Seasons Change

Mahalo for Reflecting with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Wow! Kung Pao!

Wow! Kung Pao! ~~ with a twist, or should I say a fold?

Okay, we're not big red meat eaters, but we do love a great filet, when it's done right. If you are a chicken, however, you better hide. I would say that the recipes that we make-up and are coming together to form this book are simplified down to one word, FUSION. I've always liked coloring outside the lines in life and have not always blindly followed 'the norm.' I pride myself on learning the rules, knowing the rules, and bending the rules when necessary, without breaking them. It's called living life to the maximum possible and living each and every day of it. Without getting into too much detail, let me just say that my cooking experiences have taken on the same kind of philosophy. I have a lot of old, family recipes and have recreated them as best I could, but we have also experimented with bringing them into today's standard of nutrition. We've also worked with fusing some of our favorites, Italian and Local Hawaiian and Asian dishes.

Growing up in Hawaii as the youngest of 4 boys and always getting the 'you know what' beat out of me from them, I learned to adapt and adapt for pure survival's sake. Ha, my military survival and resistance training was a walk in the park for me compared to the tortures my brothers thought up. I also learned that eating for survival as the youngest of four boys took creativity too, because if you didn't act fast, you went hungry. Oh, both my parents were great cooks, but if they weren't around, life could get like a Discovery Channel show. I remember an instance where we had clam chowder and by the time it got to me, all I got was chowder as the clams were all ladled out. And I'll never forget the weekend as a kid that we spent in the cabins at Bellows AFS in Waimanalo, with no parents and just college friends of one of my brothers. Survival, baby! I distinctly remember we all ran out of food after day one and my parents had to re-stock us. I also learned to drive that weekend and met a new friend, Mickey…Mickey's big mouth. :)

So with that, I was always able to and had a unique knack for taking whatever was in our family's refrigerator and cabinets and make something of it. Yup, something out of nothing and doing fusion cooking at an early age, way before it ever became a cooking method like it is today.

Now, where does this lead me, you ask? Last week my wife made a baked enchilada casserole and thus we had a lot of leftover tortillas. Also, our local market had a sale on chicken with a buy one, get one free on the family packs so we had a lot of chicken too. After the enchiladas, I was in no mood for another Mexican dinner so the right brain part of me went into, "What can I do with what we have?"

We had the tortillas and chicken. Also in the refrigerator we had orange and red peppers, onions, lettuce, carrots, and celery. Okay, this is easy, right? Stir Fry! …but with a twist. How about an Asian Chicken Taco? Off to Google I went and low and behold, there it was, Kung Pao Chicken Tacos. Okay, I'm not the first to think of this again, but I bet I can make it better, and in my own way.

So, I had the idea, now it was time to use what we had and experiment and play with combos to make it work. I did this last week and it was a keeper! It was awesome. This week, I set out to try and re-create what I had made and change it up a bit to perfect it. I had my notes and I knew what I needed from the store. And it worked again, and even better this time. I don't know about the recipes on the web, but these babies rock! Onolicious to the max, brah!

I give to you, my version of Kung Pao Chicken Tacos, served here with steamed, sticky sushi rice, and steamed broccoli with Asian spices. Now, take a look at these and I will move onto the recipe and how I made this dish. Yes, talk story time is over for now, because I know you want the recipe and if you skipped the story to come to this point, Karma, baby, Karma. ;)

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos, Steamed Broccoli, and Sushi Rice

Sharp Knife and Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts 

INGREDIENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS

• 3 Pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast filets, cut into bite sized pieces (approximately 8 filets)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Cornstarch

Bite Sized Chicken Breast Pieces 

First, we need to start with the chicken breasts. Cut them into bite sized pieces and place them into an airtight container or vacuum sealer with the Soy Sauce. Let them marinate for 30 minutes to an hour, or while you are cutting the vegetables and measuring the wet ingredients. Next, remove them from the container and sprinkle with the salt and mix. 

Generously coat a portion of the chicken pieces (about a handful at a time) with cornstarch and then sift them vigorously in a strainer to shake off any excess cornstarch. You want them to be lightly dusted/coated on all sides. It's important to do this a little bit at a time or you will have a huge mess and large clump of sticky cornstarch chicken nuggets. Place the dusted pieces on a plate and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, or until ready to stir fry them. If you have a giant, cornstarch nugget ball, sucks to be you…sorry.

Chicken Breast Pieces with Cornstarch Coating 

Now, measure out your sauce mixture ingredients. You don't have to put them in cool, little cups like I did below for the photos. Measure the Cornstarch, Honey, Sesame Seed Oil, Rice Vinegar, Hunan Red Chili Sauce, and Soy Sauce into a bowl. Vigorously whisk them until smooth and combined. While you are stir frying the vegetables below, microwave the sauce ingredients for about 2 minutes and stir in minced garlic.

Wet Sauce and Spice Ingredients 

SAUCE

• 4 ½ teaspoons Cornstarch
• 5 tablespoons Honey
• 3 tablespoons Sesame Seed Oil
• 6 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 3 teaspoons Hunan Red Chili Sauce
• 6 tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 4 cloves minced Garlic

Get your Sous Chef now! It's time to work and this will take a good 30 minutes to do while your chicken pieces are marinating. My Sous Chef was at work so I was on my own for this part and it was tedious, but well worth it in the end.

Dry Vegetable Ingredients 

VEGETABLES

• 1 ½ Cups chopped Carrots (Approximately 3 carrots)
• 1 Cup chopped Yellow Pepper (Approximately ½ Pepper)
• 1 Cup chopped Orange Pepper (Approximately ½ Pepper
• ¾ Cup chopped Red Pepper (Approximately ½ Pepper)
• 2 Cups chopped Celery (Approximately 6 stalks)
• ⅓ Cup sliced Green Onions (Approximately 2 stalks)
• ⅔ Cup chopped Sweet Maui Onion

Clean, cut, and chop all the vegetables above. Again the cool bowls aren't necessary but they do make life easy when it's time to heat up the wok and start cooking. Before we begin to cook, here are a few more ingredients to add to the list.

• 10 tablespoons fresh, chopped dry roasted peanuts
• 1 tablespoon butter



Sweated Chopped Sweet Maui Onion 

• ⅓ cup Canola Oil
• 1 head Fresh Butter Lettuce
• Whole Wheat Tortillas
• 2 limes
• Flat Leaf Parsley

Time to fire up that wok, baby! Get it on your best burner and turn it up to HIGH. We're not messing around here because it's time to stir fry and we're going to do it right. Add about 1 tablespoon of Canola Oil to the wok and introduce it to the chopped Maui Onion. 

Heat the onion until it begins to sweat and add the butter. Once they're translucent and before they brown, remove them and strain off the oil/butter liquid into a bowl. This is flavoring for our chicken when it cooks. The onions should look like the photo above.

Stir Fried Chicken Breast Pieces 

Now it's time to take the chicken for a wok. :) Do this in two portions so you can keep the pan hot and not have soggy chicken. Put half the chicken, half the oil/butter mixture and 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok and cook the chicken on high for about 5-8 minutes, until it is cooked with a nice, crispy brown shell. 

When the first batch is pau, let them drain on a plate with a paper towel while you re-heat the wok and cook the second batch. And, of course, here is what your chicken should look like. Already looking pretty ono, huh?

Okay, things should be happening pretty fast at this point. Yeah, your home smells yummy and you're probably working up a sweat too, huh? Keep hydrated! Wine is the best hydration tool while cooking, trust me. If your Sous Chef is helping you then things move along much mo-betta. Mine was home by now and she did the sauce at this point while I started the veggies. 

Begin Sautéing Vegetables 

Another tablespoon of oil into the wok and heat 'em up, brah. Now, in goes the whole group of veggies. Add the celery, carrots, red peppers, orange peppers, yellow peppers. Start woking (yeah, that's a word now) them until they are cooked, but still al dente.  You want them crisp in the final product. When you're getting close, add the green onions and sweated Maui onion. Cook for about 2 minutes.

During the last 2 minutes, heat up your sauce mixture in the microwave and mix it well. Now it's time to bring all your hard work together and finish this yummy dish.

To the veggies, add the warmed sauce, cooked and crispy chicken pieces, and chopped peanuts. Mix them all together and get everything combined into what looks like a wok full of 'Onolicious Yumminess.' How's that for an exact description?

Completed Kung Pao Chicken in the Wok

Here's a close-up of what you should have in your wok. Hopefully, you had an empty dishwasher as we went along or a helper or two. Remember, good preparation is a key. I had everything all measured and laid out, ready for the final few minutes of wok time. This is a great teamwork dish to do, as long as you have someone whom you get along with well in the kitchen. It's a fun dish to do together and you can do a lot of prep well ahead of cooking.

Time to grind! Using a warmed wheat tortilla, add a nice leaf of butter lettuce and then spoon the Kung Pao Chicken into the lettuce and fold like a taco. The lettuce holds in the sauce and keeps the tortilla from getting all soggy and falling apart. I guess you could skip the tortilla and just use the lettuce as the shell, but your dinner guest better be a good friend or luv'd one. In other words, not a first date sort of eating experience as it most likely will come apart as you eat it. Top the taco with some shreds of parsley.

So, here's the final product all plated and looking pretty.

I served this with some nice Asian spiced, steamed broccoli and steamed, sticky sushi rice. The lime was a garnish but I also squeezed one onto a taco and it was good.

By the way, I need to mention that this recipe is large. It will easily feed 8-10 people with 2 tacos each. I made it this way so we'd have extra to vacuum seal, freeze, and save for another time. A lot of work is involved with chopping vegetables, chicken, etc., so I made enough to not have to do this again for awhile. We have at least 2-3 more meals from this batch. You could easily halve everything in the recipe, if you so desire.

Oh, and yes, this recipe has a kick to it. It's not too hot, but will leave heat on your palate and lips as you work your way through a taco. If I had to, I'd call it medium. The Hunan Red Chili Sauce is what gives the heat so that can be adjusted, if necessary. I think this amount is perfect.

Wow! There you have it, Kung Pau Chicken Tacos, my way. We found this recipe to be a keeper for us and have added it to the collection. All in all, it's quite healthy and oh, so ono! I hope you've enjoyed my play by play in making it and please, let me know if you try it, like it or not, or change it up a bit. 

Mahalo for Cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Paradise Found

Mahalo for diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Deviled Eggs, Greek Style

Who remembers that old show, Family Feud? You know, the one with the top five or top ten lists of 100 people surveyed that was hosted by the Englishman, Newkirk, from Hogan's Heroes? So, here we go…of a hundred people surveyed, what are the top five foods that don't last long in your refrigerator?

Ding, ding, ding…Deviled Eggs!

Yes! I'm sure it has to be way up there on the list, right near ice cream, pineapple and watermelon slices, and maybe Thanksgiving Day leftover turkey. And I know for sure, they do not last long at parties, because when we have them at ours, they go quickly. Oh, look! Who put out the empty deviled egg plate? You know, the circular one with all the little pukas (holes) for the eggs halves? Yes, we have one in our pantry. I got it from my mother; my parents used it for their deviled eggs when they entertained back in the seventies. I'm not even sure they sell them anymore. Just another "Unitasker" for the kitchen, as Alton Brown would say.

Well, the problem is not that they are really yummy and easy to eat, it's that they are quite fattening. I mean, really, eggs and mayonnaise? Come on now! And mayonnaise is made from oil and egg yokes!

So, in an effort to try and create a healthier hors d'oeuvre, if you could call it that, I embarked upon deviled eggs without mayonnaise. My wife suggested Greek yogurt as an alternative to mayonnaise since we usually have it on hand.  A quick internet search showed that it's been done before, so we didn't stumble on finding a new element for the periodic table or a new species of fish, but we did find something new to try with something that we already had that worked well.

So I grabbed my 'perfect' Deviled Eggs recipe, made a few adjustments, and here you have them, Deviled Eggs, Greek Style

Okay, big deal, they look like deviled eggs, right? Well, they do, but they also taste quite a bit different since a main ingredient, mayonnaise, was replaced with Greek yogurt. Here are the ingredients for the yolk mixture:

Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, and Tapitio sauce are in my normal deviled egg recipe, but here, with the Greek yogurt, I used a little bit of sugar to cut the tartness of the yogurt. They're still not as sweet and silky smooth as a regular deviled egg, because they're not a regular deviled egg. These have a unique flavor of their own and should stand alone.

So on to the recipe now.

• Hard boil 12 eggs and chill
• To make the perfect hard boiled egg, bring room temperature water with 1 teaspoon of vinegar and eggs to a boil over medium heat. Once the boiling has begun, cover, and remove from heat for 12 minutes. Flush pot with cold water to stop the egg cooking cycle and then refrigerate the eggs
• Peel eggs (The vinegar, which changes the pH of the water, should help with this part as the inside layer won't stick to the egg white)
• Gently cut each egg in half, remove the yolk, and place in a small mixing bowl
• Set the clean and empty egg white halves aside. Maybe you can use that deviled egg platter you dug out of the pantry ;)
• In a separate bowl, combine Greek yogurt, salt, pepper, dijon mustard, Tapitio sauce, paprika, and sugar until smooth
• Combine ½ of the yogurt mixture to the egg yolks and whisk together with a balloon whisk until smooth
• Combine more of the yogurt mixture until desired consistency and taste is achieved
• Chill misture for 15 minutes
• Spoon the chilled mixture into a quart sized plastic bag
• Cut the tip off of one of the corners and use as a piping bag to gently fill each egg half with the chilled yogurt mixture until completely filled and topped
• Sprinkle the top of each deviled egg with paprika
• Chill and serve

Wait, it's more like sit and watch them disappear quickly. You'll be lucky if you get the last one piped if anyone's around. They're kind of like the 'ole Lays Potato Chips where the line was, "No-one can eat just one." Good luck!

So, riddle me this Batman? Do you know why they are called Deviled Eggs? I didn't until I looked it up. What a world we live in with the internet, huh? So here's the story behind the name. 

Does Underwood Deviled Ham ring a bell? That can of 'I don't know what' that is wrapped in white paper and has the red devil on it. Your mom have have mixed it with 'stuffs' and made sandwiches out of it when you were a kid. Mine did. Well, around 1868 on Boston's Russia Wharf, the son's of an Englishman named William Underhill experimented with and developed a product line of seasoned meat products like ham, for example. They called this seasoning process "deviling," and with that the Underwood 'red devil' was born. So many foods, including eggs, are considered "deviled" if they have a kick from something like dijon mustard, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or chopped hot peppers. 

And here you thought you wouldn't learn anything other than a new recipe made with Greek yogurt. And here I thought the name came from the guilt of eating so many of the little buggas when they were served. You know, "The devil made me do it."

On a side note, it's always fun to see who munches down the most deviled eggs at a party. Oh, there's always someone, if not a few, that circle in like a shark when they hit the table. We've seen it and I'm sure you have too. You may even be one of those circling sharks, waiting for the deviled egg platter to be replenished, huh? Oh, we're watching you…

Squirrel!

By the way, do you remember those sandwiches that your mom may have made out of the deviled ham way back when? What ingredient do you think it was it most likely mixed with? Yes, you guessed it, mayonnaise! Ah, yeah, I'm not mixing Greek yogurt with Underwood Deviled Ham, even if they do still sell it. But how about this little jewel?

That's it; you now have a new Deviled Egg recipe for your next party that's sure to be a conversation starter and a little history lesson to go along with it. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you try the recipe or maybe even change it up a little. You can mix a can of that Spam Spread with mayonnaise and put it on crackers next to your Greek style Deviled Eggs at your next party. I'd luv to hear what you think and hear feedback. So far, from just putting this together yesterday, I'm 2 for 2. Well, 3 for 3, if you count Kona Kai, but she's easy and she loves hard boiled eggs….with just about anything.

So, the next time the deviled egg platter is laid out at a party or at dinner, go ahead and grab one, or two, and as you do so, look up to see who's watching you. ;)

Mahalo for Cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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The Universe

Mahalo for Hiking in Sedona with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Hungarian Goulash ~~ Not Just A Pretty Name

When I was a kid running out the door to go play, I would often ask my mother, "What's for dinner and what time do I have to be back?" And in her thick, German accent she would yell back once in awhile, "Goulash." Yuck! To a kid that just did not sound good at all. On the same level as gruel or maybe slop, you'd might say, and I wasn't diggin' this at all. But when we had it, I ate it, of course, because as a kid of the sixties, I wasn't going anywhere from the kitchen table until I finished dinner, or "You know what…would happen." I could muscle through and choke down the Goulash, but I spent many a night sitting at the kitchen table for hours staring at sautéed liver and onions, lamb, peas, and a few other 'jewels' from my childhood. Occasionally, I'd use the fork or knife to build little fortresses out of the meat blocks only to be attacked by the broccoli or asparagus creatures from the far side of the plate. Sometimes I paid dearly for this: Yes, I was a rascal as a kid. I could only fit so much into my napkin and bummer dude, no dog to feed under the table! True, here are even pictures documenting the event(s), thanks to my three older brothers, but I won't post any of them here.

Yeah, the word "Goulash" to a kid really doesn't have the same appeal of let's say, burger, spaghetti, pizza, or anything else like that. It sounds rather what I would call "Yuk" as we sat down to the dinner table. Oh, and these were just thoughts, because if I actually voiced my opinion, again, "You know what…" would happen. Over the years we had this dish quite frequently and I actually began to really like it as I got older. I mean after you get over the whole onion thing, it was basically spicy beef, gravy, and some sticky, slug-like dumplings.

You see, as a T-shirt, shorts, no shoes kid growing up on the beach in Hawaii kind of kid, I wasn't really used to sitting down to a table and having something like this:

Oh, but now that I'm older, I'd fly all the way to Salzburg, Austria and pay big Euros to have almost the same meal as my mother would make way back then. In December 2008, my wife and I traveled to Europe and we spent a few days in Salzburg over the holidays. 

Restaurant Alt-Salzburg

One evening we asked around to get info from the locals and we found this wonderful, quaint restaurant carved into the mountainside of the city, just past the cemetery that the Von Trapp family hid in during the movie, The Sound of Music. The Restaurant Alt-Salzburg was literally a jewel in the rough and, while not much to look at from the outside and hard to find, it boasted a fantastic, authentic menu and yes, Goulash was a special that night! Oh, I'm not kidding and yes, it was what I ordered too. It also came with Herb Spaetzle which is just about the same as the dumplings that my mother would make with her Hungarian Goulash.

I'm sure my mother would have been proud and yes, she would have enjoyed the evening there with us too. Well, she was in our thoughts that night and we talked about it at the table for a bit as I reflected back on my childhood and what all this meant to me now.

So, I went from running away from it as a kid to flying thousands of miles to have it authentically prepared. Ha! No stuffing napkins at the Alt-Salzburg that evening and definitely no meat wars on the plate with the spaetzle creatures either.

Now, enough of the history behind the dish and onto the recipe. Do I have your attention yet? Do you have some of the same childhood memories and/or experiences? Are you salivating from looking that the photos above? Okay, recipe time it is!

Basics…European Cooking: Meat; vegetables; gravy, lots of gravy. There you have it, Europe in a nutshell! Oh, and wine!

Without the dumplings, there are 3 basic steps in this recipe:

1. Brown the meat
2. Combine all the ingredients into the crockpot
3. Thicken as necessary for serving

First, cut the 2 pounds of stew meat into ½ inch, bite sized cubes. Over medium-high heat in a skillet, halfway cook 3 strips of good, thick-cut bacon. Add the 2 pounds of meat and stir frequently to brown all edges. It should look like this:

Then add 3 tablespoons of flour to the meat and cook for a few minutes more to give the meat a good crust. It is not necessary to cook the meat as that is what the crockpot is for in this recipe. Now the meat should look like this:

***NOTE***

My mother used a pressure cooker for this recipe when she made it. I don't use one because, honestly, I don't know how and I've heard bad stories about them and how they can be dangerous. I do, however, have the original pressure cooker she used and it sits idle in one of our cabinets. Maybe some day…

Secondly, combine all the ingredients into the crockpot. It should look like this:

And here are the ingredients:

Isn't that Hungarian Paprika color beautiful. And, at this point, I'm sure you are getting a lot of yummy smells too. Just wait a couple of hours and your home will smell amazing. Please, Yankee Candle Company, DO NOT make a candle of it. Y'all need to back off a bit and take it down a notch. Not every smell and scent needs to be a candle! Trust me.

Now, turn the crock pot on and cook on high for 4 hours, covered, and then uncovered for one hour. During the last hour some of the moisture will cook off and help thicken the Goulash.

IMPORTANT

Let's talk spices for a minute. The key to this dish is, you guessed it, Hungarian Paprika. So, how many of us have Hungarian Paprika in our spice cabinet? Yeah, I thought so. And if you said, yes, how old is it and when was the last time you used it? Spices lose their flavor and spiciness as they age. So, please go get some fresh Hungarian Paprika for this recipe. Like I've often said before, if you want a quality product, you have to use quality ingredients. Remember the Mai Tai?

By the way, if you lived in Hungary way back when and went to the store, did they call it Hungarian Paprika or just Paprika? Hmmmm…..Oops…squirrel! Back on track now.

Lastly, mix together in a small bowl some cornstarch and water to make a smooth, milky, thick liquid. A tablespoon at a time and about 10-15 minutes in between, add the cornstarch mixture to the Goulash until you have your desired thickness. I don't like it runny nor do I want it thick like a stew. It should look like this:

Lookin' pretty ono already, eh, brah? Yeah, at this point, multiple taste tests may be required, if you know what I mean. And just wait 'till your dinner guests show up and get a whiff of the smell this recipe permeates throughout your home. You'd better have a few spoons handy.

Hungarian Goulash in my family went from something I really couldn't stand as a kid to now, as an adult, a goal of working hard to try and re-create it as my late mother made it when I was growing up. Ironically, it turned out to be "one of those meals" that I requested when I would come home from college or visit after I moved out and lived on my own, traveling the world. No, liver and onions never got to share in that privilege. Even today…"Yuk!"

Well, I hope you enjoyed my adventure back to my childhood and I hope you try the recipe for yourself. While not exactly like I remembered it to be, it's pretty dang close, and maybe even better. Oops, did I just say that out loud. I kind of flinched a bit when I wrote that…had to look around to see if my mother saw it. :) I don't think I'm going to tweak the recipe at all either. Honestly, this was my first attempt at it, and while it took all day to make, adding bits here and there, adjusting spices, and tasting, it's a keeper. Winner winner, Hungarian Goulash dinner!

Hungarian Goulash over Jasmine Rice

Next, I am going to attempt to make my mother's authentic dumplings to go along with this meal. The jasmine rice was great, but the dumplings will make it perfect. I tried to make the dumplings once before and it was a complete mess. My mother happened to be in the hospital when I was back home visiting in the early 90s. My Dad and I actually got her recipe out and gave it a shot. Total failure…there is indeed an art to slinging raw dough into hot boiling water without making a complete mess and one HUGE dumpling. It was not a dumpling night for us, but it was somewhat of a bonding session for the two of us with my mother in the hospital.

I'll definitely post the recipe and instructions for the dumplings here when I can. I should include a video too since, like I mentioned above, there is an art form to making them correctly. Until then, try the Goulash and rice and let me know how you liked it.

Mahalo for Cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Perspective...

Mahalo for Reflecting with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Symbiotic Hunting

The Tortoise and the Hare? Not so much…How about the Moray Eel and the Ulua?

Visualize this, if you will. It' SCUBA time and you're chillaxin' in the beautiful, warm Hawaiian waters. There you are cruising along the reef just off Molokini Crater in the crystal clear waters of Kehei, Maui when you come across a huge spotted Moray Eel swimming along the bottom. What the?!?! Usually, when you come across eels, they are tucked away in their holes with their heads pointed out slowly breathing and looking like a guarding dragon in front of its lair.

But wait, just behind this free swimming serpent is a huge Ulua, or more commonly known as a Trevally in the Jack family, alongside and within feet, if not inches, of the gliding, erratically moving eel. So, thoughts come to my mind. Who's gonna eat whom? Who's chasing whom? Are they both running from something bigger that I haven't seen yet? Why am I not filming this? I quickly switch from taking still photos to firing up the video to capture this event that one does not get to witness too often. I mean it's not often you see a free swimming eel just a few feet away from you and with this huge Ulua in tow?! WOW!

So, after looking around to make sure something bigger is not after these two buggas, I begin to follow and film them. Now, I'm the bigger thing behind them in tow! Oh, they are not after each other, nor is one trying to eat the other. The are actually in a symbiotic hunting relationship. Yes, a relationship without dating, flowers, diamonds, drama, "benefits", or rules. This is purely a food thing and here's what happens. The eel moves about the reef in search of food and as he/she moves in and out of the coral, fish and small critters scatter about which then become quick yummy morsels for the escorting Ulua.

Are you ready to see the footage? Well, here is is:

And here is a link directly to the You Tube site just in case you can't view the video above.

Symbiotic Hunting (You Tube)

You may be wondering just where exactly was this video taken? I was diving with Captain Charley Neal and the gang at Scuba Shack in Kehei, Maui. With the fastest dive boat in the Islands, Charley gets you out to Molokini Crater in no time and both inside the crater and the back wall drift dive support some of the best diving in the Islands. Check 'em out next time you're in Maui!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the photo, video, and little instruction on symbiotic hunting. Next time you're cruising along the reef and see you're with a free swimming Moray Eel or an Ulua, look around, because it's symbiotic hunting buddy may nearby as well. And, if all the creatures on the reef are fleeing in the same direction, really look good behind you for you may be on the menu too. :)

Mahalo for Diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Timing

Mahalo for Jumping with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Scampi Another Shrimp Dish, Can It?

Oh, yes it can and here we go!

Dad's Baked Shrimp Scampi

Ha, not so fast..we goin' talk story first, brah! :)

Everyone has memories of growing up, right? I have many and one that sticks out in my mind when I cook is of my dad, crouched down, low to the floor, in front of our oven in our Hawaii Kai home, with a pot holder in one hand and peering through the cracked oven door into the broiler watching his precious Baked Shrimp Scampi get that last bit of melting and browning on the top before it's finally done. My Dad, nice Aloha Friday shirt and 'too short' shorts; it was the 70's, brah. Yes, Dad was very proud of his creation and I learned a lot from his passion for cooking. This is what he was looking at as he peered through the cracked oven door.

I grew up in Hawaii. Both of my parents were outstanding cooks, each having their own specialities and favorites, and a luv for mixing and creating new 'Island-kine' favorites that they could make for and serve to visiting friends and family from the Mainland, or the "States" as we called it. But, ya know, they never really cooked together. And by that I mean they never cooked as a team and never shared the kitchen together as one cohesive unit, creating a meal for our family...together. My mother had her specialities and my dad had his; each different and each not needing the skills or help from the other. It's sort of a bummer, actually, but I must say that I did learn a lot from each while watching and I saved, in writing and in memory, a lot of their dishes. Some of them are, unfortunately, extremely hard to re-create because of techniques and ingredients used which I do not have, nor know. 

So what is this recipe all about? Dad passed away suddenly in 1993, due to a rare form of liver cancer and Mother passed away in 2009 from the ill effects of Dementia. Many of their memories are now stored here in our home. Sometimes I go through them while on a search for other things, like, you know, car keys, glasses, the remote... Well, recently I was looking through some items in our guest closet and out came an old recipe from my parents. I told my wife about it and I, once again, relayed to her of the memory of my dad and some of his cooking skills, the Baked Scampi broiler crouch, case in point.

Well, this past Christmas I opened one of my presents and it was a set of the ocean shells, just like the ones that my dad used for his prized baked scampi recipe. No, not served on a dish or bowl, but on a special shell he got just for this dish. For you locals of the 70's, I'd bet he got them at either City Mill, Wigwam, or Ben Franklins. Ah, the memories...

He made this dish for friends and relatives when they visited and everyone, I mean everyone, loved it. So, I opened the gift from my wife this past Christmas and there they were, the shells...shells just like I remembered. Leaky? Oh, you better believe it. Does this chick know me, or what?

It was at that point that I committed to making, or rather trying to re-create my father's Baked Shrimp Scampi just like he made when I was a kid. I've never made it since he passed away so this was set to be something special.

So here we go! The shrimps, yup, shrimps brah, they gotta be good and they gotta be big. Not those tiny little things you get at the grocery store and not the frozen ones from Costco. Like any quality cooking, you must use quality ingredients if you want a quality dish.

The seasoned, raw, deveined, and shelled with the tail on shrimp are paced on the cooking shell and then covered with a generous portion of a special paste. Here's what they should look like:

They are then placed in a 425 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Once removed, they're topped with a bit of fresh parmesan cheese and into the broiler they go. This is where the crouching and watching closely process begins. If you walk away, it is game over, brah. Especially if you have the ADD, if you know what I mean. Look! Squirrel!

Once they are pau with that golden sear from the broiler, out they come and this is what you have:

Golden brown, sweet and buttery baked shrimp scampi. It goes great as an accompaniment to a nice filet, like pictured above, or as great, yummy appetizer.

Looks ono, eh, brah? So, here's the recipe.

And if you don't have the shells, you can easily make it in a small cast iron dish like the one below. Yup, tastes the same, but just without that Island flare.

So, there you have it, my dad's Baked Shrimp Scampi creation. It is definitely a guest pleaser and great when served alongside a nice grilled filet. I hope you've enjoyed my story and I hope you try the dish sometime. I'd luv to hear what you think and how it turned out.

Can you say Onolicious?

Mahalo for cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Hidden Fears

Mahalo for Diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Dad's Perfect Mai Tai

Ah,…the Mai Tai. The name itself brings up images of the beach, our home back in Hawaii, Waikiki, Luaus, Hula Dancers, and the **FREE** Mai Tai sign on the advertisements. Well, that's what it does for most people, but the idea of a Mai Tai always brings up memories of my Dad, for he spent time in perfecting his own signature Mai Tai which he often served to friends and family that visited or attended a party at our home while I was growing up in the islands. Take a look at this beauty, brah? Onolicious, huh? Yeah, you could almost feel the coolness and flavorful yumminess. Go ahead, lick the screen. :)

So, over the years, I've had so many friends ask me for the recipe. I finally made a nice copy of it and yes, it's going into the cookbook that we are writing. I mean, seriously, I would not leave this baby out! I've had many different Mai Tais over the years and I may be biased, but my Dad's got a winner here and he was very proud of it. It's all about the ingredients and the mix.

From the pre-made Mai Tai that comes already mixed in the bottle you can get at Trader Joe's or Costco to the signature Mai Tai you may get at a quality restaurant, there is quite a difference in taste, flavor, and how you're going to feel the next day if you have too many.

At our wedding rehearsal dinner in Waikoloa on the Big Island, we had a free-flowing Mai Tai waterfall which someone, who shall remain nameless, had quite a bit of and didn't know it had alcohol in it. He thought it was juice and yummy juice at that too. Oops! Now that was funny.

I can also remember when I was flying in the military and we were often 'put up' at the Outrigger(s) in Waikiki. I'd usually hear from members of my crew, "Score, now we can go across the street and get 99 cent Mai Tais!" To which I'd usually reply, "Yeah, right, how 'bout we just stay here and drink rubbing alcohol, because that's what they taste like? I'm mean, you're going to get what you pay for, right? They were n..a..s..t..y..!!, and I'm sure still are.

With this recipe below, you have to use quality ingredients. Quality liquor, fresh fruit, and nectar, not juice for the guava. This is the way my Dad made it and he took the time to do it right. Yeah, I know…perfectionist. Wow, it's a good thing I didn't get that trait passed down to me, huh?

So, have I changed the recipe at all to perfect it? ;) Yup! Not that there's much to do, but I did add my twist to it in the notes and here they are:

• Make ice cubes out of the Mai Tai mix and use them instead or in addition to the regular ice cubes. A good Mai Tai should take you awhile to finish. It's not a shot glass and can certainly pack a punch. You might say it creeps up on you. I always disliked the watered down Mai Tai when the ice melted, so with this idea, you will just get a little more juice and not a watered down drink. Remember though, that these juice cubes will melt faster that regular ice, especially if any of your ingredients are warm. It's best to use regular ice and maybe a couple 'juice' cubes for aesthetics.
• Infuse the pineapple chunks in either the 151 rum or the Myer's Dark Rum for a few minutes. Why? Come on, now….WOW! Ah, yummy! Biting into an infused cool piece of pineapple? Hello???

Yup, that's all I did to change it up a bit.

One other quick story. So, my parents used to entertain a lot when I was growing up. Yup, Mai Tais were often on the menu. I would always ask for one since they were a hit, but was denied for obvious reasons. I was a kid…I didn't know any better. I remember one time, I was made and given a 'virgin' Mai Tai with the juice and fruit. It came as a surprise and I didn't know about it either. It was put on the stairs as I was called down to get "something" and, yup, I didn't see it and I stepped right into it and fell down the stairs. …Didn't go over well, if you get my drift. LOL, I guess…but not so much for me at the time.

And yes, we take the recipe on vacation with us to this day. We often go back home to the islands and one of our first stops is usually the Costco and the liquor store. We get everything we need for our stay as we are not there to go shopping and be tourists, but rather diving, hiking, chillaxin', swimming, etc. It's often that the bellmen laugh when we check-in and they load up the cart with out dive gear, photography equipment, fruit, food, and drink. They'd say, "Wow, you guys having one party, eh?" Yes, that's exactly what it looks like. "Nope, just the two of us coming back home to relax, brah." 

Here's a photo of our recent trip to Yosemite and the Mai Tais we made as we chilled just outside our cabin room on the Merced River at the Ahwahnee Hotel. You don't have to be in Hawaii to have a good Mai Tai, right? Yeah, we don't have a lot of Mai Tais because that's a lot of sugar, but it sure does take the edge off and brings back memories of home for both of us.

Okay, you listened to be talk story long enough now, huh? Well, you either did or you jumped all the way down here because, yes, it is finally recipe time! A give to you my Dad's Mai Tai recipe that he sought to perfect and share with friends and family. He was proud of it and always loved to make people smile and be happy. To this day, every time I see a Mai Tai, I think of him. He's been gone for quite a while now, but I think of him often and share a bit of his memory on almost every vacation we take. Some of you who read this knew my Dad and some of you were even treated to a Mai Tai (or two) at our home. It's not a difficult recipe, and probably one of hundreds on the internet, but it's all about the quality of ingredients, care in the making, and luv that goes into it. Here's to you Dad…Cheers!

Well, I hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think. Just remember, use quality ingredients and don't buy 99 cent Mai Tais in Waikiki. Like these pineapples, for instance. Pa..lease don't use canned pineapple.

A.D.D. time…"There are 6 lemons. I asked for 12. Baby wanted 12 lemons." Yeah, I know. Sorry, but it just came to my mind. If you don't "get it" don't worry about it. Anyway, these are some onolicious looking pineapples, huh?

That's it. I hope enjoyed my short stories and I hope you enjoy your Mai Tai. And, please, when you visit us, feel free to ask for one; I'd luv to make one for you. But, let me know ahead of time for I refuse to not use quality ingredients. I gotsta go shopping first, brah!

Mahalo for imbibing with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Sunset Over Mount Rainier

I often say, "What a beautiful world we live in," but it's moments and sights like this that still to this day make me stop and really feel what is right before my very eyes. Over the years I've had the privilege to step foot on every continent, visit dozens and dozens of countries, meet people from all over the world, and swim in every ocean, but even today I still am in awe at what a beautiful world we live in and am amazed at the many creations we have before us.

I feel lucky that through my photography, poetry, and writings I'm able to share what I see and feel with everyone. It's often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but with me you get the story too, poetic or not. ;) It's just my inspiration and I want to share it with everyone I can. Okay, back on track now...

Yes, the sun sets every day over Mount Rainier and I've seen it probably hundreds of times since I lived in Seattle for a couple years back in college (Go Dawgs!), but look at this! Wow, what majesty as the sun sets over her on a beautiful night with the low, wispy clouds around the base of the mountain.

Spectacular and just breathtaking. Sometimes I wish people around the world would spend more time and effort seeing, touching, feeling, and experiencing than talking, fighting, etc. Oh, well, that's just me.  I guess that's why I can enjoy a day at the beach with my feet in the sand and water and just "be" with it, for hours. So, I hope you can spend a little time with this photo and try to imagine being there. Maybe next time when you're flying into Seattle, catch the later flight and get a window seat, yes?

Oh, one last thing. And just think, Bigfoot is down there somewhere looking up and probably saying/feeling the exact same thing! ;) Yeah, but he/she can't fly! (that we know of). I'm sure Bigfoot would, no doubt, easily slip past the wonderful TSA with no problem at all.

Mahalo for flying with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Taking It Down a Notch in Yosemite Valley

There are a few places in the world where you can actually feel your blood pressure drop and the stress and worries of the world just fall away for awhile.

This is one of those places. Standing in the cool, fresh, crystal clear running waters of the Merced River just outside our beautiful cabin at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley is just absolutely stunning as I look up at the majestic beauty of Half Dome.

With almost absolute silence, all you hear is the flowing water over the rocks in the river, the wind blowing through the great redwoods and the occasional chirp or bark of the many squirrels that play together by the river's edge.

Enjoy this photo for awhile as I will have more later about our wonderful trip to Yosemite Valley. Enlarge the picture, take a deep breath, and re……lax.

Mahalo for chillaxin' with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Mother Nature's Fury

One often hears that planes and flights are delayed due to weather. True. But, in today's age, the electronic device wielding passenger often says, "Hey, I just checked the weather there and it's beautiful!"

So we smile and say, "Yes, we know that too, but it's the weather between here and there that is causing the problem."

What we'd like to say is more like, "Yup, I've been doing this for 30 years. How 'bout you give me your work address and I'll be there tomorrow to tell you how to do your job? Until then, why don't you sit don't and have a drink and some peanuts and let me do mine?"

So, it's a pilot's job to avoid the big storms, because, yes, they can indeed cause some serious damage. Now that's a whole other topic, but let me talk about the storms just for a bit. Storms and what Mother Nature creates are amazing…amazingly beautiful and amazingly dangerous. Beautiful, powerful, yet mystically dangerous…damn that's sexy. Oh, I luv a good storm…from the ground or from the distance in the air.

I mean, check out this bolt of lightening thrown from this huge, 50,000+ foot high thunderstorm.

Pretty awesome, huh? And when flying at night, watching the storms develop, dissipate, and produce tremendous light shows within is absolutely mesmerizing. So, without spending too much time talking about a storm, because we all know what they are, feast upon this video of a powerful thunderstorm over the Southeastern United States.

And to make it even more beautiful and powerful, it's accompanied by Adele's amazing pipes sounding out Fire and Rain. Wow, ya gotta luv a woman with a great voice :) I do

And here is a YouTube link to the same video:

Mother Nature's Fury

Well, how was that? Pretty dang cool, huh? Maybe next time I can get a clearer, better picture, but sights like this don't come often. And a shout out to my buddy, Kevin, for helping capture video.

Mahalo for Storm Chasing with Captain Bobby Mitchel



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