Posted in Food, Snacks, tagged Food, Snacks on February 29, 2012| 6 Comments »
My new obsession. Dark chocolate flavored almonds
Dark Chocolate Flavored Almonds
The almonds are not covered in chocolate (which I wouldn’t get excited about), but are dusted with dark chocolate cocoa powder.
Dark Chocolate Almonds
Picked them up on a whim (they were on sale). Get stop eating them. Try ’em if you get the chance. You’ll see.
Enjoy.
The Mouse
Posted in Miscellaneous, What The?, tagged Miscellaneous on February 28, 2012| 5 Comments »
One more nomination, this time for an ABC award (that’s Awesome Blog Content, not American Born Chinese) ;), again from The Kofegeek. I feel very humbled. Thank you. Sorry it’s taken awhile to fulfill the requirements of the nomination, life got in the way.
1. Thank you, Kofegeek, you are too kind.
2(1) Check out her other blog: Kofeart. Just found it today. Impressive sketches.
2(2) weight4us: Sometimes funny, sometimes not so funny. Always sincere and real.
2(3) Bente Haarstad Photography: Nice photographs. I can’t even fathom becoming this good. The stories behind the pictures are good too.
2(4) The Actor’s Diet: Just proves actors are people too. 🙂
2(5) Food Follower: A self-proclaimed amateur. Me too.
2(6) Dinner is Served 1972: Looking back through time. TARDIS not necessary. 🙂
2(7) Mimo khair’s blog: And her companion blog, mimokhairphotography, More photography. Learning the world through other’s eyes.
Okay, now the hard part. I have to describe myself using the letters of the alphabet. Here we go:
A = American Born Chinese
B = Blade Runner. Favorite movie.
C = Curious
D = Dedicated
E = Eats
F = Forgetful, sometimes. The Cat says my brain is too small. Sigh
G = Grateful
H = Hopeful
I = Introvert. Extremely so. According to the Myers-Briggs assessment.
J = Joker. When you least expect it. 😉
K = Kid. Sometimes The Cat still thinks I’m one.
L = Logical. To a degree.
M = Mouse (born in the Chinese calendar the year of the Rat). A Mickey not a Minnie.
N = Natto. Love it.
O = Open. To new things and ideas.
P = Pork belly. I consider pork belly a food group in itself. Just can’t eat too much of it.
Q = Questions. To
R = Reader. Love to read fiction books. Science fiction, espionage, and mysteries are favorites.
S = Stink tofu. Grown to love it.
T = Thinker. Sometimes overly so.
U = Understanding of others (trying to be).
V = Vegetables. Love ’em.
W = Worrier. I think that has something to do with trying to be too detailed. Or cub scout training.
X = X-rays. Had ’em (scratching head).
Y = Young at heart (old in body). 😦
Z = Zzz. The Cat says I snore (I vehemently deny this). 🙂
There you have it. Hope I didn’t bore you. This was a good exercise for me. Not used to trying to describe myself (probably an Asian thing). Got me out of my comfort zone.
Regular programming will resume shortly.
Enjoy.
The Mouse
Posted in Food, Vegetables, What The?, tagged Food, Oyster sauce, Vegetables on February 27, 2012| 1 Comment »
Over the years, we’ve traveled to a few cities in China. Shanghai most often, Ningbo and Shenzhen less often. It sometimes surprises The Cat that each region uses different words to communicate a similar message.
This situation was illustrated this past weekend at home. The Cat and her business partner went for dim sum. One of the orders was choy sum.
Choy Sum
The Cat requested the oyster sauce on the side (she doesn’t particularly like oyster sauce).
Oyster Sauce
Normally, the check will indicate “on the side” or “no” in Chinese. However, this time, the waiter wrote “walk away” for the oyster sauce. As they were in a Cantonese restaurant, we’re not sure if the wording is a regional difference, a restaurant  short hand difference, or just the waiter. Whatever the case, The Cat was amused.
Enjoy.
The Mouse (as told to by The Cat)
Posted in Food, Home Cooked, Vegetables, tagged Food, Home cooked, Vegetables on February 26, 2012| 13 Comments »
Some of my vegetable (and technically fruit) dishes from the past week.
Tomatoes with Sea Moss
The sea moss was quickly blanched and that dunked in an ice bath before I added it to the tomatoes.
Oil-Fried Shanghai Cabbage
The Cat said this is a method of Chinese cooking. A hot pan, a little more oil (about a teaspoon more) than normally necessary, and cooking the vegetable very quickly. The oil and the moisture from the vegetables merge to form the  “sauce”. The Cat gave this one four paws and a tail. 🙂
Steamed Asparagus
A drizzle of roasted sesame oil and lightly salted with Kauai sea salt.
"The Mess"
Just cleaning out the refrig and pantry. Sautéed zucchini, peeled tomatoes, sliced avocado, and sea moss. Dressed with macadamia oil infused with Italian herbs, and Kauai sea salt. It looks messy (I need to work on my plating) but tasted good. Plus pretty healthy I’m sure.
Enjoy.
The Mouse
Posted in Dessert, Dinner, Duck, Food, Fruit, Rice, Seafood, tagged Eating Out, Fish, Food, Rice on February 25, 2012| 5 Comments »
It may appear that Padovani’s Grill (1341 Kapiolani Boulevard, Honolulu Hawaii) is almost getting to be our second home, not that I’m complaining. Chef was throwing a dinner for selected hotel concierge staff the other night and he let us come in and watch. Since we were there, we ordered dinner (heh heh).
First off, Chef had two floral arrangements made.
Floral Arrangement
To give you some sense of the scale, the “vase” is seven feet tall, add the flowers and I estimate the height to be over ten feet tall. Talk about making an impression.
Chef introduced a new appetizer that night,
Poké of Ahi in Virgin Olive Oil
Green papaya salad, lime vinaigrette. Chef’s take on an island favorite. The Cat really enjoyed this.
Baked Eggplant Rolls Filled with Stracciatella Cheese and Basil
In house soft string cheese soaked in heavy cream, marinated vine-ripened tomatoes, capers and Niçoise olives vinaigrette. The picture is a little fuzzy, I was trying to reach over the table to take the picture. Sigh.
Pan-Fried Scallops and Foie Gras of Duck
Ragoût “Beluga Lentils du Puys” with vegetables, vinaigrette, and fresh herbs. The Cat inhaled the foie gras and scallops. I got to try the lentils and vegetables. That’s okay, I had his foie gras before. And there’s always next time.
I seem to be enamored with Chef’s daily risotto. Haven’t had one I didn’t like yet. Today was no exception.
Risotto
Hamakua mushrooms, speck, sun-dried tomato, spinach, and cherry tomatoes. An all-in-one meal. Rice, ham, vegetables, and mushrooms = happy Mouse.
To finish off, my dessert …
Tart Tatin
Caramelized upside-down golden delicious apple tart, Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream. 🙂
My cuz is probably going to get on my case for this post (“you ate there again without me?”) Heh heh.
Enjoy.
The Mouse
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