Happy Easter everyone! Today we went out to lunch with my parents for an Easter lunch. We were all going to be in Waipahu in the morning so we went to Roy’s in Koolina for lunch.

We had an outdoor table which was a little breezy but had a nice view.

Three of us had the set menu and my mom ordered off the regular menu. For the set menu we had the Demi East & West Mixed Green Salad, Blackened Island Ahi, with Aloha Citrus Vinaigrette and Buttery Soy Mustard.

My mom’s entree was the Macadamia Nut Crusted Shutome (Broadbill Swordfish) with a Beurre Blanc sauce. This was really good, very moist and the sauce was really tasty.

Our set meal entree was Naked Cow Dairy Butter Poached Shrimp Scampi, Creamy Parmesan Risotto, Naked Cow Feta Pesto, with Kona Maine Lobster Nectar. This was also good for folks who like shrimp and cheesy risotto.

Finally, my favorite way to end a meal at any Roy’s restaurant…the Chocolate Souffle with Lappert’s Vanilla Ice Cream and Raspberry Sauce.

It was a really nice lunch with tasty food. I always enjoy trying all of the delicious sauces that come with the dishes at Roy’s restaurants!

Roy’s – Ko’ Olina
92-1220 Aliinui Drive
Kapolei, HI 96707

Last week my mom introduced me to this Kraft product that you find in the refrigerated cheese section of the market. She made it for dinner one night using chicken and it was really good!

This is what the package looks like.

When you open it there is a divided plastic bag with shredded cheese on one side and panko with seasoning on the other. You need to pull the bag open and mix the two sides together. Then just put in chicken, fish, or pork coating each piece.

Since we don’t eat chicken or pork at home, we tried it on using salmon fillets. We bought two trays of salmon then cut each of the two large pieces into three small pieces.

After coating each piece I put it in a nonstick pan and baked it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 16 minutes.

It was a super quick dinner to prepare and tasty with the chili and lime seasoning on the fish.

To go along with this we had some steamed asparagus. I would definitely make this dish again, maybe trying it with mahi mahi next time!

Last night was so fun…and delicious! I was able to attend the Hawaii Food Bank – Great Chefs Fight Hunger Fundraiser. Knowing that I would love this type of event, my dad invited me along to join him at the VIP table for Chinen & Arinaga Financial Group.

Thank you Mr. Arinaga and thanks dad! With these VIP tickets we were able to go in an hour before general admission started. Here is some of the great food I was able to enjoy…

Sauteed Escargot and Prawn with Hamakua Mushroom and Chili Ginger Sauce with Zucchini Linguini. This was by chef Chai Chawasaree of Chef Chai at Pacifica Honolulu.

Kimchee Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps – Fried pork belly, papaya and cabbage kimchee, butter lettuce, apple mustard relish, and fried gobo by chef Andy Reagan of Morimoto Waikiki.

Kona Lobster Brandade and Bisque by chef Vikram Garg of Halekulani.

Harris Ranch Steak #11 Stroganoff Egg Noodle with Brandy Cream Sauce by chef Rodney Uyehara of HASR Bistro. This was one of my favorites!

Roy’s Misoyaki Butterfish – Chirashi Rice, Pipikaula Style Shinsato Pork Belly, and Lomi Ho Farms Tomato by chef Darryl Shinogi of Roy’s Ko’olina.

Furikake Seared Ahi Tacos with Edamame Hummus, Pineapple Asian Slaw, and Spicy Chili Pepper Water Aioli by chef Jeffrey Vigilla of Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Around this time I was getting pretty thirsty so I had some lilikoi soda from Waialua Soda Works. Very refreshing!

Red Wine and Peppercorn Short Ribs by Alan Takasaki of Le Bistro in Niu Valley.

Mari’s Garden Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade and Truffled Frisee by chef Elmer Guzman of Poke Stop. Simple, but very tasty – another one of my favorites.

BBQ Baby Back Ribs with Mashed Potatoes by chef Greg Soriano of Henry Loui’s Restaurant.

Osso Buco Ravioli by chef Don Asam of Ruth’s Chris Steak House. This was one of my dad’s favorites.

Chinese Style Braised Short Ribs with Potato Fondue, Roasted Hamakua Mushrooms and Lotus Root by chef Joseph “JJ” Reinhart of Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar.

Sous Vide Pork Belly with Kim Chee Sauce by chef Jason Miyasaki of D.K. Steak House.

Chicken Tikka Masala and Dal Makhani by chef Suman Basnet of Himalayan Kitchen.

Finally…desserts! First I had this Smoked Local Madre Chocolate Flan with Ka’u Orange Caramel by Kevin Hanney of 12th Avenue Grill.

There were three types of cupcakes from Hokulani Bake Shop.

Strawberry short cake

Red Velvet – I had this one, very nice and moist.

I believe this Port Wine cupcake and the first short cake cupcake were flavors that won their victory on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars.

Y. Hata also had a great variety of beautiful desserts.

I finished the night with this Lilikoi Panna Cotta with Champagne Jelly. Nice and light, not too sweet just how I like my desserts.

Mahalo again to Mr. Arinaga and my dad for a really great and delicious night!

During a lunch trip to Rainbow Drive In last week, I picked up a packet of their chili powder.

I decided to use it to make a vegetarian chili for everyone in my family trying to eat healthy these days.

On this evening I was over at my parents’ house and cooked with my mom. First we diced one large onion.

Then we diced one green bell pepper along with two other small bell peppers they grew in their backyard. We cooked those two things in a big pot with just a tad of oil.

Next we added one can of diced tomatoes and two cans of chili beans (and the sauce in the chili bean cans).

After that we added a can of tomato sauce along with about 2-3 tablespoons of the Rainbow Drive In chili powder. If you like it really spicy you can add more but this amount was about a medium spiciness level. If you don’t have this type of chili powder, any other brand is fine.

Next we added about a 1/4 cup of soy ground beef substitute. If you don’t have this you can use other meat substitutes like the frozen Morning Star brand.

After simmering for about 20 minutes, it was done!

On our last day in Kauai, we went to check out the Kauai Plantation Railway.

You get to ride on this old fashioned train around their property checking out fruit trees, mountain scenery, and some animals.

Halfway through the ride they stop and let everyone off to feed bread to their pigs!

If you have some time to kill near the airport, this is a fun little ride!

After all of my times visiting Kauai, I still hadn’t been on Smith’s Fern Grotto River Tour. So with the morning free, we paid the kamaaina price and got on board!

It was a nice sunny day and we had an informative guide driving us up the Wailua River.

Apparently there were many more ferns prior to Hurricane Iniki. I still think it’s pretty though while it is recovering…

Website for more info:
Smith’s Fern Grotto Tours, Wailua River

Looking for a quick breakfast before heading to the fern grotto, we decided on Waipouli Restaurant in the Waipouli Town Center.

I had my standard Portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice…

And he had a veggie omelet…

We also shared a macadamia nut pancake because we were both pretty hungry!

Here’s a look at some of their other menu items…

After our quick visit to Waimea Pier, we headed to a beach near Poipu to do a little fishing. If you remember our last fishing adventure with the homemade fishing rod, I actually still had that in the car and brought it out to try again. We also now had our normal fishing rod and tackle as well.

On the way to the fishing grounds we passed by a napping Hawaiian Monk Seal.

Then made it to a nice little rocky area.

We didn’t have much time here, just enough to enjoy the view, bring up several small fish, and let them go again back to where they came from. Still, it was a great end to a really fun day!

After driving down from Waimea Canyon we made a 30 minute stop at Waimea Pier.

We hadn’t been to Waimea Pier since the crazy aweoweo run in 2003. Back then you just dropped your line down and up came an aweoweo in 5 seconds max!

Today however was a different story, no luck for us or the lady who was leaving as we arrived.

One of my favorite scenic places on Kauai is Waimea Canyon. The drive wasn’t too long from Koloa and the view was great that day!

Before heading back down and on to some fishing, we had some local cookies that we picked up at a small market. Yum!