The end of the school year torpedoes away in a mad rush of "lasts"--piano recitals, soccer games, concerts, school functions, end-of-the year/season parties, banquets, proms. I think that unless one lives in a rocking singles community, a lot of your life's cadence is based on the academic year. It's a bittersweet time, so what's cooking this week is my personal comfort food.
 Busy, bittersweet times Not Meatless MondayChicken, Stuffing and steamed green beans. I LOVE stuffing, and yes, this happened on a work-day. It's an injustice that stuffing happens only when it's cold or during the holidays. Here's how I did it on a Monday. 1) Buy a Costco or Safeway rotisserie chicken, green beans and a small-diameter loaf of very crusty french bread. 2/3 of a complete meal before you even unload the car. 2) If you are really in a pinch, also buy pre-sliced onions, mushrooms and celery. I chose to chop, but mainly for the therapeutic mental health benefits. 3) When you get home, chop onions, mushrooms and celery and cube up the whole loaf of bread. The small-diameter bread means more crust, less chopping, and better texture on stuffing. 4) Make stuffing and dump it into a pan. Turn the oven on and let it go until the bread gets crusty, about 20 minutes. Put the green beans into a microwave-able glass bowl, cover it with a damp paper towel. Go 2 minutes. 5) Eat, be happy and pretend it's the weekend or a holiday.
 Take-out TuesdayL&L Hawaiian BBQ. This is the most consistent plate lunch when I'm not in Hawaii. Game 1 of the Sharks vs. Kings didn't go the way we wanted, but at least we ate well. Meatless WednesdaySummer Soba Salad. A good quick full-meal salad. ThursdayChicken Divan, with the rest of the rotisserie chicken. Another one of my comfort-foods. When I first started cooking, this was the one of the few things I could make consistently.
 Yep, this was once a fish. Fish on FridayOkonomiyaki with kamaboko. No char siu/chashu after last week's literal pig fest. If dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets are still considered chicken, then kamaboko is most definitely fish. Good luck to all those students in or approaching finals angst...and to their Very Patient, Always Even-Tempered, Supportive Parents!
 Orzo. It's what's for dinner. Hot weather returns to the Bay Area this week. This means we can finally start eating outside! And I try to avoid the stove but still feed the ohana. Meatless and Stove-less MondayQuinoa Salad plus sliced avocados. Keep the avocados separate from the salad so that leftovers don't go Exorcist-green. Fish on TuesdayCornmeal Fish and Tropical Fruit Salsa. Mangoes were very pretty and on sale at Safeway, and Cornmeal Fish means minimal use of the stove. Meatless and Aiming-to-be-Stove-less WednesdayOn the Fly Orzo Salad. If I'm organized, I can make this on Tuesday when the stove is in use, I can let it overnight for another cool dinner salad. ThursdaySweet and Sour Chicken. I've had three packages of drummettes in the freezer for far too long. I will be working from home so I'll have time to do this. Otherwise, it would be a weekend gig. Experiment on FridayZippy's Chili, from a recipe I found on Facebook from ONO Hawaiian Kind Grinds. Zippy's is the standard of Hawaii chili that many of us grew up on. Looking forward to trying this one! ExtrasCreamsicle Jello Cheesecake, strawberry variation. OK, so this requires the oven. I'm willing to sacrifice and sweat it out in the name of cheesecake research. Steve's Hummus. Something else cool that the kids can eat after school. Yogurt and fat-free milk. Plenty. As in a gallon a day. Maybe that's why we don't eat cow. Berries, lots of berries. We have found that if we leave fresh cut fruit out on our dining table, it gets eaten. This is one of the advantages of the temperate and not-humid climate of the Bay Area. Definitely cannot do this in Hawaii without risking major spoilage or cockroaches! How do YOU beat the heat and still eat?
Today it is 88 degrees and sunny. Very hot for the Bay Area, so no stoves today. This week is all about cool, quick dinners. We may even eat outside! Here's what's cooking this week.  Cooking not required Meatless MondayNa-omi-take tofu. Temperature in the 90s in the Bay Area means no stove. A cool meal for this temporary blast of summer. We may even be in the pool today. TuesdayChicken Tikka Masala. Trying out Safeway's brand of starter sauce as the Seeds of Change brand can be harder to find. Meatless WednesdaySimple Spaghetti and a simple salad. A Feeding My Ohana Like-er recommends adding slivered almonds to salad. Genius! I'll probably toss in some dried cranberries as well. Pasta and salad is one of the best weekday dinners. Fish on ThursdayStuffed Tuna Melts. Again, minimal cooking.Plate Lunch FridayBulgogi, Wonbok coleslaw and rice. Short ribs cook really fast and with more daylight, Friday night grilling is on!
 New recipe postedMy Daddy's Aburage ThingyThe first time I made this, it was a little too much everything--sweet, salty, liquid-ey. Not Feeding My Ohana-worthy. However, I fixed all the above-noted troubles. It is now family-approved. Working on a couple of new recipes this week. Stay tuned for mid-week posts! What are YOU cooking this week?
This week's menu goes around the world in 6 days--tofu, Alfredo and jambalaya. We are meatless x2 during the week with a bonus Meatless Sunday.
 Be vegetarian, at least for a day. Meatless Bonus SundayTofu Steaks, edamame and rice. Can you say "soy"? MondayBasil Chicken. With tofu steaks last night, there is lots of extra basil. Meatless TuesdayAlmost Alfredo Pasta, with broccoli instead of spinach.
 Homemade gyros WednesdayGyros, to use the last of the feta cheese from Grapefruit and Manoa lettuce salad. ThursdayJambalaya. Besides tofu steaks, we had Japanese Chicken Curry over the weekend and there is some leftover celery. Meatless FridayOn the Fly Orzo Salad. Reasonably sure the husband will tolerate the third meatless day in a week. ExtrasHaupia from scratch. In this context, 'from scratch' not using the 'just add water' packet, but using coconut milk and cornstarch. It does not mean pounding coconut and arrowroot. I'm hoping for a smoother texture than the packets version. I may even make this tonight! Li Hing Kettle Korn. My cousin told me I took Kettle Korn and made it even more addicting. If you see my relatives or me with the tell-tale red fingertips, you'll know why.
What are your favorite snacks?
 Flavor base for clam soyrizo pasta. The pretty picture doesn't always equate to thumbs-up dinner. Clam pasta with Soy- or Chorizo is a thumbs up plus a shaka sign of approval for dinner. The household was very skeptical because let's face it, Soyrizo looks like canned dog food (see left). But as a flavoring agent, it is fantastic. We ate this last week after seeing it on Diners Drive Inns and Dives. I followed the basic recipe, but swapped cho- for soy-rizo, used canned instead of fresh clams and corn, amped up the garlic and shallots and nixed the butter.
Best to click here to see how I made this.
 Thai chicken pizza. Pretty but meh. The experiment for CPK-like Thai chicken pizza, pictured at left, looked and sounded so promising that I made two of them. I'm in marketing. I should know better. It wasn't horrible, but it definitely wasn't great, very much まま (ma-ma, which means a slightly negative-leaning so-so in Japanese). I do like the idea and definitely like the taste of the real CPK Thai chicken pizza, but I still need to figure out a kickier version of the base pizza sauce. Back to the kitchen for this one. On the plus side, there is now a good picture of Chicken Satay. What's eating at your house this week?
 Hello warm weather! With apologies to Midwest and East Coasters, who should kick the tar out of Punxsutawney Phil and his entourage for incorrectly predicting an early spring, we are going with warmer weather dinners this week. Meatless MondaySummer Soba Salad. Something quick and light for a piano lesson and soccer practice evening. Processed Meat TuesdaySpam and String Beans. I grew up in Hawaii and make no apologies for Spam. However, I do draw the line at Vienna sausages. Blech! Meatless WednesdayFrom Scratch Falafel. I shape them more like a hash pattie so I don't have to deep fry. Experimental ThursdayThai Chicken Pizza Take 1. Aiming for the CPK Thai chicken pizza, but adding more veggies--bean sprouts, carrots and red peppers. Plus a little more zing with lime juice. We shall see. Good Friday FishShoyu Fish Sandwiches and Spicy Asian Coleslaw. The pasta with soy-rizo worked out well last week. No photos, but will post the recipe later this week. Hang in there with the last bit of cold. Spring is on the way!
 Front yard as produce stand. It was a glorious spring day in the Bay Area today, enough to work through that lost hour of sleep. We are going to enjoy this lovely week of darn-near perfect weather. Meatless Monday--Breakfast for dinnerChard picked from the garden this afternoon sauteed with garlic, onions, grape tomatoes, a shot of balsamic vinegar, sunny-side up eggs and Parmesan cheese. Inspired by a recipe on Pinterest, and eaten with a side of toasted asiago bread. Unanimous household approval.Any ideas for a catchy name for this would be most welcome.TuesdayCrock Pot Kalua Pig. I have a rare night meeting, so this will be ready for the kids and hubby. All they need to do is cook rice and make a salad. And then eat ice cream.
WednesdayChicken Fajitas Nachos, using leftover chicken, vegetables grilled by the husband on Sunday. He used a pre-made spice rub for the chicken, plus a lime. With guacamole with avocados from a friend, salsa and sour cream. Might be Meatless ThursdayPad Thai, yet again. Possibly bypassing the chicken and using only tofu. I'm still looking for a tamarind paste-less version and I have two more options Pinterest to consider. FridayPretty Much My Mother-in-Law's Corn Chowder. It's supposed to be 72 degrees of Friday, but I'm craving a good soup. BonusSoccer season is starting, so it's very important to keep *lots* of food in the house. Here are the teenager-approved items for the week.
Jello MochiJello is on sale at Safeway this week. I'm trying fruit punch, cherry lemonade and mango. Except for the color, I'm pretty sure it's all going to taste like "sweet". Li Hing Kettle Korn. Trader Joe's kettle korn tossed with li-hing powder. I eat this 'til my fingers are vermilion. Homemade Pork Sausage. Time to re-stock.Frozen green onion pancakes and eggs. My son has been going through packages green onion pancakes and cartons of eggs. Best of all, he can make them himself. Have a great week!
It takes about two weeks to get rid of all the sand and to lose da pidgin. Perpetuating the relaxing vibe will have to be done by photos and plate lunch dinners. The husband has been cooking more and added a couple too.
 Ko'Olina #2. Inhale. Exhale. And it was crowded that day. This is the vibe to keep 'til next time. Experimental MondaySpice Packet Indian Food. While we have successfully taken pre-packaged taco, enchilada, Sloppy Joes, spaghetti sauce and gravy spice packets from the pantry, the husband decided to try Gobi Aloo and Curry Vindaloo packets. Just add water and vegetables! Gluten free! Ready in 15 minutes! All of that was true, and there were no leftovers, but not in a good way. We do not recommend pre-packaged spice packets.  Tried and True TuesdayTeriyaki Chicken, musubi and chicken-less Chinese Chicken Salad. Plate lunch dinner. Aaah, the Rainbow's vibe Meatless WednesdayButternut squash soup, made by the husband because he wants to try out the new hand mixer. I also hear that there's a good dollop of pistachios and heavy cream, so I'm sure this is going to be good. ThursdayPork Adobo Fried Rice. Our homage to Elena's.Fish on FridayMisoyaki Butterfish, if I can find butterfish, otherwise, it's Omi's Shoyu Fish and Homestyle Mac Salad. These have been out rotation for awhile and requested by the children. Leaving home. Welcome home. What is your favorite plate lunch?
Hello stomach-virus-or-food-poisoning.
Since Sunday night, I've eaten: nothing, water, coconut water, 1 banana, 3 slices of toast and a bit of butter, 2 spoonfuls of yogurt, tea, 1 can of Coca Cola, and finally, a slice of salami. This very non-scientific concoction used coconut water for the lost electrolytes plus water and tea for hydration.
Food got added slowly. Very slowly, as in it took 2 days to eat the banana slowly. And sips of straight-up full-sugar Coca Cola has always settled my stomach. In fact, it's the only time I drink it.
Thankfully, I'm on the mend and here are the very safe and easy digesting meals we're having.  WednesdayOyako Donburi and rice. My husband made this tonight. Just the right amount of protein, salt and starch to ease back into eating. ThursdaySimplest Spaghetti Sauce. Again, just the right amount of carbs, salt and a bit of good fat in olive oil. FridayMom's Miso Soup with Tofu. Easy to digest protein, salt and hydration. See the pattern? What Others Are Eating This WeekMahalo to the cyber-ohana who graciously weighed in on what they are eating this week, for those of you who are indeed eating: Gau (thank you to my cousins!)All manner of Cookie pops, cupcakes and chocolate cookiesChili with sausage but not beansOmi's Shoyu FishHomemade PizzaAnd my favorite--Takeout!What's your best soothe-the-tummy advice?
Rain and colder temperatures together with a busier-than-usual family and for for-hire client schedule mean dinner needs to be warm and made very efficiently.
 Tortilla Soup. Fast, warm and happy. Takeout MondayI was in San Francisco with a client until 10PM last night, so it was El Pollo Loco chicken by request for my Mother-in-Law. There is no El Pollo Loco in Hawaii so when she visits, this is a must-do. TuesdayTortilla Soup, using the leftover El Pollo Loco chicken. We haven't had this in awhile. We have some absolutely bee-you-tee-ful homegrown avocado from a friend, as well as pepper jack cheese for sprinkling.
 No piggies here.
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