Pasta Puttanesca

Been six months since I've made my version of Pasta Puttanesca, so on this New Year's weekend decided to make it last night, on a relatively cold day here in Okinawa. 56 degrees right now and supposed to go a bit lower. High today is supposed to be 63 degrees. Seems the cold weather has finally come to Okinawa. Love the very rich tasting sauce! A little crushed red pepper flakes added the right amount of heat! And I love a lot of sauce!

It's a five-day weekend for me. Had a couple days use or lose leave so taking today off plus Wednesday so I can watch the UH Warriors in the Sugar Bowl on my January 2, January 1 in the U.S. --- GO WARRIORS!!!

"Local" Corned Beef Hash & Egg

My "Local-Style" Corned Beef Hash & Egg that I have been making/eating for many years. Born out of necessity one hungry morning in the early 80s, but a regular ever since.

In a shallow dish there's a layer of leftover rice first, then a layer of canned corned beef hash, big sprinkling of garlic salt, some black pepper, and finally an egg or two. Covered with plastic wrap and zapped in the microwave a couple minutes to heat everything but still trying to keep the yolk runny. Garnished with green onions and eaten with ketchup.

Sometimes no rice, sometimes mix the green onion into the hash. Simple, quick, tasty and real lazy "Local."

If brown gravy's available it's teriffic - Loco Moco-Style!

Update - 05 January 2008



Here's just the canned corned beef hash (about a quarter of a 15-oz. can) in a dish with two eggs on top. Zapped for 2-1/2 minutes and it was perfect. The microwave just cooks the surface of the yolks. The yolks were still runny and it tasted great! I can eat this at anytime, anywhere!

Christmas 2007

Nice bright sunny day!

Mele Kalikimaka from Okinawa!!!

My little Christmas tree and gifts from my granddaughter. My little but "a very big" bit of happiness here away from home.

Hope you all have a great and safe holiday season and have the best of a New Year!

Peace on Earth!

BWS Cafeteria

Not that I've been here. This picture is from an article in the Honolulu Advertiser by Lisa Sekiya in the "Entertainment - Dining - Eating Out" section of the BWS Cafeteria. Had to share this with you all, since it's kinda buried in the newspaper.

This looks like your real home-grown, local-style plate lunch we all grew up with. And it's still around. Meatloaf on the left and teri steak on the right. Meatloaf has macaroni salad, think the teri beef has a little green salad with dressing, and both have rice and canned corn. Plain, simple, what could be better! Going go there when I visit home next time!

Tulip

This post is sort of like an additon to The Tasty Island current post of Tulip vs. Treet vs. Spam musubis. This the Tulip that is sold in Okinawan stores. Totaly different presentation from the U.S. And it's 198 yen ($1.75) for the small can, 278 yen ($2.50) for the big can. (And still are key opening cans!) And in comparison Spam is 298 yen ($2.65) for a big can in the markets here. Not bad.

In the commissaries here, checked again, and there's no Tulip on sale. There's Treet. Sells for $.75 for the big can (kinda cheap, huh? How come?). There is a "Premium Luncheon Meat" by Armour that sells for $1.47 on sale right now (regular price $1.74). The big Spam is $2.21, smaller can $1.38. But I always stick with the Spam!

Boring afternoon...So...

Other websites have mentioned about using the Spam can for a Spam musubi maker if you don't have one. I have one so this was an experiment.

Was looking at the small Tulip can with it's old style sealed edges on both ends. The Spam cans now-a-days don't have the bottom seam, being fully molded. So I cut the Tulip can in the picture above open with the opener that cuts the seam without leaving sharp egdes. (I have an electric Krupps Open Master, though there are manual ones). Simple!

Voila! A Spam musubi maker! Both ends open with no sharp edges. Or should I say Tulip musubi maker.

Sunset over Mihama

Today's sunset over the American Village shopping area in Mihama, Chatan, from my lanai. Beautiful day, high went up to 75, but now down to 64, with the forecast low to be 56. Beautiful time of the year here in Okinawa!

Stuffed tonight from an organization lunch party today of a turkey buffet at the base club. Loved the dark meat from the drumstick!

Lazy Chicken Thighs

Another lazy dinner. This time with chicken thighs. Same old cream of mushroom soup with onions and garlic, but added a potato I found in a corner. And the ever present corn. Picture is actually of my bento lunch for tomorrow.

Another Soup Night

Was another cold night for Okinawa last night. Low in the high 50s, but back up to 62 degrees right now. So just made my simple Corn Chowder. Bit lazy too. Made it more liquidy this time. Enjoyed a couple bowls with sweetbread rolls!

But it's Friday, another day then the weekend ahead!

Lazy Pork Chops

There is a pork chop under there! Just your lazy way of pork chops with cream of mushroom soup. Don't like to spend week nights cooking, so resort to easy stuff learned to do back home years ago.

Seared pork chops then removed. In same pan sautéed sliced onions until translucent, then added some crushed garlic cloves and cooked a bit further. Finally added a can of soup and maybe 1/3 can water and simmered a while.

Put the chop on a plate and smothered with the sauce. Love a lot of sauce! Quick dish as I make back home, probably same as done all across the U.S. in the same way!

Kalbi Tang (Beef Short Ribs In Broth)

A dish I finally ate tonight. Kalbi Tang, a Korean broth dish made with beef short ribs. Long, long, long prep time.

First soaked the short ribs 10 hours in water to get rid of blood. Halfway through, rinsed and changed the water. Then rinsed and changed the water again and parboiled to get rid of more blood if possible. Then boiled again in new water for the both. Just before finished cooking, added daikon and some salt. Then chilled overnight, and then removed fat that formed on surface.

Only then reheated and added sauce of shoyu, sesame oil, dried red pepper flakes, chopped green onions and some black pepper. Meat itself is not hot and spicey, but tender and soft. The broth is a different story, it certainly is spicey!!! I even left out a minced fresh chili pepper that the orignal recipe calls for.

But a good "hot" broth was great on a cold night here. May sound strange to folks in mainland Japan who are going through the 40s now, but here on Okinawa with these 50s nights it's cold!