June Randoms

4th of July is tomorrow and the sun is coming out more. Gladly, I'm taking advantage of the sunshine and warmer weather. Summer is a precious thing.

Crispy skin salmon, with snap peas and radishes

Veggie somlette with green smoothie

Banh mi

Spam musubi with edamame

Tiramisu gelato from Eataly

About to nom on some Chicago pizza

Baileys and Kahlua cupcake

My version of steak and eggs

Lunch to go

About to make sweet potato chips

Maltese Falcon at the Virginia theater

More steak

Blues, Bews and BBQ fest

Beer garden

Deep fried sweet corn and rib tips

Exploring a Lavender Farm

Happy 4th and happy Summer!

-Akemi-chan

September/ October Randoms

September and October have a a busy couple of months. I've been slacking on the blogging, especially in wake of our Eurotrip. But I haven't been slacking on the picture-taking. Here's some snippets of September and October. 

Apple, frisee, fried egg, garden tomato and grilled onion salad

My little work friend

Silly squirrels leaving our tomatoes on the ladder

Roasted eggplant, portabella mushroom and kale tower with pork loin with cane syrup, coffee gravy

Roasted butternut squash, mushrooms, eggplant and rosemary

First time Shepard's pie

Sweetest Day pan au chocolat and chai latte

Crushing grapes from California

Turkey, mustard, arugula and green apple wrap... and The Chew

Snow White worthy apple

Sparkling blood orange margarita from The Wedge

Chin watching Thursday Night Football

Nick Offerman Mustache cupcake from Cream and Flutter

Brownies, bananas and walnuts

Fall is here

Feeling Autumnal 

Sweet Heat Latte (Cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper and honey)

Bacon, egg and banana pepper pizza

Tomorrow, I'll be heading out to San Francisco to visit some dear friends. It seems like forever since I've seen them and it gives me even more reason to make a quick weekend trip to California. Wish me luck!

-Akemi-chan

Oven Roasted Pulled Pork & Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Pork butt was on sale at the market, and in my opinion there doesn't have to be any ther reason to make pulled pork. I normally opt for the slow cooker Kalua pork route, but I'm on a little more of a time crunch, so we'll have got for the oven instead.

The first time I made pulled pork at home was in the oven, but I've gotten lazy and have always had time for the slow cooker. So in the spirit of doing things a little differently, I'm using a Tyler Florence recipe from the Food Network instead of my usual Hawaiian inspiration.

Oven Roasted Pulled Pork

1- 6lb Pork Butt
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp dry mustard
3 tbsp Hawaiian salt, can also use coarse sea salt

Mix paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, mustard and salt in a small bowl and rub all over pork. Let pork sit for at least an hour, up to 24 hours in the fridge.

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place pork in a roasting pan and bake for around 6 hours. After meat has reached an internal temperature of 170 degrees, remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. When pork has cooled, shred with two forks, pulling the meat apart.

Serve with BBQ sauce and coleslaw on a bun or over rice with hot sauce... or garlic mashed potatoes.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1 head garlic, top cut off
1 tsp olive oil
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 tbsp butter
2-4 tbsp milk

Wrap garlic in aluminium foil and pour olive oil onto cut side of garlic head. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Boil potatoes in a pot of boiling water for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

When potatoes and garlic are cooked, place all ingredients in stand mixer and mix until desired consistency. I like lumps, so I didn't mix until smooth, but you can add more milk and mix longer for smoother potatoes.

Pulled pork with mashed potatoes, corn and sauteed veggies

This was my first time using my Kitchen Aid stand mixer since I first got it for my birthday. It's only appropriate that my first dish for my new mixer. It was the dish my mom used to make that I obsessed over, and probably made me become a foodie in the first place.

-Akemi-chan

Puppy Sitting Part 2/ Hasselback Potatoes

Puppysitting part two. Last time we watched our friends' dog, she was such a sweetheart; She was very affectionate and cute. This time she came with THE CONE OF SHAME. She had some sutures taken out and she had to come to our house in a cone. It was cute but so sad. Thanks to her limited peripheral vision, she sometimes forgot we were in the room and started crying. Poor baby.

Another great night of dinner, conversation, board games and fun. I didn't put much thought into dinner; some slow cooker chicken thighs with root veggies. But I was very excited about making some Hasselback potatoes and they turned out fantastic.

Hasselback Potatoes

4 medium russet potatoes
3 tbsp butter, melted and divided
1/2 tbsp course salt
1/2 cup bread crumbs, I used Italian style
1 tbsp Parmesean cheese, grated

Slice the top of each potato, like you were making chips, but leave the bottom 1/2 inch intact. The potatoes will bake and have a fanned appearance and will cook faster due to the additional surface area exposed to the heat. Place potatoes in pie dish, cut side up and brush with 2 tbsp of melted butter. Sprinkle salt onto potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes.

Removed potatoes from oven and brush with the remaining cheese. Top butter covered potatoes with breadcrumbs and cheese and bake for another 20 minutes. After potatoes are fully baked, remove from oven and baste using residual butter in the dish. Add additional teaspoon of butter onto each potato, completely optional.

-Akemi-chan

Lemon Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

One of the first things I wanted to learn how to cook was roasted chicken. There are several variations, but I love lemons and this lemon roasted chicken is easy and flavorful. Ever since I first made this recipe, Boyfriend and I usually keep a whole chicken in the freezer for those weeknight chicken dinners. 

I switch up the vegetables according to what I have in the fridge. I usually use sliced cabbage, onions, carrots and potatoes. This time I had brussel sprouts, so I didn't have to wrestle with a head of cabbage. 

Lemon Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

1 5 lb whole chicken, remove innards
2-3 russet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 lb brussel sprouts, cut off stem and halve
2-3 small carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 tbsp melted butter
1 and 1/2 tbsp olive oil, separated
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 lemon, sliced into wheels
sea salt and ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large roaster or casserole dish, place potatoes, onion, sprouts and carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Pat chicken dry, in order to get that crispy skin. In a bowl, mix butter, 1/2 tbsp olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Using fingers, separate the skin of the chicken from the breast from the head (not tail) end. Do not remove skin, just create a pocket between the skin and breast meat.

Take half of the butter/oil mixture and rub in your newly created pocket. With the remaining butter/oil mixture brush the outer skin of chicken.

Nestle chicken in dish (breast side up) with the vegetables and drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Tuck wing tips under sides so as not to burn. Take lemon wheels and slide two wheels under skin and above each breast. The lemons will baste the chicken breast and flavor the chicken. Place the rest of the lemon (including the ends) in the cavity of the chicken.

Cook for 1-1 1/2 hours or until chicken reaches 165 degrees when thermometer is inserted into thigh. The chicken should be tender and juicy and skin crispy. The vegetables will be cooked in the chicken juices. Remove chicken from oven and let rest. Serve with roasted veggies.


This roast chicken in great for entertaining and dinner parties. This time it was just Boyfriend and I, so there was a lot of meat on the bones. The great thing about this chicken is that you can pick the meat off of the chicken and it's great for leftovers.  Use for chicken sandwiches, chicken salad, soup or heat up with leftover veggies. Enjoy!

-Akemi-chan

Hardy's Reindeer Ranch

Every year after Thanksgiving, Boyfriend's family makes the trek down to Hardy's Reindeer Ranch in Rantoul, IL. It's the annual celebratory, "Ready-Set-Go!" to the marathon that is the holiday season. Christmas has always played second fiddle to Thanksgiving in my heart, probably due to the Thanksgivings with loads of family members and the Christmas vacations spent in Las Vegas. Or maybe it's the pie, probably the pie. But it's easy to feel the holiday cheer when you come to Hardy's.

Besides the reindeer tours and hay rides, neither of which I have participated in, Hardy's has an eclectic gift shop, a cafeteria and (this was a novel concept to me) Christmas trees you can pick out and cut yourself.

Growing up in Hawaii, picking out a Christmas tree meant going to the local church or supermarket parking lot and selecting a pre-cut tree that was shipped over from God knows where. But at Hardy's it's completely normal to walk around  what I assume is a Christmas tree patch, and select the perfect tree for your living room. Chopping it down yourself is acceptable but not necessary. I managed to find the perfect Charlie Brown Christmas tree, but of course it's just sprouting and will be a beautiful specimen in the future.

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown

You can barely see it, but it's right next to me

It's always cold at the reindeer ranch. Flat farm land means high winds and nothing to block the November chill. I opted for a typical early-Winter outfit of leggings, boots, sweater and coat, plus a little hat.

Coat: Guess

Sweater: The Gap

Sequin tunic: Express

Leggings: Style&Co, Macy's

Boots: Bare Traps

Beret: D&Y

Necklace: Banana Republic

Inside the gift shop, there is a wide array of specialty, sometimes kooky, Christmas decor. With a warm furnace in the middle of the wooden shop, you can sit back and warm up with a cup of apple cider while others pick out the perfect ornament. The glitter, sequins, feathers, shine and glass create an almost discoball-like shimmer over the wooden-paneled walls and floor. The eccentric decorations remind you that the holidays are as much about laughter as it is about celebration and togetherness.

Boyfriend's sisters warming up by the heater in their festive garb

Decapitated reindeer salt and pepper shakers :-/

Boyfriend's new apron

Nose to nose

Mermaid ornaments

Riding the reindeer

Goofing on the playground

Bird nest and berries

Tree scouting

A victorious Boyfriend with our new tree

After picking out the perfect tree, we all gather in the cafeteria to enjoy some lunch. On the menu: nachos, hot dogs and pulled pork parfaits. Wait, what? Let me explain. A pulled pork parfait is like a parfait made of soft serve ice cream and various caramels and chocolates, except it's made with savory lunch foods. Layers of BBQ sauce, pulled pork and mashed potatoes in a cup, topped with a cherry tomato. A hungry girl's treat with a twist.

Pulled pork parfait

Hot dog with Chicago style nuclear green relish

After lunch, we got to meet Huckleberry, the ranch's other four-legged resident. A beautiful golden retriever and playful to boot. When he came up to say hello, we were snapping some pictures and he tried stealing Boyfriend's glove. Sadly, Boyfriend lost this tug of war match and Huckleberry got a souvenir of his own.

As the sun set on another day at the reindeer ranch, we said our goodbyes and drove into the sunset... with our tree sticking out of our back seat window.

-Akemi-chan