Why travel when you can have a taste of the tropics at home??? Well, yes, I agree -- a vacation would be better, but this is a close runner up. Don't mind my lack of photography skills...these two dishes are out of this world good and will impress just about anyone. Give it a try this weekend!

Pineapple Fried Rice with Cashews

2 C. rice (basmati works well)
1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
​2 1/4 C. water
3 chicken bouillon cubes (or equivalent granules)
1 8 oz. can pineapple tidbits in juice, drained and juice reserved
1 white onion, minced
1 C. diced ham
4-5 green onions, sliced
vegetable oil
1/3 C. cashews
​Salt and pepper
​

1. Begin with the rice. In a rice cooker, whisk together the rice, coconut milk, and water. Cook according to white rice settings, then allow to cool. 
2. In a microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup, combine the pineapple juice and bouillon. Microwave for a few minutes to help ensure the bouillon dissolves. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, saute the onion with a little bit of vegetable oil until translucent. Add in the ham and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes until heated through and slightly browned. Remove from heat. and set aside.
4. Add a 1-2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil to the empty skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Add a 1/3 of the cooked rice and allow to cook untouched for 2-3 minutes or until rice begins to brown (imagine it as if you were cooking hashbrowns -- the more golden, the better). Once the rice is browned/stir-fried to your liking, remove from the pan and start with the next batch of rice.
5. Once the rice is browned, add it all back to the large skillet. Quickly and evenly, pour the bouillon mixture over the rice stir until combined. Then add the onion and ham, green onions, cashews, and salt and pepper to taste.

Luau Pork

If there are leftovers, which is a big if, try out this recipe for BBQ Hawaiian Pork Wonton Tacos.

1 4-5 lb. pork shoulder roast
1 Tbsp. Hawaiian sea salt (smoked, Himalayan, etc. will work too)
8 slices bacon
1/3 C. guava or pineapple juice

1. Sprinkle the pork roast with the salt, then wrap with the bacon.
   
2. Place in a slow cooker and carefully pour the juice into the bottom of the pot trying not to wash the salt off the roast.
   
3. Cover, and cook on low for 12-18 hours. I started the roast on low before bed and then turned to "warm" in the morning up until ready to serve. It will all depend on how aggressive your slow cooker is!
   
4. About 30-60 minutes prior to serving, shred the pork (and bacon) and keep warm in the juices of the crock pot. Serve plain or on Hawaiian rolls.

Also known as Haluski, this Eastern European dish translates as "noodles". I first heard about this amazingly simple (and CHEAP!) dish from a distant cousin who was old enough to learn recipes first-hand from my Austrian Great-Grandmother. If you know me, you know that I love family ancestry, but let's just say my Scandinavian, Austrian, and Polish background doesn't lend to many mouth-watering recipes! So I'm super excited to share this one with you because IT'S ACTUALLY GOOD!

The only thing that you need to afford yourself before diving into this recipe is PATIENCE. Take your time caramelizing the bacon and onion, because this step will carry the dish. If you don't bother, be prepared for bland. Also, don't be shy with the salt. Seriously.

1 lb. bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 head cabbage, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
1 pkg. wide egg noodles, cooked and drained

The first step is to caramelize the bacon and onions. In a large, deep skillet, cook the bacon and onions over medium-high heat. It will feel like forever until the bacon starts render down and turn brown in color, but that's OK. The onion is slowing it down. Continue to saute for 20-30 minutes, turning the heat down if necessary, until the bacon is finally crisp and the onions are translucent. Set aside and DO NOT DRAIN THE GREASE.
Next, add the chopped cabbage to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. You'll want to brown the cabbage almost as if it were charred all while cooking it through. The leafy pieces of the cabbage will cook down fist while the core pieces will stay more crisp -- this texture variance makes a bit of interest, so it's OK. Salt and pepper the cabbage liberally to taste. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl (or the empty stock pot from making the noodles), toss together the cabbage and noodles. Using a slotted spoon, scoop in the bacon to the mixture so that the grease is left behind. Once all the bacon is added, add in as much of the grease as you like. I used roughly 3 tablespoons. Salt and pepper yet again to taste.

Chicken Filling:
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast (about 3)
1/4 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tomatillos, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 chipotle peppers, diced
2 tsp. adobo sauce (from the chipotle pepper can)
Juice of 1 lime

Pickled Vegetables:
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 bunch radishes, sliced thin
1/2 jalapeño, sliced thin
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 C. white vinegar
1/4 C.. apple cider vinegar
1/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Avocado Sauce:
1 avocado
Juice of 1 lime

Corn Tortillas

Place all chicken filling ingredients in a slow cooker, stir to combine, cover, and set to low..

Prepare the pickled vegetables. Place the carrots, radishes, jalapeños, and cilantro in a large mason jar (or similar container). In a small saucepan, combine the vinegars, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil or just until sugar and salt is dissolved. Pour over vegetables, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Cook chicken for 4-6 hours on low heat and shred with a fork about an hour before serving. Just before serving, mash together the avocado and lime juice. Place chicken on corn tortillas, top with vegetable mixture and avocado sauce. Enjoy!

I have a hate-hate relationship with bell peppers -- especially green peppers. Needless to say I've always had a hard time with my family's recipe for stuffed green peppers. The filling was great, but not so much the outside or the flavor it leached into the filling. So here's a fun way to spice up an old classic -- use poblanos instead! Why haven't I thought of this sooner??? I love chile rellenos and enchiladas! I lightened this up quite a bit, so you could feel free to add more cheese.

Serves 4-6
1 large onion, diced
3/4 lb. ground chicken
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (you can substitute 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper or chipotle pepper)
2 scallions, diced
1 C. zucchini, diced
1 large tomato, diced and seeded
6 corn tortillas, cut into bits
1 C. shredded Monterey jack or cheddar cheese
1 package red enchilada sauce (I love Fontega) 
4 large poblano chilies, halved and seeded
Avocado (for garnish)
Cilantro (for garnish)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, saute the onion with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium hight heat for 5-6 minutes -- just until translucent. Add the ground chicken and continue to cook, breaking up into smaller bits until cooked through. Add in the cumin, coriander, chili powder, and salt. Remove from heat and stir in the jalapeno, scallions, zucchini, tomato, tortilla, cheese, and enchilada sauce. Place the poblano chiles in a 9x13 baking dish and fill each half with filling. Top with any extra cheese and cover with tinfoil. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Do you like bleu cheese? Mushrooms? Truffles? This is my spin on another dish I just had at a place called Gold Nugget. Everything about it was amazing and has me craving burgers. You don't need to splurge on Truffle Oil like I did, but man, I would recommend it!

Serves 3-4
1 lb. good quality ground beef
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1-2 large shallots, peeled and sliced thin
1 10 oz. container mushrooms, sliced
1/4 C. blackberry preserves
5 oz. bleu cheese crumbles
truffle oil (optional)
Hamburger buns

In a medium bowl, mix the ground beef, worcestershire, and salt and pepper together. Divide the mixture into 3 or 4 patties (I'd recommend 3). Next, preheat the grill, and start the mushroom mixture. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add one tablespoon olive oil and add the mushrooms and shallots. Saute and stir until the mushrooms are cooked through and shallots are translucent. Set aside to cool. Now it's time to cook the burgers. Cook over high heat 4-5 minutes per side or until inside reaches 165 degrees. Remove from grill. Spread one tablespoon of the blackberry preserves on each patty. Top with blue cheese, then mushroom mixture and a drizzle of the truffle oil. Sandwich between a bun and enjoy.

A dear friend of mine that left for Seattle got me hooked on this recipe. Thank goodness she shared the recipe so now I have a way to make it for myself. It's a Korean dish called Beef Bulgogi. Think of delicious asian pot roast lettuce wraps. I like to tell myself that this is a healthy recipe too, so keep that in mind if you're looking for something new to try. The traditional method of cooking this dish is over a barbecue and using thin slices of beef, however, I took the easy way out and bought stew meat and used a crock pot. 

1.5 lbs. beef sirloin (or stew meat)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced into thin strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 C. soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Green onions
2 Small heads of romaine lettuce or butter lettuce
Kimchi (optional)
Cooked Rice
Avocado, sliced

Combine the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and pepper in the crock pot. Stir until well-mixed. Add in the meat and the onion and stir to coat. Cover and cook over low heat for 6 hours. The longer you let this sit, the dryer the meat gets and the more baked on the mixture gets to your crock pot (it's an ugly clean up). If anything, cook for the 6 hours and let sit on the off setting until ready to eat.Serve on lettuce topped with the green onions, Kimchi, rice, and avocado.

I'm still perfecting my Mahn Du recipe (similar to egg rolls), so I'm sorry I don't have that recipe to share yet.

I hope you try this - it's super easy!

Adapted from this recipe

Serves 6
2-3 lb. beef round roast (I used round tip roast)
4-5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 small can beef broth
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 C. balsamic vinegar
1 medium onion, sliced
Buns
Blue cheese and horseradish cream sauce (recipe below)

Combine the garlic, broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire, honey, and vinegar together in a bowl. Place roast in a slow cooker and pour sauce over. Cover, and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove from slow cooker, wrap in tinfoil and let rest for 10 minutes. Keep the broth for au jus dipping! When ready to serve, remove foil, and pull apart using a fork.  Spread blue cheese horseradish sauce on the bun, top with beef and caramelized onions. Be sure to use the leftover broth -- drizzle on top of the sandwich or dip. Enjoy!


Blue Cheese and Horseradish Cream Sauce

1 (8oz.) small container sour cream
2-4 Tbsp. horseradish (to taste)
2-3 Tbsp. blue cheese crumbles

Combine all ingredients together. Add horseradish to taste - depending on how hot you like it. Be careful not to add too much cheese as it can be overpowering.