What I Am Cooking...

Here are some really fun (and delicious) posts on my new Food Blog posted in the last two weeks... please go visit and see what is cooking!

http://sassyspoon.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/empanadas-de-betabel-empanadas-with-beets-corn/

http://sassyspoon.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/individual-cheese-souffles-for-valentines-dinner/

http://sassyspoon.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/re-creating-husks-kentuckyakai-chicken-wings/

North Carolina Cole Slaw

Part of our Superbowl Table included one of my favorite simple salads, North Carolina Cole Slaw. It paired perfectly with the chicken wings and other savory dishes. It is easy to make and disappears from the table quickly. It is also a "must" when serving East Carolina BBQ sandwiches... goes on top and as a side dish. And for those who care, this is a VEGAN dish.

Here is the simple recipe:

• 1/2 cup of cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup of white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil (optional but I find it makes the salad smoother tasting)
• 4 tablespoons sugar or agave syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds (optional)
• a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon of Tabasco (optional)
• 1 head green cabbage

Mix all ingredients except the cabbage together and stir well till the sugar is dissolved. 

Shred the cabbage. I use the slicing blade on my food processor, but you can slice by hand or with a grater that has a slicing blade. You do not want this to be grated in small pieces as with a creamy cole slaw. 

20-30 minutes before serving toss the dressing with the cabbage and chill till serving time, toss again and add more black pepper. 

Food Trip to Charleston

Fried Chicken Skin with Honey and Hot Sauce from HUSK in Charleston, South Carolina

 I was recently in Charleston, South Carolina for a few days visiting my friends Holly Herrick and Nathalie Dupree. Click on the title to see more.

 They are both food writers and so we had some incredible food and lots of fun. The three of us dined at the newly famous Husk, which was amazing and quite a treat for a girl that lives on an island in the middle of the ocean. I have lived in the Low Country before and love it hugely. The food scene there has really been on the cutting edge for the last several years, with the trend as in most places, local seasonal ingredients. Husk sources everything from "the south" so they take local a little farther than most, but this also gives them an amazing array of products and produce to choose from. Every day the menu changes and every day you can see the menu of the day on their website. They are all archived too, so you can go back and see some of the very creative dishes that they served.

Here are some of the dishes we enjoyed at Husk:

Sweet Tea Brined Chicken Wings with Kentuckyaki Glaze and  Scallions

Sweet Tea Brined Baby Back Ribs with a house rendered Chicharone

Rudder Fish on Rice Grits with Peas

Citrus Pana Cotta

BBQ Pig Ears in Lettuce Wraps 

Pecan Tart



You can see more fun food pics from this trip on my food blog, The Sassy Spoon.

Happy New Year!

2011 has come and gone. Time for a New Year! I wish you all the very best and know that this year holds some exciting changes ahead. I hope each of you has a year full of joy and love. It HAS to be better than 2011!

I am starting a new blog, just on food this year and hope it will become the basis for a book. It is called The Sassy Spoon. Starting this week I will be sharing recipes and food photos there. Come on over for a visit and follow the blog. It is hosted by Wordpress which I find to be a great format for blogging. I will still be posting here about life and food here in Hawaii and some posts may cross over.

Aloha from Hilo Bay.

Grilled Baby Bok Choy

So simple and so delicious! Grilled Baby Bok Choy…

Baby bok choy is one of many Asian greens available here year round. In our farmer’s market a bouquet sized bunch of it is just $1. If you live on the mainland, you may have to wait for Spring to get fresh local bok choy, but it does grow everywhere in temperate months. It is also very easy to grow in the garden. 

After you have soaked the bok choy in water and drained it, all you do is cut each baby bok choy in half and trim the thin upper leaves a little. Then drizzle with a simple lemon vinaigrette (1/4 cup of lemon juice, ½ cup of olive oil, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and two tablespoons of agave syrup) and allow the bok choy to rest in the marinade. I also had some golden beets that I had roasted and I sliced them thickly and placed them in the marinade too. 

Heat a grill on high and once it is good and hot, turn down to medium. Place the baby bok choy on the grill, being careful of flare ups because of the marinade. I keep a water bottle handy. It only takes about 2-3 minutes on each side, just till you see some grill marks, you want the greens with just a little crunch. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper to taste. 

You can also use a more Asian marinade instead, but I like the freshness lemon adds to the dish. You could also use other baby Asian greens such as baby Tat Soy. 

Happy Thanksgiving from Hawaii!

Happy Thanksgiving from Hawaii. This morning we had a beautiful sunrise and I just wanted to share it with all of you. I have much to be thankful for, good health, a happy life, satisfying work and life in paradise. Mahalo to all of you for following my blog over the years.