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January 24, 2021
Take-out From et al.
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January 23, 2021
Café Kaila
2919 Kapiolani Blvd (Market City Shopping Center)
January 22, 2021
Wrap Hack / Tortilla Trend
It really is a fun way to make meals, allowing everyone in the fam to customize the wraps to their liking.
Just cut a slit on the radius of one side of the tortilla, and fill each quadrant with whatever your heart desires - turkey, cheese, lettuce, onions, avocado... it's a great way to use up leftovers!
After you fold up each part, toast it in a pan (straight on the pan or in some oil), and you've got yourself a super convenient and yummy meal.
I'm trying out some dessert ideas next!
January 21, 2021
Peanut Butter Cups Made with Medjool Dates
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If I could make a PB Cup that tastes good and is a healthier version than what I usually eat, then I thought this would be worth a try.
I simply took 1/2 cup of pitted Medjool Dates and soaked them in water for 10 minutes to soften them up. I then put them in a blender with 1/2 c creamy peanut butter, and blended until everything was well combined.
In a microwave-safe bowl, I heated 2 c chocolate chips with 1/2 c creamy peanut butter for 1 minute on high. Stir until smooth (if it's not completely smooth, heat up for another 30 seconds).
In a lined mini-muffin tin, I poured approximately 1 teaspoon of the chocolate mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup (shake or hit the tin onto the counter so the bottom of each muffin cup is smooth and even).
I then scooped approximately 1/2 teaspoon of the date mixture, rolled into a ball, then flattened a little before placing into each muffin cup.
Pour approximately 2 teaspoons of the melted chocolate mixture into each muffin cup, making sure the date mixture is coated completely (again - shake or hit the tin on the counter to smooth and even out the chocolate).
Refrigerate for at least an hour, and enjoy!
They are truly delicious!
January 20, 2021
The Alley at Ala Moana Shopping Center
If you have recently been to Ala Moana shopping center, chances are you have seen the lines for The Alley, a popular boba chain from Taiwan. Sure enough, when we arrived a little after 5pm on a Tuesday, there was a line of people waiting to get their boba fix. I decided to order online and let my daughter shop while we waited for our set pick up time. Fifteen minutes and 3 tops from Brandy Melville later, we went straight to the pick up window and our boba drinks were ready for us in a paper shopping bag.
Oahu already has many great boba shops, but The Alley makes a welcomed addition to Ala Moana shopping center especially with their online ordering!
Kim Chee Fried Rice
A couple of years ago, Chef Alan Wong gave me a copy of Hawaii's Plantation Village 25th Anniversary Cookbook, on which he wrote a Foreword.
In this cookbook are a lot of nostalgic recipes, ones that reflect Hawaii's history and our diverse culture.
One such recipe is for Kim Chee Fried Rice. I followed the basic instructions, but made several tweaks.
I simply chopped up 1/2 can of SPAM, browned it in 1T oil, then threw in 1 c chopped kim chee, and stir fried everything for a couple of minutes.
I then added 3 cups of day old rice, 2 T kim chee juice, 2 stalks green onions chopped, and 1 t sesame oil, and mixed well until the rice was evenly coated.
Top with a fried egg and garnish with chopped green onions.
Quick and easy!
Find the original recipe in Hawaii's Plantation Village 25th Anniversary Cookbook.
January 19, 2021
Korean #WrapHack
People have been putting all sorts of ingredients, and my friend Val posted a Korean #WrapHack that she replicated from Chef Chris Cho.
It consisted of rice, kim chee, SPAM, and egg in a toasted sheet of nori.
Since I had all of the ingredients, I had to try!
The key is to toast the nori so it holds up to all of the ingredients (and don't take too long taking pix, otherwise the nori will become soggy).
It's a fun way to make a portable, hand-held meal.
I'm already thinking about what other ingredients I can use for fillings.
To find out how to make the Korean Wrap - check out Chef Chris Cho's video here https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ6_EzhAn1T/.