i am me.....

A little tourist "reality check" courtesy of the Rock & SNL

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My New Foodie Blog!

Aloha Everyone!

I wanted to invite all of you to visit my new food blog "Just A Little Smackeral Of Something"

 

This blog will have at least weekly **fingers crossed** posts and/or photos on anything food related: recipes, where we eat, what we eat, food trivia, posts about dining in Hawaii, California, & points beyond, etc.

The new blog is not replacing this blog, but I wanted a separate blog where I can celebrate my inner Top Chef/Iron Chef :-)

A Hui Hou-

Recipe time! When it's cold out....Time for SOUP!

Here's a quick and simple recipe for a great tasting soup!

Italian Meatball Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups dried pasta, broken spaghetti, etc
1 pound triple washed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef and pork (combined or you can use all beef)
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano  (use the real stuff)
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg

Boil the water for the pasta. Cook the pasta only half way. Drain rinse and set aside. (I do it this way instead of putting the dried pasta directly into the soup because I like to get the extra starch out of the pasta and I like my broth "cleaner")

Combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg. Roll mixture into balls and fry in a non-stick pan until nicely browned. Set aside.

In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery and onions and bay leaves.
Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Add cooked pasta and meatballs to the soup and stir. Cover and simmer soup 5-7 minutes to infuse the flavors

Next, stir in the chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted into the soup, the soup is done and ready to serve. Adjust your seasonings as needed with salt & pepper.

And now for the finished product:

Disney Family Holiday Party

Last night Sean & I went to the Cast Member Holiday Party at Disneyland and had a wonderful time. It was chilly and windy....50 degrees perfect! Brrrrrrr!

 

Priceless.....

Fluffy: Ultrasound, Xrays, & Lab Work      $   800
Fluffy: Endoscopy & Biopsy                       $ 1500
Fluffy: Cancer Treatment                         $ 1500
Elua:   Emergency Treatment & Surgery     $ 1000
Elua:   Hospital Stay                                 $   650

Fluffy and Elua both recovering, doing well, and looking at you with love and appreciation for saving their lives....... PRICELESS!!!

   

OMG!! Uncle Keoki's Laulau!!

Yesterday my nephew Kaj came for a 16 day (YAY!!) visit. We are doing the whole SoCal amusement park tour in the next two weeks, but that is not the subject of my post.

The REAL subject of this post is the Laulau that my 'ohana so kindly packed in his luggage for us. For those of your uninitiated in Hawaiian food, it is a bundle of heaven, and let me tell you the one thing this particular 'brand" that I now have in my belly is not your ordinary laulau. It is the BEST in the islands! Lots of luau wrapped around the most tender and flavorful meat. So ONO! So what does luau taste like? Apparently it tastes like spinach to some people.

So who is Uncle Keoki? He is this local bruddah that sells his laulau on the side of the road only on the weekends on the Windward side in Kahalu'u. Now don't get his laulau confused with the pre-packaged Keoki's laulau in the stores, because they are worlds apart.

Here is a simple explanation of laulau from wikipedia:

"Laulau is a Hawaiian dish. Traditionally, it consisted of pork wrapped in Kalo Hala, or taro leaf.

In old Hawaii, laulau was assembled by taking a few luau leaves and placing a few pieces of fish and pork in the center. The ends of the luau leaf are folded and wrapped again in ti leaf. When ready, all the laulau is placed in an underground oven, called an imu. Hot rocks are placed on the dish and covered in banana leaves and buried again. A few hours later the laulau is ready to eat.

In modern times, the dish uses taro leaves, salted butterfish, and either pork, beef, or chicken and is usually steamed on the stove. Laulau is a typical plate lunch dish and is usually served with a side of rice and macaroni salad."

I agree with most of the wikipedia explanation except that is is not a typical plate lunch dish and it's not usually served with macaroni salad. It is traditionally served with poi (mashed taro root), and lomilomi salmon (a tomato, onion, and salted salmon salad of sorts), and some other sides. Many people eat laulau with rice. Do yourself a favor and try one if you get the chance. :-)

Here are some recipes for different laulau flavors(Chicken/Pumpkin, Seafood, & Vegetarian):

http://starbulletin.com/1999/09/15/features/story1.html

I'm a Swordfish...what are you?

I'm janine and
I'm a Swordfish.

A FUN time @ the Freckle Friends Autism Speaks crop

Awesome make -n- takes, fabulous giveaways, wonderful shopping, a cute centerpiece, great food, and time with friends... who could ask for anything more? When Freckle Friends has another crop try your very best to make it :-)

A very big MAHALO to Susan & Debbie @ Freckle Friends and Suezi @ Me and My Big Ideas for planning such a memorable time for us all and it was for a good cause too!

www.frecklefriends.com (Shop to your hearts content! Check out their Cool project kits)

www.meandmybigideas.com (One of my VERY fave SB manufacturers - okay maybe bordering on obssesion sometimes)

http://www.homegrownhospitality.typepad.com/ Stephanie Ackerman (make & taker, name tag maker AND cookie baker!)

Here are a couple of pics, check out my album on the left for the rest!

My Kitties Have Their Own MySpace Pages

Yes they really do, but their webmaster is a slacker so it doesn't get updated much. They are still cute pages nevertheless. Elua even has more friends on his page than Sean does!! Go have a look:

 http://www.myspace.com/wonkee

http://www.myspace.com/bahbygurl

 

See me on TV tommorrow!!

Yep, the time has come....My Dr. Phil episode is airing tomorrow, Wednesday 5/14, be there or be square!

Oh, and the show title "I'm Hot and You're Not!"

Here is the show blurb from the Dr. Phil website:

"I'm Hot, You're Not!"

Dr. Phil speaks with some opinionated guests who say they’re not judgmental; they just think they’re hot — and you’re not! Shenek says she doesn’t like ugly people, refuses to have unattractive friends, and will literally run away if an unappealing guy approaches her. She says ugly people are jealous and out to sabotage her. Her friend, Chad, says Shenek is beautiful, but her attitude makes her ugly. Don’t miss the surprise Dr. Phil has in store for Shenek! Then, meet a former beauty queen who says she’s repulsed by obese people and will go out of her way to avoid them. Michelle says when she sees a fat person eat, she becomes physically sick. What happens when Dr. Phil introduces her to Janine, a 343-pound woman who’s proud of her figure and tired of being looked down on? Next, meet two men who say they were banned from an all-you-can-eat restaurant because they were too fat! And, a mother is at odds with her three daughters who she says are becoming obsessed with their appearance. Is it just a phase?