Welcome to .....

I am such a bad blogger...

2005-12-16T18:00:00.000-10:00

Right now, I have so many things to do and I need to catch up on many things that I meant to do long time ago. I have to put my feet down and take care of things that needs to be done. Oh...yeahhh... I love food and I enjoy food blogs so if it sounds like that I'm not much of a food blogger but doesn't meant that I quit on it!!! After new year, things will become bit mellow then I will be back here so what's few weeks without new food post? Well, I can make this up with you, my visitors and friends: I have few treats for you and enjoy!:

Man...I love M&M...without peanuts!

Yes, I love those and I can't eat vanilla ice cream without them..my sweets!

Sweet Thumb

2005-11-18T01:09:00.000-10:00

Forgive me for being such a lazy food blogger and I'm trying to do so many things so I promise to come back with good food stuff....at a later date but sooner than you think! If you want to say hi, just note me =-) Hugs and have a good day!

Little Flower Sprinkled Pretzels

2005-10-05T23:24:00.000-10:00

This is second time to post this which also is being display in Baked By
and it saved my time & energy that I can post this twice in two different food blogs! Here is:

"I have been invited by Spread a Little Aloha
to join this food blog "Baked In" and I own this food blog but this idea of contributing to this blog with others and makes me being want to "wow" our ohana or friends with wonderful recipes...That's wonderful idea!!! I love to share my recipes and secret cooking tips with keiki around the world to bring kids back into the kitchen. The quality time between kids and parents is so important, and cooking together is a great way to spend time with family, while preparing some ono-licious treats!

Let me tell you little bit about me: As a keiki, I learned about cooking at my grandma's home or dad's lu'au. The most I learned about baking and cooking was inside the house; I watched Grandmas, mommies and aunties cooked together while they sang in Hawaiian language. There was something magical about when my grandma would turn few avacado fruits into an enchanting pies! The kitchen was like a classroom and they took the time to explain so many things to me: the reason why I cook first, the reason why I use that for flavor, and the reasona why I combine certain ingredients together. Spend time, cook and bake with ohana-it was all so much fun. So, thank you for allowing me to share my aloha of baking nor cooking with others. if you learn anything from us, remember this: whenever you bake or cook, make sure it comes from the heart.

*Hawaiian words such as keiki (kids), lu'au (feast), ono (good), ohana (family) and aloha (love, bye, hello, hi)*"

Fun! Colorful! Yummy! Easy! Kids will love these!

Recipe:

1. One package of Stixs Pretzels, cut in 3rd.

2. Either white or brown chocolate package (any brand will be fine. I used
Chirardelli

3. Read the instruction on the back of package. Melt in microwave or double broiler.

4. Put pretzels in melted chocolate and then put them in mini cups.

5. Decorate with sprinkles. (Any kind is fine; depends on holiday occassions

6. Put them in refrigerator until they are ready to serve. Either, they can be put
freezer until set. If they aren't ready to serve then put them in airtight
container and place it in refrigerator until they are ready to serve.

It's an adventurous recipe and it's easy so gather your kids and let them start cooking up a storm!

Wait for our Food

2005-09-28T00:16:00.000-10:00

I created this layout and this was for digital scrapping challenge in one of those digital scrapbook bytes sites. Note me if you want to know where I got this kit from.

The food you seen on my layout.... that's delicious food at LikeLike Restaurent on Ka'ahu'umanu street. Although, it's not my favorite restaurent but it's good place where you need to stop by and eat warm food with family or friends before you go home and relax. It opens 24 hours and the staff people are friendly. If people only have less than 20 bucks in their pockets then this is right place for them. Local foods such as loco moco, saimin with char sui, chili plate or teriyaki beef plate costs between 4.95 to 7.79 dollars. Sounds good? If you happen to visit Hawaii, don't forget to stop by LikeLike restaurent. Ask local people and everyone know where this place is. Aloha !

Something to post here and let this sit for a while until I whip up something new about Osaka's food. I will be back in few days and I have to admit that I'm not that good at journaling but at least, I try my best, right? please come back and give me some smacks, yeah..... ALOHA!

MEME-The Cook Next Door!

2005-07-26T22:21:00.000-10:00

I got tagged by Cooking Diva
and she have other great food blog: Panama Gourmet
. Thank you Melissa, my friend!

Who started this thread? One of my favorite food blogs is: Delicious Days
and here is my two cents message for you: Thank you for starting this meme - and for hosting it in your beautiful home. I love to read food blogs and makes me feel part of the community. Very creative idea and I'm so surprised to see growing tree of food bloggers!!! I want to write beautifully and creatively like you!

What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?
I think it was when I was 9 years old, my grandma's sister Maile Taketa bought me three packages of panko flakes. I never understood why she brought these for me and she told me to help her out to cook food at her house. it was right next to my grandma's and she taught me how to slice ahi fish and dipped them in the eggs. Then put them in another bowl with panko flakes and fried them in dutch pan. We had fun, made a big mess in her kitchen and yeah, those fried breaded panko ahi pieces were so delicious! Her encouragement led me to become a good cooker while I was very young.

Who had the most influence on your cooking?
Hard to say because I comes from a long line of wonderful and strong women in my family and they always were there to cook everything together for special occasions. They always whipped up anything together! In the house, there was always Hawaiian music and they sang while they cooked. My old aunty played ukulele and others took their turn to pay ukulele. So much aloha in the kitchen! I learned the most about cooking was in the house and I watched grandmas, aunties and mommy cook, something magical about such as they would turn a whole fish or a whole chicken into Ono Ono (delicious) meal.

Do you have an old photo as “evidence” of an early exposure to the culinary world and would you like to share it?
Yes, I would share some of them with you and I have many old photos of Hawaiian Luaus but sadly, I don't have them with me and my mother have most of them at her home in other island. Even, she had some photos of me, did part of cooking-the luau, barbecuues, and any kind of cooking both inside or outside of the house.

Mageiricophobia - Do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms? sweat
Actually, I don't have any problems with cleaning any seafood, tripes, livers or pig parts. I'm used to do that because my father used to be a boar hunter nor my grandfather took me out to fishing on weekends so I had to clean out all those fish scales and what. I'm used to pluck all those feathers off on these dead chickens and boiled them..well...I grew up on farm.

What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest let down?

Rice cooker and set of Japanese chef's knives from Japan are my most valued tools. I use rice cooker daily and I don't use these knive babies unless they are necessary to use.

Believe me or not but any kitchen utensils that I buy at 99 cents store, they really are fantastic to work with and they never give me any trouble! They also last longer than expensive utilities..I'm not kidding.

Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like - and probably no one else does.

I don't know about you guys but I grew up in mutlicultured community, I'm used to eat everything. When I was a kid, I used to love to eat mixed scrambled eggs, rice, spam, kimchee and two dashes of shoyu sauce in a bowl for breakfast almost daily.

As in high school, I used to make teriyaki sloppy dogs with beans and tofu and put them on the sweet portuguese buns...I'm telling ya that this was so good and now, I'm thinking about it..mmmm

What are the three edibles or dishes you simply don't want to live without?
Or course, rice, eggs and poki! If you don't know what is poki then here is the photo:

A favorite treat of Hawaii is poke. It is similiar to sashimi, raw fish, but it is the leftovers of the fish. It is mixed with shoyu, onions and green onions. Ahi is a yellowfin tuna, but other fish can be used. It is a great pupu, snack, and a favorite of many local residents of Hawaii.

Your favorite ice-cream.
Green Tea is my most favorite ice cream in the whole world and of course, azuki beans ice cream is another favorite. I'm part Asian, that's why.

You will definitely never eat...
That would be SNAILS!!! I heard that a lot of people said that it's really good and I don't care if they are good but if that happens, I will just leave them for others to snack em'!

Your own signature dish...
I have so many signature dishes....let me see....Chicken Vegetable Stir-Fry I am an artist in the kitchen and I choose my favorite vegetabless. I decide colors and textures of this stir-fry dish. Good thing, my children are growing up in the community of various cultures so they can eat anything!!!

Okay, time for me to tag three food bloggers for this meme and I hope that they haven't been tagged yet:
1. The Food Palate

2. Eat Stuff

3. Cook's Journal

These people are very creative food writers and I want to be like them =-)

Calamari Strips!

2005-07-10T22:18:00.000-10:00

"My mom always cooked this recipe when I was a kid: deep fried calamari. This is one of our family's favorite foods. Simple yet very delicious. When my children and I went to Big City Diner and I ordered Thai Calamari strips; *gosh* these tastes are exactly like my mom's! That was my pupu on July 4th and I got recipe from my friend's boyfriend who is cheif assistant there. Ohhh..this is so good, even with Wasabi/Honey sauce...mmmmmm it is so delicious!

Thai Calamari
8 calamari, under tens size
1 tbsp parsley, flakes
2 tbsp olive oil

Thai Vinaigrette
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon, juice
1 tbsp finely minced lemon, grass
1 tsp finely minced green onion

Thai Calamari
Clean calamari, leaving tube intact.

Slice bottom of tube length ways into 1/2 inch strips, leaving strips attached to top of tube. These will curl during cooking, resulting in each tube resembling a chrysanthemum shape.

Toss in parsley flakes and olive oil.

Heat grill to medium-high heat and sear calamari tubes on each side for about 1/2 a minute.

Stand tubes up and grill for approximately two minutes. Finished calamari should look slightly opaque.

Top dress with Thai vinaigrette and serve on platter

Here comes Fried Rice!

2005-06-22T11:40:00.004-10:00

Man...I was so full last night and we had great dinner at my friend's house up in Mililani. I had to ask her for her recipe and she said that if I make shoofly or brown sugar pies for her then she would share it with me so we made a good negotation-whooo! Here is a recipe that lets you get really creative, start with this basic recipe for fried rice. If you don't have lup cheong (Chinese pork sausage), then use Portuguese sausage, bacon, Spam or fishcake instead. You know that you can never change the vegetables!!!! Do you have equipment such as measuring cups, measuring spoons, large skillet, wooden spoon, paring knife, cutting board and pot holders? You have them, right? Then let's get ready!

Ingredients:
2 lup cheon sausages
2 Tablespoons peanut oil
1/4 cup diced onion
2 Tablespoons, diced green pepper
1 can (5 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 hard cooked egg
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon peeled and minced giner or 1/2 teaspoon grouns ginger
2 cups cooked rice

1. Dice lup cheong
2. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet and add lup cheon. Stir fry for 5 minutes to assure sausage is fully cooked.
3. Add onion and green pepper. Stir-Fry until the onion is nearly translucent
4. Add water chestnuts, egg, soy sauce, suagr, ginger, and rice to skillet. Stir-fry over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Listen: tHis recipe works best when you use leftover rice that has been chilled for several hours.
Well.... are you going to start cooking up a storm? Have fun!

Yellowfin Tuna with Lime-Shoyu Marinade

2005-06-06T23:54:00.000-10:00

This is for Poki lovers!!!
Get 4 yellowfin tuna ('ahi) fillets (6 ounces each)
Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 cup canola oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Juice and grated zest of 1 lime 1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry sherry 1/8 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Combine Marinade: ingredients and marinade fish 1 hour, turn
occasionally. Grill or broil fish 10 to 12 minutes, turn once and
bast occasionally with marinade.
Do not overcook.

***If you want to send this ahi into orbit, start a charcoal grill with
kiawe (algaroba) wood. Ono Ono!!! (delicious)

Ono CupCakes!

2005-05-30T23:31:00.000-10:00

2005-05-30T23:30:00.000-10:00

1. Preheat oven to 350� Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.

3. Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then spread with Easy White Icing using a table knife or small offset spatula. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

Voila! If you don't like cupcakes then make them for your kids... you know that children
love cupcakes! I know because my kids like them!

2005-05-30T00:06:00.000-10:00

This was a special thanks to me by my husband for his precious time on this recipe and to show his appreciation for my support while he was trying new things such as cooking. This is simple to prepare recipe of his Hawaiian culture so here is recipe to let you try this and maybe this one will become your favorite. I hope so and my children love it because this dessert is made from their father's secret ingredient: LOVE.

2005-05-29T16:48:00.000-10:00

When my dad invited his haole (white) friend and he said, "Hey, pau hana let's go my house for grind. We got plenty ono pupu-poke, musubi, might even be some pipikaula and po'i in the fridge," don't hold your stomach (or cover your ears) in bewilderment. Pupu (hors d'oeuvres) and pipikaula (dried beef) are perfectly acceptable subjects in polite company, poke has nothing to do with sticks and musubi isn't a Japanese conglomerate. They're all tasty "grinds," the local term for food, or to eat." He introduced him to our local food and Hawaiian culture which he started to feel comfy. Also, he married his half Japanese and Hawaiian wife for her cooking. He was local by his heart and that was one of those moments I remembered as a nine years old. Ahhhh..food memories...