I am surprised that we are able to grow kale in Hawaii, particularly in our area of Oahu which is fairly dry and hot in the summer. Last year, one lacinato kale plant survived the summer's drought and exploded with growth thanks to the winter rains. It did so well, it...
Thanks to a rainy winter, our papaya trees are blessing us with an abundance of fruit. We share them with family and co-workers. We even found that the puppies love them (we just have to be sure they don't eat any of the seeds). Even after we enjoy the fruit...
Growing up in Hawaii, there is always an abundance of fruit throughout the year like banana, avocado, mango, lychee, papaya, mountain apples, or guava. A family member, neighbor, co-worker, or friend has something in their yard to share, and no one likes to waste...
With our garden still producing delicious tomatoes, I am always on the lookout for new ways to use them. On a recent episode of The French Pub, Chef Edward Delling-Williams served a baked camembert with a tomato chutney. Unfortunately his recipe isn't published so I...
My sister is the grill master of our family. On her trusty Weber kettle grill she makes souvlaki and grilled shoyu lime chicken. She also makes fantastic smoked and grilled ribs. I always serve as sous chef - making marinades, skewering meats, or shuttling items in...
Ginger scallion sauce is a classic Chinese condiment traditionally served on cold poached chicken. But to limit it to a single dish would be a crime. From fried chicken to poke to scrambled eggs, ginger scallion sauce will bring life to your dishes, even those that...
When I lived in Boston, one of my summer activities was to make big batches of apricot jam that I would enjoy throughout the year. Now that I'm living in Hawaii, it's harder to find good stone fruit. Instead we are blessed with beautiful tropical fruit...
Last summer David Lebovitz posted a recipe for Green Salad with Peas, Green Beans, and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing and it changed my salad eating days. In general I prefer to make my own dressing but have stuck to simple vinaigrettes. I almost never made a...
In addition to my obsession with cookbooks I also watch a lot of cooking shows. I started early when the only shows were on PBS. With the Food Network and Cooking Channel I can watch cooking shows almost round-the-clock. And this is where I found inspiration one...
Food in Jars Mastery Challenge #6 Participating in this month's Mastery Challenge was easy because making apricot jam has become one of my annual traditions. My good friend Michelle shared this recipe with me a few years ago and I've been making it ever since. She, in...
Food in Jars Mastery Challenge #2: Salt Preserving This month's assignment for the Food in Jars Mastery Challenge was Salt Preserving. I admit that before the assignment came out I was apprehensive. I thought we would be curing meats or something that sounds iffy if...
Moveable Feast: Apples After our usual summer hiatus, Moveable Feast started up once again last weekend with the seasonally appropriate theme of apples. As you might expect, dessert was quickly claimed but for whatever reason, the thing that popped into my head...
When we worked together years ago, several former co-workers and I would get together at the holidays to have afternoon tea at the Ritz-Carlton Boston. It was a fun and delicious way to get out of the office for an afternoon and talk about anything but work. Over the...
The first type of jam I learned how to make is no-cook, freezer jam. The recipe is included in the boxes of Sure Jell pectin that you get at the grocery store. It's pretty easy and you don't have to worry about cooking it long enough, getting air bubbles out of jars,...
Last year I lost one of my best friends. Padma was not only a friend but a confidant and a cheerleader for me. If asked, I bet she'd have greater belief and hope in me than I ever would in myself. She was taken too soon from us and there's not a day that goes by that...
Growing up in Hawaii we had access to a lot of different types of fruit. At any given time we had mangoes, lychee, bananas, tangerines, pomelo, or papayas growing in our yard. Even when the trees got older and didn't produce as much, friends and family often brought...