Did someone say panko?

In one of my orders from Nuts Online I purchased panko bread crumbs.  I really wanted to use them as a topping for baked mac and cheese, and they don’t sell them on the island.  Therefore, I had to buy them online.

Two weekends ago I got a craving for some honey panko shrimp.  I had no idea if these existed anywhere other than in my head, but I was determined to make these work.  At the same time I was dreaming these up, Ryan and I were watching the Food Network, and on the Ultimate Recipe Showdown, the lady was making katsu chicken and using panko.  Knowing he had chicken in the house (very unusual for us because it means he is cooking all of it for himself only-plus we planned to do those tacos again), he realized how much he missed katsu chicken and how badly he wanted it.  His panko breaded chicken and my panko breaded shrimp would make the perfect weekend meal.  Technically, this is from scratch, but I certainly did not make the breadcrumbs myself.

I did find some recipes online for honey panko shrimp and just adjusted them and combined them to create what I could.  First I marinated the shrimp in honey, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. 

 

I was using the cooked shrimp again because I need to use them up before trying out the uncooked shrimp.

While I was doing that, Ryan got started on his chicken.  So, how do we exist in the same kitchen?  We were on opposite sides using our own work spaces.

Here is Ryans breading station.  Flour first (with some seasoning added), then egg, then the panko.   Mine looked similar on the other side.

The chicken breaded very nicely.

 

Ryan was first for frying.  Again to answer how we survive in the same kitchen, Ryan went first with his own pan and oil.  I waited so that his chicken oil did not snap, crackle and pop into my oil.

 

Since he was first to fry, I started on the rice.  We wanted to serve this the way he had katsu chicken at the Hawaiian (and possibly at the sushi place too) restaurant (more like fast-food) in Las Vegas.  It comes with rice and a fried egg.  I think this is the traditional Hawaiian way to serve it, but I could be wrong on that and that could just be how it is served at the Hawaiian restaurant on the mainland.

 

Ryan’s chicken came out perfectly.  It was just the right color and crispiness.

 

Then it was my turn.  Here are my breaded shrimp.

 

Next up was my turn with the oil.  As I said, this was a new pan.

 

Mine came out a nice golden color too.  Some were extra crispy, but I didn’t mind.

 

Then came time to try the eggs.  In an effort to conserve, we reused the oil from the pans we did the frying in.  So Ryan made him an egg in his pan and then made me mine in my pan.  He was even so good as to use 2 different spatulas and switch between.  I was impressed he remembered and never “cross-contaminated”.

 

Then we plated it up and it was time to enjoy.  Ryan said this was the best chicken he every had.  He will definitely be making this again.

 

My shrimp were really good too.  The sweetness from the honey worked so well with the panko breading.

 

So what do you do after an insanely good home cooked meal?

 

That’s right, we had strawberries and champagne for dessert.

What a perfect evening!

QUESTIONS:  Do you use panko?  Have you ever had katsu chicken?  What would you do with panko bread crumbs?

Guacamole and Tacos, From Scratch

Seeing that neither of us are huge avocado fans, it was surprising that we decided to make guacamole.  I actually like it more than Ryan does, and some how this was Ryan's suggestion for a From Scratch Weekends project.

I have never made guacamole from scratch before and I was surprised at how easy it was.

 

Ryan chopped some tomatoes as I got started.  The recipe we used for the guacamole used some tomatoes, and then we needed some more for a topping for the tacos.

I had a lot of fun mashing up the avocados.

I have no idea why, but the recipe called for tossing the pits back in.  We didn't question this.  Anyone know why it would say to do this?

Then we chilled the guacamole while we moved on to the tortillas.  We used the new tortilla press Ryan bought for me for Hanukkah.

Since we have made tortillas before, this part was not as time consuming as it was in the past.  We mixed up the dough for the corn tortillas.

Ryan was the tortilla presser for the day.

I was the tortilla cooker or griddler.  I love the electric griddle!

It is so easy to make tortillas at home, and they tastes so good.

The last part of the cooking process was the proteins, or filling for the tacos.

I made shrimp.  I bought these.  I am not an expert in cooking shrimp so I wanted to start off with precooked shrimp.

I made some garlic lime shrimp.  It was my first adventure with these (other than adding to soup), so I learned a few things along the way.

Overall, they turned out well.

Ryan made chicken.  It was a great thought to make the same thing for dinner, but cook two different proteins for the bulk of the meal.  It did not take much extra time, although we cooked them at different times so that the chicken wasn't crackling and popping into my shrimp.

He used this spice pack from McCormicks (I am from Baltimore so I have a soft spot for all things McCormick).  While he could just have easily used spices we had at home, we were really curious about this.  It is a cute idea, but cheaper to buy the spices separately and mix them yourself.

Here is his chicken, which he added bananas too for a tropical feel.

Check it out!  This was a beautiful meal, and tasty too.

   

I filled my tortilla with shrimp, guacamole, tomatoes, and shredded cheese.

YUM!

QUESTIONS:  Have you ever used the precooked, frozen shrimp (and for what)?  Do you make your own tortillas?  Have you ever tried those pre-made seasoning mixes?  Do you like guacamole?

Finally some Fusion Cuisine

On this island the most ethic we get is Portuguese...and that is only ethnic cuisine to us Americans!  In all seriousness, we get good food here, but it is mostly the same presentation.  We have a Chinese restaurant, and there was an Indian restaurant that closed down.  But again, the food is good and I can't complain...just would like some variety from time to time.

We heard this place called Six, on the other side of the island, serves sushi and other Asian fusion type cuisine.  I knew I had to get there before we move because I really wanted to write about it on my other blog which is for Americans on the island.  Finally we decided to take the trek and search around for Six. 

It was not an easy task as we managed to veer to the right when it was more like a left and the directions said straight.  Thankfully the owner speaks English and helped us find our way.  You can imagine how easy it would be to pass the street when this is the only sign indicating to turn.

 

The blue lighting was helpful.

 

As I said, this place serves sushi, but upon questioning we discovered you need to call in advance by 1 day so they can get the ingredients and special prepare it for you.  As a result she indicated that we should call in advance and remind her who we are and she will happily have it ready for us the next night.  I totally understand her reasons for this.  It seems in the past some people from the base have requested it and then not shown up for dinner.  I wonder if they did this not on purpose, but rather because they never found the place.  I made sure to bring my cell phone and their number, but I could see how easy it would be to not have their number on you and just give up.  The place is about 30-35 minutes away and only open for dinner, so searching in the dark can get frustrating.

Surprisingly this was not the first time Ryan and I were here.  Once on a drive to explore the island we passed by.  They weren't open at that time, so we left, but in the time since then we never passed it again.

So here it is...

 

Loved the decor inside.  Very bright and welcoming, which is helpful because in the parking lot I felt like I was in a horror movie.  Not kidding, there were cars broken down in the lot with grass growing up, in and around them.  We thought to ourselves those must be from previous guests that never left...yes, I watch too many horror movies.

 

We started with bread and olives.

We also ordered the Thai spring rolls.  These were excellent and even more so because there is nothing else like it served on the island.  Not to mention it was good we ordered them because then it tool about an hour or so to get our meal.

 

The place quickly filled up and I think there is one chef who prepares meals one at a time to order.  Does not seem efficient, but that was my impression, and I know others who have raved about the food.  It could just be that it was a Friday night and a few tables all sat down at the same time.

Ryan had the tandoori chicken.  He said it was good, but not the best he has had.

 

I had the curry fish.  It was good, but I was thinking it would be baked fish and not breaded and fried.  Plus, we waited so long I was not really hungry when the food came.

 

We passed on dessert but did order some coffee.

 

Since then I have spoken with another friend who said the meal was the best she had, but agreed the tandoori chicken was not the best (someone in their party ordered it).  She said everything else is great.  I wonder if Ryan and I will try it out again.  My sister is coming to visit once more before we move so I think I will take her there one night.  I will call ahead for sushi this time.

Since I said that meal at Six was very different for the island I thought I would show you a typical Portuguese meal we had just a few days after the meal at Six.  This time we dined closer to home at Garca in Praia da Vitoria.

Bread to start, which was the same as the other place.  I am not sure people would like it if they weren't served bread.  It is very popular to have bread with the meal, probably because they start with cheese and then often have soup, and the food sometimes has thick sauces that are nice to dip bread in.

 

Ryan and I decided to have some wine, but went with a small bottle.  I love that with many wines we have the option for a small bottle.  They do not do wine by the glass here so this is the next best thing.  I thought it was funny that the water bottle was bigger than the wine bottle.

 

Ryan had the house dish which is a steak.  Typical meals here are the meat/fish, potatoes and a vegetable, but steak here in the traditional way comes with potatoes, rice and a fried egg.

 

Here you can see the more traditional meal pairing of the fish, potatoes and vegetables, plus a salad.

 

I had grilled codfish.  It was good, so I was happy.  Many times it is just too chewy for me.  It helps to cut it the right way.  Flaking it with a fish knife really makes a difference.  Look how big this piece of fish was...I couldn't even finish it.

 

You can see why we were eager to try a place known for their fusion cuisine...I think the fusion is the flavors of Asia paired with the traditional plate set up, as you can see some similarities in the meat, rice, veggie pairing. 

Speaking of sushi...

 

They started carrying it in the freezer section of the commissary.  It's a spicy tuna roll, but the strange thing is that it is tuna fish like the kind from the can and not so much raw tuna.  We picked up a few and Ryan can have them for lunch.

Oh, and another new commissary item was the Lean Cuisine steamer bag meals.  I tried two of them and they were better than I expected.  I don't eat many frozen dinners anymore, and when I do they are Amy's, so it was nice to have one that I did not think was just really awful.  It is amazing how your tastes can change when you start making more home cooked meals and eat less frozen dinners.  This here was the shrimp and pasta, and I forget the flavoring now, but it was tasty.  It seems like the sodium was higher than some of the other Lean Cuisine meals.

 

Last up is a random picture I have, but I wanted to share that these habanero lime tortillas from Trader Joes are so good.  We used them to make quesadillas.  Delish!

Don't forget about my Giveaway!

QUESTIONS: What is the most unique restaurant you have ever been to?  Is there any restaurant you have been dying to try?  What do you like to stuff into quesadillas?