Tag Archive | American Food

Recipe: Cowboy Butter

Nov30

What is cowboy butter you ask? I don’t know. I saw this video on TikTok and it’s just been on my mind. It’s just a sauce you can serve up with your main protein. I bet it would work well with any protein! I served it up with rib eye steak. How was your thanksgiving? We don’t really do turkey, we’ve never been a huge fan of turkey anyhow. So yeah, I bought a few sides from Sam’s Club and a thing of rib eye steaks. I bought a thing of spinach and made it Korean style (just garlic, sesame oil and salt). It was a pretty easy meal to make and was enjoyed by all! A lot!

From clockwise from top right: spinach banchan, twice-baked potatoes, macaroni and cheese, rib eye steaks, cowboy butter!!

Yeah, the steak is still super pink inside. That’s how okay? SO GOOD. I only salt and peppered the steak and pan fried it for about 2 minutes on each side.

Cowboy Butter

Ingredients

12 T Butter

1 lemon, juice and zest

1 T dijon mustard

1 t cayenne

2 t paprika

8-10 garlic cloves, minced

2 T Chives, minced

2 t thyme, minced

2 tsp chili flakes

4 T fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat pan over low heat and melt butter, lemon juice, dijon mustard, cayenne, paprika, lemon zest, garlic and whisk together. Melting and cooking slowly over low heat (this is to help the butter keep mostly thick and not turning quickly to fat) – about 5 minutes.

Add chives, thyme, chili flakes and parsley and cook together for about 3-5 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to your tastes. Serve up as a side sauce to some great grilled steaks!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Nov18

Did you folks have a nice Halloween? Okay, it’s been like 2 weeks already but I didn’t get to post this. First time making those mummy hot dogs for the office. I didn’t have yellow mustard so ketchup eyes it is. Make em zombie mummies (sure why not). I didn’t know the recipe calls for a half slice of american cheese too. I thought it was odd. I don’t think you need the cheese. I also made a pan of fudgy brownies that morning, called them graveyard soil or something. Morbid. But it was a nice day because we had a bunch of little kiddos come by the office, they are always so cute. I really missed that during the pandemic.

Char Siu Look Funn | $3 per roll

Used to get a few look funn places in Chinatown but it seems like Chi Kong Look Funn Factory is the last man standing? They only make this so you know it’s gotta be good and yes, it is good. I think this picture shows two rolls. I cut it up myself and make my own dipping sauce. My dipping sauce includes sesame oil, hot sauce, sweet soy sauce and regular soy sauce. I’m extra in all aspect of my life.

Healthy Vegetable Bento | $13.98
combination of our daily homemade sozai with mixed grain rice

I love Kokoro Tei and don’t eat there nearly as much as I want to. Well, I guess it’s a good thing. I bring home lunch to work daily so it’s good I not out there spending too much money. I really enjoy their sozai so I don’t care what comes in it. Just load it up! This one had the following:

From top, clockwise:
Hijiki: Seaweed salad with carrots
Shiraae: Mashed tofu with spring vegetables
Nasu: Simmered eggplant with grated ginger
Kinpira Renkon: Braised lotus root with carrots and sesame
Okura: Sesame seasoned okra
Kabocha: Simmered winter squash

I loved all of it, even the nasu. And if you know me, you know I don’t like eggplant but they make it so good. Give it a try!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Nov4

Do you folks do this? I never had before. I watched a recipe on how to make like a legit fried noodle dish and they said that you gotta remove the ends to make it taste good. Boy were they right. It made SUCH a difference in taste but my god, what a time eater. It takes FOREVER to do this.

Look look look! Zero sugar chocolate chips. I saw it and just had to get it. I was on a baking frenzy so I wanted to give these a try.

What did I make? I think this was a chocolate banana cake. It was enjoyed by everyone and they couldn’t even tell it was sugar free chocolate chips! Cool yeah? I found this bag at Walmart.

The Works Ddeok-Bokki | $15.99
ddok-bboki with sausages, spam, ramen noodle and two mandoo

Been wanting to try bb.q Chicken since they opened in the new Kuono Marketplace in Kahala. They are a newish Korean fried chicken place. And knowing me, of course I deviated. My coworkers all got the fried chicken sandwich so none of us tried their fried chicken wings, lol. They really really enjoyed their sandwiches! I didn’t feel like fried chicken so I went for this. It was okay. I’m used to this dish being both sweet and spicy but this one was moreso spicy so there was no balance. It also wasn’t as saucy as other places. I liked it but wouldn’t get it again.

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Mixed Plate Friday

Oct28

If you follow Jalna’s blog, you might remember this post about the cured pork strips they got. I remember eating this as a kid, it wasn’t an everyday dish. It’s pricey and also a bit of an indulgence since it’s got a lot of pork fat. It was such a coincidence that I had also bought a pack from Chinatown and it was sitting in my fridge waiting to be made.

I never made it before but remember the elements of it from my memory. I knew I wanted to make it with green beans but only with these flat ones. I don’t know why I had to be so specific with it. I didn’t have a real recipe to go off of, maybe what I had was more of a family dish. I blanched the beans fast kine and then stir fried the pork and beans together. I didn’t want to add too much seasoning because the pork is super flavorful (aka salty) so I added a dash of soy, oyster sauce and sugar. Oh I also started the stirfry with minced garlic. Look. It was damn delicious. I was trying to hold the dish on to last a few days. I ate it in one day. It was just that good. But it could be an acquired taste.

Another family dish I have been making on my own. Ong Choy! Crucial ingredient? Harm Haw. Gotta have that. I just fried up garlic and red chili pepper, add the shrimp paste and then add the stems first….cook for like 2 minutes and then add the leaves and cook down. I must have added some water to this too. I’m sure folks usually do a cornstarch slurry to make the gravy thick. I was lazy. Another vegetable dish I love.

Smoked Chicken Pasta | $18.50
with onions, roasted tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs, in a white wine and chicken stock, tossed over linguini

I got this dish the other week at Murphy’s, it was one of their specials. Eh. Was alright, I mean, I keep comparing the food to the price because how can I not? The chicken breast was good, super moist and there was a smoky taste so I enjoyed it. Wish there was a bit more pasta. I don’t get why restaurants like grinch out on the cheaper stuff. I think customers are easily fooled if they see more pasta haha. And I am adjusting to a new contact power and it’s hard to see up close now…if not, I would have noticed it said chicken stock. Yeah, it’s sitting in a chicken stock. I wasn’t expecting that. Yeah, I wouldn’t get this again.

Apple Crisp a la mode | $8.00

It’s okay, their apple crisp always comes to save the day. It saved the day. I loved it. Warmed apple crisp ala mode. You can’t go wrong. Have a great weekend everyone!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Oct21

Popeyes 3 pc Tenders Dinner (Blackened) | $9.39

Did you know Popeyes started carrying blackened tenders? Been wanted to try it, it’s basically grilled chicken tenders. I really enjoy the seasoning and the chicken is not dry at all (though it might look it). I tried it with the Mardi Gras Mustard sauce and it went well together! I would definitely get this again.

Homemade Zenzai

I wanted to be ambitious and make the fresh strawberry mochi again. I didn’t. I got lazy and was too tired. So I had prepped a can of adzuki bean paste (just cooking it on the stove to remove moisture) and it was sitting in my fridge. I also had leftover mochiko that was sitting in my fridge. It wasn’t the full box so I didn’t know what to do with it (no, I am not making mochiko chicken – no frying for me). Sooo…I decided to mess around make my own zenzai and you know what? It came out really well. Super easy to make. I just mixed water with the mochiko I had, didn’t add else and rolled them into balls and boiled them in water and drained. I cooked down the adzuki I had with some water and added a pinch of salt…and reduced it until it looked like this. My coworkers enjoyed! And you know what? It also reheats well! The balls weren’t solid rocks after reheating.

I used this recipe as guidance.

Herb Chicken Breast Chimichurri Salad | $14.95
Chicken Breast seasoned with spices & herbs then charbroiled topped with our house Chimichurri sauce over crispy Romaine, sliced black olives, grape tomatoes, thin sliced red onions, corn kernels, bacon bits, and Parmesan cheese.

This was from a lunch order over the summer from Kahai Street Kitchen. I wish they had online ordering, I had to call early in the morning before they opened to order every single dish. The guy was kind of monotone on the phone and then I got to this dish. He then asked me, how do you want the chicken done. I was dumbfounded. I just sputtered out, how can it be done? And he says, rare or medium rare. I sat in silence and he starts laughing and I bust out laughing too. That guy was too much, he was so deadpan in his delivery of it too. Anyway, this was a good salad, lol.

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Moke’s Bread and Breakfast – Kaimuki, HI

Oct17

Another post on brunch food. This is probably the last one for a while. And there we go, just like that I’ll probably post one again soon. It’s okay, I like spreading the wealth of information. We tried Moke’s Bread and Breakfast in Kaimuki 2 weekends ago? Not a huge extensive menu but I liked that, they can focus their energies on making what they have…great! It was a nice dining experience and the food was good. I’m not going to go away from this post without sharing some pretty funny upcharges they sneak on you…

Lilikoi Pancakes (2) | $12.95
our light and fluffy pancakes topped with amazing passion fruit sauce

One of the dishes they are known for and rightly so. The pancakes are so light and fluffy and the sauce on top makes it. It’s small kine tart, just enough tart and tastes so good with the pancakes. I would recommend!

Sunrise Breakfast #2 | $13.95
honey butter biscuit, two eggs, and portuguese sausage

Sunrise Breakfast #2 | $13.95
honey butter biscuit, two eggs, and ham

Don’t both these plates look great? Showing you the difference between ham and sausage, honestly I would have chosen sausage. And the biscuit. You see the biscuit? The waiter asked if they wanted their biscuits grilled and that it would be really good. Sounds simple enough right? They charged each person 50 cents for grilling the biscuit. It’s not a big amount of money but like I never would have expected a fee for grilling up the biscuit, it was never mentioned that it would cost extra.

Side of Chorizo Gravy | $3.00

Here is the side of chorizo gravy if you wanted to try it with your biscuits. It tasted good.

Home-made Corned Beef Hash | $16.50 + $1.50 (fried rice upgrade)
made fresh from whole brisket with potato and green onion
served with two eggs, rice or hash browns PLUS
home-made toast (wheat, white, dark rye): I went with dark rye

Here’s my plate. It tasted okay. I didn’t think the corned beef hash was anything special. The fried rice was definitely not worth the upgraded price. The bread though? Delicious! They bake their own bread and I would get this again!

FYI – coffee is $3.95 per cup but they absolutely come around plenty to fill ‘er up. All in all, it was a nice dining experience and I enjoyed it. Just laughed at the upcharge on grilling a biscuit and the $3 for the teeny serving of gravy.

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Mixed Plate Friday

Oct14

Birria Banh Mi | $13.00 (maybe?)
vietnamese inspired sandwich with birria meat, mayo, cucumber, pickled carrots, and daikon (radish), and a sprig of cilantro. served on a toasted baguette and a side of consomme

I wanted to try Cocina De Roja when they opened during the pandemic. A birria banh mi? Sign me up. How was it? Okay, nothing great. I rather just get a regular bahn mi. Also when I go look at their online order site now, it’s not even an option to order so maybe this was pointless?

Beef Stroganoff on House-made Fettuccine | $29.00
mustard sour cream demi-glace

Just sharing a picture of this beef stroganoff from Tango Contemporary Cafe in case any of you were curious how it looked. It wasn’t my dish but it was enjoyed!

Seafood Chow Mein | $12.95

Assorted Dim Sum

I don’t usually crave chicken feet but this time, I did and ordered it. This is the only way I will eat chicken feet, it has to be prepared in this manner. I will not digest any other way. I don’t know why, please don’t ask. I can never pass up dim sum and yes, I like to order seafood chow mein as an accompaniment. It reminds me of childhood so I enjoy it. By the way, this is from Ginger & Garlic. I guess the final question is, do you chicken feet?

Have a great weekend folks.

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Mixed Plate Friday

Oct7

Sushi Set #12 | $12.95
garlic salmon and spicy tuna bomb

I love getting sushi at Jay’s Sushi, the sushi tastes great and the prices are reasonable. I would definitely recommend them. They are also located next door to the best bubble tea place haha!

Kimchi Mandoo | $6.99 (sale price)

I went to Hmart in Pearl City last weekend and I was blown away. Oh my god, such a better store than the one in town. Just in terms of space and their offerings, makes it almost worth it to drive out there. They also had sample booths! Sample booths are so smart. This lady was making both the regular mandoo and kimchi mandoo and let me tell you, she was giving out huge pieces. But it works. I bought two bags because this mandoo was so good! I would definitely recommend it if you see it. I like to pan fry and steam…yum!

Roast Turkey Dinner | $18.00
slow roasted turkey, buttered corn, portuguese sausage stuffing, smashed potato, dinner roll, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce

Your eyes do not deceive you, we had ourselves a nice little thanksgiving feast in September. We got this plate from Hamada General Store, it was one of their daily specials. A bit of a funny story, we were actually eyeing out a sandwich place (what is with me and sandwiches lately?) who was offering a seasonal thanksgiving sandwich which was basically the contents of this plate. The sandwich is $18.50 (yikes) and when I went to their online ordering site, they charge $3.00 if you want gravy. What??? That’s $21!!!!! Then we saw this special for Hamada and decided to pay $18 for the whole she-bang. Best decision ever. This was DELICIOUS. The turkey was moist and the sides were all great. Would definitely get this again. Wish they would make it to sell on Thanksgiving.

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Over Easy – Kailua, HI

Oct3

This past week was the anniversary of my mom’s death. This was a big one. 20 years. This anniversary also marks the unfortunate milestone that my mother has been out of my life more than she has been in it. I am doing okay, I decided to make a day out of it and had a nice little brunch out in Kailua, hitting up the Target in Kailua and then do my leisurely visit to my mom’s grave. I bought flowers the night before at Costco and they looked wonderful. As we were leaving, we looked at some of the Japanese graves. I don’t know a lot about them but just see these huge granite structures everytime I visit my mom. I was told that the names behind the stone signal who is buried there. I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful, and I hope it wasn’t being so. It was just interesting to sort of piece together family histories through the listings. In fact, I found the grave for the Hata family. Yes, it’s probably the Hata family you are thinking about.

Anyhow, I’ve been wanting to try Over Easy for a few years now. I’m not much of a brunch person but since they get such high ratings on Yelp, I just had to give it a try!

Kailua Eggs | $16.00
sunny side eggs, bacon cabbage broth, portuguese sausage, rice (microgreens and dehydrated cabbage too)

Yeah, it’s as weird as it looks. I guess it’s like an ochazuke? The broth definitely did not have strong hints of any flavor, especially not bacon. They have dehydrated cabbage in it that is rehydrated with the soup. Just fancy term for pickling the cabbage perhaps? I think the dish was okay. Not great, not bad. I wouldn’t get it again. It was an awkward dish to share.

Kalua Pig Hash | $18.00
kalua pork, okinawan & fingerling potatoes, lomi tomato, OK Poultry Farm eggs, green goddess, cilantro

Best dish of the meal. Well, we only had two dishes so there was no real competition. The kalua pig and potatoes tasted great. Can’t go wrong with OK Poultry eggs and I love the cilantro sprinkled all around. I would definitely order this again.

All in all, glad to have tried it. Don’t have an urge to return again, I can find brunch food in town. They do not have any parking so you do have to find street parking. I went on a weekday after peak brunch time so I was able to find a parking stall pretty fast. Definitely was surrounded by tourists.

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Mixed Plate Friday

Sep30

Ahi, Avocado, Tomato, Cheese | $8.85
smoked ahi gourmet spread, carrots, lettuce and sprouts

I was poking pretty hard on Earl’s prices two days ago but can you blame me? I got this sandwich from Andy’s last week and look at the price and size of the sandwich! Can always count on Andy’s to make a great sandwich. Great deal.

Chantilly Parfait | $5.49

I’ve told you folks about the Berry Chantilly Cake from Whole Foods. I loved the cake before but the most recent iterations have left me wanting more…almond! Well, I can’t just buy whole cakes anytime I have a craving so I was so excited to see that they sell a parfait version! It’s located in the cold cases by the cashier. Oh man, did this one deliver. The almond flavor was strong and greatly missed. I enjoyed every bite.

Char Siu & Roast Duck on Rice | $16.00

I’ve been wanting to try Sandy’s Cafe since they opened in the Chinese Cultural Plaza for years now. We did a take-out order in Chinatown so I decided to bite the bullet and order this. I read that their char siu and roast duck is good and sells out fast so I got them both! This whole plate is still cheaper than that Earl sandwich. Hahaha, sorry I keep dogging on the price of that sandwich but I just can’t help myself. The char siu was delicious, tender morsels of meat. Their marinade was a bit sweeter than I’m used to but I didn’t mind it! The roast duck was good too, not the best I’ve ever had but good.

Have a great weekend folks!

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