make those gorgeous spring rolls -- that was my pal Anne. Along with her husband, Brian, they cook amazing food and are consummate hosts. We just met up in Maui and I managed to avoid cooking the entire time. Pretty tricky of me. I think I needed a break to charge my "cooking inspiration" battery. Dishes like the one above do the trick! It was a wonderful vacation, filled with lots of rest, visiting, reading, exercise, and excellent eating (see Exhibit "A", above). A recommendation: Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop in Olowalu (not far from Lahaina). It's absolutely charming inside and their banana bread is great. Speaking of Oluwalu, since the last time we visited, there is now a great-looking place to camp: Camp Olowalu, right smack on the ocean. Both cabins and camping sites are available. It looked seriously fun. We still love the Ka'anapali area for its proximity to hotels, shopping, dining and of course the Maui Beach Walk. I believe Hilo has been trying to get something similar built. It's really nice to be able to walk in such a beautiful spot for such a long way. No menus right now, as I'm busy testing things out for a Wise Bread post. I will resume this coming weekend. Photos of pretty Maui are below. |
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