It was grilling time last night.
We stopped at Safeway in Kaneohe on the way home and picked up a few things, including some chicken thighs.
They went on the grill, along with a couple of potatoes cut up into fries.
Meda served up sliced tomatoes and avocado, along with some fancy olives.
Wine served at the table. And the cat (Ms. Harry) was just an added bonus!
Nothing fancy here.
Just our first meal of the new year.
No, we didn’t consume a post-midnight feast.
Instead, we got up early, as we usually do, did our 3-mile walk to watch the sunrise from the beach, and then came back and made breakfast.
The egg yolks are the teaser.
Just click to see the rest of the process. Nothing fancy. Just the basics. A ham and (hot) cheese omelette, english muffin, coffee, and a lurking cat looking for a lick of margarine.
Enjoy. We did.
![[text]](http://ilind.net//gallery_2012/breakfast010112/source/image/eggs-1.jpg)
We have eaten well on this short trip to Hilo.
Yesterday evening, after a successful media symposium wrapped up at UH Hilo (bravo to Tiffany Edwards Hunt for pulling this all together), we joined others for libations back at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. It was their Saturday Hawaiian Seafood Buffet, and the restaurant was well on its way to being packed. Some Japanese tour groups, but a whole lot of local families there to chow down.
I have to admit, though, that Meda’s problems with crab and some shellfish, and the $37.50 buffet price tag, sent us in search of another option. Luckily, it was only a couple of minutes away. Six of us ended up back at Sombat’s Thai restaurant, just next door to Ken’s House of Pancakes. It’s kind of a hole in the wall, but the food was very good, we stuffed ourselves, and the tab for six people (including tax) was just $82.
I failed to take a picture of the food as it was served, but I made up for it this morning with a shot of my fluffy ham and cheese omelet at Ken’s. It was almost 7:30 a.m., after our morning walk along the bay, and the Ken’s was already very bustling, although not quite totally full yet. Getting close, though. Ken’s is obviously popular with Hilo folks, who seemed to be about 95% of the early eaters.
After a meal like that, it’s going to take a while to get started again. Meda grabbed a flier yesterday for the Big Island Coin Club’s 4th Annual Antique and Coin Show, just a few blocks away. So now it’s time for a shower, then a visit to the coin club’s show, and then a flight back to Honolulu.
I’ll dig into a few of the issues that came up at yesterday’s media symposium after I have a chance to look over my notes.
Sunday afternoon, and we were brainstorming dinner.
I came up with a plan to put leftovers and odds-and-ends to good use.
We had a bit of steak from dinner with a friend the night before, and some green and orange sweet peppers nearing the end of their refrigerator life.
So….I envisioned fajitas. Never made them before, and I’m not sure I’ve had them in a restaurant, but I’ve seen other people eating them. How hard can it be? Sizzling meat and vegetables to wrap in a tortilla? It sounded simple enough.
My part: Cut an onion in half lengthwise, then into wedges. Add a little olive oil and garlic, set aside. Slice the steak, then squeeze a couple of limes, add the juice to the steak along with another teaspoon or so of olive oil, more garlic, a pinch of cumin and a shake or two of chili powder. Same thing with two peppers, one green and one orange. This turned out to be overkill, but it wasn’t so apparent to me at the time. Meda found a little not-quite-dead cilantro, which I chopped, to be added to the meat/pepper mixture at the last minute before serving.
Meanwhile, I chopped a little more onion, heated it in small frying pan with a splotch of olive oil (yes, I’m sure that’s a technical term), then added some leftover brown rice. Again, a little garlic, some red hot sauce, and some water. Then covered and let it simmer while I fired up the grill.
Meda was peeling and chopping a tomato, jalapeno, and other goodies for a fresh salsa, and mixing up some guacamole using fat-free sour cream.
Whew, this seemed to be crossing over into some real work. A can of refried beans went into the microwave, and I put the onions on the grill in a small vegetable grilling basket. I guessed four minutes, then added the peppers. Another five minutes, then the meat went into the mix. It took another five minutes or so before all was in readiness.
It finally all came together in few long moments of kitchen chaos. We collapsed in front of our plates. Luckily there was a camera at hand. Beans and rice, fajita mix spread on platter, heated flour tortilla, Meda’s homemade salsa and guacamole. Excellent!
Now we’ve got leftovers of the leftover, but they’ll make a great pair of lunches for tomorrow.
Click for a larger photo.