I love bread but I don’t eat it often, so I never have bread lying around. I usually buy a nice crunchy loaf of sourdough or a good baguette from Dave’s Fresh Pasta, but sometimes I’m in the mood for just good sandwich bread. That’s where this recipe comes in handy.

It’s super easy, requires no kneading, and I have fresh baked bread in about 2 hours!

I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out the flour, but if you don’t have one the bread will be just as delicious. Toy around with the ratio of all-purpose to bread flour to make a total of 4 cups of flour. I use 2/3 AP flour, 1/3 bread flour, but have fun experimenting! This recipe is so easy, you can make multiple loaves and try them side-by-side (which is what I did).

Start by proofing the yeast in warm water – you know it’s ready when it becomes foamy. If it doesn’t foam up, throw it out and start with another batch of yeast.

While the yeast proofs (about 5-10 mi), stir together the flours and salt.

Add the yeast mixture to the flour and stir until the flour is absorbed. The dough will be very wet.

Cover with a kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise until double, about 1 hour.

(obligatory baby in a bumbo picture)

Butter your baking pans. You can use 2 pyrex glass bowls or 2 bread pans or any other shaped pan you like!

Punch down the dough using 2 forks and fold the dough over itself. Separate the (very wet) dough with the forks and plop each half into a baking dish. Cover with dish towel and let rise for 20-30 min.

Bake until golden, remove from oven and take bread out onto cooling racks to cool at least 10 min before slicing. Then enjoy!

No Knead Bread (click here to print without pictures)

Ingredients

161 gm (1.5 cups) Bread flour
323 gm (2.5 cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups warm water
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp active-dry yeast
1-2 tbsp butter, room temperature

 1. In a small mixing bowl, stir the sugar and yeast into the water. Let it stand for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and/or bubbling just a bit

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. When the yeast mixture is foamy, stir it up, and add it to the flour bowl. Mix until the flour is absorbed.

3. Cover bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise until double, at least 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grease two oven-safe bowls or bread pans with the butter. Using two small forks, punch down your dough, scraping it from the sides of the bowl. As you scrape it down try to turn the dough up onto itself. You want to loosen the dough entirely from the sides of the bowl, and you want to make sure you’ve punched it down.

5. Then divide the dough into two equal portions, pull the dough apart with the two forks. Scoop up each half and place into your prepared bowls/pans. This part can be a little messy — the dough is very wet and will slip all over the place. Using small forks or forks with short tines makes this easier. It’s best to scoop it up fast and plop it in the bowl in one fell swoop.

6. Let the dough rise for about 20 to 30 minutes on the countertop near a warm spot or until it has risen just to the top of the bowls.

7. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375º and make for 15 to 17 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and turn the loaves onto cooling racks. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

adapted from Alexandra Kitchen

It’s that time of year again – squash and soup season!

I love soup. I grew up with soup at every dinner and have tried to do the same in my house now.

When I was in undergrad at NYU, there was a small lunch counter that served a pumpkin soup with curry that was delicious. I looked around for a recipe but couldn’t find one, so I made up my own. I have served this soup at all the Thanksgiving dinners I’ve hosted and make it multiples times a year because it is just that good!

Start with a butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed.

Saute onion and garlic

Add spices

Saute until fragrant

Add the cubed squash and saute for a few minutes

Then add the stock. Bring to a boil and cook for 25-30 min until squash is soft. Puree with an immersion blender off the heat. Stir in the coconut milk.

Finally ladle into bowls and finish with a few drops of heavy cream – swirl for effect. Enjoy!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup (click here for recipe without pictures)

6 tbsp unsalted butter
3 cups yellow onions, chopped (about 1.5 large)
4 tsp garlic, minced
4 tsp curry powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
4 lbs butternut squash, cut into 1-in pieces (about 2)
6 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (I use low-fat), shake can before using
1/2 cup heavy cream, for drizzling

1. In a large, heavy pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 4 min. Add garlic, curry powder, salt, turmeric, cumin and cayenne, saute until fragrant, about 45 sec.

2. Stir in squash, cook for 3 min. Add stock and bring to a boil

3. Reduce heat and simmer (partially covered), stirring occasionally, until squash is soft, about 25-30 min. Remove from heat.

4. With an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Return to medium heat and add coconut milk, adjust seasoning to taste.

5. Ladle into bowls and serve with 1 tsp heavy cream drizzled on top.

A few months ago, a small restaurant opened in the space shared with Aeronaut Brewing Company in Somerville. Tasting Counter is more of a dinner and a show experience than just a meal.

The diners reserve tickets online, filling out food preferences and either beer, wine, sake or non-alcoholic pairings.

When you arrive, you are seated at one of 16 spaces around an open kitchen. You are greeted by the chefs and watch them start preparing your multi-course meal.

Welcoming Bites:
Smoked paprika thyme puff
Black olive, almond, foie gras
Scallop mousse, cured roe, preserved lemon, sesame crisp

Hake
The hake is cured in avocado oil, sliced thin and served with avocado cream, grapefruit roulade, and smoked sea salt –
the salt crunches in your mouth with each bite, exploding with flavor.

Sea Bream
The fish is marinated in hazelnut oil and paired with fried artichokes, artichoke cream, burgundy truffle, and jerez vinegar – this was my favorite dish!

Tortellini
lobster, pine mushroom, beef broth and lobster foam

Ocean Trout
shallot cream, basil oil surrounding a fermented soybean paste, and orange blossom pearls

Monkfish
with a trio of creams – tomato, fennel, and garlic along with saffron cured salmon roe
the saffron really cuts the salty-fishiness from the roe – something I’ve never encountered before, it was beautiful.

Persimmon Tea
with a pine nut cookie palate cleanser. The cookie was still warm, slightly chewy and delicious.

Miso Cured Duck
with a pear, daikon and celery gelatin, soy cream and celery cream (which blew my mind)

Dry Aged Beef Sirloin Cap
burdock, cilantro, ginger, red curry – the pairing of the pungent, spicy ginger with the beef was wonderful, though this was my least favorite dish

Lime Curd
passionfruit, lime, ginger ice cream, molasses cake, meringue

Bittersweet Chocolate
guava, macadamia nut, candied kumquat, coconut cream

Parting Morsels:
Yuzu chocolate truffle
Strawberry almond cake
Plum lavender chew

Needless to say it was a wonderful night and we will definitely be back!

I am obsessed with eggs. Add a fried egg to anything and it brings the dish to a higher level.

So I was excited when I stumbled across this recipe in Cooking Light.

I’ve made a few adjustments and it is my go-to dinner anytime!

The sauce is very easy, just a few ingredients (though you may need to hit up an Asian market for them) – soy sauce, Korean hot pepper paste, fish sauce, sugar and sesame oil

Stir fry the beef, then add the sauce

While meat cooks, prepare your veggies.

Remove the meat, place in a bowl and cover to keep warm. Stir fry the veggies and mushrooms

While the veggies cook, fry the eggs in a nonstick skillet until desired doneness (I like a runny yolk)

Place steamed rice in 2 bowls, top with beef, veggies and egg – Enjoy!

Asian Beef with Vegetables and Fried Eggs (click here to print recipe without pictures)

- 3 tbsp sugar
– 3 tbsp Thai chili paste or Korean Hot Pepper paste
– 3 tbsp fish sauce
– 3 tbsp soy sauce
– 1 tsp sesame oil
– 2 tbsp peanut oil, divided
– 3 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 lb lean ground beef
– 3/4 tsp crushed dried Thai chile or crushed red pepper
– Mushrooms – shiitake, oyster, combination
– 3 small baby bok choy, cut lengthwise into quarters
– 4 eggs
– steamed rice for serving
– sesame seeds, for serving, optional

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside

2. Heat a large pan over high heat. Add 2 tsp oil and swirl to coat. Add garlic, stir-fry for 10 seconds, then add beef to pan. Cook 2 min or until done. Stir in soy mixture, cook 1 min or until sauce slightly thickens. Place into bowl, cover to keep warm.

3. Add 1.5 tsp oil and crushed red pepper to pan. Add mushrooms, cook for 5 min, then add bok choy. Stir-fry for 2 min or until crisp-tender. Take off heat.

4. In a nonstick skillet, heat remaining 2.5 tsp oil over medium heat. Crack eggs, 1 at a time, into pan and cook until whites are set, but yolks still runny, or to your liking.

5. To serve: Divide rice into 4 bowls, top with beef, mushrooms and bok choy. Top each with 1 egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Summer is berry season and we always have berries in our fridge. Unfortunately, many times, the berries become just past prime and no one wants to eat them anymore.

Thankfully, extra ripe berries are perfect for jams and desserts. I stumbled across a few berry pie recipes that I have morphed into a combination pie/crumble – you get the best of both worlds: delicious, flaky crust with a buttery crumble, sandwiching a not-too-sweet berry center

(you can also use frozen berries – mixed bag or single berry, it’s your choice)

I prepare my own pie crust, but you can use store-made pie crust to make things easier. Just roll it out and put in the fridge while you prepare the berry mixture. Use the tines of a fork to make a nice decoration along the edge.

This recipe is super simple and only calls for a few ingredients – berries, sugar, balsamic vinegar, corn starch. Mix them together and let them sit for at least 30 min, then fill the prepared pie crust.

While the berry mixture sits, prepare the crumble topping with flour, sugar, butter in a food processor and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Bake the pie and let it sit for at least 20 min before serving. I always serve it with vanilla ice cream

I usually have left over crust, berries and crumble, so I make a mini-pie for myself

Mixed Berry Pie Crumble (click here to print recipe without pictures)

- Pie crust (homemade or prepackaged, rolled into 9-in pie plate, chilled for at least 30 min)
– 3 cups mixed berries, fresh, frozen or both
– 1/2 tbsp corn starch
– 2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
– 1/4 cup water
– 10 tbsp sugar, divided
– 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
– pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine berries, corn starch, vinegar, water and 4 tbsp sugar. Let stand for 30 min.

2. In a food processor, pulse together flour, butter, salt and remaining 6 tbsp sugar until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Do not over-mix or it will become a pastry. Place in fridge until ready to use.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer berry mixture to prepared pie dish, sprinkle with crumble and bake until top is golden, about 60 min.

4. Serve warm or room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

(adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cakes, Cookes, Pies & Tarts)

A few weeks ago I visited Chicago for the first time. I had many things on my list to try including a Chicago-style hot dog and deep dish pizza. But one of the things I was most excited about was going to Girl and the Goat

I tried to make reservations, but the earliest one I could get was 10:30pm on a Tuesday, so we decided to try bar seats instead. Great success!! We arrived at 5 and were promptly seated at the bar. Luckily we got there at 5 because by 5:30 all the bar seats were taken and it looked like a long wait for a table.

The menu is made for sharing and is split into Vegetables, Fish, Meat, Goat, Bread and other small items. We ended up ordering 5 dishes, which was plenty!

Our bartender was amazing! She made me an amazing mocktail and totally hooked us up all night!

We had a hard time deciding between the shishito peppers and the green beans, so our bartender suggested 1/2 portions of each. (Apparently portion sizes are waaay bigger in Chicago than in Boston because each 1/2 portion would have been a normal full size dish)

The dishes come out when they are ready, so we had a steady stream of food for about an hour!

First up, Pan Fried Shishito Peppers with parmesan,​ sesame and miso. I thought the mixture of parmesan and miso would be strange, but it was glorious – the nutty-butteriness of the cheese paired perfectly with the umami miso. And the peppers were charred nicely.

(if you haven’t had shishto peppers, be careful, 1 in 10 peppers are spicy!)

Up next were the Sautéed Green Beans with fish sauce vinaigrette and cashews – I thought these were good, but nothing super special. Kevin didn’t really like them at all. The beans were just a tad overcooked for me and the sauce overwhelmed them.

Our fish course was the Grilled Baby Octopus with guanciale, fava beans,  pea tips, pistachios in a lemon vinaigrette – definitely one of our favorite dishes. The slightly wilted radishes added a spicy note that worked beautifully with the charred octopus.

We had to get something goat, so we went with the Goat Liver Mousse served with blueberry mostarda, pickled rhubarb, bread & butter pickles and fried bread. Wow was this decadent and delicious! If you only order 1 thing here, I highly recommend this dish. It showcases everything Girl and the Goat is about – the mousse was smooth and had just enough goat-ness without too gamey. The accompaniments highlighted different aspects of the goat and the fried bread was a winner!

Our meat course was the Braised Beef Tongue with masa, beef vinaigrette and salsa verde. I was really excited about this dish, but it fell kind of flat. We had to dig for the beef, which was perfectly cooked (when you could find a piece) and it did pair nicely with the pickled onion and salsa verde, but this wasn’t a great dish.

We were all done with our wonderful meal when our bartender brings us a surprise dish – Confit Goat Belly with a vanilla-miso butter, lobster, crab and fennel. I thought we were stuffed, but apparently not because we practically licked the plate clean!

The goat melted in your mouth, and the vanilla butter was a perfect partner to the lobster and crab meat. This dish was AMAZING!

So now I thought we were officially done, but once again, our bartender brought over a small piece of the Miso-Butterscotch Budino (cake) with bacon toffee, glazed pineapple, and candied cashews – a perfect ending to a wonderful meal!

Back when it was still cold out and the streets were covered in snow, we ventured to a new-ish place in Kendall square – Study Restaurant.

I had heard great things about this place, but with only a few reviews on Yelp, I had my reservations. Why are the critics loving it, but people aren’t flocking there?

Right away, the lack of patrons confused me. The atmosphere was lovely, the menu looked great, and the service was friendly.

Study continued to pleasantly surprise me all evening.

I’m always a sucker for sherry (ever since getting hooked on it in Spain on our honeymoon). Study has an amazing sherry list and has a sherry flight – that is how our night started.

They even leave the bottles on your table, so you can review them while you taste!

 The kitchen sent out an amuse bouche of ‘lox & cream cheese on an everything bagel’ cigar – this little bite was amazing! The pearls of cheese paired with trout roe encased in a bagel chip – absolutely perfect.

 Their menu is divided into “Nosh” (small bites), “Light” (medium-sized plates), “Entrees” and “Share” (for 2 people). We ended up getting 2 Noshes, 2 Lights and 1 Entree – more than enough food for 2 people.

Nosh #1: Foie gras – perfectly seared bite of foie gras, served on a jalapeno cornbread over spicy squash puree, topped with cocoa nibs. This bite had everything you need in a bite – fatty, meaty, spicy, savory goodness.

Nosh #2: Chicken heart – wonderfully charred chicken hearts, served with a honey-mustard sauce and crispy chicken skin. The chicken hearts were perfectly cooked and the skin was nice and crunchy, but the sauce was a bit too sweet for me.

Light #1: Sunchoke – served with a yolk, meyer lemon powder, roasted onion and potato chips. A solid dish.

Light #2: Ink Gnocchi – served with grilled squid rings, abalone mushroom, and mango. Probably our least favorite dish. The consistency of the gnocchi was chewy and the squid had little taste. Also, the mango seemed out of place in such a savory dish.

Entree: Duck Breast – served with shaved duck heart, sunflower seed farro, black trumpet mushrooms and pickled enoki mushrooms. This was delicious!

The duck was perfectly cooked and sprinkled with coarse salt that would crunch with every bite, causing an explosion of flavor to rush your tongue. The woodsy black trumpet mushrooms were a lovely complement to the duck and the slightly acidic tang from the pickled enoki mushrooms supplied that missing link. A perfectly executed dish!

Dessert: Coconut ice cream – sounds unassuming, but then it arrives at your table.

It is served in a small fishbowl, with grilled cake, thinly sliced jalapeno and creme anglais in the bowl, then the bowl is topped with a ‘glass ceiling’ of sugar, on which is the coconut ice cream and black sesame seeds. When you shatter the ceiling, the toppings fall and meld with the inside, making this a delectable little dessert – a must have!

From the corner of my eye, I viewed the cheese cart. While we didn’t have a chance to sample it this time, it will definitely be sampled next time!

As if the kitchen wasn’t amazing enough, they send out a little ‘good-bye treat’ with your check – macaroons, French chocolate cookies and salted caramels – yum!

We will absolutely be back!

Our trip to Hawaii started with a flight delay due to the first, of what will be many, snowstorms. We had organized a last minute sunny trip to Hawaii and were glad to leave snowy Boston behind.

Day 1: We got into Oahu, picked up our convertible and drove top-down to our hotel - Outrigger Reef in Waikiki.

The hotel was great and we were even upgraded to a suite! They have free wi-fi, but they ‘forget’ to tell you to log on to their website (www.outrigger.com) to accept their terms (we figured that out on the tail end of the trip)

Every night, they have live Hawaiian music at the front bar. And they have fantastic (though very sweet) mixed drinks.
I got the Lava Flow – a combination of piña colada & strawberry daiquiri – yum!

We walked around Waikiki, taking in the sights and stumbled onto a small alcove off Lewers street with 5 food trucks – we found our first dinner stop!

Loco Moco is an island staple – rice, meat patty, gravy and fried egg with a side of macaroni salad. It was delicious!

After dinner, we walked on the beach. I wore a light jacket since it was only 70 degrees and ended our night with a drink at the hotel bar overlooking the ocean.

Day 2:  Since our flight was delayed by 1 day, we had to cut our time short on Oahu, thus the following day was jam-packed with sights.

First up: Pearl Harbor

The admission is free for the memorial, though you need to get tickets to board the other ships in the area. Also, crime is extremely high in Oahu, so there are signs not to leave any items in the car or trunk. However, Pearl Harbor also doesn’t let you bring in any bags (you can carry a camera), so they have a bag check which is $3.

After an informational video about the attack, you take a ferry to the memorial, which is built directly over the USS Arizona.

It’s amazing! You can still see the ship underwater, rusty but with tropical fish all over it.

 It is still leaking oil, but not at an alarming rate (per the guide)

After the memorial, we drove to the north shore along east coast to check out the beaches known for surfing and a place for lunch.

We found a hole-in-the-wall that served South Pacific food called: Fiji market. We ordered the chicken curry with rice and topped it with their complimentary condiments: mango chutney and pickled carrots (highly recommended). It was great!

Then we walked down the street to a food truck stop and picked up some shrimp from a ‘shrimp truck': Giovanni’s

I ordered a small shrimp scampi – wow was it garlicky and messy, but very tasty! Luckily there are water fountains to wash your hands at after you eat.

Look how happy I am eating my shrimp!

They also had a small fruit stand, which turned out to be VERY expensive, but the mango and pineapple were delicious.

On our way back to the car, we made some friends:

a toad

and a rooster – the official unofficial bird of Hawaii

We continued up along the north shore and stopped at various beaches, including Sunset Beach and Ekihua Beach

The waves were amazing, but apparently not large enough for the surfers

We returned to the hotel and went swimming at the beach adjacent to the hotel. We even saw a rare orange beached whale

Afterwards, we picked up some beers and hula girl tweezers (for me and my sisters) from the ABC store down the street and had some drinks on the balcony of our room.

The tweezers actually look (a little) like us!

ABC stores are amazing – they are upscale 7-11’s + a small CVS. They will become your favorite place for finding random things and snacks while in Hawaii.

We went down to the beach to watch one of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen.

After sunset, we returned to the food trucks for dinner

I got a rotisserie chicken dinner (from a truck without a name) – which was very good and the sauces were great.

Kevin got fried dough filled with teriyaki chicken from A-Ge Pizza Domo - he liked it very much.

We continued our night at the Yard house, which is a chain restaurant that has a huge beer selection.

On our way back to the hotel, we decided to grab the other food staple of Hawaii:  Spam , so we headed to the nearest 7-11 for some Spam Musubi.

This is breaded and fried Spam, over rice, wrapped in nori (seaweed). The directions said to warm it in the microwave, so after 45 sec we tried it. Kevin liked the Spam, I liked rice & nori.

Day 3 started with an amazing breakfast at Eggs & things - a little pancake place down the street from the hotel. We got a TON of food (actually too much food):  macadamia nut pancakes, Hawaiian sweet bread french toast with mixed fruit jam, and home fries. They have 3 (!) different types of syrup – coconut, guava, maple. To coconut was soo good, but so sweet that  Kevin said “I can feel myself getting cavities”

We flew to the Big island later in the morning and were able to hop on an earlier flight. We flew Hawaiian air, which small airline that flies between the islands (as well as some international flights).

Since the flight is only 45 min, they just serve drinks, including this Passion-Orange nectar which was delicious!

When we arrived at the Kona airport, the first thing we noticed was the layout – open air! It barely has walls!! It was so refreshing to get off a stuffy airplane and walk into the fresh air.

We picked up our Jeep Wrangler and the woman helping us told us about the green sand beach on the island. Apparently there are only 4 such beaches in the world, but upon further research we found out its a 3 mile walk without shade one way, so we decided that it wasn’t going on the itinerary. 

We drove the 10 min drive to the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel - which was pretty nice. The room had a side ocean view and overlooked the pool. 

We stopped at Original Thai for lunch. Kevin got the Pad Thai served “thai hot” (and indeed it was SPICY) and I got the Thai Lard Na (gravy noodles) which were just ok. The place was nice and a random customer liked my curly hair and told us that she was a ‘regular’ to Original Thai – she comes every year or so.

After lunch we drove across the island, along the Pepe’ekeo 4-mile Scenic drive, to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens

The gardens are privately owned and were started by a random older couple who bought the land in the 1970s. The couple landscaped the whole garden into a true oasis. 

 (hanging lobster claw)

 (made yet another friend)

 We even saw whales breaching off shore!

The gardens have a huge orchid collection

(this one looks like a hula girl!)

After the gardens, we back-tracked a bit on the scenic drive to do a very short walk – the Onomea Bay hike down to the water (just beware that the hike is downhill for 10 min, which means it’s uphill on the way back).

The hike brings you right to the waters edge, under multiple overhanging trees. It’s secluded, quiet and beautiful.

Afterwards, we stopped in Hilo at Cafe 100 for a snack: loco moco (again because it’s so good)!

That night we drove to the Mauna Kea Visitor Center - to watch the sunset and then do some star gazing

The website informs you to bring warm clothes as the temperature can drop up at 9,000 feet – listen to it! It was FREEZING! It got down to 40 degrees – and we were in shorts and a thin pull over. Despite being cold, the stars were mesmerizing.  There are volunteers at the visitor center that set up multiple telescopes to view the stars and planets. The moon was almost full and one telescope got you so close to the moon, you could see the craters indenting the surface! We were able to see Jupiter and had (unfortunately)  just missed Venus.

We decided that on our next trip back, we need to go during a new moon, when the spotlight of the moon doesn’t obscure the fainter light of the stars.

We returned to Kona and headed straight to Kona Brewing Co - they have great beer, delicious pizza and an amazing brownie sundae!

Day 4: The hotel had a buffet breakfast included with the room which was great – fresh fruit including papaya (!) and fried rice! Who doesn’t need fried rice at 8am??

After breakfast, we went to Mountain Thunder Coffee for a tour and a taste

There are the different phases of the coffee bean: initially covered with a red pulp (berry), then deshelled twice. Each berry contains 2 beans, but sometime there is only 1 coffee bean in the berry which becomes ‘peaberry’ coffee.

(I took this photo because hot dogs just don’t go with anything else listed and it completely confused me!)

(the sorter – it sorts the beans according to size)

This goose looked directly at me as I snapped his picture and I started laughing in the middle of the tour!

 After the tour, we headed to an ABC store to pick up provisions for the Super Bowl, which we watched in our hotel room. It was a great game!

The game was over at 5:30, perfect time to go to Manini’owali Beach for big waves and an AMAZING sunset. I didn’t venture into the water, but Kevin had an great time in the waves

Day 5: After breakfast at the hotel, we walked along the shore in Kona – they have a nice boardwalk with lots of little places to eat, drink and shop.

Then we started our drive across the island to the volcano

We had a pit-stop lunch overlooking the ocean and saw dolphins off shore

Volcano National Park

There are many trails to do at the park, but we opted for the Kilauea Iki Trail – which brings you down into the crater. I recommend going counterclockwise since it is an easier uphill on the way back. Don’t forget to bring lots of water and sunscreen as you literally walk through the middle of a crater (aka no shade)

The pale gray line in the photo below is actually the path through the crater. It was an amazing hike.

Walking on the rocks sounds like walking on broken glass!

We had a nighttime flight to Kauai that night, so we went back to Kona, had dinner at Humpys along the boardwalk and watched the sunset from their deck

Day 6: Kauai
We stayed at the Kauai Beach Resort just outside Lihue. It was ok. The room was ‘ocean view’ but really it was a view of the parking lot, the breakfast buffet was fine, nothing special and the bed was just a bit too soft. Also, they have a TON of roosters on the grounds and one was in a tree outside our room one morning and crowed for HOURS!

There is a beach at the hotel, but there are signs warning of Man of War jellyfish in the water, so swimming isn’t recommended.

We dropped our stuff off and drove to the north side of the island to Hanalei Bay.

The wind was fierce and Kevin lost his hat to it, and had to get in the water to retrieve it. Despite the wind, the water was warm and we had a nice swim playing with the waves

For lunch, we went to Hanalaei Taro & Juice Co  Taro & Poi

Kevin got shredded pork on poi (mashed taro) – weird purple color and strange sticky consistency (I wasn’t a fan).

He also got some pork tacos that were fine.

I opted for the Pork Lau Lau (pork wrapped in taro leaves and steamed) with rice and macaroni-taro salad served with a side of salmon lomi (similar to a salsa with salmon) – I didn’t like anything on this dish, though other customers were very happy with it.

We returned to hotel to shower and change before starting our drive of Waimea Canyon

Once again, we stopped at 7-11 for a Spam snack – this time with jalapeno!

Apparently Spam tastes terrible when you’re sober

Waimea Canyon is called the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. The road up the canyon snakes along the edge and has multiple lookouts. There are some parts that seem to be straight uphill and we even drove through the clouds.

At the second to last overlook, you arrive at the cliffs overlooking the ocean.

We drove down the canyon just in time to catch the sunset off Waimea pier.

Then we headed back to Lihue for some Mexican food and Kevin’s first Mai Tai

After dinner, I got Roasted Macadamia nut ice cream in waffle cone – it was so good. I can’t remember the last time I had ice cream in a waffle cone

The hotel had set up lounge chairs overlooking the ocean and we sat there for a while enjoying the sound of the water and the view of a crazy large, yellow moon (pictures don’t do it justice)

Day 7:  The following day, we went to the south shore to swim at Po’ipu Beach park.

5 minutes after we left the water, a Hawaiin monk seal came ashore to nap. Apparently they are in the water for months, then come to shore to rest for a few hours before heading out again.

 We found a random Thai food truck for lunch called Crazy Thai pad

The summer rolls were great – light, refreshing with a perfectly balanced peanut sauce.

The Pad Thai was just ok.

But the basil fried rice was wonderful.

That afternoon we went on a Safari helicopter tour. We did the Refuge Eco-Tour which is 90 min long including a stop over on Kauai Wildlife Refuge overlooking Olokele Canyon.

I made it 85 min before I puked – at least I had enough time to use the little plastic bags the pilot had warned us about

After landing and getting my bearings for a while, we went to dinner at Kalapaki Beach Hut - basically a burger shack with really good burgers

Day 8 was our last day on Kauai. There were so many things I wanted to do on this island, including zipl-lining and kayaking on the Na Pali Coast (but waters are too rough in the winter for kayaking – yet another reason to return to Hawaii).

However, one major thing we were able to do was hike the beginning of the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapi’ai Falls. 

This is an 8-mile, 4 hour round trip hike. Probably one of the most challenging hikes I’ve ever done.

Here are some tips for the hike: bring LOTS of water (at least 1 bottle/person), bring snacks/lunch, wear your bathing suit to swim at the falls, and grab a hiking stick at the start of the trail that other people leave for future hikers. Wear shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy – because they WILL get muddy.

The first 1/2 mile is straight uphill, then you wind your way along the cliffs of the Na Pali coast until you get to Hanakapi’ai Beach (2 miles in).

The dangerous waves and undertow, along with rocky shoreline make this a picturesque location, but not one for swimming. There is also an outhouse here but no places to fill up water bottles. (Also, you need to cross a large stream to get to the outhouse and to get to the 2nd part of the hike. This is where I slipped and soaked my shoe).

Kevin with his borrowed hiking stick in front of the breathing taking Na Pali Coast

Once you cross over the ‘stream’, you head inland towards Hanakoa Falls (2 miles). You pass a bamboo forest and many little (and some not-so-little) streams

At about the 3/4 mile mark, you have to cross another ‘stream/river’, this time the trail supplies a rope to guide you across, though we both found it much easier to not use it at all.

We continued into the valley, asking other hikers returning if we were close. And then we looked up and saw the falls in the distance.

A 1/2 mile later, we arrived at the falls. They are immense and beautiful. We ate sandwiches that we had picked up from Safeway and had some water.

Then we headed back.

I am dead tired in this picture, but I kept thinking to myself  “the last 1/2 mile is downhill” (I, too, have a borrowed walking stick)

Apparently I climbed 124 floors during that hike, a stat that I will probably never repeat.

As a reward, we stopped at Dolphin Market for an Ahi tuna roll in the car. Dolphin market is a restaurant with a fish market in back. The market sells fresh fish, poke and sushi rolls.

It was soo good! One of the best rolls I’ve ever had!

We started heading back to the hotel and stopped in Princeville at Kauai Best Shave Ice for dessert. It’s ‘shave’ ice not ‘shaved’ ice and comes in a plethora of flavors. We got cotton candy, pineapple, and mango – yum!

Back at the hotel, we relaxed for a while before going to Bobby V’s for dinner. The owners are from Boston and our waitress was from Malden (small world). The food was good, but the best part is that Bobby V’s is BYOB.

Day 9: We flew back to Oahu and took a shared shuttle from the airport (round trip $22/person).

We decided to stay at the Outrigger Reach hotel once again and were pleasantly surprised to get upgraded to an amazing ocean view room

We quickly changed into our bathing suits for one last swim in the warm Pacific waters.

Then a stop at ABC for refreshments and sunset on our balcony.

For our last dinner in Hawaii we started at Doraku for some ahi poke

And lomi lomi roll (again a make-shift salsa with salmon).  The mixture of rice, salsa, salmon and soy sauce was too strange for me.

I’m not too pleased about this being our last night in Hawaii

After the sushi amuse bouche, we went to Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin for Tonkatsu (breaded and fried cutlet) which is very famous in Japan.

This particular restaurant has 1 other location – Tokyo – and people rave about it. 

The menu is short and sweet and also has lots of pictures (very similar to menus in Japan). Also, their sake pours are VERY generous.

We started with fried calamari served with curry powder

I got the chicken tonkatsu – it was delicious – with just the right amount of fat and crisp breading to play well with the juicy dark meat chicken. The dish is served with shredded cabbage with a Japanese dressing that is a perfect acidic compliment to counteract all the fat in the dish.

Kevin opted for the Kurobuta pork loin Katsu, which is a super fatty fried pork loin. Apparently they only make 25 a day and it is high coveted.  We both thought it was too fatty and probably would have ordered the regular pork katsu instead.

However, his katsu was served with sesame seeds and pestle that he ground into a fine powder  to add to his sauce. Something special neither of us had ever seen.

 It was a perfect last dinner in Hawaii.

Day 10: Our last day started back again at Eggs n’ things for take-out breakfast- Macadamia nut pancakes and home fries. Just be aware that they only do take out from 6-7am (or so they told us).

We brought the food back to the hotel room and ate on balcony overlooking water.

We had a 3 hour layover at LAX, where I saw David Chang (!!!) – a famous chef (mostly known for Momofuku in NYC).

This was one of the best trips I’ve ever had. We will DEFINITELY be back!

I am always looking for easy and tasty chicken recipes. 

This is a great recipe if you like Mexican food. It’s not too spicy, so even if you don’t like spicy food, you will still enjoy this dish.

You can use bone-in chicken or boneless chicken breasts/thighs. I ask the butcher to cut a whole chicken into 8 pieces for me. The backbone is usually in the bag, which you can save for chicken soup or just toss.

I find that chicken on the bone, while taking way longer to cook, is much more flavorful than boneless chicken breasts.

The chicken needs to marinate overnight, so you need to prep this the day before. But it is a very easy recipe and it’s delicious!

I always have a can of chipotle peppers on hand. Chipotle peppers in adobe sauce are smoked jalapenos in a tangy vinegar sauce. They are perfect mixed in with mayo and cilantro to make a spicy dipping sauce (see recipe here).

 The recipe can be done on the grill or in your oven and finished with a fast broil to crisp the skin.

I serve this along charred bell peppers and yellow rice.

Chipotle Grilled Chicken (click here to print recipe without pictures)

- 1/4 cup canned chipotle chiles in adobo (more if you like it spicier)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1. Combine chipotles in adobo, olive oil, and garlic cloves in processor; puree until paste forms. Add chopped onion, chopped cilantro, paprika, ground cumin, chili powder, and salt; process until onion is finely chopped. Transfer 1/4 cup chipotle mixture to small bowl; cover and refrigerate.

2. Arrange chicken pieces in single layer in a glass baking dish. Spread remaining chipotle mixture all over chicken pieces. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

 3a. Grilled: Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Grill chicken until cooked through, moving to cooler part of grill as needed to prevent burning and brushing with reserved marinade during last 5 minutes of grilling, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and serve.

3b. Baked/Broiled: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and place broiling rack on top. Spray rack with nonstick spray.  Place chicken in single layer on rack and bake 45-50 min until juices run clear from chicken, flipping once halfway through cooking. 
Change oven to broil, flip chicken pieces so they are skin-side up and broil until skin is crisp, 3-5 min. Transfer to platter and enjoy!

I am in love with this small, unassuming sushi place in Cambridge, between Harvard and Central Sq. The name is unfortunate, though perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise as it keeps people away

It’s called Cafe Sushi and it’s fantastic!

We’ve been here multiple times but only recently treated ourselves to the Omakase  – chef’s choice.

It is about 18 pieces of fish and very reasonably priced at $85-90 depending on what they have that day. They also offer a sake pairing for $50 which I highly recommend as well.

The night started with edamame and a very interesting green tea:

Genmai-Cha: green tea with roasted brown rice. I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle but prominent notes of the brown rice – a really great pairing to the fish

The chef chooses most of the Omakase fish from the ‘in season’ menu which changes frequently. We ended up trying most of the list

They also have an extensive sake menu, each course gets a glass of sake, about 7 in total (!). They were paired beautifully and thoughtfully with each dish.

Course 1:
Japanese Winter Yellow Tail with kumquat
paired with Dewaturu sake

The nice tart citrus from the kumquat was perfect with the sweetness of the yellow tail.

Course 2:
Japanese Fluke with a small piece of the rudder and scallions
Japanese Striped Jack with lemon, bonito flakes and sea salt
Served with Kanaba sake

Japanese Rudder fish with sea salt
Japanese Sea Bream with lemon and wasabi oil

Course 3:
Japanese Butterfish with finger limes
Local Red fish with miso, wasabi and cucumber (very refreshing)
Paired with Mu sake

Japanese Knife-Jaw Snapper with wasabi leaf
Japanese Barracuda with ginger and scallion

Course 4:
Nantucket Bay Scallops with seaweed and lightly pickled cucmbers
Served with Tentaka Kuni sake

This was probably my least favorite course, though I’m not a huge fan of raw scallops.

Course 4:
Japanese Horse Mackerel
Local Spanish Mackerel with pickled eggplant
– this was my favorite dish! I tend to stay away from mackerel since I usually find it too fishy, but when talking with the sushi chef, I discovered that Spanish mackerel is very different from the others and doesn’t taste fishy at all – it may become my new go-to fish!

Paired with a sake that was great, but I can’t remember for the life of me

Soy-cured Canadian Arctic Char with lime
Machias Maine Hoji-Cha Smoked Salmon with lime zest
– another delightful surprise! Again, I tend to find most smoked salmon to be very fishy (great on bagels with cream cheese, but not so much in sushi). This, however, was perfectly smoked and still had the essence of salmon sushi. 

Course 5:
Japanese Golden-Eye Snapper with wasabi leaf
Japanese Amberjack
Japanese Striped Jack with blood orange (yum!)
– this was a great comparison of different preparations of very similar tasting fish
Paired with Watari sake

Course 6:
Bafun Uni (Maine sea urchin)
– I am a HUGE fan of uni, but I  have to say that I have been underwhelmed by east coast uni, perhaps that’s why I wasn’t thrilled about this one, even though it was very good.
Paired with Ichishima junmai sake

The meal was fantastic! I will definitely be treating myself to this many times over in the very near future.

Cafe Sushi always has the freshest fish and wonderful ingredient pairings that never overpower the subtle flavors of each particular piece of fish.

It is a MUST try! (just don’t tell too many people)