Aloha From Spokane

 Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treat Recipe Ingredients 2.5 cups whole wheat flour 1 can pumpkin 2 eggs 3 tablespoons peanut butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fareinheit 2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl 3. Mold into desired shapes (I use silicone paw print and bone molds.  You could also roll the dough out like cookies.) 4. Bake for 40 minutes 5. Give to your furry friend!

Apple Crumble Recipe original recipe here Ingredients about 10 apples, peeled, cored, and cubed. Place in a large bowl (we used Swiss Gourmet apples, but any tart apple will do) 1 tablespoon + 1 cup flour (we used whole wheat but white works too) 3/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 1 teaspoon salt Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. Add 1 tablespoon flour, sugar, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, and lemon juice to the bowl of apples.  Toss until equally coated and pour into a 13x9 in baking pan. 3. Mix 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking powder, unsalted butter, and salt in a bowl. Aim for it to form clumps.  4. Spread the topping over the apples, distributing evenly. 5. Bake for 30-40 minutes. 6. Take out and let sit for about 10 minutes. 7. Enjoy! (We recommend topping with vanilla ice cream)  

Spring Roll Recipe original recipe here Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic, chopped 16 oz ground chicken (Or whatever protein you choose. Pork is a popular option) 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water until soft and diced 2 cups bean sprouts 5 napa cabbage leaves, diced 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 2 teaspoons shoyu/coconut aminos 1 large carrot, shredded 15-18 spring roll wrappers 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon water 1 quart frying oil (we used vegetable oil) Note: The vegetables can be to taste. We really like bean sprouts so we added a lot. Do what tastes good! Directions 1. In a large pan, heat the oil for about a minute on medium to high heat.   2. Add the garlic, stir it around in the oil, and cook just until you can smell the garlic (about 30 seconds. It should not yet be brown). 3. Add the ground chicken. Make sure you stir frequently to make sure it breaks up into small pieces.  Cook until it is mostly done, but still has a touch of pink....

Summer Roll Dipping Sauce Recipe original recipe here Ingredients 2 tablespoons fish sauce 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon chili garlic sauce 1 clove garlic 1/4 cup water Directions 1. Chop garlic 2. Mix all ingredients into a small bowl 3. Enjoy! Note: As an alternative, or an extra sauce, hoisin works brilliantly

Summer Roll Recipe original recipe here Ingredients Shrimp Napa cabbage Thai basil Cilantro Mint 1 section vermicelli noodles (the noodles come dried in little sections) Rice paper wrappers Baking pan with warm water Dipping sauce *Everything is to taste. Add as much as you want! You can also get creative and add ingredients like lettuce, cucumbers, and carrots Directions 1. Boil the vermicelli noodles for 3-4 minutes 2. Cook the shrimp (we pan fried them for a few minutes until nice and orange) 2. Chop napa cabbage, basil, cilantro, and mint as coarse as you like! 3. In a large pan of warm water, soak the rice paper wrappers (keep in mind, if they soak too long, they get more fragile. 4. Lay out the wrapper and add shrimp, vermicelli noodles, vegetables, and herbs (while you can add as much as you like, we found that it's easier to roll when less filled) 5. Roll like a burrito (tuck in the ends, then roll in the sides) 6. Enjoy!

Tempura Dipping Sauce Recipe Ingredients 2 tablespoons Mirin 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 3 tablespoons shoyu (or coconut aminos if you're like Marissa) 1/2 grated ginger 1 tablespoon green onions, sliced thinly 1 tablespoon fish sauce Directions 1. Strain the ginger by squeezing out the juice into a bowl.  (You can use a cheese cloth for this or your fingers like me) 2. Add all of the other ingredients to the ginger juice and mix.

 Vegetable and Shrimp Tempura Recipe Ingredients Vegetables            We used zucchini, green beans, mushrooms, and carrots.  Other good options are eggplant,            broccoli, kabocha, & Okinawan sweet potato Shrimp (Peeled and deveined) Panko 1 c. flour 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 4 eggs 1 quart vegetable oil Directions 1. Preheat the oil to 350 degrees 2. Prepare the vegetables i.e. Slice the zucchini and carrots into rounds, trim the ends of the green beans, half the mushrooms 3. Mix the flour, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 4. In a separate bowl eat the eggs. 5. Pour Panko into another bowl. 6. Once the oil is heated, coat the veggies and shrimp in flour, then the egg, and then the Panko.  Finally place the veggies and shrimp into the oil and cook until golden brown. 7. Drain off excess oil (we put the items onto a napkin afte...

                                                        Teriyaki Chicken Recipe Ingredients Chicken thighs/breast/wings  Mr. Yoshida Sauce Garlic Green onion Sesame seeds Directions 1. Marinate chicken in Mr. Yoshida sauce at least 4 hours, best if overnight.  2. Place chicken in pan and add some of the marinade to the pan to simmer on medium heat, covered, for about 10 minutes.  3. Flip and continue to cook until cooked through (about 10 minutes and internal temperature is 165 degrees F).  4. Top with sesame seeds and green onion. Enjoy!                                                                   ...

Butter Mochi Recipe Ingredients 1 block butter (melted and cooled) 1 lb. Mochiko 3 cups milk  1 teaspoon vanilla 2 teaspoon baking powder 2 1/2 cups sugar 5 eggs (beaten) 1 cup coconut flakes (optional) Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  2. Mix dry ingredients together.  3. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well until combined.  4. Mix in butter (and coconut, if using). 5. Pour batter into greased 9x13 pan. 6. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until golden brown and edges are crisp. 7. Cut into squares once cooled completely. Enjoy!

Seaweed Salad Recipe original recipe here Ingredients 1/3 cup dried, cut wakame 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 tablespoons shoyu (or coconut aminos works too!) 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon+teaspoon sugar 1 cup warm water 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon grated ginger 1/4 cup grated carrot 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds red pepper flakes to taste Directions 1. Dissolve 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 cup warm water.  2. Soak wakame in solution for about 5 minutes.  Drain well. 3. Mix shoyu, sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger until sugar is dissolved.  Add red pepper flakes to taste. 4. Mix carrot, cilantro, and wakame into the sauce. 5. Top with sesame seeds 6. Enjoy!

 California Roll Recipe Ingredients (1) sliced avocado (1) tablespoon mayo (1) teaspoon wasabi (1) 3 oz. package imitation crab (1) cucumber cut into sticks sushi rice sprouts (optional) (1) package nori sheets small bowl of water Directions 1. Mix mayo and wasabi (note: this can be to taste, no need follow the recipe here!) 2. Fold and cut nori sheets in half  3. Place on flat surface and spoon rice onto nori sheet.  I prefer to put the rice slightly off-center so it's easier to roll. 4. Add mayo/wasabi mix on rice 5. Add cucumber, imitation crab, and avocado to center of rice. 6. Roll! If your rice is off-center, there should be an empty strip of nori.  Put a small dab of water on the very end of this strip and start rolling from the opposite side.  The water will help the roll stick together. 7. Enjoy!

Sushi Rice Recipe Ingredients 2 cups uncooked rice 2 cups water 1/4 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned) 4 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt Directions 1. Rinse the rice (note: I use a rice cooker, so I put the rice in the pot and fill it with water, swirl my fingers in the rice and drain it until the water is mostly clear) 2. Add equal parts water to the rice and cook 3. While rice is cooking, heat the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt on low, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat. 4. Once the rice is done, scoop rice into a large bowl and drizzle the rice vinegar mixture over it. Gently stir the mixture into the rice, trying to distribute the solution evenly while not squishing the rice too much. 5. Enjoy!

Aloha! Welcome to our blog! We are Marissa and Melissa, a couple of Hawai'i transplants living in Spokane.   About Marissa Marissa lived in Hawai'i until university, when she moved to Oregon for school. She didn't miss home until the Fall when she realized even the rare sunny days were cold and that she couldn't play tennis whenever she wanted. However, a friend from high school had attended the same university and together, they would make local foods that reminded them of home.  After graduating, Marissa moved to Spokane, where she has been ever since. Here, she found a place to play tennis all year long, even if it is inside. Through this, she met Melissa! About Melissa Melissa was born and raised also in Hawai'i. She didn't leave the islands until she decided to pursue her master's degree at Eastern Washington University. She returned to Hawai'i, but the mountains were calling. Soon after, she returned to Spokane to continue her adventures. She got b...