First, I want to say that both YaYu and WenYu did a fabulous job in the kitchen last week! I was extremely impressed with what they accomplished, both their organization and the results, and I also greatly appreciated the time out of the kitchen. Both girls have said though that they have a new appreciation for what it takes to get in the kitchen every night and get a meal on the table – it was a lot more work, and not as much “fun” as they imagined it would be.
I am hoping YaYu and I can continue splitting up the cooking duties during the week while she’s home for the summer, but this week is not the one to get it started. First of all, we’ll be in Oahu for three days, and we also won’t be going to the farmers’ market this week, and need to use up the produce we have on hand. But, I’m hoping that maybe next week she and I can come up with a joint schedule and menu plan.
Meals are going to be very casual while we’re in Waikiki. We have no plans to go to any restaurants while we’re there, but will use the hotel’s snack and coffee bars, food courts at the nearby malls, and other inexpensive eateries in the area for our dining. We’ve done some research and there are interesting and affordable options at the hotel or near by so we should be able to stay within our budget without a problem.
Meals cooked at home this week will use what we have on hand. The freezer is in great need of a defrost, so I’m on a mission for the next couple of weeks to get it as empty as possible so that chore can be taken care of.
Here’s what’s on our menu for dinner this week:
- Tuesday (this evening): Grilled teriyaki chicken thighs; zaru soba; green salad (chilled tofu for me)
- Wednesday: Waikiki
- Thursday: Waikiki
- Friday: Waikiki
- Saturday: Tofu & broccoli in spicy peanut sauce; steamed rice
- Sunday: Zucchini frittata; grilled Italian sausages (vegan for me); slow cooker risotto
- Monday: Slow cooker pork pepper pot; steamed rice (probably vegetable lo mein for me)
What’s cooking at your house this week?
The Occasional Nomads 
I hope you have a wonderful time in Waikiki! I can’t wait to hear about it. What is in the pork pepper pot?
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We’re all looking forward to seeing another piece of Hawai’i! And relaxing, or course. The girls are looking forward to shopping – they both need things, and there aren’t many options on Kaua’i.
Pork Pepper Pot used to be Turkey Pepper Pot, but we cannot get fresh turkey here at all, unless it’s ground. It’s one of the girls’ favorite meals, and they’ve been asking for it. Basically, thinly sliced pork (like for stir fry), bell pepper strips (I like a color variety), diced onion, canned tomatoes, garlic and basil will be cooked all day in a slow cooker. During the last 30 minutes balsamic vinegar and cornstarch is added to thicken it up and add the final flavor punch. The pepper pot is served over steamed rice, but it could go over noodles. I tried making it with chicken but chicken’s flavor is too mild and we didn’t like it, so I’m hoping pork will work as a substitute for turkey. If you want, I can send you the exact amounts for everything.
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The Pork Pepper Pot sounds really good. I make something called Paprika Pepper Steak which had me wondering if the two recipes were similar. But it sounds like our recipes are pretty different, other than the peppers. I fry mine in a pan but now I’m wondering if I could use a slow cooker instead. I’d love to have your recipe. I’m always on the lookout for good slow cooker meals and the ones that you’ve posted that I’ve tried have been a hit!
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I’ll let you know how it goes with the pork versus turkey, and send the recipe. We really love it with turkey though, so if you can get fresh turkey tenderloins or turkey cutlets use can use those. If you can shop at Trader Joe’s they sell bags of frozen sliced peppers (Menage a Trois, I think they’re called) that work perfectly. If I can get peppers cheaply though I slice and freeze them to have them on hand for recipes.
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