Westside Diving

Oh my gosh! It's been so long since I went diving! Dan and I finally got to use our Aaron's Dive Shop groupon for 2-tank boat dive in December. It was so great to dive with Dan again...our last dive together was in July!

Aaron's Dive Shop dive boat at Waianae Harbor

It was not ideal conditions the day we went, super windy and a little choppy. So we didn't go very far away from the Waianae Boat Harbor. But we had so much fun! I think it could have been the worst day ever and I still would have been stoked! The first site we dove was called Landing Craft Deep. We were fairly conservative and didn't go the max depth (90-100ft), we stayed above the ship at about 83ft.

Landing craft bow

My camera was still out for repairs at this point so all our pictures are blue :)

Me diving around the bow of the landing craft

I am a little sensitive to nitrogen narcosis and so I don't usually like to go deeper than 80-90 feet, unless there is something really cool deeper.

Looking up at the surface

Kissing fish! Haha. Not really. But the foreground/backgound trick definitlely makes it look real

We were down on the wreck for about 25 minutes and saw a lot of really interesting animals! Inside a exhaust or smoke pipe I saw two golden gobies! I tried to show them to my husband but underwater communication is not always effective...and sometimes it's just downright hilarious! We also saw a stingray, a blue dragon nudibranch, and a single pyramid butterflyfish. Obviously we saw much more but those were the "stars" of the dive.

The second dive was shallower and the site was called Two Tanks. I like shallow dives because you get to stay down longer and are able to take your time.

Marlin spike auger

Whitley's boxfish

Do you see the octopus? It's got its eye on you!

Imperial nudibranch train

My husband and I love nudibranchs...A LOT. We love them so much that we went as nudibranchs for Halloween a few years ago. No one knew what we were. We got several really weird guesses. My favorite was "WHOA! Are you like, psychedelic ninja turtles?!"

 Jolly green giant nudibranch and Imperial nudibranch. This is how marine biologists dress up for Halloween :)

Kangaroo nudibranch

Scrambled egg nudibranch

Goldring tang with chromis school

Snake eel

BBQ Pulled Pork Sammies with Homemade Buns (and sides, delicious sides)

I apologize for the lack of posts. I have been cooking but it's been cRaZy! Holidays, family visiting, new computer...I just decided to give up on posting until things had settled down.

Anyways! PORK! 

Over the holidays my room mates and I impulsively bought pork shoulder at Costco. For those of you who didn't immediately gasp after reading the previous sentence, let me clarify. My room mates and I bought 15 lbs of pork shoulder. That's a lot of pig! Luckily this turned out to be a good thing...unlike many other bulk purchases...like...lobster ravioli. Maybe someday I will post about my Costco shopping strategies (and epic failures) but today is not that day. 

So, pork shoulder was a great discovery! We made carnitas and BBQ pulled pork! I use my Crock Pot to slow cook the meat and then keep the shredded flavored pork warm while getting everything else ready.

BBQ pulled pork:

1 pork shoulder

1-2 onions, thickly sliced

3-4 garlic cloves, whole

1-12oz can Coca-Cola (or other cola, I've been wanting to try Dr. Pepper! But that might be weird...)

Water, enough to cover-almost cover the meat

Your favorite BBQ sauce

Dijon mustard

1. Brine the pork overnight. In a large bowl mix warm water, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and any other spices that peak your fancy. Refrigerate.

2. Place sliced onions and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker and put the meat on top. Pour the Coca-Cola over the meat and top off with water. Set the slow cooker for 10 hours on low heat. Personally, I work 10 hour days so it's perfect to start before I leave in the mornings but you could start the night before. 

Pork shoulder after 10 hours in the slow cooker. 

3. After 10 hours, take the pork out and place onto a cookie sheet or some other shredding surface. Try to save as much of the onions and garlic as well, they are so yummy!

4. Shred the pork with two forks (best way I've found). Put the pulled pork back into the slow cooker and stir in BBQ sauce and mustard. The amount of sauce is to the discretion of the chef, I like the taste of the pig so I try to not overwhelm the pig with sauce. I would say the ratio of BBQ to mustard is about 1 to 2/3. 

BBQ pulled pork!

Homemade buns (or giant dinner rolls):

I got this recipe from the blog Inquiring Chef. Her recipe is for dinner rolls (not buns) and they are absolutely perfect! I don't do perfect and I am definitely lacking some of her kitchen tools so mine look a little...rough...compared to her's. They may not be pretty, but they sure are delicious!

Dough:

1½ cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 Tbsp. instant yeast

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. (28g) unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp. table salt

4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cup and leveled off

Topping:

3 Tbsp. (40g) unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp. sea salt

1. In a large bowl (I don’t have a stand mixer) stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand about 5 minutes.

Yeast and warm water

2. To the yeast mixture, add the butter, salt, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix until the ingredients begin to come together. Add 1 cup of flour and mix. Add the remaining 1 cup flour. Mix until the final addition of flour is fully incorporated. Remove dough from bowl and onto lightly floured surface, knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover it with a dish towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes. Or if you are like me you started reading and totally forgot until it had tripled in volume.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into an even ball. The original recipe instructs you to make all these precise cuts but I just cut “approximately” even amounts of dough and formed them into balls.

My "Kitchen-Aid" mixer ;)

Sticky! Add more flour!

4. Place each rolled piece of dough into a lightly greased 9×13 baking pan in rows of 4. Cover the rolls with a dish towel and let them rise while your oven is preheating to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) – about 20 minutes. Our oven is tiny and heats very quickly so let your dough rise for 20 minutes regardless.

Lightly brush the rolls with about half of the melted butter before baking.

Buns in the oven! HAHAHA!

Bake until golden brown, 13-15 minutes. Immediately after removing the rolls from the oven, brush them with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with salt. I sprinkled with sea salt before baking, it works either way!

Delicious salted dinner rolls

I love bread.

Jalapeno coleslaw

This recipe was adapted from the Pioneer Woman's Cilantro-jalapeno slaw recipe. It is to die for. I usually put some on my sandwich and then a side of 'slaw on my plate!

1/2 head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 head purple cabbage, thinly sliced
3 Hawaiian hot peppers, minced
1/2 fattiest milk you have
1/2 mayonnaise
1 tsp vinegar (we have used white, apple cider, and rice...all worked great!)
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups cilantro, chopped

Combine all the vegetables in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix all the other ingredients together. It is important to taste the 'slaw sauce. It's easier to make adjustments. When the flavors are up to your satisfaction pour the 'slaw sauce over the veggies and toss. It's best to make the slaw ahead of time so it has time to sit and the flavors mix. But that is not necessary.

**NOTE: We used napa cabbage instead of regular cabbage, it tasted great but wasn't as good as leftovers**

Matt mixing the 'slaw.

My co-worker made pickled onions for me and I thought they would go nicely with this meal...and they DID! Oh my gosh! They are so incredibly tasty. I have asked for the recipe and will share it as soon as possible!

BBQ pulled pork sammie, jalapeno 'slaw, and pickled onions!

Savory Pumpkin Pie

One of my friends brought over a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving that she said was "a dinner pie". I was confused and a little skeptical...

Ok. SUPER skeptical. So skeptical that I didn't even eat any on Thanksgiving. But I had some of the leftovers and it was AMAZING! She didn't follow a recipe...all she told me was that she was making a regular pumpkin pie and then decided to throw some caramelized onions and some extra spices in! Below is my recipe for a savory pumpkin pie :)

Savory pumpkin pie 

Savory Pumpkin Pie

• 29 oz can of pumpkin puree
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 cup cooked ulu, diced
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• dash of chili powder, basically to taste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 12 oz can coconut milk
• 3-4 eggs
• Pie crust--This crust is the best! It tastes like a cheez-it!

Preheat the oven to 375F. Make the pie crust ahead of time and refrigerate until the pie filling is ready. Caramelize the onions with the butter. Mix all the other ingredients, except eggs, and adjust the spice to your taste. I personally think I need to adjust my spices...maybe some herbs? A little more heat? Not sure. It still turned out good but I think it would be amazing with a little...something. Once your spices are adjusted add the eggs. Roll out the pie crust dough and place in pie pan and put in the filling. Bake the pie for 1 hour but check after 45 minutes. You don't want this pie to be runny in the middle so keep checking the texture. 

Savory pumpkin pie (back) and Luau pie (front)

Bacon, Kale Macaroni and Cheese

Ok. I'm going to apologize ahead of time. THERE ARE NO PICTURES! This was a very impromptu dish and I forgot to document the process and the final product. But it was so GOOD that I had to share!

I have to admit that this amazing recipe was not my brain child. I had a taste of it while I was in Washington. It was so good that I had to try and replicate it. The following recipe is what I could come up with! I love that it uses kale!

Bacon Kale Macaroni and Cheese

• 1lb pasta 
• One medium onion, diced
• One bunch of kale, chopped
• 4 mushrooms, diced
• 4 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
• 4 Tbsp butter, plus some for greasing pan and carmelizing onions
• 4-5 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1.5-2 cups parmesan cheese, grated
• 1-2 Tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Grease your baking dish with butter. Cook the pasta, drain and set aside. Carmelize the onions with butter and some olive oil. Set aside. Saute the mushrooms and set aside with onions. Preheat the oven to 375F. 

Now make the bechamel sauce. Melt the 4 Tbsp of butter in a sauce pan. Once the butter is melted slowly add the flour while whisking. Once you have a fairly thick roux let it cook a little longer so the flavor is deeper. Add the milk and whisk. Now I'm pretty sure the measurements are correct but obviously adjust amounts if the sauce is too runny (slowly add flour) or too thick (slowly add milk). Now add the sage and the cheeses. Keep stirring until the cheese is melted. Mix in the bacon, onion, kale, and mushrooms.

Put the pasta in the baking dish and pour sauce over, mix it up a little bit. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly across the top and bake for 10 minutes. You don't want to put it in too long because it could dry up. Just bake it long enough to get hot. You may not even need to go that long. I took my dish over to a friend's house and that is why I baked it...to warm it up. 

ENJOY!

Rice Balls

My husband and I recently got back from a trip to Washington with his family. We had a great time staying at Guemes Island Resort. We had a lot of fun kayaking, beach combing, puzzling, and, of course, EATING!

We had so much food. Seriously. I think I gained ten pounds.

But I was most excited about making rice balls! I had never had them before meeting my husband and I've added them to the looooong list of why I'm thankful I married him.

Also...if rice balls weren't exciting enough...this is the first post that I will have SEVERAL pictures of the process and the chefs. My wonderful mother-in-law was a very diligent photographer.

Rice Balls

Rice mixture

• 4 cups dry rice
• 2 eggs, egg yolks only (reserve whites for the breading)
• 1-1.5 sticks of butter
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp parsley flakes
• Salt and pepper

Meat mixture

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1-1.5 cans water
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1/3 cup raisins, minced (optional)

Breading

• 2 eggs, plus remaining egg whites
• 2 cans Italian flavored bread crumbs

Cook the rice. Once cooked, combine rice with other "rice mixture" ingredients. Refrigerate overnight.  

Rice mixture that has been refrigerated overnight.

Saute the onion and then add the beef and garlic. Once the beef is cooked add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer until most of the liquid is gone.

Dicing onions! And crying!

Dan came to help us cook!

Cooking the meat mixture

Make a rice ball assembly line: rice mixture, meat mixture, beaten eggs, and finally, bread crumbs.

Rice ball assembly line

To make the rice ball you first make a "nest" with a heaping tablespoon of the rice mixture in your hand. Once you have a "nest" put a little more than a teaspoon of the meat mixture into the middle of the rice "nest".   This is the part that is hard to put into words...you have to work the rice around the meat mixture. Cup your hand closer and closer together while pushing the edges of the rice towards one another with your other hand.

Making the nest for the meat mixture

Make sure to fill in any holes with rice!

Shape the rice blob into a ball. Make sure there are no "holes" for the meat mixture to escape. Next you dip the rice ball into the egg, followed by the breadcrumbs.

Dip in the egg 

Bread the ball

Place the breaded rice balls on a plate and heat the fryer to 350F. Do not crowd the fryer, make batches of 3-4. Fry until golden brown.

Breaded rice balls

Below is what the rice balls will look like after coming out of the fryer!

Finished product! 

Enjoy! Some people...like to take a bite and then add a pat of butter to the rice ball. But they are absolutely delicious without any butter, sauce, condiments, etc!

James, Jonn, Dan, and Fletcher enjoying rice balls! Men of the buttered-balls persuasion :)

Cody, Andy, and Claire enjoying that first bite!

Kombucha--The Beginning

Kombucha and I have been in a passionate love affair for many years now. But it's always been sort of an "unhealthy" relationship, where I spend all my money and get only 16 oz of pleasure. But that is all about to change! 

This weekend my room mate, Grier, and I went to a kombucha growing class! It was so awesome! The class was held at The Green House. They offer all sorts of classes on sustainable living. I'm really looking forward to more classes! But, back to kombucha. For $20 we were able to talk to a woman who has been growing kombucha for several years and was very knowledgeable, we got a starter kombucha, and we got inoculate. I learned a lot about kombucha as well. Here is what I learned that I didn't know about kombucha:

• Kombucha is the liquid produced by a symbiotic organism!! It is a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast). I always thought that it was a mushroom because it's often called "mushroom tea". 
• You feed the SCOBY a mixture of brewed tea, green or black, (that has cooled to room temperature) and sugar. 
• Depending on how strong you like your kombucha, you can have kombucha within three days!
• The SCOBY will grow to fit your jar and once it gets large you can cut it up and start new colonies!

My kombucha colony...DAY 1!

Jumbalaya, Jalapeno corn bread, and baked okra

This dinner is a compilation of some of my favorite dishes! But before we get into dinner...I would just like to brag about the bouquet I made this past Sunday. 

Ginger and birds of paradise bouquet

Isn't it so pretty?!

Ok. Dinner.

I got the recipe for baked okra from Pinterest. The original posting is from the cooking blog Cookin' Cowgirl. I LOVE THIS SNACK! It's so tasty and very healthy (if you ignore the mayonnaise-based dip). I have to admit that I have never had fried okra but I am seriously pleased with this baked recipe. And any recipe that cause my room mates to cheer whenever I say that I'm making it is a winner.

Baked Okra

• Okra, cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces
• Buttermilk, enough to cover okra
• 2 cups cornmeal
• 1 TBSP creole seasoning

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the okra and toss in the buttermilk. Put the cornmeal, creole seasoning, and okra into a gallon ziploc bag and shake until okra is evenly coated with cornmeal. Grease a cookie sheet. Spread the okra on the sheet in one layer. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn each okra so the other side crisps. Bake another 15 minutes. They cool fairly quick so no need to cool, just put them on a plate and serve!

BBQ sauce aioli

• BBQ sauce
• Mayonnaise 

Aiolis are extremely easy, especially if you are lazy like me and use store bought mayo. I usually put 4-5 TBSP mayo to start and then add the flavoring in increments (BBQ sauce in this case). It ended up being about 1:1 ratio. I've also made a soy sauce aioli and a sriracha aioli to go along with baked okra. 

Baked okra with BBQ sauce aioli

Jumbalaya is one of the dinner recipes my mom used to make all the time when I was growing up. It's super tasty and healthy! It actually came from a Weight Watcher's recipe. I always double my mom's recipe because it's nice to have leftovers or in my case I cook for 7.

Jumbalaya

• 2 cups rice
• 4 cans diced tomatoes (14.5oz)
• 2 green bell peppers, diced
• 2 onions, diced
• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 chicken thighs, cubed
• 4 hot link sausages, cubed
• 2.5 cups water with chicken bouillon 
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut up the peppers, onions, garlic, chicken, sausages, and thyme. Mix all of them together in a big bowl with the rest of the ingredients. My mom sautes the peppers, onion, and garlic first but I'm lazy and leave it to cook while baking. Same with the chicken and sausage, I just throw them in raw and they cook in the oven. Pour the mixture into a casserole pan and bake for 1 hr and 15 min. 

Jumbalaya 

Kevin photo bombed the jumbalaya

I love cornbread. It is so good. I usually put canned corn and chopped jalapenos in the batter and make corn muffins. However, I didn't have any corn in the pantry and I didn't want to drive to the store just for corn so I made pan cornbread instead.

Jalapeno corn bread with honey drizzle

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/3 + 1 TBSP vegetable oil
• 1 + 1/4 cup buttermilk
• Sliced jalapenos
• Honey

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together but do not over stir. Pour batter into 13" x 9" baking pan and distribute evenly. Top the batter with the sliced jalapenos. Bake for 20 min. Remove from oven and drizzle honey on top. 

Jalapeno cornbread with honey drizzle

And for dessert, Kevin made peanut butter cookies! They were delicious! I don't have the recipe but if there is any interest I can post it later :)

Kevin's Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix the butter and peanut butter together. Add sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla, flour, and egg. Wait 1/2 hour for the batter to stiffen. Flour your hands and roll little balls. Place the balls on the cookie sheet and flatten them with a fork four times in a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar and bake for 8-10 minutes. 

Kevin's peanut butter cookies