Sunday Dinner

   My mouth is still sore from the extractions I had a couple of weeks ago so I can only eat meat that is cooked until it is really soft so this weekend it was all about stews and soups.

I made our favorite Hawaiian style beef stew.   It is similar to what they make here on the mainland but we like the sauce thicker and we add tomato sauce to it.   Here is the way we make it.

 Ingredients:  Potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder.  My mother in law made it with cabbage which I love but my family doesn't.  So now I leave the cabbage out but I have to admit I miss it so I recommend that if you like cabbage you put it in.

   Cut the celery in nice pieces about 1 inch thick.  I peeled the potatoes and then cut them in half and cut each half into about 3 pieces.  I took a picture but for some reason it didn't turn out.  We like lots of  potatoes so I used about 8.

  

       If the carrots are fresh I don't peel them if  the exterior looks dry I peel them and cut them in about 1 inch chunks for the thin ones and 1/2 inch for the fat ones.   The top picture shows the carrots I used.  the ones in the front I didn't peel but the ones in the back I did.    If you ever have a garden you will notice that there is no skin on the carrot when you pull it out.  It is just the dried out exterior.  I wash the and just use them like that

        I cut the 2 onions in chunks.  I will add those to cook with the meat at the beginning so they get really soft.

       Soak the potatoes carrots and celery in a bowl of water until ready to cook.

            And now add the meat I used about 3#.  I always buy what is on sale.  This time there was stew meat on special but most of the time I buy some type of beef roast.   My favorite is chuck but I have used other cuts too.  I just cut it into 1" squares.    Heat your pot and add a few Tablespoons of oil to the bottom.  This time I used some bacon grease left from cooking a few pieces of bacon on Saturday.   Brown the meat in the oil add 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder.  After browning the meat I added about a cup of flour and then mixed it in well.

 Add water to cover the meat,  Stir well and add onions.  I used about a gallon.   Bring the pot to the
boil then cover and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is tender

Drain the vegetables and add to the pot.  Add  the tomato sauce so it is the above color.   Bring back to a boil, cover and then simmer about 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.  Taste the sauce and add more seasonings to taste.  I added another tsp of garlic powder, 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper to mine.   When the vegetables are done  You thicken the stew with flour and water slurry.  I like it about the same thickness as KFC gravy.  

And here is the finished product served over sticky rice.  It was delicious.  I like mine with a little bit of tabasco on it and a piece of french dressing to sop up the extra gravy.  Yuuuum.  My family like to put Best Foods on the rice before they add the stew.   That was Howard's favorite and she passed it down to them.

We have  grown tomatoes this year and they are really good.  I have beautiful red beefsteak tomatoes and an heirloom tomato that has yellow and red flesh.   To go with the Stew I made marinated Tomato and Onion salad. If you look closely you can see the red swirl in the center of the tomatoes.

Simply slice the tomatoes and onions and I won't lie I don't make my own vinaigrette.  I use Kraft Zesty Italian dressing.  I poured about 1/4 cup over the salted and peppered tomatoes and mixed them.   Delicious.

We had a great Sunday Meal and there is enough stew to have for dinner tonight too.  I taught Malia to make homemade chicken noodle soup yesterday but didn't take any pictures.   Next time I will remember the camera.

Today I am making our favorite crockpot version of a Chile Verde.   About 15 years ago I discovered a product called Herdez Chile Verde Sauce.   I bought some and they sat in my pantry for a long time.  One day I needed to use up some meat in that I had and I pulled them out and our favorite dish was born.   I make it with chicken,  or beef, or pork and it is great with all of them.  So let me Share.  

Today I made Pork.  There are 8 living in my home and being polynesian they are hearty eaters.  I used about 5# of meat so we would have a bit for planned overs.   It would probably feed 12 normal eaters.

 Here are the ingredients.

5# of boneless pork roast or 7# of bone in pork roast
1 medium onion  chopped
2 cans Herdez Chile Verde
1 can diced green Chiles
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon garlic Powder
1 Tsp salt
1/2 tsp black Pepper
1 tsp Adobo Seasoning.
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water.


 Method

                      I do not claim to be a great chef but am a good home cook.  When I chop the onion the pieces are not all the same size but you get the idea and it seems to work for me.  I then put them in the bottom of a 5 qt.  Slow Cooker.

                    Trim any extra fat from the pork and cut it into chunks.   Add to the Slow Cooker

                 I used bone in pork sirloin roasts and I kept the bones with what Meat is still attached.     add the salt, garlic, adobo, pepper and stir it into the meat and onions.  Place the bones on top of the meat.  (This is mild because my grandchildren prefer it like this.  To make it spicier use diced tomato with Chipotle Chile and an additional can of green chiles)

                Pour the tomatoes, Salsa Verde and green chiles over the meat.  Cover and cook on Low for about 10 hours.

                After it is cooked this is what it will look like.   Remove meat from the bones and discard
  the bones.  Using a wooden spoon break up the meat.   Turn slow cooker to high.

              stir 1/2 cup of flour into an equal amount of water.   stir into meat and let cook for about 1/2 hour.   If you want it thicker then add more flour.   Shred 1# cheddar cheese while it cooks.  I like Sharp.

 
           This is the way we like it best.  On a flour tortilla with sour cream and salsa.   The smaller kids prefer it on top of Sticky rice with the cheese and no salsa or cream...However you serve it it is delicious.
 

Howard's youngest brother is visiting from Samoa.  The last time we saw him was at Howard's funeral that was 22 years ago.   I am excited to see him at a family Potluck tonight. 


To go with it I am making "Funeral Potatoes"  Or as we called them at BYU,  Potatoes Supreme. 

This is a really simple dish that can be made in a hurry.  We will have about 100 at the party tonight,  that is small for the Lua family,  so I will triple the recipe.

3 bags  shredded frozen hashbrowns
1 cup diced green onions
3 pts. sour cream
1 family size + 1 10 oz can of Cream soup.  I am using Mushroom soup but Cream of Chicken or Cream of Celery are just  as good
1 # of cheddar cheese grated.  I use medium but Sharp is good too.

1. Put thawed   potatoes in a baking pan  (large foil roasting pan)
2. Mix soup, sour cream, onions and cheese together in a bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  I find there is enough salt in the soup but do add pepper.  It is up to you.
3.  Pour soup mix over potatoes and mix well.
You can reserve some of the cheese and sprinkle over the top or can top with any variety of crunchy toppings at this point.   I have had it with Ritz crumbs,  Cornflakes,  Panko, buttered breadcrumbs, potato chips or saltines.

 You bake the casserole at 350 until hot and bubbly all the way through.  about 30 minutes for a 9x13 pan and a little longer for the size pan I am making

The foods you will probably see at a Hawaiian pot luck are:
 Definitely Sticky Rice  (known in our family as the only true rice)
Teriyaki Chicken                                                    Haupia Cake
Potato Salad and/or Macaroni Salad                      Tutu Cake
Green Salad                                                            Chantilly Cake
Kalua style Pork                                                     Guava or Banana Cake
Fried Chicken                                                         Cookies or Brownies
Teriyaki burgers                                                     Coco Puffs
Samoan Chop Suey
 Some type of Stir Fry
Ham
Chicken Katsu
Fried Won ton

One thing is certain.  Everything will be delicious because all of us can cook.

I will let you know what turns up tomorrow.  I am excited to meet my Samoan Sister in law for the first time.  They have been married for around 25 years but we were never in the same place at the same time before.

Well the party was great and it was so nice to see everyone and meet my niece and 2 nephews for the first time.     I left for Texas right after the party to meet my newest granddaughter and since then have been so busy  I didn't get anything written.   This week my daughter gave birth to twin boys and so our family grows.   Today I will begin my journey in the blog world for real with the beginning of  my Recipe Blog.

 Before I do that I have to pass on the recipe for Lorenzo's Chicken.  We made it in Texas and my granddaughter Masha could not get enough of it.

5# boneless skinless Chicken Thighs
1 cup aloha soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1T ginger.   (we bought crushed ginger in a tube and it was so easy)
1/4 cup sliced green onions

Marinate Chicken overnight then cook on a BBQ grill.  It is really Yummy.

When Evil Strikes

My life seems so unimportant in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy.  Friday at a midnight movie premier a young man consumed with evil and hatred opened fire on a theater full of people who were just out enjoying  themselves.  He killed 12 as they ran for their lives.  Including a little 6 year old girl.  I look at my three 6 year old grandchildren and try to imagine what it would do to me if their little lives were snuffed out at this age.  It is incomprehensible to me.  They are trusting and funny and loving.  They are without guile.

I know that our Father in Heaven welcomed that perfect little girl home to his arms and that she is being loved and cared for by those in her family who have gone before.  The wait to be reunited with her parents will be short for her but long and painful for them.   The rest of us have been left pondering the questions left.  Why there, why at all, How could it have been prevented?

We cannot stop evil no matter what we do.  It is there lurking in the shadows,  waiting to reach out and grab the unsuspecting.    They call for better gun control.  That will just mean that only those bent on doing Satan's business will be able to get guns and leave the rest of us woefully unprotected.  They ask if having someone armed in the theater could have saved lives.   An expert said that the shooter dressed in body armor could have only been taken out by an expert sniper and then it would have been difficult for them.

All we can do is live our lives to the fullest and be prepared by knowing we are leaving a legacy of love and goodness behind us.   If  my grandchildren and children  were to read this I want them to know that though I do not want to leave them for several more years,  I know that I will have lived a life that is exemplary for them.   I have worked hard, loved well, and treated all with kindness.  I have lived with no prejudice for race, creed or color and have never hated anyone.   I have not been perfect but have striven to always be better than I was.

I pray for the families who lost their loved ones and hope that they will find comfort in the lives their dear ones lived.

We had a great 4th of July.  We celebrated Phoenix's 6th birthday and had a BBQ.  Son in Law Renzo made his special chicken.  He won't share the recipe but I think I could replicate it.   He uses boneless chicken thighs and  marinates it in Soy Sauce (Aloha brand the only true soy sauce) sugar, ginger, green onions.   This time he added about 1/2 cup of honey to it.   It was really delicious.   We also had watermelon,  Malia's potato salad with crab - she made a small bowl for me because I don't eat crab.  I added onion and relish to mine,  rice, li hing mui cantaloupe,  and birthday cake with neapolitan Ice cream.  (the kids call it Napolean).   I would have added some sort of vegetable to it but this was their party.

My hanai son Metua Ngarupe and his family are in the process of moving here and they came over for and ate with us.  the younger ones swam in our above ground pool.   I got to see and hold Metua's month old granddaughter, Jane for the first time.  She is of course adorable.   He lost his wife to cancer a year ago and it has been difficult for him and the 4 boys.  The youngest is only 15.  I hope things work out for them to live here.  I think it would be good to get Will out of the California schools and into one that is safe.   Metua's cousin Mary helped him drive over.  I had met her at a few parties in the past but never really had time to talk as their were large groups around.   I know she has been a great help to him.  Family is so important.  Nobody really cares or helps like they do.

The kids did fireworks  outside after dark and Phoenix was beside himself with joy.  Of course he is too young to do anything but pop pops or sparklers but he does love watching his dad and older brother set them off.  

They were extra careful this year because it has been so dry.  have had up to 9 fires going on around  the state and 6 are still a threat.   Many homes have been lost this summer.  I think more than in past years.   We finally got some rain last night.

Introduction

I have long wanted to start a blog both for me and my mo'opuna.(grandchildren)  I was born in Nebraska but married a wonderful Hawaiian who converted my heart to the culture of Hawaii.

Though I was educated to be a teacher I soon discovered that profession was not for me and eventually found my calling in the kitchens of  universities.   There I worked for 30 years doing thing from cooking to managing.  I retired recently from a career that was fun and satisfying.   Because of this love affair with food I hope to pass on some of my expertise to the first love of my life FAMILY.

I am the mother of 4 children and 8 hanai children. (unofficially adopted children of my Heart) I will have 17 grandchildren soon we are anxiously awaiting the birth of twin boys.  Steeler and Stryker.  ( as you can see my daughter and husband are big sports fans).  My h
anai children have provided me with 36 grandchildren and so far 14 great grandchildren.   This my sound like a lot but my Mother-in-Law has over 300 descendants so far from her 14 children.

In 1971 I made the best decision of my life.   I left my home in Arizona and married Howard Keawe Lua.  I was the only daughter among the 3 children of  a warehouse worker/truck driver from Phoenix.  Howard was the third of 14 children of a firefighter and a cook\waitress from Laie, Hawaii.  We met at a wedding in Arizona.   When I saw him walk out of the Mesa Arizona Temple of the Church of Latter Day Saints I was hooked.  With his regal bearing and beautiful smile I knew hat this was  going to be my husband.   Just over a year later we were married in the Laie Hawaii Temple.  Sadly, my husband, sweetheart and best friend passed away at the young age of 48.  However my love and loyalty to him has never waivered.


 
  Howard and Toni in 1972 with eldest son Jeremey. 


Well this is the important part of my story.  From now on I will post mostly recipes  that have worked even though some of my picky family members have not eaten much of them.