Vegetable Garden Updates (19)

I found a few okras on the plants. They were just flowers a couple days ago. They really grew over night! There are more cucumbers growing, and lots of tomatoes are coming along very well. Super Fantastic Tomatoes are doing best of all the tomato plants. There are at least 10 tomatoes getting ready to turn red. 

Flower is still attached to the okra

Funny looking cucumber

Still quite small, about 3 inches

Super Fantastic Tomatoes

More Super Fantastic

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He Snores

The triple digit temperature is forcing us to stay home where the AC is running. My dog moves from one part of the house to another to keep cool. As I write this he is on the wood floor right in front of the AC vent. It will be hot for the rest of the week. I predict no dog park for him this weekend.

My belly feels good on the floor

What else is there to do but to sleep on a hot summer day like this? He snores when he sleeps. Here is a rare video of him snoring. You may notice his eyes are half way open in this video. We got used to it, but we were a bit freaked out when we first saw it.

Just imagine hearing this all night!

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Chicken Roulade with Pickled Plum and Shiso

Infused with pickled plum and shiso flavors

Shiso is now abundant in our planter. I am so psyched! There are so many dishes I want to try with the shiso leaves. Here is one. Chicken roulade. I used pickled plum for the tanginess and saltiness, and shiso for that wonderful clean green flavor. 

Pickled plum in a squeeze-bottle

Tangy, salty and fragrant goodness

Chicken Roulade With Pickled Plum And Shiso

2 chicken cutlets
4 tsp pickled plum paste, 2 tsp for each cutlet
4 shiso leaves
salt and pepper
flour for dredging
1 Tbsp canola oil

Salt and pepper the chicken cutlets on both sides. Spread the pickled plum paste on just one side of each cutlet. Lay two pieces of shiso leaves on top of the plum paste. Roll the chicken and secure with a toothpick. Lightly dredge the rolled chicken with flour. Brown the chicken on all sides in the frying pan with canola oil. Cover with a lid and steam cook for 4-5 minutes. Cool and slice them into bite sizes. Serve with extra plum paste and shiso on the side.


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Amaretto Sour Fizz

Don't you just love summer? When you come home after a long days work, fighting a traffic jam in the sweltering heat, a nice glass of something refreshing and lots of kisses from your dog would perk you right up. A splash of seltzer water gives extra something to traditional drinks like amaretto sour. Try to use fresh lemon juice and fresh OJ instead of sweet and sour mix if you can. Makes a big difference!

Bubbly cooler

Amaretto Sour Fizz

1 oz Amaretto Di Saronno
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 orange squeezed
1 Tbsp elderberry flower syrup 
Sprite or seltzer water to top off
Sprig of mint for garnish
Maraschino cherry for garnish
Slice of orange for garnish


In a tall glass 1/2 filled with ice cubes, mix all of the ingredients and stir. Garnish with a sprig of mint, a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry.


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Cubes and Spheres

How about another set of dangle earrings? Yes? Ok, then. These have gone out with me on many occasions and I've had a few compliments. My dog couldn't care less as you can see. 

Makes me think of ice cubes and water drops

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Summer Necklaces

I love using crystal beads for summer jewelry. They remind me of juicy summer fruits and icy popsicles, and they are so much fun to wear. Below are two necklaces I made.

Hangs just below collarbones

Pale colored crystals would go with any styles

This multi-strand necklace below was made with my sister in mind. She requested a necklace, and I have been pondering about the idea for weeks. I can't wait to see her reaction.

Swarovski flower crystals

Multi-strand but very light weight

This would look cute worn inside a collard shirt or with a v-neck shirt. It is light weight and catches light when you move. This one's for you sis!

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Lampwork Beads Earrings

Back to jewelry making! I gave away a pair of earrings that was made with lampwork beads. My display stand suddenly looked a bit lonely. So I made a couple more. 

My favorite color combo

Purple and blue

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Pineapple Banana Colada

This drink will put a big smile on your face and put you right in a Hawaiian mood. My hubby added a lot of mint in it, which made it taste so refreshing.

Where is my umbrella?

Pineapple Banana Colada

1 cup pineapple chunks
1/2 banana
1 oz cream of coconut
1 shot coconut rum
2 Tbsp Amaretto Di Saronno
1 cup crushed ice
Sprigs of mint for garnish
Maraschino cherries for garnish

Blend all till smooth. Garnish with mint and a maraschino cherry.


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Vegetable Garden Updates (18)

I found a couple of flowers on the okra plants. When I see this flower, I know it's the middle of summer, although, it is only the end of June. This has been a very hot June. 

Beautiful cream yellow

Hardy, heat loving okra

We had two more big cucumbers today. There will be a lot more coming before too long.


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SPAM Musubi

Surprisingly yummy

To keep my Hawaiian theme, I made some SPAM musubi. I don't usually get the craving for this here, but when I go to Hawaii, somehow, I have to have it. I have been wanting to make SPAM musubi for weeks, but I was a little bit scared of dealing with that mysterious meat. In fact, when I got the meat out of the container, I just held it in my hand for a few seconds and froze. I didn't know if I wanted to continue. Once I started cooking, I felt better, though.

Why so pink? Sooo mysterious.

SPAM Musubi

1 can SPAM
1 1/2 cup medium grain rice
1/3 cup rice vinegar, optional
2 sheets nori
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp mirin
1 Tbsp sake
11x9 casserole dish

Cook rice and mix well with rice vinegar. Set aside to cool it down a bit. Lay the seasoned rice flat on the casserole dish and pack it down pretty tightly.

I used a wet silicone spatula to pack it down

Slice SPAM into 8 pieces. Fry them in the dry frying pan till brown and slightly crispy. SPAM has enough fat in it, you don't need extra oil to sauté it. Add soy sauce, sugar, mirin and sake in a bowl and mix well. Add to the frying pan and coat them with the sauce well until almost all the liquid is gone. 

Flip them over often

Lay SPAM pieces on top of the rice in the casserole dish. With a spatula, cut the rice with SPAM into eight pieces.

Using CLEAN hands, shape them into nice clean blocks of rice. With a pair of cooking scissors, cut a sheet of rori into four long strips. Wrap individual pieces with a strip of nori.


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Vegetable Garden Updates (17)

One of the green bell peppers was ready. The red bell pepper called Big Early Bell has not turned red yet. It is huge, though, at least 10 inches long now. More eggplants were ready. 

Two eggplants and a green bell pepper

Look how big this is. Have you seen anything like this?

I don't know if this pepper is supposed to be this big. I am going to see how big it will get before turning red. Almost freakish, isn't it?

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Not So Subliminal Message

What becomes of this?

Come back soon to find out!

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Hand-rolled Sushi with Lomi Lomi Salmon

With so much lomi lomi salmon I made yesterday, I made a couple of hand-rolled sushi. Our shiso leaves were ready, so I added them inside the rolls, too. They made such a nice snack before dinner. All you need is a little sticky rice with rice vinegar and a sheet of nori. 

Lomi lomi salmon sushi with shiso leaves

Hand-rolled Sushi With Lomi Lomi Salmon 
(For two)

4 Tbsp cooked rice, seasoned with rice vinegar
2 Tbsp lomi lomi salmon
4 shiso leaves
1 sheet nori cut in quarters

Lay flat 1/4 sheet of nori and two shiso leaves on top of toni. Spread rice thinly and top it with lomi lomi salmon. Roll into a cone shape sushi. Shiso adds such a nice aroma.

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Vegetable Garden Updates (16)

Below is the first Husky Cherry Red Tomato that finally turned red. It took awhile for it to turn red, but the first one is always special. One of the cucumbers was also ready to pick. It looks like the perfect size for pickling. I am so happy that the cucumber plants are doing so well this year. I never had a good luck with them before. I think the tomato cages are helping them to grow taller and healthier. There will be two more cucumbers ready in a few days.

What a perfect pair!

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Guava Yogurt Shake

The Hawaiian-themed postings continue. We made a delicious shake with a couple of ripe guavas. I didn't add any sweetener this time, but I recommend some honey or agave nectar when you blend it. A little bit of sweetener acts like a binder and gives you a nice thick consistency.

Tropical shake and a hula shake

Guava Yogurt Shake

2 ripe guavas cut in quarters 

1 cup pineapple chunks

1 Fuji apple peeled and seeded, cut in quarters

1 cup almond milk

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp agave nectar, optional

Peel the guavas and an apple and cut in quarters. Put all the fruits in the juicer. In the blender, add almond milk, yogurt, guava juice mixture and agave nectar. Pulse till nice and creamy.

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Lomi Lomi Salmon with Taro Chips

Lomi lomi salmon...Hawaiian ceviche

When we went to Hawaii, one of the many pleasures on the island was to venture out to find good local stores that sold tasty poke and lomi lomi salmon. Each grocery store had its own seasoning, and we would just sample them out. It is nice to dine at the fancy restaurants, but there is something to be said about trying out the local everyday dishes. You can learn so much about their culture from their food. Anyway, we are looking forward to discovering new lomi lomi salmon and poke from the next trip there.

Bland by themselves but great with lomi lomi salmon

Aloha!

Lomi Lomi Salmon

1/2 lb smoked salmon diced small
4-5 Roma tomatoes diced small
2 stalks green onions sliced thinly
1/2 sweet onion diced small
1 Tbsp sake, optional
1 lime squeezed, optional 

I used the smoked salmon because I found a pack of smoked salmon trims on sale, but normally, you would get a piece of fresh sashimi-grade salmon and salt-cure it over night. Smoked salmon works just fine, though. Combine everything in a bowl and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Taro chips go great with this. Another idea is to make a hand rolled sushi with this. Maybe I can try that in the next post.

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