hawaiian bbq beef and mac salad

A big thanks to Micah and Brittney for this entire meal. We learned how to make perfect sticky rice from them as newlyweds, and the meat marinade and mac salad are Micah and Brittney staples. I cannot count the times we ate this with them at parties or family get togethers (we aren’t actually family but were close enough friends to be adopted as such). Missing them today and so grateful for their friendship throughout the years. Love you, friends. And hey, thanks for the good eats. Xx

Recipe: Hawaiian BBQ (Teriyaki) Beef

Ingredients:
1.5-2 c soy sauce
1/2 c sugar
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
Oil, a splash
Vinegar, a splash
2 lb. (ish) Thinly sliced beef (sirloin tip etc)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients well then combine with beef. Marinate for 3+ hours. Then grill. Enjoy.



Recipe: Hawaiian Mac Salad

Ingredients:
16 oz large macaroni noodles, cooked & chilled
6 boiled eggs, chilled & diced
8 mini dill pickles, diced
4 Tbsp dill pickle juice
1/3 - 1/2 c mayonnaise
2 tsp mustard
Garlic powder, to taste
Salt, to taste

Directions:
Cook pasta and eggs. Chill. Dice all you need. Toss together and mix well. Serve cold.



Serve with CalRose rice. 

cinnamon ginger pears

I found this idea online recently when I was searching for a recipe that incorporated ginger in a kid-friendly and easy-to-swallow way.  My boy had a sore throat, and I'd read that ginger helped with that (or maybe helped with Strep... I had searched that at one point, too).  Anyway, I came across this concept and decided to tweak it and make it my own.  I tried it out on my kiddos.  They both LOVED it!  It didn't hurt that I topped the pears with a teensy bit of whipped cream.  (That makes everything feel more festive, right?)  But still, I was quite happy that they were happy.  We will definitely be making this again... either as a low-calorie and healthy snack ... or maybe as a topping for ice cream (shame, shame.  I know.  But it would be delish).  Try it out.  Go on.  You've got five minutes!



RECIPE: Cinnamon Ginger Pears


Serves: 3
Calories: 83


Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can pear halves (in juice, not syrup)
1/2 tsp sugar
dash ginger
dash cinnamon
(opt) whipped cream

Directions:
Drain about half of the liquid from the can of pears.  Then dump the remaining contents into a small frying pan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, and simmer 2 minutes.  Sprinkle the pears with sugar, ginger and cinnamon.  Continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes longer, or until soft.  Dish the pears up (two halves per serving) and top with a small dollop of whipped cream (opt).  Serve warm.

tom ka gai (coconut lemongrass chicken soup)

I had this soup recently and for my first time at our local Thai restaurant, and I loved it! It was such a pleasant and unexpected combination of flavors, and it was beautiful. Mmm... I thought maybe I could duplicate it {I mean, how hard could it be? I'm cocky.} and decided to give it a try. I had planned on following a recipe but was unable to find some of the ingredients, so I tried another recipe... and again, couldn't find some of the ingredients. So I combined a few ideas and made my own {dangerous when attempting a meal you hardly know}. Luckily, it turned out super duper delicious!! I was so happy with it, and I fully intend to make it again. With that being said, here it is. So I remember.

If you try it as well, let me know how it went! Enjoy.

RECIPE: Tom Ka Gai

Ingredients:

1 deli-roasted (rotisserie) chicken, de-boned, skin removed and shredded {we only used about 3/4 of it... or about 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken}

2 c. water

3 med carrots, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal

1 package Shiitake mushrooms {I would probably do regular button mushrooms next time; I didn't love the texture of these}, halved

juice from 2 limes (about 1/4 c.)

1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp dried lemongrass

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1-2 in. fresh ginger-root, grated/minced

2 cans (15 oz.-ish) unsweetened coconut milk

2 stalks green onion, sliced thinly

cilantro (opt)

Directions:

Put the (already-cooked) chicken in a hot pot and let it sizzle for a minute. Add the remaining ingredients (all but the coconut milk, green onions, and cilantro) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until carrots are crisp-tender and all is heated through. Add the coconut milk, stir well. At this point, do NOT boil; just warm. Toss in the green onion pieces. Stir. Heat on low heat until ready to serve. Top with cilantro if desired, and serve warm.

Serves: 8

Calories: 203