Pot Roast Beef

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I don’t really have a recipe for pot roast and have never tried to write one.  It’s more of a feel than an exact science.  It all depends on the size of the roast.  My meat cut of choice for pot roast is a well-marbled chuck that is about 3 – 4 inches thick.  I like this cut because it has a little more fat than other cuts which results in a juicy fork tender roast.

Colin's Awesomely Easy Pot Roast

This is my nephew Colin’s Awesomely Easy Pot Roast recipe and it is everything that the name states. The one thing that is left out of the name is that it is also “delicious”. A quick stop in California resulted in a hot home cooked dinner and a recipe.  Thanks to our nephew’s recipe and his mom’s culinary skills I have a new and easy recipe to share.

Low Carb - Beef Vegetable Soup

I just got back from walking the dog and all I can say is...“It’s freaking cold outside”.  My face and hands are frozen through to the bone - Burrrrrrrrrrrrr.  I needed something to warm me up from the inside out.

I had planned on making a Pot Roast with the chuck that I had in the fridge, but when I got back from my walk, soup sounded a lot better.  So the pot roast got the axe and a big pot of beef vegetable soup moved in.

Why low carb…

Porchetta or Porketta?

If I was going to make this dish for dinner I needed some answers - it was time to do my homework.

Roast Turkey Breast

Have you ever seen those turkey breast in bags, just like you would a whole turkey, only smaller?  They can be deceiving giving out the appearance that you will have leftovers for weeks, but trust me it’s mostly bone.  I assure you that you will also have plenty of meat, just not as much as it appears.  My grocer always has a couple defrosted next to the chicken allowing me to achieve an easy fresh roasted turkey fix anytime of the year.

Susan's Hawaiian Style Chili

I have loved to cook from when I was a small child, which resulted in numerous kitchen disasters, that thankfully didn't discourage me and became lessons instead.

One of the first things that I learned to cook was chili using a packet of chili seasoning.  It was easy and fool proof, all I had to do was brown the meat, add the chili packet, a can of tomato sauce, beans and water.  It really doesn't get easier than that! However, if I didn't have a package of chili seasoning in my pantry, I couldn't make chili. Until now!

Turkey Gravy

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I hate messing with the roasting pan over the stove just before you are supposed to be getting all the Thanksgiving goodies to the table.  Scraping and whisking with no choice but to leave that mess of a pan in your sink to be dealt with later.

So I skip that step

Short Rib Stew

Hawaiian Style Short Rib Stew

My family loves stew and I make my stew the way all Hawaiians do with a tomato base that marries with the rich beef flavor that release itself with the caramelized browning of the beef.

Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

The winter chill has arrived and I was hungry for a brothy soup that was more like a meal rather than a starter.  I had about 1 ½ pounds of leftover pot roast in the fridge so I decided to use it as my base. 

Beef barley soup seemed like the optimal choice, a hearty vegetable soup with a beefy background and the bonus of barley which is known for its high fiber content (bonus) and adds a deliciously chewy touch to this soup.

Homemade Chicken Stock

To be perfectly honest I don’t think I will ever give up the convenience of having a few cans of chicken broth ready and waiting on my pantry shelf.  It is a great flavor enhancer that can give quick food a slow cooked taste with very little effort.

Chinese Mushroom Chicken

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This recipe was requested by my friend Connie in Hawaii. When she asked for it I couldn’t remember how to make it. I mentioned it to my husband and he said that he would love to eat it. So I stirred up my memory and this is what I came up with. I learned how to make this dish when I was about 12 years old from Pui Lee who taught me a lot in the kitchen of Jack’s.

Chicken King Thing aka Creamed Chicken

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T.M.I..............I had a crazy day at work and needed to get dinner together quick. I usually bring out my gigantic 3 ring binder with all my recipes and notes (huge mess) and all I really needed was to reference how long to cook my chicken breast and at what temp.  So did I really need to pull out my binder?

Not anymore (at least for tonight).  Instead I logged on to my blog and wrote in the search box Simple Roast Chicken and there it was.  Instant information in a well organized format.

It was way cool!!!  When I started this blog I didn't realize that I would be using it in this way.

Roasted Beets & Parsnips with Orange Vinaigrette

My husband and I saw some beautiful beets and parsnips at the farmers market and that's how these two root veggies became one dish.
I usually wouldn't recommend mixing a naturally bleeding red vegetable with a white one, but they both looked so fresh, which made it impossible to choose, so I got them both.

Chinese Soy Sauce Chicken

Chinese style Soy Sauce Chicken can be found hanging next to the roast duck behind the glass case in Chinatown or at a Chinese BBQ restaurant.  If you don't speak Chinese (which I don't), just point at what you want.

Potatoes?

When I buy potatoes I always look for similar sizes so they will cook evenly.

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

I found it quite interesting when I discover that split pea soup has been around since ancient times, dating back to around 500 BC., where vendors in the streets of Athens sold it as "hot pea soup".  My question is, who brought it to Hawaii?, because that's where I learned to eat it.

Chicken Corn Soup

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I got this recipe from my friend Bonnie. It immediately became one of my daughter Lindsey’s favorites.
This soup is light and hearty. It has the right balance of seasonings to make it an everyday soup. The cumin makes it savory, and the corn lends a gentle sweetness, while the white pepper and hot sauce adds a light spicy-ness.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Oven Roasted Asparagus and Fresh Beets

I felt the need to post this right away because Cecily who is in NYC was having a hankering for Easter lamb and wished that she could be here sharing this meal with us. So I promised to at least send her a picture. Love you Cecily, we wish you were here with us. You were missed.

Every Easter we eat lamb. Either rack or chops. Kono & K.C. are in charge and they have decided on chops this year which they are cooking on the bbq. Every once in a while we crave and appreciate the simplicity and wonderful natural flavors of a great grilled steak or chop. No sauce tonight, just grilled chops seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper and granulated garlic.

Homemade Apple Sauce

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I have always bought apple sauce and never thought to make it until tonight. Appropriate since my husband was making a roast pork for dinner. I had two large granny smith apples and a Fuji sitting on the counter and that’s when I got online and started searching out a recipe. I found several that were pretty much the same. After reading the comments, I made a few adjustments and came up with the best apple sauce ever.

Happy 16th Birthday Lindsey!!!

This will be the third and the last 16^th birthday bash that Kono and I will have to host.  Each of the kids had their own idea of what their theme would be and surprisingly enough they were all different.  K.C. chose a casual dinner party, Cecily had a wild costume dance party and Lindsey has decided on a camping theme.  It will be a late night for the elderly pumping ourselves with caffeine till the last boy leaves.  All the girls are staying for a sleepover and we can only hope that they calm down before 2am.  I’m getting to old for this late night stuff.