Time in Paradise together

Me (Lauri) and my "Gourmet Guy" Kerry at the Waimea Falls.

Hole In the Wall

Many of the places that are so good to eat at aren't necessarily the most glamorous places to see. The "Gourmet Guy's" dad labeled them as "Holes In the Wall" and so when we as a family hear that phrase we know what kind of place we are going to be going to. Here in Honolulu we are starting to find such places in part because my favorite Mexican food place closed last fall and we are searching for one to find its place; don't even get me started!!!! In our efforts to locate a new one we came across this diamond in the rough. It is a former gas station in Manoa Valley up above the University of Hawaii. There are three "eateries" in this one building Serg's is the Mexican Place that drew us to this site. The food was pretty good and might bring me back.

While we were waiting for the food to come up we noticed the middle shop called Le Crepe Cafe and the Gourmet Guy went to check out the menu, he was impressed. On Martin Luther King Day we decided to return to try it out for breakfast. It was so yummy, in fact we started digging in before I realized we forgot to snap a picture to post. I guess we will just have to go back another time and try something else on the menu.

This is Kim and she was so cute and very outgoing in her little shop.

The third restaurant is called Boston Pizza maybe we'll try it out on another trip. The only bad thing about these three places in one spot is the lack of parking which is a very common thing in Honolulu! Whether a diamond in the rough or hole in the wall we found a new place to add to our favorites list.

Shrimp Scampi

I have bragged about my husband many times and the wonderful things that he comes up with. He is my "Gourmet Guy" he gets those genes from his dad. His dad could go into a restaurant and then go home and make the dish after simply tasting it. My Gourmet Guy is pretty good too! Since we don't cook with alcohol he decided to come up with his own version of Shrimp Scampi minus the white wine.

Peel the shrimp out of the shells and place the shells in a stock pot.

Boil the shells to make a stock for added flavor.

Dry the shrimp off thoroughly.

Seaon the shrimp with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in the olive oil.

Add the shrimp and saute on each side slightly until it just turns pink. Remove from the pan.

Saute the onion in the same pan until just tender. Add the garlic.

The stock is added to the softened onion and garlic.

Simmer until reduced by half and thickened.

Add shrimp to the onions, garlic, and broth and heat through.

Add chopped parsley and servc over rice or pasta, with a nice piece of garlic bread.

(Previously posted)

Shrimp Scampi
Kerry Stevenson (The Gourmet Guy)

Ingredients:
1 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined (reserve shells)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 fresh lemon
2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Lemon slices, for garnish
Rice, as accompaniment

Directions:
Put the shrimp on a large pie pan or plate and pat them completely dry with a paper towel. Arrange the shrimp so they lay flat and are evenly spaced.

Place shells in a sauce pan with a little water and simmer until the water is half reduced.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the butter and oil to the skillet. When the foaming subsides, raise the heat to high, and invert the plate of shrimp over the pan so the shrimp fall into the pan all at once. Cook the shrimp, without moving them, for 1 minute. Turn the shrimp over and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl.

Add the onions to the pan and saute just until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice and stock, and reduce by 2/3, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp back to the pan and swirl in the butter. Finish with the parsley and check for seasoning. Garnish with lemon slices and serve over rice or pasta.

Soup-a-thon- White Chicken Chili

Something fun we have started doing as a family is have a Soup-a-thon or soup night. Last year we had each family bring a different kind of soup, this time I made three kinds and Cydney made a new recipe for White Chicken Chili, below. It is always fun to be together and this is a relaxing way to visit, eat, and just be together.

Cyd's White Chicken Chili

Homemade Chicken and Noodles (previously posted)

Wild Rice and Turkey (previously posted)

Clam Chowder (previously posted)

Last year for Christmas my husband gave me this trio crock pot that we used for the first time. It was great for this purpose. I just love being with all of these people. Good food, good times, good family.

White Chicken Chili

1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 jalapeno minced
1 4 oz. can of green chiles
1 teaspoon of powder cumin
1/2 tsp. of dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
2/3 cup of cooked white kidney beans
8 oz. cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup. chopped cilantro
1/2 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in soup pot until tender. Add jalapeno, chiles,cumin, oregano,and salt, saute for another minute. Stir in chicken broth beans and chicken, bring to boil, cover and let simmer for 25 min. stir in cilantro. when ready to serve add cheese.

Tamale Pie

Tamales are one of my favorite foods, good tamales. I think that comes from growing up in Southern Colorado, my brother tells me that we had some neighbors that made really, really good Mexican food. I also had a friend in Washington State that had me help her make these fabulous tamales one day. Since I am the only in my family who really loves tamales I have not been willing to take the time to make them since they are very labor intensive. Just after I got married I found this recipe in Betty Crocker and it is a fall back recipe for me, my family puts up with it once in awhile. I was craving tamales so I turned to this..

Tamale Pie

1 lb. lean ground beef
¼ lb. bulk pork sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 16 oz. can of whole tomatoes
1 16 oz. can of whole kernel corn, drained
1 16 oz. can pitted black olive, drained, save a few for the top
1 ½-3 t. chili powder (depending on how hot you like it)
1 tsp. salt
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Cook and stir pork, hamburger, onion, and garlic until meat is browned. Add tomatoes, corn olives, chili powder, and salt. Heat thoroughly. Pour into a two quart casserole or a square baking pan.

Mix cornmeal, eggs, and milk; pour over the meat mixture. Top with the cheese. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown. Garnish with sour cream and remaining olives.

Potato Salad-the torch has been handed down!

Grandma Smith's Potato Salad

For years this salad was something that my mother was asked to bring to family gatherings, she saw it as a burden but we all loved it so much and no one could make it like her. When she passed away it fell into my hands to try and recreate her salad, at times I come pretty close. Two of my daughters have now also come really close to making "Grandma's Potato Salad" this is Rebecca's latest version. She just made it one day because she was craving it, don't you love it? My mom never used real mayonnaise for this it had to be " Miracle Whip" and she made the dressing by taste rather than by measuring, I have tried to measure it as I have made it so the following recipe reflects that effort.

Grandma Smith’s Potato Salad

16-18 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 medium onion, chopped finely
2 ½ c. Miracle Whip
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1 ½ T. sugar
1 ½ T. mustard
6-7 hard boiled eggs
paprika
salt

Peel, cube, and boil potatoes in salted water. (Grandma always boiled the potatoes in their “jackets” and then peeled them and cut them up the day before she assembled the salad.) Boil the eggs and cool them. Chop the onion up finely. Mix the vinegar, Miracle Whip, sugar, and mustard. When the potatoes have cooled cover with the dressing and the onions and mix together well. Quarter and slice all but two of the hard boiled eggs and gently mix into the salad, thinly slice the two remaining eggs and layer across the top of the salad, salt to taste, sprinkle the top with paprika.

(Note the dressing for her salad was made with Miracle Whip only, mayonnaise does not give the same flavor for her “two day salad.” This salad was always requested by the family! for special occasions.)

Pecan Pie

I am married to the most wonderful man. I can never begin to express how much I love him and everything he does and stands for. The only request he had for Thanksgiving is Pecan Pie and believe me it was one of the first things on my list that I wanted to make.

Pecan Pie

3 eggs, beaten

1/3 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt

1/3 c. butter, melted,

1 c. corn syrup

1 c. pecan halves, or if you want them mixed in broken pieces

Preheat oven to 375. Mix sugar, eggs, salt, butter, and corn syrup together. Add broken pecans if we want them mixed into the custard. Pour into a prepared pie crust, if you want the pecans on top place them around the top of the mixture in a circular pattern. Bake for 40-50 minutes until set. Serve warm.

(pie can be frozen for up to three months.)

Potato Cheese Soup

I actually have had this soup posted with a bunch of my other favorite soups but one of my daughters complained that it was too hard to find so here it is by itself. I love this one but only fix it 2-3 times a year, usually when it is really cold outside and you want something warm and comforting.

Potato Cheese Soup

3 c. boiling water

3 chicken bouillon cubes

4 c. diced potatoes

½ c. chopped onion
½ c. chopped celery

½ c. chopped green pepper
½ c. chopped carrots

1 t. salt

½ c. flour
2 c milk
¼ c. butter
3 c. cubed Cheddar Cheese

Add veggies to boiling water, cook 20 mins or until done. Mix flour with milk and salt and thicken soup. Add butter and cheese and melt. Serve when cheese is fully melted.

HaPpY NeW YeAr!!!!
My new years resolution is to catch up with my blog! I have been frustrated with my computer because it freezes up on me or due to operator error I have had lots of problems so I just quit. Sorry.
I hope that everyyone had a happy holiday season and that this finds you all well. Be patient I am going to make a few changes and get focused once again, life is so great and I am so blessed I can't afford not to get a record of it.

Peanut Butter Cups

October 26th was my dad's birthday and I had in my mind to make these but my daughter showed up at the house in labor so that planned kind of got side lined. Dad loved this recipe that my sister-in-law introduced to our family. He was gracious about liking a lot of foods and treats but this one he REALLY liked. My daughters say that if they liked a guy it was one of the treats that they would make to take to them. So I finally decided that they sounded good and wanted to remember dad.

Put the graham crackers and put them in a zippered bag, seal, and roll them out to crush them, this can be done if a food processor but I prefer to do it by hand so the crumbs are an uneven texture in the candy

Mix the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, butter, and peanut butter together. It can be a little stiff so if you have a stand mixer it is easiest to use. (Another one of my Favorite Appliances.)

My sister-in-law would always make them in a 9x13 pan and cut them in bar form. They can be very pretty served that way on a nice tray... We usually make small balls and place them in mini cupcake holders. Orson Gigi in Salt Lake has a lot of different colors and patterns for holidays and special occasion.
In a time constraint you can just make a single layer .

While you are making the peanut butter balls place the chocolate chips in a small sauce pan and slowly melt them, stirring constantly. If you want you can put some on the bottom of the cup and then put the peanut butter ball on top, then put more chocolate on top of that. I usually just drop the chocolate on top and let it slide down the side of the cup to fill in a little bit.

In a layer pan just melt the chocolate and spread like frosting over the top.

These should go in the fridge for awhile to set the chocolate a little.

Peanut Butter Cups

1 pkg. graham crackers
2 c. peanut butter
4 c. powdered sugar
2 sticks softened butter, not melted
1 pkg. chocolate chips.

Mix together graham crackers, peanut butter, powdered sugar and softened butter, blend well. Form into balls or place in mini cupcake holders. Melt chocolate chips and spread over the peanut butter mixture.

One of my favorite appliances

One of my favorite appliances in my kitchen is my rice cooker. I like to make large batches of rice and freeze some in zippered bags or Food Saver bags for later meals. It is so quick and easy to use on a fast paced day. This is one of those appliances that I thought that I could live without and I did for a long time but I sure do like it! My daughter and I have done chicken and rice in it and love it better than the traditional oven method.

Lemon Chicken

One of our favorite restaurants here in Orem recently closed, it was a part of our Christmas Eve tradition so we were very sorry to see it go. Our tradition actually started with my husbands father many years ago. With Christmas Eve being such a busy time he started ordering Chinese Take Out for the family. It was to help make the evening easier for the family little did he know that it would become one of our favorite traditions. At times has been kind of tricky when the date falls on Sunday. One of my favorite dishes from this restaurant was Lemon Chicken, the sauce was soooo good. I finally found a recipe that I like to try and replace the one I could no longer buy.

Cut the chicken breasts into smaller pieces or use chicken tenders.
In a zippered bag coat the chicken well with the flour mixture.
Heat oil in a skillet and brown the chicken, until golden brown.
About 3-4 minutes on each side.
Place in a 9x13 pan.
Cover with the lemon sauce, bake for 20-25 minutes until sauce thickens. Serve over rice.

Lemon Chicken

1 c. flour
1 t. seasoned salt
4-6 boneless chicken breasts, cut into medium size pieces
3 T. olive oil
1/3-1/2 c. lemon juice, depending on how tart you want it
1 t. lemon zest
1/3 c. sugar
1 ½ T. cornstarch
¼ t. salt
1 c. water

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, seasoned salt in a Zip Lock bag. Add chicken and shake until chicken is completely coated. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on both sides, about 3-4 minutes a side. Set aside.

Mix lemon juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Slowly add water until thoroughly mixed and no lumps remain. Place chicken in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Clam Chowder

When I was much younger I had this strange idea that I didn't like any form of seafood. After my husband and I had been married awhile my father-in-law treated us to a weekend in Newport Oregon. There in Newport I tried really good clam chowder for the first time. While working on a project there in Newport my father-in-law found Mo's on the wharf on Newport Bay. After a few family vacations there it has become a favorite family destination and Mo's has become a favorite place to eat. Since we don't get to Newport Oregon as much as we would like to I began a search to find a clam chowder recipe that came close to Mo's, while not the same it is a very good version from a land locked cook. And since it is officially soup season I've been craving it. I also realized that seafood was something that I really did like.

Place the onion, celery, potatoes, salt, and clam juice in a pan and cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile fry bacon until crisp. (I have become some what of bacon snob, I only like the ranch style bacon sold at most butcher blocks. It costs a little more but doesn't fry down as much as typical packages of bacon. I usually buy it when it's on sale and freeze it.)

Chop the bacon into small pieces and add at the very end.

Make the soup base and add to the vegetables to thicken, add the clams.

Before serving add the bacon and ladle into bowls.

Garnish with butter and two-three drops of Tabasco sauce.

Clam Chowder

1 c. onion finely chopped
1 c. celery finely diced
2 c. potatoes, finely diced
¾ c. flour
¾ c. butter or margarine
1 qt half and half
1½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
3-4 6½ oz. clams, undrained

Combine vegetables in small saucepan. Drain clams: pour juice over vegetables; add enough water to cook. Cook covered, until tender. Meanwhile, melt butter in large heavy saucepan. Stir in flour until blended and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in cream until smooth, blended and bubbly. Return to heat; cook and stir with wire whip until thick and smooth. Add vegetables and clams heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

For even better flavor add chopped bacon slices and a few drops of Tabasco.