Independence Day - Hawaiian Style

The Fourth of July is a favorite holiday of mine - time with family, water fights, fireworks, and BBQs. I am inspired by my vacation to the Aloha state to do something a little different than the normal burger.









Teriyaki Pineapple Burger
1 1/2 lbs 80/20 ground beef (don't go too lean - the burgers need the fat to hold it together)
3 Tbsp prepared teriyaki sauce
1 tsp ground fresh ginger
1-3 tsp chili garlic sauce (that red stuff you see at the Chinese restaurant)

Carefully mix the meat, teriyaki sauce, ginger, and garlic sauce with a fork, but do not mash it. Lightly form each hamburger and lightly press into a patty shape. Don't work the meat too much or it will be chewy.

Slice pineapple into rings. Place pineapple rings and burger patties on a heat grill. Grill pineapple on each side until nice little grill marks appear. Do not move them until those marks are there. Cook the hamburgers for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until almost done. Remove to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Allow the hamburgers to rest for 5 minutes and serve immediately. Place on prepared buns with pineapple and other favorite toppings.

Makes 4 burgers

Macky's

Of all the shrimp trucks, or even all the food trucks, this is the best. Macky is a genius. The shrimp is perfectly good, perfectly flavored, and Macky is just so nice. Oh and the shrimp is raised/farmed just up the road on the north shore - minutes from my parents house. You can't get much fresher than that!
This is Macky - he stands outside and welcomes everyone, "Hello, welcome to Macky's!" (say with an Asian accent)
While you wait for your food - enjoy the local fauna - chickens, they're everywhere!
This is the lemon pepper shrimp, my mom's favorite.

Oh beautiful coconut shrimp, thank you for being so delicious!

Look at that coconut in the batter. That sauce on top is a perfect compliment.

Macky's is located on the south end of Haleiwa. If you are in Hawaii it is worth the drive from Honolulu. And while your there - have a Matsumoto Shave Ice, the first ever Shave Ice.

Dole Plantation

A common tourist attraction on Oahu is the Dole Plantation. Here you can take a train ride and learn about pineapples and pineapple farming, or find your way through the worlds largest maze. For us, it is the best ice cream shop.

Before sampling the great treasures inside, we walked around the courtyard where there were many types of pineapples from all over the world. One interesting thing about pineapples - they look the same from the time they blossom to the time of harvest (18 month later!).

This is the goodness we came for - pineapple sherbet (they call it pineapple whip) in pineapple juice. Mmm Mmm Mmm!

A few seconds later, it looked like this. If you don't have time for the train or the maze, make time to get one of these (or any version of the pineapple whip!).

Sharks Cove Grill

It's funny, in Hawaii - half the restaurants are placed inside of a truck. And surprisingly enough - they are some of the best restaurants. This is one of the first we went to.


Everything in Hawaii is very relaxed, laid back. Get your own silverware, condiments, and water. Everything on the menu is delicious. I got a skewer of teriyaki chicken and one of shrimp. I am sorry I didn't get a picture of it... I ate it quickly and then gasped that I forgot to include you in the experience!

Oh, and the best part - the view!

Jalapeno Tip

Yesterday I made fajitas for my family. I know it seems silly in Hawaii - but my Dad misses Latin foods. (There aren't too many here, mostly asian.)
I learned a couple things about our friendly jalapeno that I thought I would share with you.

1 - As you probably know, the heat lies in the seeds and in the ribs. Remove those to make a more mild salsa.

2 - Do not use your hands to remove the seeds or ribs. I don't think you need gloves, these peppers aren't that hot, but use a spoon or your knife.

3 - The oil in the peppers is what makes your hands taste spicy after - wash immediatly after. This oil can burn you. (Yes, I know this from experience - I removed the seeds with my thumb, and behind my finger nail was a little sore all night.)

4 - (This one I figured out myself - its the best!) To remove the oil from your hands, if washing doesn't work, soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and rub the area. The alcohol removes oil! Isn't that awesome? That's my culinary experience mixed with my nursing knowledge! Try it! Hey, someone let me know if it works with onions or garlic!

Aloha!

Well, yet again, on vacation - but I will do my best. This time we are in Hawaii visiting my parents.

What's to come: Restaurant adventures, tropical fruits, and maybe some Hawaiian-inspired recipes!

Alooooooooha!

Apple Crisp

Yesterday my husband finished his last final for his undergraduate work! Wahoo. So as a reward I made him his favorite dessert – Apple Crisp. He loves the topping so I doubled it for his special treat. The following recipe is the original, double the topping if you would like.

Apple Crisp
Adapted from Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook
Topping
½ c firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 c white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
7 Tbsp flour (or ½ c minus 1 Tablespoon)
Pinch salt
½ c butter, cold, cut into small cubes
1 c old-fashioned rolled oats

Filling
5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into wedges (about 6 cups)
½ tsp cinnamon
1/3 c hot water
* You can use any type of apples you would like. I think Granny Smith are a perfect blend of holding their shape, having a slight bite, but still be soft like my husband likes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 8-inch square or 9inch round baking pan.
To make the topping, in a bowl, stir together the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, and salt.


This is what whole nutmeg looks like

It comes in a container like this

This is how you grate it. It tastes so much better this way than the pre-ground stuff. (And is lots cheaper!)
Add the butter
and oats. (This kind of oats - not the quick cooking kind - they should look like little grains smooshed)
Using a pastry blender, fork, or your hands (my favorite), work in the butter until all the ingredients are well blended but not overmixed. (If using your hands work fast and don’t overmix is really important because you don’t want the warmth of your hands to melt the butter or cause a gluten to form from the flour.) Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble the crisp, place the apples in the prepared pan

make it all pretty so people reading your blog are very impressed, realize that you still have half the apples to fit in, prepare a new pan, and just throw all the apples in.

toss with cinnamon, and spread evenly. Drizzle the water evenly over the apples.

Spread the topping over the fruit.

Bake the crisp until the topping is brown and crunchy and the apples are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve hot, warm, or room temperature. Top with ice cream, whipped cream (my favorite), or half and half (my husband’s favorite).
Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm.

Thanks Sis!

My sister, Hannah, is amazing. She is a woman of many talents. One of her talents is graphic design. She has always had a talent for design, but learned the programs to facilitate her designing from a friend after she graduated in school. She also has a talent of knowing me well. Thanks for putting those two talents together and designing a beautiful blog for me! Your the best!!

Airport Adventures

I first must preface this post by saying that the family I was raised in was very big on food. For example, one day my aunt said, "We shouldn't put so much emphasis on the food." And my mom thought, "That's blasphemous!" (It was.) We love food. We must eat three meals a day plus snacks. When we travel we think of all the great restaurants and different foods we will try. That is where we get our jollies.
I also must preface that my in-laws do not get their jollies from food. For them, food is fuel. Period. (I know, it is a little odd.)
So, this last week I traveled with my father-in-law and baby to Texas to visit my sister-in-law and her family. We left for the airport at 10 am, flew out to Denver at noon. We had a little bit of a layover - it was about 1:30 in the afternoon. My thoughts, "lunchtime!" I didn't want to mention it because I didn't want my father-in-law to think I wanted him to buy it for me, and because I thought "he must be hungry." Nope. So I got out my "snack" and ate almost the entire bag of my sweet and salty goodness. Well thanks to good ol' Southwest we had a stop in Amarillo and didn't arrive at our destined Dallas until 6:45. We were the last plane to land and the airport was closed. So, we had to sit in the baggage claim area for over an hour while we waited for the thunderstorms, lightning, and tornadoes (yes, tornadoes) to pass. We were walking out of the airport close to 8:15. Bless my 8 year old niece who was saying she was hungry. Well, the airport we landed in was fairly small and the only thing that was open was Chili's - we didn't want to wait that long - and Cinnabon. We took a box of 6 cinnamon rolls and ate them in the car. Seriously, that's what my meals consisted of - Chex Mix and cinnamon rolls. Thankfully when we got home the lasagna had been put in the oven a while before the power went out and had finished cooking. So we ate in candlelight while we waited for the tornado power-outage to resolve. What an adventure! Things I have learned: when traveling with the in-laws, bring food (or speak up like cute niece!).

Knife Care

My mother-in-law has the worst knifes ever! Literally - she will admit it too. It takes three times as long to cut something with her knives than with mine (thanks Mom for the great gift!) I was inspired for this post by her - she finally bought a new set and cutting boards.

I thought I would let you in on the secrets to knife care that I have learned over the years.

1 - You don't need lots of knives, or even spend tons of money - but it is worth the investment to have one good sized knife that is sharp. I have these and love them.

2 - The handle should be heavy. This tells you that the blade of the knife and the handle are one piece. That's a good sign. Also a good sign is if the handle is wood, you can see a metal stripe all the way to the base of the handle. (I would recommend a handle that can go in the dishwasher though.

3 - I know what you are thinking, "You can't put good knives in the dishwasher! It dulls the blade!" False. You can put them in the dishwasher. I did some research - it only damages the blade if it is near metal and bangs up next to it. So keep it away from some of those utensils and other knives.

4 - Paper or Plastic? Both! Boards that is. (Well, not really paper - wood.) Your cutting boards should be made of one of two things - Wood or Plastic. Plastic for raw meats, wood for everything else. If you have a good butcher block that is treated well, juices, oils, etc., should not leak through. No glass. None. No acrylic. Throw them away. I don't care how cute they are.

* Your butcher block should be at least an inch or two thick. That way you can sand it and treat it when needed. We will talk about butcher blocks another day.

5 - Do not use that "knife sharpener" that comes with your knife set. That is a wet stone and only really fancy chefs and other knife professionals should use these. If you use it and just the wrong angle, it will damage your knife. Use this beauty I bought for me and my mom. We each keep ours near the knife block. We use it before every use. It is not a sharpener - but a honer. I learned most knives are really dull, they are just bent slightly. This fixes that. Plus! It's only $20!

6 - Love them. Cherish them! Do not use them to open boxes or for sword fights. Just food please.