 Because Mom has been continuing her tour of Bay Area eateries, including a second tofu house, there have been a lot of leftovers for dinner. This week's selection included dim sum, Korean tofu house #2, and Japanese curry. I actually missed making dinner. So here's what cooking for the rest of the week. ThursdayBraised kabocha, made by Mom My Mom's Chicken Katsu, made by me Easy Roasted Asparagus, requested by Mom Rice FridaySpaghetti with Simple Tomato Sauce and Meatballs, requested by Mom. Eat Well. Be Well.
We can carry the vegetarian challenge one more day, especially since the hot weather makes me unlikely to want to cook anything. But meat returns, and the husband is relieved. Here's what's cooking this week. MondayIt was about 90 degrees in the Bay Area today and I really didn't feel like cooking. So I've made a variation on C's Orzo Salad that requires even less cooking. I'm calling it On-the-fly Orzo Salad, and it's at the bottom of C's Orzo Salad page. Fresh berries and maple yogurt for dessert. Instead of cooking onions and corn, I'm using fresh mozzarella balls, red peppers, cucumbers, a jar of marinated artichoke hearts, the last of the roasted tomatoes, fresh basil and a little bit of balsamic vinegar.  Kai choy in the garden TuesdayBanish the Bottle Teriyaki Chicken, musubi, Ponzu parmesan yaki corn, and kai choy sauteed in the teriyaki sauce. Kai choy is in season and the hot weather will either wilt it or turn it to seed, so we'll be eating a lot of it this week. WednesdayNakayoshi Gakko Somen Salad. Both my kids have after-school sports on Wednesdays now, so it has to be something that can be made well in advance. Another great hot weather meal salad. ThursdayAmped Up Macaroni and Cheese and the other half of double batch of From Scratch Pork Loin that I made a couple of weeks ago and froze. FridayFish and rice. Omi's Shoyu Fish, rice and more kai choy. Snacks and lunch foodDecidedly vegetable based for my voracious teenagers. Fresh black-, blue- and straw-berries. Fluffy Wheat Bread, Steve's Hummus, roasted cauliflower with curry (as suggested from Facebook), Baba Ghanouj and more Roasted Tomatoes. Fresh vegetables, in-season berries and warmer weather. Finally on our way to summer. Eat Well. Be Well.
 Omi's Shoyu Fish |  Nakayoshi Gakko Somen Salad |
 There were no leftover cookies. Or Robin's eggs. Easter was a great time with the ohana. It is duly noted that cold hard cash ($3), Avengers squinkies and robins' eggs made for a very entertaining yet moderately priced Easter egg hunt for the teenagers. While there were no leftover Easter cookies, there are leftovers that are nearly complete meals. I love a good game of Leftovers Roulette. I'm aiming to go the whole week on our leftovers. Especially since the huge batch of Greek Salad I made for Easter did not make it to the serving area...there's always one that gets forgotten.
Here's what's being "re-purposed" this week. Leftovers include a Costco chicken, Honey Baked Ham, grilled salmon and LOTS of Greek Salad.MondayChicken Divan, using part of a Costco Chicken and the leftover broccoli from late last week.  My Daddy's Killer Fried Rice
 One of the side bonuses of Easter And of course, egg-salad sandwiches on toasted wheat bread every day this week. Perfectly Hard Boiled Eggs works well in batches, as long as the eggs have a little space around them. No changes to the sitting or boiling time. Lastly, I apologize for the temporary downtime on the site today, and thank the hardworking people at Weebly for getting everything back and running so quickly. Eat Well. Be Well.
 Korean food trucks are everywhere--Kogi, Korilla, Mama Kim's, and MoGo BBQ. It was time to see I could do something similar but without the FedEx-like truck. Mission accomplished. Even though our dining room has absolutely zero hipness factor compared to the food trucks. No wonder these trucks are so popular. Even better, it's pretty easy to do at home. Last night was Make-Your-Own-Bulgogi-Chicken-Wraps. Sides were purple rice (more on this later), gochu-jang sesame mayo, bean sprouts, lettuce and sliced cucumbers. Kim chee on the side, of course. I started at 5:30. We were eating at 6:30. In between, I was able to Facebook and send a few emails for work. There is a about 10 minutes of prep the night before, and I also made a trip to the Korean grocery store, also *before* I started this meal (See " Look Before You Cook"). The nice ladies at Hankook Korean Market were happy to recommend the appropriate spice level of gochu-jang and give explicit instructions for purple/black rice. First, purple rice is brown or white rice with a bit of Korean black rice. Black rice costs about $4 and one package will last a long time. Buying it came with two very stern warnings. 1) It will stain absolutely everything and 2) Add only a little bit to brown or white rice. I used 2 cups of brown rice and half a handful of black rice in the rice cooker. It makes it a pretty color and gives it a little flavor and more texture. All good things. Second, gochu-jang sauce is Korean chili sauce. It's the consistency of miso paste and has a very slightly sweet undertone. There are levels of gochu-jang hotness, and I was instructed to get the medium hot version. I'm planning on using more of it for spicy tofu and another Korean chicken experiment later this week. Household was very happy and requested leftovers for lunch. Click here for the complete recipe. Eat Well. Be Well.
This week, I bought a bottle of gochu-jang sauce (Korean chili sauce) for various dishes of what I hope will be spicy goodness. Very thankful for the Korean grocery store! Simultaneously, I'm plowing my way through various cookbooks I've borrowed (See Saturday Night Cookbooks from a couple of weeks ago). So far, The Big Book of Potluck and Brunch! have been the best. PDQ Vegetarian Cookbook, In a Small Kitchen, and Make This, Not That will be going back to the library early. This week, along with gochu-jang, the Barefoot Contessa is up. Here's what's cooking this week.  Meatloaf, roasted asparagus, salad & rice Monday
Myles Last Resort Meatloaf, roasted asparagus with parmesan (Barefoot Contessa), homegrown salad and rice. One barely needs a recipe for the asparagus, it's olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan at the end. The husband also just finished the marinade for bulgogi using chicken for Tuesday's dinner. TuesdayMake your own Bulgogi chicken wraps with sesame (gochu-jang?) mayo. Inspired by the Korean food trucks, I'm using tortillas, baked bulgogi chicken and perhaps adding a layer of sesame-kochu-jang-flavored mayo. For veggies, I have bean sprouts from the Korean grocery store, kim chee, shredded lettuce and cukes. There's a good mix of hot/cold, cool/crunchy/spicy/creamy that should work well. WednesdayCold rainy weather returns. Perfect for spicy tofu soup using gochu-jang, enoki mushrooms, onions, and won bok. There are about 5 recipes I'm comparing for this right now. ThursdayBack to the Barefoot Contessa with parmesan chicken salad. This is basically chicken katsu with parmesan cheese added into the panko. The Contessa has a lemon vinaigrette I'm trying out. FridayKorean stewed chicken with spinach, or spicy chicken with broccoli. Both use gochu-jang. By week's end, our taste buds should be spiced out and well prepared for a robins' eggs and marshmallow peeps break. Just in time for our annual Easter Brunch. Eat well. Be Well.
We are not roaming the streets in search of the uber-trendy food trucks. I like to have dinner Ozzie and Harriet-style, but this week the kids' schedules do not work out that way. So meals are carry-and-go. They can still have a good dinner and get where they need to go.  MondayTeriyaki chicken sandwiches. Instead of rice, I'm using toasted green onion bread, shredded lettuce and mayo. Trying a new citrus salad. Shredded lettuce, and sliced nashi, oranges, green peppers and cukes with a lime/cumin dressing. TuesdayBreakfast for dinner. Fluffy wheat bread toast, ham and egg cups, adapted from Gale Gand's Brunch! And the rest of the citrus salad. WednesdayJapanese Chicken Curry. We have a good shot at a sit-down dinner, so this meal is definitely not mobile.
 ThursdayPuff pastry tarts with turkey, brie and TBD add-ins. I saw a turkey/brie turnover on an episode of "Diners, Drive-Inns and Dives" Thinking of adding apple slices and cranberries to the mixture. Or I may try pear, brie and pecans or pork sausage. Fish on FridayFurikake crusted fish with yaki musubi. Lots of ideas brewing from the cookbook research and Pinterest. Should be fun. Eat Well. Be Well.
Cows will not be sacred this week. My son, who doesn't eat cow as a lifestyle choice, has educated us. We rarely eat beef. However, he is on a school trip. While I miss him dearly, much more than say, his older sister does, we will console ourselves with beef. Here's what's cooking this week.
 Korean Egg Meat Jun MondayKorean Egg Meat Jun, My Mom's Japanese Coleslaw and hot rice. I don't have enough time to make Macaroni Salad, otherwise, this would be a pretty fair plate lunch dinner. TuesdaySalt and Pepper Shrimp, green beans, Okinawan sweet potatoes and rice. Day 1 prep for Beef Barley Soup/Stew. You didn't really think we would eat beef every day did you?! Even the steak-loving husband has limits. WednesdayBeef Barley Soup and Fluffy Wheat Bread because it's supposed to rain, rain, rain. Perfect soup weather. ThursdayChicken Piccata, mashed potatoes and broccoli. Fresh lemons from my neighbor work well. This may turn into Fixed Lemon Chicken, depending on how I feel. I may even feel like a cheeseburger from In-n-Out. FridayChristine's Clam Chowder and the rest of the bread. Fish on Friday, more or less. Please note that this is a one-week cow-feasting anomaly. I do not advocate eating this way as a normal routine. I'm grateful and proud that my son has steadfastly stuck to his no-cow commitment. Eat Well. Be Well.
 Mom's table I owe my parents big time for making 'any kine' food, and not just what my sisters and I preferred. Whether I liked something or not was irrelevant. Dad liked it, it was good for you, and starving children in the far reaches of the world would gratefully consume your creamed tuna or daikon greens, thank you very much. You ate what was made.
I came to appreciate this when my babies started having food opinions. This newby parent was convinced that her piteously hungry children would starve or worse yet, be emotionally scarred for being forced to eat something that didn't appeal to their largely untested and extremely limited toddler palates. At that point, my pediatrician said, "Look at that child's thighs. If he misses a meal he will most definitely not starve. Do not short-order cook for your children. Think of how you ate as a child." Did I mention I love my pediatrician? Epiphany. Meals at my parents house were as much about trying new foods as nourishment. Their neighbors and friends were Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Haole, Hapa, Hawaiian...and we were always getting something new to add to the dinner table. So this week is inspired by spending a week back at Mom's table. Picky eaters are welcome and most certainly will not starve. MondayNot the Colonel's KFC. The kids had doctor's appointments and Bon Chon Korean Fried Chicken is next to the doctor's office. This is a happy coincidence, and not how I chose my children's doctor. Rounded out with plain rice, nori, green beans and a green salad.
 TuesdayMy Daddy's Killer Fried Rice, using Portuguese sausage and a little kim chee. Plus Choy Sum with Shoyu Mirin Sauce. Mom usually makes this with ung choy, but choy sum was fresh and on sale. WednesdayWatercress soup. Mom made this last week on a 'chilly' O'ahu day when we were all still feeling icky from colds and jet lag. Everyone was happy and slept well that day. Will post the recipe later this week.
 ThursdayHuli Huli chicken, broccoli and musubi. Just because we can't go to the beach doesn't mean we can't have beach food. FridayTofu-tuna burgers. I know, "tofu," "tuna" and "burger" in the same breath makes your head want to explode. If that's not enough, I have to throw in "carrots" and "shiitake." It sounds odd, but tastes really great. Think of it as a kind of hash.
Here's to parents and pediatricians--who tirelessly foster un-picky eaters. Eat Well. Be Well.
 If there ever were a perfect place to convalesce from a very bad respiratory virus, Lagoon #4 at Ko'Olina on O'ahu is it. Three days at the lagoons--mind and body are feeling much better. My Mom's cooking definitely helped too. Back in the land of 50-degree weather, here's to extending that happy relaxed sigh of "aah" in aloha for as long as possible. Happy to be healthy and cooking again. Food shopping for the week is done, and here's what we're eating this week. Monday (Gills) Teriyaki salmon, rice, salad and Grandma Nancy's Ranch Dip. Didn't have teriyaki when I was back, and am craving it now. Have a bag of carrots, a bunch of broccoli and some haricot vertes for snacking and dinner veggies.
 Tuesday (Four Legs) What Started Out as Tyler Florence's Pork Chops, green beans and rice. We haven't had this in a long time and Granny Smith apples are still in season. Wednesday (Plants) Techie Gnocchi. This was one of those meals that didn't happen during the cloud of sickness. Making the most of squash season, and this desperately needs a better picture. Thursday (Feathers) Chicken Marsala with Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper Pappardalle. It also needs a photo and I haven't made this in a long time. Plus, I got a good deal on chicken.
 FridayTacos using the rest of the chicken, which I'll toss in the food processor in the hopes of getting some kind of ground chicken. I think it should work, but I'll let you know. One of those easy meals we've not had in quite awhile. After School Snacks These are things I have been routinely stocking to avoid the arsenic hours of the late afternoon when parents and teenagers tend to get food-cranky. Applewood organic (pork) salami, tortillas, cheddar cheese, tangerines, apples, grapes, grapefruit juice, pita chips, Steve's hummus, salsa, the aforementioned veggies and dip, yogurt, Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal, granola, Girl Scout cookies, and one can of Diet Cherry Coke for maternal caffeine emergencies.
Hope you are all staying healthy. Eat Well. Be Well.
This post is late because I've come down with a stuffy head cold. I felt it coming on yesterday, and today I took a full-blown sick day. Until now, offline and in bed. There have been plenty of times when we've dragged your contagious selves to the office thinking, "I've just got to get this one project done" and then wandered rheumy-eyed through the grocery store. For fear of a freak micro-tornado in your cube and your family having a starvation meltdown. It's only taken me at least 2-score and several more to grasp that my imagination far outpaces reality.
So, thanks to conscripting the kids, Costco and a bunch of Superbowl leftovers, we will not starve. Especially since we have a bag of tortillas (unbelievable, huh?), a bag of potato chips, eggrolls, a dozen garlic spare ribs, some blue cheese, leftover Buffalo wings, half a tin of chocolate chip cookies, and three pieces of pineapple upside down cake. Plus frozen soup.
I'm not into starving a cold. So here's what we're eating this week.
 Sushi pie MondaySushi pie with the leftover crab, cucumbers and avocado. My husband helped a family friend with his home wifi and in trade, we got oyster sauce shrimp for dinner. We also cleaned out the eggrolls and spare ribs. Tuesday/Sick Day
Costco chicken, broccoli and rice. Love a meal that depends on pressing buttons on the rice cooker, microwave, and cel phone (to text the husband). WednesdayBuffalo chicken wraps. I'm shredding the rest of the Buffalo chicken wings, adding some very, very, very finely chopped celery (Kids and Husband, you did not see this), tossing the whole thing with buttermilk dip and shredded lettuce and then wrapping it up with a tortilla. All the dip and lettuce should cut the a-little-too-hot wings down to pleasantly edible. ThursdayTBD tart with a frozen puff pastry, the leftover blue cheese, pears and maybe some sausage. It's based on a baked stuffed pears recipe I've been meaning to try. FridayI'm thinking tofu with black bean sauce and string beans. But if this head cold hangs on, it'll be miso soup with tofu and an egg dropped in. Eat Well. Be Well. Get Well!
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