One Scheme of Happiness

Dinner at Asha's

We were supposed to eat elsewhere this night, but the thing about Punta Gorda is that if a cook doesn't feel like cooking one night....well, he just doesn't.  So when we arrived for our reservation at Earth Runnings, no one was there!  Instead, Ian (from Hickatee Cottages) - ever resourceful - took us over to Asha's new restaurant over the ocean (which opened only four days prior).

We had the place to ourselves and settled into a cozy corner.  The surroundings were basic but clean.  Only one other table of guests arrived during our entire dinner.

First up - order the local beer!  Belikin!

Tasty!  And dinner itself - amazing.  For me, conch curry, mashed potatoes with garlic and steamed veggies.  Ben had grilled fish.

Everything was fresh and cooked to order by Asha, who also took our orders and brought our drinks.  We relaxed over the ocean, watching the waves and clouds and enjoying our food and drink in the cool evening breeze.  Because nothing was pre-made, our dinner experience took several hours.  But we had no other other pressing plans, aside from relaxing.

Conveniently, Ms. Flo (the owner of the best  - and I suspect only - taxi in town) lives right next door and drove us back down the potholed road to Hickatee.

Eating in Honolulu ~ Alan Wong's

I've had more time to cook these days, being home and on the bench, so I've been thinking more about food.  And thinking about food takes me back to some of the delightful meals we enjoyed in Hawaii. 

Traveling gives us such a wonderful opportunity to enjoy different foods cooked in novel ways.  It's one of the highlights for me, always.

One of those meals that lingers in my memory is from Alan Wong's.

This restaurant was one of the few not sporting a view, but we knew that.  You go to Alan Wong's for the food, the wine and the service.

It was late at night in downtown Honolulu.  Every corner of the restaurant (and of the island, for that matter) was decked out for Christmas.

From our seats, we could watch the goings-on in the kitchen.

Ben and I threw ourselves into dinner, as usual, ordering up the 5-course tasting menu (happily adapted to a no-meat version for me).

To start: Grown-up grilled cheese with tomato soup.

Such a succulent little treat!  The Sandwich - soft, melted cheese with a seared portabello (for me) or pig confit and truffle (for Ben).  The Soup - a swirl of red and yellow tomato soup, so thick and succulent!

Then: Mixed Seafood Lasagna.

The best of all the tastings!  A soft, giant noodle contained a creamy pile of shrimp, lobster, scallops and fish.  I can't even describe this dish to you, it was so amazing.

Course Three: Fish!

This was a delicate tilapia in a white wine sauce of some sort, with corn and scallions.

Course Four: More fish!

This one, a ginger crusted snapper, was a stronger, more robust fish.   At this point, I was totally full, but kept eating anyway!

Course Five: A Medley of Chocolate!

I'll admit, we had most of this course boxed up to enjoy later, when we didn't feel sick from all of the food.  What can I say?  It was rich, dark chocolate goodness!  Those little balls contained some sort of liquid nectar that exploded in our mouths.

Fia Fia (The Luau)

When you visit Hawaii, you go to a luau.  That's just the way it is...and the way it should be.

Ben and I - along with his dad and Dawn - settled in for a night of fun, feasting...and fire.

We stood in line for traditional luau foods - pork (for them), fish (for me), poi, rice, vegetables, bread...

...and some non-traditional items, too (like dinosaur shaped chicken fingers).  I loaded my plate to try (almost) everything.

The fun began with tribal chant and songs...

...and then the dancing began.

We saw traditional dances from many polynesian cultures.

We also learned how to make leis and other native crafts.

Many of the dancers displayed their cultural tattoos.

(the commentator said that a number of men died from infection while receiving these tattoos.  Only the warriors of the tribe can wear them)

The guy above is a  fire juggler and the chief of the Samoas in this area.  He was the master of ceremonies and all-around pretty incredible.

There was tree-climbing...

...and ritual torch-lighting to welcome us.

(they didn't make us climb the trees or play with fire...we just had to drink mai-tais and cheer)

Much of the show took place in the dark - and since my camera is less sensitive than our video, you'll have to wait for footage of the rest of the evening.

Aloha from Oahu!

Hello my dear readers!  I am sorry I've been a bit absent here lately.  I have missed you! 

Wrapping up my Chicago client - plus managing the festivities of Thanksgiving - kept me running around and  running amok and generally away from the internets and friends and other important things in my life. 

But my client is done (yay!) and we are in vacation mode around here.

Here being, in fact, Hawaii!

We arrived at the Ko Lina resort in Oahu just in time for sunset last night.  We are staying right on the beach!

We look a bit worse for wear after our seven-hour flight, I'm afraid.

After sunset, we settled in at Longboards, a little beach bar...

...for cocktails... (I had a Mai Tai)...

...and dinner.    I wolfed down the ahi tuna melt...

...which was stunningly delicious!  The french fries, however, were sub-par.  Ben enjoyed his fish and chips.

(of course, I'm willing to bet that all food is more delicious when your toes are dug into the sand and your view is this...)

Last night, we made a run to Safeway for supplies...

 

...and I whipped up some tasty cheese and pepper quesadillas for breakfast this morning...

...which we enjoyed on our balcony, drinking Kona coffee and admiring the ocean.

Ben is catching up on some work, spread out with his computer in in our dining area...

...while I am chatting with you and preparing to relax with my book and my yarn.

Tonight we have reservations at Alan Wong's restaurant - I can't wait!

As for our wee pup, alas, he could not join us on this vacation due to quarantine restrictions.  This is the first time that both of us have been away from our little one and we are missing him.  He would love it here - he is quite the beach dog!

Instead, he gets a snow vacation with Ben's aunt and uncle in Park City, Utah.  We left him with smooches and cuddles two nights ago.

He will spend the next two days romping with his cousins, Rocky and Ginger, in a snow-covered back yard.  He will love it.

Doo's little cousin, Ginger.  They love to play chase around the living room!

Living It Up in Suburbia

 

Hey, there you are!  Did you have a fun little flashback with me, back to bright and glorious days of summer?

Well, here we are now, back in the distant suburbs of Chicagoland where I do my Monday through Thursdays. 

Welcome to my Monday Night Dinner Special ~ Whole Foods Spicy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup.

Do they offer this at your Whole Foods?  I haven't seen it elsewhere.  They make it to order in Northbrook, right behind the sushi counter.

 

I'm addicted, actually.  The flame grilled chicken, jalepenos, bok choy, mushrooms...celephane noodles....

 

...rich, steamy broth that I pour right over the top.

So far, this soup is the only good thing I have to say about Autumn.

 

Queens of the Feast

When Mom visited me here on my Chicago assignment, we feasted.  Medieval style, I mean, at the Medieval Times.

 

First we found a castle.

 

Who knew one could stumble upon a castle on the outskirts of Chicago?

 

(well, some of us do our homework and find out about these things...)

 

Our meal commenced with freshly poured "dragon's blood soup (methinks that dragon frequented a tomato patch with some regularity). 

 

Next, spicy dragon bread with garlic.

 

There then erupted much fanfare and smoke...

 

...knights and villains...

 


...and dancing ponies.

 

Soon, roasted chickens baby dragons were plopped before us.  No cutlery.  Some tough little potatoes.  Medieval style, I tell you.

 

(I was sure that the free-flying hawk would swoop in for a sample, but he was far better behaved than that.)

Cheesy and silly?  Yes!  Plot?  Who said anything about a plot?  Or acting skills, for that matter?  No one said this was high theatre or anything.

But fun - such fun.  And exciting.  And a perfect royal evening for my mom and me.

The Food: very kid-friendly.  Easy to eat with your hands (and luckily they provided wet-naps).  Plenty of it.  Don't wear any feast-finery.

The Drinks: Beverages in the lobby waiting area were insanely priced ($25 for a beer????)  Inside, sodas were free.  Our bartender was so very slow that I never got a chance to order my inside, normal-priced adult beverage so I endured this whole shebang dead-sober.

The Show: too much Shakespeare-style prose recited by actors to don't understand what they are saying to children who don't have a clue what they are talking about anyway.  More horses, please!

Sharing the Pizza Love

As soon as my Mommy arrived, I whisked her right away for a Chicago tradition.

 
She doesn't suspect a thing....

Well, what do you think we did?  I suspect you won't have to use all three of your guesses.

Deep dish pizza like this doesn't exist where she's from.  Also, calling it "pizza" is ridiculous - this is a casserole.  A yummy casserole.  You Chicago folk need to come on over to NYC to see what pizza looks and tastes like...

 

She is a brave one and did not hesitate when faced with cheesy, garlicky slabs of pizza-like food.

 

We both nibbled away at it but still had lots to take back to the hotel room fridge for later.

 

Lunch!

Mom loved the pizza casserole as much as I do.  What a fun way to start her visit!

Recipe: The Perfect Greek Salad

My vision of a perfect salad includes lots of things, but not leafy greens, oh no.  Keep your raw, flavorless crunchy stuff to yourself - I like my greens nicely sauteed (or baked, or boiled into a soup or sauce) and my salads stuffed with lots of raw everything-else-but-lettuce. 

All of which makes salad-eating difficult for me.  But I've found ways around it.

The Perfect Greek Salad

6 fingerling or baby red potatoes

2 pints cherry tomatoes

1 medium red onion

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 kirby cucumber

1/2 cup green pitted olives

basil (dried or fresh) to taste

5 tablespoons chopped chives

1/2 lb feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

_______________________________________________________

Let's get started!  Bowl some water and add the potatoes. 

 

While they boil, let's work on the other ingredients.

Take your cherry tomatoes and pour then onto a nice, comfortable cutting board.

 

Slice those pretty little gems in half...

 

...and plop them right into the biggest bowl you can dig out of your cupboard.

 

Now grab a nice, fresh red onion.

 

Give it a slice and a chop (the whole thing!)...

 

...and throw it into the bowl with the tomatoes halvsies.

 

Let's throw in a red pepper.  How about this one?

 

Chop, chop!

 

...and into the bowl!

 


We have red - why not green?  Let's get colorful!

 

Chop it all up...

 

...and add it to the rest of the goodies.

 

While we're with the green, let's toss a cucumber in there.

 

We're chopping! 

 

Wait, what that? 

 

Aw, someone wants a snack!  Here you go, little guy.

 

Where were we?  Oh yes - cucumbers into the bowl!

 

I'm sure you have some plump green olives lying around somewhere.

 

Let them join the party!

 

How are those potatoes doing?  Once they are tender...you got it!  Chop and into the bowl!

 

Whatever basil you can get, throw it in - I happened to have some freshly dried in the fridge that I crumpled on top of that bowl of healthy, colorful summer vegetables.  You can tear some fresh leaves in there or regular dried.

 

You'll want some feta.  I highly recommend Greek...but it's pretty expensive.  If you can't justify that, go for the Bulgarian at half the price - it's almost as good.

 

Using a fork - or your fingers, if you're like me - crumble the feta over the pile of yummy vegetables in that bowl.

 

If you have chives lying around, they'd make a great addition about now.  Chop, if you wish, or use kitchen shears.

 

Give it all a shake.  Taste it.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Give it a shake and taste it again.

 

Separately, mix equal parts red wine vinegar and a good quality olive oil and pour over your salad to taste.

Better Than Birthday

Lest you think from my prior post that my birthday was all bad, worry not.   While the actual day was crap, the weekend leading up to it was quite lovely.

 

Ben surprised me with dinner at Milos, a wonderful Greek restaurant in our neighborhood.  I've wanted to go there for ages!

We began with a delightful bottle of Greek white wine.  I made sure to take a picture so we can remember to get this one again.  It was crispy with a sweet finish and went so very well with all of the fish (oddly, it did not mingle so well with the vegetables).

 

Then, we launched into the special Sunday menu.  I began with octopus salad (perfectly cooked, so tender!)

 

Ben had crabcake and shrimp, also a lovely choice (but I liked mine better).

 

For our second course, we both devoured tomato salads.

 

For my main course...

 

...er, not quite...here we go...

 

Succulent, melt in your mouth Mediterranean white fish (loux-something-or-other).  So good!  I ordered right.

Ben had the salmon, also good but somehow less exotic.

 

(I stole some of his chard.)

Somehow, I forgot to take a picture of dessert - walnut cake with lavender-honey ice cream, and fruit!  Oh, what a dinner!

Also in celebration, Amy and Matthew took me to lunch at Mary's Fish Camp.  Again, I neglected to photograph my fried oysters and LOBSTER ROLL!  WHAT was I thinking?! If you are interested in the ongoing OSOH Lobster Roll ranking, I deemed this lobster roll the second-best in New York (behind Pearl Oyster Bar).

I did get pictures when we went for drinks after.

 
Yummy, yummy margarita!

 

So really, it wasn't such a bad birthday week after all.

Birthday in Limbo

I just had a birthday.

Really, it was one of the strangest birthdays ever.

4am: alarm goes off. I have a 6am flight to catch. Ben hits the snooze.

4:09am: alarm goes off again. The puppy whimpers. I tumble out of bed to find a tummy-up barely-awake puppy sprawled beside the bed gazing grumpily at me. After petting that shaggy little tummy for a while, I dress and clean up then roll out of the apartment, leaving Boy and Pup to fend for themselves.

4:40am: I get into a Bad Cab. The driver take the long way, with the most expensive end total price for the ride (since I know there is a free and faster bridge that is available at that time of them morning, I take it out of their tip when they do that)

5am: cabbie can’t find the Marine Air Terminal.

5:15am: I arrive at the terminal. Luckily, there is no security line at the Marine Air Terminal, so I stagger right on inside and flop into a chair by Gate 1.

5:40am: I board in zone 3 and easily stick my bag in the overhead. I’m in a window seat with a very tall guy in the aisle seat next to me.

6:15am: As the plane sits on the runway, I fall asleep. 6:23am: The tall guy sleeping in the aisle seat next to me topples over on top of me. I shove him over and knit for a while…then doze.

6:45am: I slept through takeoff AND through in flight bagel distribution. No breakfast for me.

7/6am: We hit the Central Time Zone.

7:25am: Welcome to Chicago.

7:40am: I stop at an airport deli for an egg sandwich…but they are out of egg. I keep walking.

8:05am: Will the Hertz Shuttle NEVER arrive...

8:25am: I tuck myself into the crappiest rental car I’ve had to date. It’s a Nisson something-outdated with 125,000+ miles on it and strange noises trapped in the engine. There’s no acceleration and it smells funny. I’m pissed and decide to take the backroads to the office.

9:15am: The backroads were faster than I expected. I stop at a grocery store to grab a banana and a Diet Pepsi.

9:25am: Someone pooped by my car door. This isn’t some puppy mess either, it’s human. This is big and stinky and RIGHT where I need to be to climb back into my car. And someone has stepped into it and spread it all around (luckily not me – I double check my shoes to be sure). I awkwardly vault my bag and my body over the mess and into my car again.

9:35am: the security guard stops me at the game and makes me produce my visitor badge. They haven’t done this for the last two weeks, but of course, today they will. I dig.

9:40am: There are no visitor’s parking spots left. I park in a reserved spot and cross my fingers that the security guys don’t give me a hard time.

9:45am: No one is at the front office door, so I can’t get through security. I wait.

9:55am:..and wait…

10am: That’s 10am CENTRAL TIME, so I have been awake for seven hours by the time I finally make it to the office.

10:10am: I eat a banana. Then a handful of roasted almonds. Not much for a birthday breakfast. Time to work on that excel spreadsheet.

12pm: We have a lunch meeting in the cafeteria. Salmon, steamed broccoli, roasted sweet potatoes.

12:30pm: Time to work on that PowerPoint presentation.

5pm: I want to leave but everyone is heads-down. Time to do that research.

7:00pm: I leave the office. Freaking finally. I try to call Ben but he doesn’t answer.

7:30pm: I go to Potbelly subs and grab a chicken & cheddar sandwich to go (typically I enjoy eating out alone but eating alone on a restaurant on my birthday just sounds too pathetic).

 

All that and a bag of chips...

 

7:40pm: I stand in ridiculously long line to check into the hotel.

8:10pm: The hotel clerk confirms that I will attain “GOLD” status during my stay this week, but he won’t go ahead and upgrade me. I tell him it’s my birthday. He is unmoved.

8:15pm: I arrive at my hotel room: number 666. No, I’m not kidding.

 

8:16pm: The hotel neglected to leave me my arrival snack.

8:35pm: I eat my pitiful little birthday dinner and enter my dinner calories into my phone app. With a sandwich and chips, guess how many? Yes, 666.

8:40pm: I contemplate the possibility that I have morphed into the Spawn of Satan. Might be a better gig than this client assignment…I would be a very dedicated demon…

8:50pm: Cake arrives.

 

The hotel clerk took pity on me I guess. How thoughtful! (But it’s not very good cake…)

9pm: I ignore my exercise tape and climb into bed. I finally get to chat with Ben, my mom and my best friend.

Sometime around 9:30pm: I fall asleep with all the lights and the TV turned on.

2am: I wake up and turn off some of the lights. I leave the television on, though, for company. Work travel is a very lonely state of being.