Bet you didn’t know that:

• Spraying your oven with water will make your bread crisp and brown. Getting a nice crust on homemade bread is tricky, but steam is the key. Fill a clean spray bottle with water, then lightly spray the bottom and sides of the oven right after you pop in the bread. You can also create steam by warming up a pan in the oven and then dumping a little bit of cold water in the pan as you start to bake the bread.

• You can make better rice by rinsing it. Most types of rice contain excess starch, so if you think ahead a little bit, you can get far better-tasting rice. Soak the amount of rice you’re using in clean, cold water for 20 minutes before cooking it. When it’s done soaking, drain it and rinse it thoroughly a few times. The result: a less sticky, nicer-tasting batch of rice.

• Stainless steel will get rid of garlicky fingers. If you’ve been chopping and chopping cloves of garlic and your fingers have the scent to prove it, rub them for a minute on the side of a stainless steel knife or the bend of a stainless steel faucet. Use some muscle! Then lather up with soap and wash your hands normally. When you’re finished, that garlic smell should be almost totally gone.

[Image courtesy of 4hisglory.wordpress.com]

My boyfriend is from Calcutta, and I love the food of his homeland. Fresh vegetables, creamy desserts, spiced curries… I can’t get enough, but unfortunately I don’t really know how to make the stuff.

On the bright side, he was visiting me this past weekend, and we made an amazing chicken and mushroom curry together. This time, I actually paid attention to what he was doing, so I’m doing my civic duty by sharing this recipe so that all of you can enjoy it as well.

To make enough for two, you’ll need 2-3 chicken thighs, half of a large onion, 6-7 large mushrooms, 2 teaspoons garlic-ginger paste or 2 fresh garlic cloves and 1 small piece of fresh ginger, about ¼ cup fresh cilantro, half of a small plum tomato, about ¼ teaspoon of turmeric, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala (an Indian spice, available at regular and Indian grocery stores), and 1-2 small new potatoes (optional).

To begin, chop up the ehicken thighs roughly into cubes. Read More »

I once wrote an acrostic poem about my love of spam that went something like this:

Salty slab of not quite bacon —
Pig flesh so curiously pink,
Are you ever not on my mind,
Mocking my every taste bud?

I take comfort in the fact that I can buy a spam musubi from any 7-Eleven in Honolulu. If I need a pick-me-up or just something to fill my tummy, I head to the local convenience store and purchase this Hawaiian staple for just $1.09.

Spam is good prepared in other foods too, like next to scrambled eggs for breakfast or in fried rice for dinner. It really is the other white meat — except it’s pink.

And there is a reason why we Hawaiians love spam to such a degree that we consume more of it than any other locale in the world. (Almost 5 million cans of Spam are purchased per year). As the major Pacific port during World War II, spam was brought to the islands by the boatload mainly because it didn’t require refrigeration and it provided protein and sustenance for military personnel. For nearly 60 years now, numerous spam dishes have been invented and several continue to be special local recipes.

To be honest, though, I am only partial to spam musubi, which is really just a warm sushi. If you’re brave enough, here is my personal recipe to try it for yourself. Read More »

I think I did a dance around the kitchen when I finally figured out how to replicate this Chinese dish so that it actually tasted authentic. SCORE! It’s a tad on the salty and oily side, but it’s sooooo good.

Ingredients for two portions: 1 tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil, about ¼ lb ground beef or ground pork, dried chili pepper flakes to taste (or red chili paste), 1 tablespoon of black bean garlic sauce, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, one fresh package of extra-firm tofu, a little bit of broccoli (optional), and 4-5 green onions (scallions).

In a medium-sized pan, heat the oil and cook the ground meat over low-medium heat. Mix it with the chili pepper flakes or paste, the black bean garlic sauce, and the soy sauce. Read More »

I studied abroad for five months in China, and let me tell you, the food there is the best in the world. Ever since I got back, I’ve been trying to replicate it. So far I haven’t had much luck, but this recipe is closer than many.

I like chow mein (which isn’t an actual Chinese dish), but I’ve never liked the crunchy noodles that go along with it. They don’t exist in China, and I prefer rice. You can serve this yummy chicken dish with either.

To make enough chicken stirfy for one person, you’ll need half an onion (chopped), about ¼ pound of diced chicken, 2-3 scallions (chopped), two stalks of celery (chopped), a tablespoon of oil, about a teaspoon of soy sauce, some pepper, and any combination of flavored sauces (here I used garlic-ginger stirfry sauce and black bean sauce). Read More »

I’ve been told that I make the sweetest burritos ever. And of course my taste buds are biased…but I have to admit…my burritos are my favorite…and I think they’re pretty sweet, too.

My type of Mexican feast definitely has a taste that is a bit different from your normal greasy burrito. So here’s the secret:

You’ll need:

1 box of Mexican Rice (with seasoning)
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 jalapano pepper
1 jar of hot salsa
1 bag of cheddar cheese
1 tomato
1 can of black beans
Whatever meat you prefer, if you want.
Tortillas

Start to boil the water for the rice while you chop the peppers and the tomato. Begin to stir fry the peppers and tomatoes and put the rice in the boiled water. If you’ve got meat; throw it in with the stir fry. Read More »

Like most college-aged people, I’m pretty short on cash. I consider it an extravagant treat when I let myself go out for dinner (even if it’s just pizza), and I rarely buy clothes that weren’t bought by somebody else first.

Even though I’m “poor” compared to a lot of Americans, I realize I’m fabulously rich compared to most of the world’s people. So, every once in a while I try to help out others by donating a few dollars to charity.

I don’t donate as much as I should, and I’m working to get better at that. But for those of you who are strapped for cash like I am, two Web sites have made it really easy to donate without reaching for your credit card.

The Hunger Site is part of a group of six Web sites (the Breast Cancer, Child Health, Literacy, Rainforest, and Animal Rescue sites are the others) that rely on sponsor donations to help charities. If you click once daily on the big button on each site, sponsors will donate a small amount for all the causes on your behalf.  Cool, huh? Read More »

Preparing for a first date is a stressful time. During the primping and pre-pimping process, the last thing we need before going on a hot date is trouble with our technological gadgets.

The toilet bowl is #1 killer of cell phones today, and being that before a date, we spend a lot of time in the bathroom, it doesn’t make for a good combination. I know so many people who have lost their phones due to unwanted trips down the ceramic place-in-the-sky. Haven’t we learned our lesson yet? DO NOT GO NEAR A TOILET WITH A CELL PHONE ON OR NEAR YOUR PERSON. It never ends well.

Well….that is until I found out about this little helpful tip.

The Washington Post reports the story of one guy who, after dropping his Blackberry down the toilet, saved it by sticking it in a bowl of rice.

Strange, but kinda cool, huh? Read More »