It tasted as good as it looks

I got a bee in my bonnet to bake bread recently, and after a few failed attempts, this is what I got. I used the milk bread recipe in Joy of Cooking. I first tried to make Parker House rolls with the same recipe, but missed a step and ended up with gigantic rolls that were hard as a rock. The second roll-making attempt was much better, but they were still a little dense for my white bread tastes (I once ate an entire loaf of Wonder Bread by myself in the backseat of my dad's car). My first loaf was a disaster; I heated the butter too much and killed the yeast, which left me with a gummy dense loaf. My mom fed it to her composting worms. They loved it. Finally, I got this beauty. I ate it plain, with butter, with raspberry jam, and made an unforgettable butter and ham sandwich that took me back to my childhood--my grandmother was a big proponent of the butter and ham sandwich on fresh-baked bakery bread. I'm planning to bake another loaf or two for Thanksgiving for the turkey sandwich leftovers.

Back in September, I went to the American Food & Wine Festival in Los Angeles. It's a huge fundraiser for Meals on Wheels held on the Universal Studios backlot. It was one of the most incredible events I've ever been to, with some of Los Angeles' top chefs and restaurants represented, including some from elsewhere as well. Wolfgang Puck is a founder, so he was there, along with his multiple restaurants. So was Nancy Silverton from Mozza, Nobu, Jose Andreas, and many more. Hawaii was represented by Roy Yamaguchi and Sam Choy. The food was incredible. I couldn't eat enough. Perrier-Jouet sponsored the dessert area, so my night ended happily with lots of champagne...after which I was ready to eat again, of course.

Kapolei Uncorked

Hawaii Food & Wine in Paradise was last week, and I was lucky enough to attend Kapolei Uncorked at the last minute (I had to change plans for a birthday trip to a new Korean Spa with my friend Mary, but she came with me, so it all worked out). The dinner was about 8 courses from some of Hawaii's most innovative chefs, and the dish pictured above was my favorite. Kona lobster tail and squid ink pasta with locally grown long beans in a light cream sauce. Even the shiso on the plate didn't bother me, and I really don't like that stuff.

Shabu Shabu: Not Just a Fun Name For Food

Shabu shabu and nabe are two styles of Japanese cooking that don't get enough play as they should. Both are broth-based meals in a pot, full of meat and vegetables and eaten with rice and noodles. It's yummy and healthy and surprisingly light. Shabu shabu uses a mostly water base for cooking (with a little konbu thrown in for flavor), and includes vegetables and anything from seafood to Kobe beef to Berkshire pork. Nabe is a seasoned broth and comes with pork seafood, a chicken sausage/meatball (shown above in the bamboo contraption) along with vegetables. You cook everything yourself. My shabu shabu/nabe experience happened at Ichiriki on Piikoi, but I hear good things about Shabu Shabu House on Kapiolani from my friend Mary...but then I found out that a waitress there asked her if she was a model, so she may be biased.

Old School, Part II

Pesto. It was called "The Quiche of the 80's" in When Harry Met Sally...and the 80's was most definitely its decade. But pesto never really went away; it just got a little less popular. I tried it again recently (thanks, Wendy) and now I want to eat it on everything. Pasta, pizza crust, bread, my finger...mmm, pesto.

Old School

Cheerios and whole milk. Back in the day, this was it. If you hadn't had this since you were a kid, have some now. It's surprisingly delicious.

Pizza Party

Who doesn't love pizza? I love all pizza--from Totino's Party Pizza's (yes, I still eat them, even after the recall) to gourmet thin crust pizzas with toppings like arugula and truffle oil. I love them all. And lately, I'm into making my own pizza. The dough is easy to make, and you can keep it in your fridge for a few days before using it. I like to mix whole wheat flour into whatever recipe I'm using. I also like to use less yeast sometimes, since my rolling and flattening skills aren't what they should be, and less yeast means less chemistry working against me. It's the perfect thing to have around as a snack. My favorite toppings are the classic Margherita: tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil. I use locally-grown cherry tomatoes and basil, just to make it special.