You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August 2010.
Have you ever tried to turn your bananas in to something that resembled bacon and failed? I stumbled on the secret for success by accident tonight.
In Kaua’i, bananas are different. Most people here seem to grow all kinds of crazy fruit in their backyard, and these apple bananas are no different. They are stubby little bananas, that have a nice tang and floral flavor. I’ve taken a picture here with a standard sized bic lighter as a scale reference:
There was quite a plethora of apple bananas at the house that I’m staying, so I thought making BANANA JERKY would be a nice way to preserve them.
- First I sliced them length-wise in fourths.
- Then I placed them on a baking tray.
- I put them in the oven that I had set at 275 F.
- Every half hour or so, I cracked the oven open to vent out the moisture.
- About 2-3 hours later, you have banana jerky.
The bananas are not crispy here. They are CHEWY!! It’s also cool how they turn a little bit red when they are cooked. I cook-dried them out in the oven until the shrank. They STICK to the pan though!! To bake them on, I wished I had a SIL-PAT handy, or some parchment or wax paper!! I pried them up with a pointy off-set metal spatula.
They don’t really look like bacon here on this plate, but if you hold a piece underneath some direct light, it’s quite an illusion how much it looks like bacon!
What a winty little place this is. Kandi Everett (who I had just met 2 days ago, and who is amazing) and I went to Jo-jo’s Shave Ice after an afternoon of staring out at the Kalalau valley at Koke State Park and taking in the views at Waimea Canyon.
What is really fun about Jo-jo’s is that there is an option to put ice cream UNDERNEATH your shaved ice! You know how the problem with shaved ice is how it might get boring to eat after a while? Putting ice cream underneath solves this problem. And you know how sometimes ice cream might be too rich to eat a lot of, watering it down with some shaved ice really helps. This was a perfect little dessert.
I got the “Picknick special” which was watermelon and lemonade shaved ice over macadamia nut ice cream.
Kandi’s was way better. Hers had coconut syrup and coconut cream shaved ice over macademia nut ice cream, with shredded coconut on top. You would think that this might be too overwhelming with coconut flavors, but I learned in this scenario, that there can never really be too much coconut. This shave ice cup was rich, refreshing, and awesome.
Here is Kandi and me! After an afternoon of looking at some EPIC landscapes, this was the perfect way to cap it off.
Two reasons why I love Kaua’i convenient stores.
Reason #1. Little wing-filled trays of food. They have exactly what I want to eat, in the exact amount, and was on sale for only $1.79. Three chicken wings with 2 pieces of sushi, which had mahi tuna, cucumbers and salted plums.
This second tray is a little more trashed out, with 4 chicken wings, 1 tater log and 3 waffle fries. This one was $4.
Reason #2. Tall boys of coca cola. Seriously, this was a dream come true for me. Nothing like drinking that much coke out of a tall metal can. Here I am enjoying a tall one beside the Waimea canyon.
Do you guys remember Sean Biloski, our special guest star who crashed thru the Food Party kitchen, and also my heart? (Season 2, episode 203: “Thu Strikes it Rich”, episodes 219-220 “Thu and Bu”)
Besides being an amazing actor and model, he is also the co-owner of an amazing new hummus restaurant in Bushwick, Brooklyn, along with Jay and Elissa Ehlin, our enameling friends at KILN enamel. These are the coolest, nicest people ever.
If you live in Brooklyn, especially in the Bushwick area, definitely check out Yummus Hummus at 55 Waterbury Street.
Danny B and I went there for dinner, and both got the “Baked Bulb” hummus, which is hummus with a whole roasted garlic clove on top. I ate the entire bulb so fast. It really ruled to eat that much garlic all at once. I also got the “Reta” salad on the side, which is roasted red pepper salad with feta and capers. It was delightful.
Excuse these crude photos, I only remembered to after we had massacred our meal.
I really mangled this garlic bulb!! You will too!! I recommend this place whole heartedly.
Look at this, it’s real. And it’s got a mild wasabi kick to it and I guess a soy sauce flavor. Matt Fitzpatrick suggested these be might as well be called “Ching ching” chips, and I would concur!!!
Btw I got these at the bodega around the corner from the film forum.
