Ready to grill!!!

It's spring, at least by the calendar, you never know in Utah. Here in Honolulu (with the "Gourmet Guy" again) it feels like the beginning of summer. Back at home it snowed yesterday it is so crazy. Before we left we grilled a great steak with a black pepper rub (thanks Costco!) and you know it is Spring when you start to see asparagus and strawberries for sale!

I usually steam the asparagus but this time I roasted it. I placed it on a baking sheet and poured a little olive oil and coarsely ground salt and tossed it on the shelf, then baked it at 400 for twenty minutes. It was wonderful!

I love grillin' and fresh spring fruits and vegetables.

Honolulu on a budget!?

Staying in Honolulu can be an expensive proposition! When you eat out for each meal or even if you are lucky enough to have a small kitchenette it is a challenge to keep within a budget. Purchasing a half gallon of milk on Waikiki is a shocking experience this time it was only $6.00 but a year ago now it was $9.00 a gallon. After a year my husband finally found a hotel that has a small kitchen in it and it has been nice to be able to make meals there as well as eat out occasionally. The kitchen is pretty small and not very well equipped but it is fun to use local items to create new meals. Who can pass up fresh pineapple and mango I always try to get more than one meal out of one and so before I left to come I used ingredients from two other meals to make breakfast.

First I blanched the remaining asparagus for three minutes then placed it in ice cold water to keep the bright green color and then cut into bite sized pieces. Second fried the remaining bacon until crisp, cut it up and cut up the remaining ham.

Saute 1/2 of a medium onion in olive oil until transparent and then add the ham, bacon, and asparagus and heat until warmed through.
Add four beaten eggs and gently stir until the egg is cooked through.

Top with Parmesan Cheese and fresh parsley, chopped. (At home I would bake it in the oven for 15-20 minutes but we didn't have a skillet that could go into the oven.)
We served it with fresh pineapple, mango, and multi grain bread with Passion Fruit jelly.

It was so yummy but I just couldn't finish it all.

This is the kitchen where we stay.

Aloha for this trip!

Liguine with Clam Sauce and Asparagus with Bacon

Aloha once again. While searching the Web while Kerry was a work I came across a recipe for Linguine with clam sauce and decided to surprise him and fix it. I wanted to make a nice meal but felt some what limited by the size of the kitchen and not wanting to purchase a lot of groceries that will have to be stored when we go home. Typically I don't like Clam Sauce but this one turned out very well. Since I don't cook with alcohol I had to change it up a little and he would probably have liked a little more clam flavor but I just used the juice from the can of clams rather than buying a larger bottle of juice. I decided to make a nice fresh vegetable with it and a simple tossed salad.

I took the asparagus and tossed it with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper and wrapped it up with a nice piece of bacon. (I am kind of a bacon snob, I like the butcher cut rather than the thin stuff that you often find in stores. It doesn't cook down to quite as much) I browned them in a 500 degree oven for about 10 minutes, turning once. Then reduced the oven temperature to 350 for 15-20 minutes.

We enjoyed a nice meal at the Hotel while tropical storm "Felicia" prepared to come on the island. Fortunately the storm was much weaker than predicted.

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

8 oz. dry linguine noodles
8 c. water
1 T. salt
1 c. clam juice (drained from the can this is not 1 full cup if you want more flavor add additional juice)
8 oz. clams, drained (save the juice for the sauce)
1 T. garlic, minced
2 T. onion, chopped finely
2 T. olive oil
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
1 T. butter
½ c. grated Parmesan Cheese
½ c. white wine (optional: you can use vegetable broth, chicken broth, juice from canned mushrooms as well as the mushrooms and or water)
¼- ½ c. pasta water (to thicken the sauce)

Bring water to a boil, add pasta and salt and cook until al’ dente. While the pasta cooks in a separate skillet heat the olive oil and sauté the onion until they become translucent add the garlic being careful not to burn. Add the wine or other liquid and bring to a boil. Before draining the pasta take the water required and add to the sauce, reduce by half. Add the clams, butter and the Parmesan Cheese and stir until the butter and cheese are melted gradually add the pasta and toss to cover adding the parsley on top.

It occurred to me that this could be one of my pantry meals because most of these ingredients could be stored. I love finding and or cresting new meals that can be a quick fix idea.

Asparagas Frittata

2/3 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed to 1 inch pieces
1 med. onion, chopped
2 T . fresh parsley, minced
8 eggs, blended
5 T. Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 c. Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 c. water
4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled

In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil, add the asparagus and blanch for three minutes. Drain and shock with cold water drain and pat dry. In an oven proof skillet fry the bacon until crisp, pull from the pan and place on a paper towel. Meanwhile saute' the onion until tender. Add the parsley and asparagus, toss to coat. In a small bow combine the eggs, 3 T. Parmesan Cheese, salt and pepper. Pour over the asparagus, cover and cook for 8 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Place uncovered skillet under the broiler, about six inches from the heat until the eggs are set. Remove, sprinkle with the Cheddar Cheese, the remaining Parmesan Cheese and cut into quarters.

Vegetable Linguine

Vegetable Linguine

1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
2 small zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

Bring these to a boil and cook until softened.

2 medium tomatoes, blanched, peeled, cut in chunks
¼ c. olive oil
½ lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 ½ t. salt
1 t. basil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Saute mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil, add tomatoes, basil and salt. Combine with the cooked vegetables.

1 lb. linguine, cooked

1/2 c. butter
1 c. heavy cream
1 1/3 c. grated Parmesan

Bring butter and cream to a slight boil, add Parmesan and mix just until blended.

Combine all of the vegetables and place on top of cooked noodles, pour sauce on top and serve.

(This recipe came from a friend in Washington. It is a favorite during the summer when we have fresh veggies growing in our garden!)