Big Island Grinds

Happy Thanksgiving you guys! Hope you all had a good weekend. Bev and I flew over to Oahu for Thanksgiving since most of our family lives there.

Our first meal was at my brother’s house, with a take-out meal prepared by Poke Stop at the Waipahu Town Center. At first, I was a bit disappointed because I love turkey and gravy, but Poke Stop changed my mind at the first bite.

For $75, serving 4-6 people (generous servings) you get:

• Crab & Corn Chowder
• Fresh Green Salad w/dressing
• Fresh Ahi Poke
• Dinner Rolls
• Whole Tai Snapper w/black bean sauce
• Pumpkin Cheesecake

The only preparation needed is to warm up the chowder and bake the snapper! A chef’s hotline # is even listed on the instructions for emergency.

Even with five of us, there were a lot of leftovers. Everything tasted so good and fresh. Poke was so fresh that it melts in the mouth. Snapper was tender and moist, with a tasty black bean sauce. Salad was fresh and crisp with a sweet vinaigrette dressing. Crab & Corn chowder was thick and tasty, with fresh crab. Pumpkin cheesecake was fluffy and soooo rich… a small slice is all you need. Even with the rich cheesecake, this has got to be the most healthy Thanksgiving meal I’ve ever had… and a very tasty one!

For a different twist of the traditional Thanksgiving meal, be sure to check out Poke Stop in the Waipahu Town Center!

Also, be sure to check out Reid’s (onokinegrindz.com) Poke Stop visit.

Poke Stop
Waipahu Town Center
94-050 Farrington Highway Space E-4
Waipahu, Hawaii 96797
Telephone: 808.676.8100

I don’t understand why people love these so much. They are hard, bland and stale.

They do taste really good with coffee though. Maybe it’s the Hawaiian version of biscotti?

Well, maybe I do understand them after all. Good cookies these are.

Mt View Bakery Inc
18-1319 Old Volcano Rd
Mountain View, HI
(808) 968-6353

Taking advantage of the long weekend, Bev and I went camping at Punalu’u Black Sand Beach on the south side of the Island. I hardly drive down there, so almost every time I do, I gotta stop by the Hirano store in Glenwood, which is after passing Mountain View and before Volcano. They have some mean grinds!

The people that work here are so friendly. It seems that the more remote an area is, the friendlier they get. Inside the store is all your regular stuff… drinks, chips, snacks, etc. And in one corner they have a menu offering plate lunches, sandwiches, hot dogs, and best of all their offerings… chili bowls!

Hirano Store Chili Bowl with Rice ($3.00), loaded with goodness! It’s a unique kind of style… a bit soupy, but still very hearty. The flavor and consistency sort of remind me of a Portuguese Bean Soup, but spicier with chili flavors.

It went wonderfully with their $.85 hot dog on a sweet bread bun.

Very satisfying… ready to continue driving!

• Some photos of our camping trip (flickr)

Hirano Store
Glenwood
808-968-6522

I’ve recently acquired an older model Canon Digital Rebel (6MP)! Learning new photo techniques is a lot of fun, especially when food is the subject.

Using a softbox made from an empty 12-pack of Sam Adams beer, some tissue paper, posterboard, and a lamp, I took a photo of breakfast we made.

Pork sausage patty, monterey jack cheese, tomatoes, and egg on an onion kaiser roll. Mmmm…

Want to make a softbox too? This tutorial really helped me out… it’s really simple and results are fantastic!