Who is Champuru? 
Aloha, I'm Donna, known everywhere on the Internet as "Champuru." I'm a Christian, blissfully wedded to my perfect match (the yang to my yin) of 16 years and a stay-at-home mom to my miracle baby, born in October 2008. Living life in Hawaii, less than 5 miles from my hometown, seeking balance in my pursuit of family, faith, recreation, and rest. Read more on the About page.
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Dot-Com Days
In the days before dot-net.
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Another reason I couldn’t be a chef, aside from the obvious which is I am not a great cook, is that the sight of uncooked meat and chicken makes me a little squeamish. Today, I nearly lost my lunch when I found what looked like the remnants of feathers (?) on the chicken quarters I was preparing for tonight’s dinner. Perhaps it brings me a little too close to the source of my food, which is that not too long ago, this drumstick was attached to a chicken. With feathers.
On the other hand, the BBQ chicken turned out tasty delicious. Sans the feathers, of course. Here’s a quick chicken recipe that my mother-in-law shared with me.
Ingredients:
Chicken quarters
1/4 c. sea salt
Water to cover chicken
Your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Bullseye Original BBQ sauce)
Directions:
Mix the salt and water until the crystals dissolve. Soak the chicken quarters in the salt water for at least an hour. Remove and place in a baking pan. Baste with BBQ sauce and bake for 400º for 1 hour. Baste a few times during the baking process, to your taste.
My friend Arnold shared this great side dish with me: Eggplant Miso Dengaku. The sauce is savory with a hint of sweetness. When baked, the sauce becomes almost caramelized — simply delicious. There’s a recipe for it but I made it with the prepared sauce purchased from Marukai. It’s a great lazy cook’s side dish that’s very easy and quick to prepare.
 Eggplant - scored and sauteéd, awaiting sauce before baking The cut eggplant in half and soak the eggplant (flesh down) in salted water to remove some of the bitterness. Score the eggplant with a knife, being careful not to piece the skin. Sauté it in the skillet on medium-low heat to soften the flesh, turning often during the cooking process. Apply the sauce on the top and bake it.
 Miso Sauce purchased at Marukai Bake the eggplant at 350º for about ten minutes — test with fork to check for desired doneness. Top with toasted sesame seeds. A quick and delicious side dish!
 Miso Eggplant and toasted sesame seeds If you’re interested in making your own sauce, here’s the recipe:
½ Cup red miso (white for milder taste)
1 Tbs sugar
½ Tbs mirin
½ Tbs sake
1 egg yolk only
1 tsp Yuzu juice (optional)
Heat the sauce on low heat to thicken. Add the yuzu juice last.
Farrell’s ice cream parlour and restaurant holds fond memories for many 30- and 40-somethings in Hawaii. Birthday parties at Farrell’s were the big thing in the 70′s and 80′s — but then, the Farrell’s restaurants closed in Hawaii and left a generation without troughs of ice cream accompanied by raucous sirens, bell, and drums. Fast-forward to the new millennium and Farrell’s is back in Hawaii with the same vintage look and feel of a turn of the century ice cream parlour.
 Lil K observing her dinosaur After Lil K’s dental appointment, we wanted to give her a treat. When I saw the sign that advertised “now serving breakfast,” I was sold. Ice cream for Lil K and breakfast for Hubby and I. Lil K’s dental appointment was at 9:15 am, which was too early for a leisurely breakfast at home — so we fed Lil K, got her (and ourselves) ready and ran out the door. By the time we got out of the dentist’s office, I was famished.
 Loco Moco breakfast I have been on a hamburger steak/loco moco kick lately. I feel compelled to order a hamburger steak or loco moco if I haven’t tried it at an establishment before. When I saw that Farrell’s offered loco moco on their breakfast menu, I just had to order it — and I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. I wasn’t expecting anything mind-blowing, as the best hamburger steaks are usually found at local hole-in-the-wall mom & pop eateries. But the “homemade” (not pressed) hamburger patty was decent and the gravy was savory and tasty. (A tad bit on the salty side, but not overly so.) You can even order it with fried rice if you’re really looking for some artery-clogging goodness.
 Banana Hotcakes Hubby opted for the banana hotcakes which looked pretty yummy, too.
Lil K had a scoop of vanilla ice cream as her reward for enduring her second dental visit. No cavities, but the pedodontic dentist warned that Lil K is in the high-risk category for tooth decay because of a couple of factors: her front top teeth are crowded and overlapping and she is still nursing at bedtime. I guess that means I need to get better at my Jiu-Jitsu Toothbrushing technique. On the bright side, the dentist confirmed that Lil K has strong lungs after her demonstration of the Lion’s Roar when having her teeth examined.
 Photo taken with Hipstamatic iPhone app
Ingredients:
2 T. butter or margarine (I use unsalted butter.)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground turkey (or ground beef)
1-2 T chili powder (I use 1-1/2 T for moderate spiciness)
¼ t cayenne pepper
¼ t pepper
1 26 oz. can of tomato soup (I usually buy another small 10 oz. can of soup and add it if the consistency is too thick or “dry.”)
1 can kidney beans (Instead of kidney beans, I use frozen shelled soybeans. I use about ½ to ¾ of the package. Prepare according to the package instructions before adding to the chili.)
Melt butter, add onions, garlic and ground turkey; brown slightly. Add remaining ingredients. Cover, cook on low heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
OPTIONAL: I also add chopped sweet peppers or bell peppers.
Of course, the “twist” is the use of soybeans — an unconventional (weird, maybe?) substitution for the usual kidney beans. This is one of my old stand-by recipes that I can make in a jiffy and we all enjoy it — even Baby Champuru! I hope you will, too.
Top: Fat Boy, bottom left: Bratwurst, bottom right: rabbit & veal sausage
Hank’s Haute Dogs
324 Coral Street, Kakaako (Honolulu, HI)
http://www.hankshautedogs.com
Twitter: @hankshautedogs
Hawaii was featured on a recent episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, piquing the interest of my friend Jan. She asked me about Hank’s Haute Dogs. I recalled seeing lots of Twitter buzz about the place, so I decided to query the Twitterverse for the details. I received lots of suggestions for favorite ‘dogs and must-try menu items, so we decided to go on a foodie adventure and check it out.
Don had the Fat Boy (deep fried bacon-wrapped hotdog with mayo, lettuce, and tomato), Jan ordered the Bratwurst (the sauerkraut is the highlight of this ‘dog), and I had the Rabbit & Veal Sausage (Wednesday’s special). I guess I was feeling a little more adventurous than usual and I figured why not take the plunge and order the special? I was not disappointed! The sausage was delicious — tasty, but not heavily seasoned or spiced. Just perfect with the green tomato relish and brown mustard.
Truffle Mac & Cheese
For Baby Champuru, I ordered the Truffle Mac & Cheese. She hadn’t been a huge fan of mac and cheese in the past, but she loved this gourmet version of the familiar dish. And lucky me, I was able to finish her leftovers! This was one of the “must try” menu items people mentioned and with good reason!
I’ll have to come back and try the Kobe ‘dog (Sunday’s special) or the Duck and Foie Gras sausage (Saturday). For seafood lovers, Lobster Sausage is offered on Fridays. Looks like I’ll have to return every day of the week to try the different ‘dogs at Hank’s! Also on my list to try: Pineapple Ice tropical cocktail and creme brulee for dessert!
Recently, mom had a hankering for banana bread. She gave me her tried and tested recipe on an old discolored newspaper clipping that was probably as old as me. I tried it and it was much better than the modern, newfangled recipe that I had been using — and this one had less ingredients. It even worked well with apple bananas. Giving it away is the hardest part. (I just want to eat all myself!) 
1 cup butter or margarine (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
6 or 7 ripe bananas, mashed
4 eggs, well beaten
2-1/2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
Cream margarine and sugar thoroughly. Add bananas and eggs. Sift dry ingredients; blend into creamed mixture. Do not over mix. Pour into loaf pans. Bake at 350º F for 45-50 minutes. Do a toothpick test: it’s done when the toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy!
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