Salsa No Ka Oi

Sunday was one of those good days. I was able to do most things that I had to do. And I was ready to go by five o'clock. Got to Honolulu early, did what I had to do and arrived at Dream to Dance Studio before eight.

"He who danceth not, knoweth not the ways of life."
Old  Persian  proverb

Nice Salsa class going on, with a new variation which I did not recogize. Most of the students seem to be going for it very nicely. And I tried to explain to Amy and Charlie,  that I would be staying a little longer and would like a different kind of photo.

First Photo, Charlie wanted the instructors. OK by me. He has a good gang there.

Instructors: Naomi Fujimoto, Dwayne Moniz, Amy Tomita,

Charlie Castro, Lisa Loeffler and Ed Ho.

Ad with little hustling by Charlie, will not be necessary always:
Salsa No Ka Oi.com - Hawaii's Hottest Salsa and Bachata website.
Thursay at 8 PM Bachata - Sunday, Salsa Classes
6 pm. beginners and intermediates - 7 pm. Advance Combo
8 to 10 pm, Bachata and Salsa dance social.

Everyone welcome, all levels, no partner needed, meet new friends
Club Cha Cha coming soon. Mainland  instructors and workshops.
Charlie

"Moliendo Cafe" by Azucar Moreno

Looked around and everyone dancing very nicely. I got a chance to communicate to a few. Gave out some cards with the URL, so they can tune it for the blog. Many understood about getting the photos. And I got the second photo. Good.

 

Alonzo Hernandez, Kyong Vani, Sergio Velasco, Laurie Kim,

Bernay Ginoza and Vince De Bina

"Todo, Todo, Todo" por Daniel Romo

From Amy:
Start the 2011 off right. Join us for our Salsa and Bachata lessons as well as our Sunday Socials. Make new friends while getting a good workout.

See you on the dance floor.
Amy Tomita

 

Ipo Santos-Bear, Kevin English, Joby Peters, Rich Vila,

Toyoko Miyasaka and Tom Browder.

"Cuanda Quieras, Dejame" por Pandora

 

Veronica Munez, Jennifer Constantino, Julian Esteves,

Jeanne Gopal, Lisa Golden and Richard Campbell.

"Hazlo Bonito" por El Coronel

Left 10 minutes before nine, I knew it was too early. The  E bus was a little late, almost 9:20, but it still got to Waipahu before the slow boat #40 got there by about five minutes. Very good. Got home before 10:30.

It is such a beautiful neighborhood where I live, feeling no pain, putting on the earphones and biking it home is just beautiful. The music seems to elevate the entire atmosphere to new heights.

Managing Dirty Business

Feeding can be a dirty business, especially when babies are first introduced to solids. This bib comes with a pocket that is the perfect size and shape to control the mess. Waterproof and stain-resistant, it secures comfortably at the neck with an adjustable Velcro closure. Free of PVC, phthalates, and BPA. Wipe and rinse clean with mild soap and water. Hang dry. Bib measures 8.25” long and 10” wide. Ages four months and up.

By Jaq Jaq Bird

Tandoori Tofu

Tofu is a wonderful culinary ingredient with a very rich nutritional value and low calorie. I like to incorporate it in stews and other recipes that enrich its bland taste. This Tandoori recipe incorporates other high power antioxidants such as turmeric and garlic. All combined makes this amazing dish: exotic and delicious. You must give it a try!

• 
  
• Tandoori Tofu
• Servings: 6 servings

• 
  
• - 2 teaspoons paprika
• - 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• - 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• - 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• - 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• - 1 tablespoon lime juice
• - 2 14-ounce packages extra-firm or firm water-packed tofu, drained
• - 2/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• - 6 tablespoons sliced scallions or chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Preheat grill to medium-high.
Combine paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, coriander and turmeric in a small bowl. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, lime juice and the spice mixture; cook, stirring, until sizzling and fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Slice each tofu block crosswise into 6 slices; pat dry. Use about 3 tablespoons of the spiced oil to brush both sides of the tofu slices; sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. (Reserve the remaining spiced oil.)
Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the tofu until it has grill marks and is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Combine yogurt with the reserved spiced oil in a small bowl. Serve the grilled tofu with the yogurt sauce, garnished with scallions (or cilantro), if desired.

Per serving: 173 calories; 13 g fat (2 g sat, 7 g mono); 1 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 12 g protein; 2 g fiber; 419 mg sodium; 224 mg potassium.

Source: Eating Well

Get Ready.......Super Bowl Snacks II

Well, there it is. It's going to be the Packers and the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.  And here are my last two football-watching snacks; both are scrumptious, but entirely different. One is an old favorite and the other I found in Donna Hay Magazine. You'll like them both. 

Bacon pinwheels have been around forever. There are recipes using packaged croissant dough, pie pastry or puff pastry dough. Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, no cheese. Scallions or parsley or both. In fact, the only constant is bacon. I've made them all ways but if you want to make them dressy, I've found the puff pastry/bacon only version makes the prettiest presentation. 

Here's the basic recipe...it really adapts well to either puff  pastry or croissant dough. And you can stuff them with whatever takes your fancy. In these, I used bacon, scallions, 2 cheeses and croissant dough. You can even use lo-cal versions of some of the ingredients. This is such perfect football food and a snap to make. Is there anyone who doesn't love bacon? Hello out there? Anyone at all?
I didn't think so.

Bacon Pinwheels

Ingredients:

1 package of crescent roll dough 

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 

5 green onions, chopped 

1 cup grated cheddar cheese, room temperature

8 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Unroll the crescent rolls and seal all the edges. Flatten slightly with a rolling pin.

Mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese and onions and spread evenly over the dough. Sprinkle with the chopped bacon. Roll up like a jelly roll and refrigerate at least 1/2 an hour. Makes it easier to slice.

Slice in 1/4 inch slices, put on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake  12-15 minutes or until well browned.

Last but not least is a rather unusual football snack, but the group I made them for last year really liked them. Of course, they take a bit longer than some recipes because you have to cook and cool the polenta first. Do it the day before so you don't have to think about it; the rest is super simple. If you have time, make a garlic aioli...it's marvelous with these polenta sticks. I use a recipe I found in Gourmet magazine ages ago. (Which I didn't make for this photo. This is sour cream, not nearly as good.)
These crunch so nicely when you bite into them and the herbs are wonderful. You can't beat Donna Hay for recipes. Smartest thing I ever did was take a subscription.  It's worth every penny.

Enjoy the Super Bowl!



Herbed Polenta Chips
Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 51

Ingredients:

For the polenta:

3 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup instant polenta

1 ounce butter, chopped

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the chips:

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

1 tablespoon oregano leaves

olive oil

Method:

To make the polenta:

Place the stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil. While whisking, slowly add the polenta. Whisk until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, add the butter, Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon into a lightly greased baking pan and spread until aboutn 3/4 of an inch thick. Refrigerate until set.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut the polenta  into fingers and brush with the olive oil. Mix the herbs and roll the fingers in them. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with garlic aioli (recipe follows), sour cream or mayonnaise.

Garlic Aioli
Gourmet Magazine, February 2007

Ingredients:
2 medium heads garlic, left whole
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 teaspoons apple-cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives


Method:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. 
Cut off and discard tops of garlic heads to expose cloves, then brush each head with 1/2 tablespoon oil. Wrap heads together in foil and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Cool to warm. 
Squeeze garlic from skins into a food processor and purée with mayonnaise, vinegar, pepper, and salt. Transfer aioli to a bowl and stir in chives. 

Lawmakers welcome mandatory health checks

The proposal to make it mandatory for lawmakers in the country to undergo annual health checks after 11 elected politicians died of wide-ranging illnesses in less than three years, has been well-received.
Kota Belud member of parliament Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahalan agreed with the suggestion but he said that medical information of the members of parliament and assemblymen should be restricted to only party leaders.
He reminded elected representatives to be cautious when travelling long hours to interior areas by boat or overland as it could take a toll on their health.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said on Saturday that he would soon recommend to the Cabinet for mandatory health examinations involving members of Parliament and state legislatures.
“Currently, we just let the elected representatives take the initiative to go for medical check-ups but we want to make sure that they go for at least one every year,” he said.
“We will also make sure they get reminders for the scheduled check-ups.
He stressed that the move would help Members of Parliament and state assemblymen keep tabs on their health status and ensure they were fit enough to serve the rakyat.
“If the examinations show that they are unhealthy, we will ensure they get the appropriate treatment immediately,” he said.
Since the general election in March 2008, 14 by-elections have been held with one more to be announced following the death of Merlimau assemblyman Datuk Mohamad Hidhir Abu Hassan on Thursday.
The number of by-elections so far is the highest in the country’s electoral history

Cupola Time Again

But first take a look at Town Dancer blog. Wow! Talk about a blog what am a blog. That's it, the Dance Hawaii Anniversary Ball by Calvin Ota, terrific write up and terrific photos. We are all new to blogging, but for sure a lot of us are going to learn from some of us.

Meanwhile we have from Marie Laderta:

YEAR of the RABBIT
at the CUPOLA!
So, "What's Up Doc?"  It's CUPOLA time again!

Come do the "Bunny Hop," the "Roger Rabbit," the "Rabbit Dance," come shake your booties at the CUPOLA.

This  coming Tuesday, January 25, 2011, from  7-10pm on the 2nd floor of the Honolulu Design Center at 1250 Kapiolani Blvd (corner of Kapiolani & Piikoi).

"Fly Me To The Moon" by Frank Sinatra

Come help Lucas and Yanna kick-off the "Year of the Rabbit" at the CUPOLA with  their Divino Ritmo ohana and other dance friends! There will be lots of boogying to the special hand-picked ballroom and "harey" tunes by  Maestro  Lucas Jaime and DJ Jesse Gonzales.  Ono pupus and wine are available for purchase all evening.  Carrot sticks will be complimentary!

As usual, admission is FREE and Divino Ritmo's monthly social dance party is open to the public! You never know, you may even get to meet Mr. Roger Rabbit or Bugs Bunny in the flesh...how can you beat a night of fun and dance with your friends!!!!

Hop, hop, hop.... to the CUPOLA this Tuesday!!!!!!  See ya!

For more info, contact:
Lucas at: divinoritmo@aol.com ph:(917) 568-3173
Yanna at: Yannajs@gmail.com ph: (732) 499-0407

Pub's Note: This year it is becoming more evident that we are getting more reader/dancers. It is also becoming apparent that they are from the studio clubs, social dance clubs and night clubs. All good solid people that dance for the fun of it. Big, Big, Big difference from others.

"Big egos are big shields for lots of empty space."

Adorable Eco Set for Lil' Angels

This vest and hat set is absolutely adorable! Crocheted with fine quality 100% organic baby cotton, it is totally washable. So classy! Handmade to order in Sweden.

By Phenomena Design, an Etsy store