Happy Holidays from Advantage Vacation!

From our Family to yours Happy Holidays!

We wish you a lifetime of memorable vacations and hope to be of service to you in 2010!

Animal Shelters need dog beds and sweaters

I would like to pass on an email I received a few days ago.
People are starting a sweater drive for Los Angeles shelter dogs. However you could check out the shelters in your area. I am sure all shelters are experiencing over population with the economy what it is.
Many tiny short haired chihuahuas, and short haired pit bulls, find themselves alone in cages with no blanket or towel, no other dog to cuddle up to for body heat, and the temps are dropping beyond what is tolerable. These dogs know not only loneliness and illness, but now have to use every ounce of their energy to shiver and try to warm themselves, on a cold, often wet, cement floor.
The next time you are at PetCo or PetSmart picking up something for your pampered indoor pet, please pick up a warm sweater for a needy shelter pet. Lets start with the extra smalls, and smalls, for those vulnerable chis, and then move on to the mediums for the pits. Think warmth, not fashion. Check the after holiday bins for discounts, even after Halloween sales. Know anyone who likes to knit? Ask them to knit a sweater. Have a raggy old dog sweater that isn’t good enough for your dog anymore? Sent it!
Sweaters can be mailed to: 346 N. Maple Dr, #2, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Think carefully before giving a puppy as a Christmas present. They are the only presents that pee, poop, chew and bark. When you are sure you are ready, please adopt, don’t buy. Young puppies are being euthanize because of shelter overcrowding.

Roasted Vegetable Soup with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Winter is here and this is a great winter soup that can be make in about 1.5 hours. Winter even comes to Maui.  You will need:
2 Leaks, including tender green parts, finely chopped
2 Zucchini cut into 2 inch pieces
2 large tomatoes, quartered
2 white rose or other all purpose potatoes about 10 oz total weight peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
4 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4-6 tablespoons Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (recipe to follow)
Preheat the over to 425F. In a large, heavy roasting pan, combine the leeks, carrots, zucchini, eggplants, tomatoes, and potatoes.  Add 1/2 cup of the stock, the oil and salt and pepper to taste and mix until the vegetables are well coated. Roast until the vegetables are softened, turning once to make sure they do not burn, about 1 hour total cooking time.
In a blender, in batches, combine the vegetables with 1/2 cup of the stock and puree until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan over low heat, and stir in the remaining 3 1/2 cups stock, the basil, and the lemon juice. Cook for 3 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and add 1 Tablespoon of pesto to each bowl. Serve immediately.

* You will need a good blender to blend the roasted vegetables.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
In a food processor, with motor running add 1 clove of garlic and process until minced. Turn off and add 1/2 cup drained oil packed sun dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped: 2 tablespoons olive oil: 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil: 2 tablespoons pine nuts and salt and pepper to taste. Process until a thick paste forms, adding more oil as needed. Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Deep Fried Turkey

It’s Thanksgiving and I thought I would share my deep fried turkey recipe.

It is a good idea to brine your turkey before you cook it.  This will add flavor.   The Turkey Brine consists of: 1/2 Cup of sea salt,  1/2 Cup white sugar, 1 T. rosemary, 1T. Sage, 1T. thyme and 2 quarts cold water.  In a large pot combine vegetable stock, salt, sugar, and herbs over med. heat.  Simmer for about 15 min unitl salt is completely dissolved.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.  Add cold water.  Place turkey in a large plastic container.  Pour brine over top, cover and refrigerate.  Brine for 1 hour per pound.  Thoroughly rinse all the brine from the turkey before cooking.  Otherwise there will be a salty flavor to the turkey. This brine will work for however you cook your turkey.

DO NOT USE A TURKEY WITH ONE OF THOSE PLASTIC MEAT THERMOMETERS!

For the deep fried turkey:

You will need an outdoor deep fryer.

Size matters.  Your turkey should not exceed 14 lbs. for deep fried.  In addition to the obvious safety concern of lowering and lifting a big turkey into a vessel of boiling oil, larger birds simply cook longer.  The extra cooking time may result in over exposure to the skin, which could be over cooked.

Amount of oil:

Use Peanut oil.

Many turkey fryers feature a “fill line” indicating the right level of oil to add to the pot.  If this feature is not available follow these guidelines:

Place the thawed turkey in the fryer basket and place in the empty pot.  The minimum oil level should be 3 to 5 inches from the top of the fryer.  Add water until the top of the turkey is covered.  Remove the turkey, allowing the water to drain from the turkey.  Note the water level, using a ruler to measure the distance from the top of the pot to the surface of the water.

Drain or pour out the water and dry the pot thoroughly.

Cooking Preperation

Remove the turkey from the wrapper.  Be sure to save the label that indicates the weight of the turkey  Use the turkey’s weight to compute the total frying time.  Thaw the turkey completely.  Remove the neck and giblets from the two body cavities.  Remove any excess fat around the neck to allow the oil to flow through the turkey.  Remove the wire or plastic truss that holds the legs in place.  cut off the wing tips up to the first joint and cut off the tail.  Do not stuff the turkey for deep frying.(This would be when you Brine)  Heat the oil to 350 degrees.    This should take about 45 min.  To reduce spattering, thoroughly dry the interior and exterior of the bird.  Submerge bird into 350 degree oil and cook for 3.5 min. per lb.  Let sit for 15 min. before carving.

Additional Safety Tips

Never leave the turkey fryer unattended during the heating, cooking and cooling process.  Keep children and pets away from the cooking area at all times.  Allow the oil to cool completely before disposing or storing.  Immediatly wash hands, utensils, equipment and surfaces that have come in contact with raw turkey.  Turkey should be consumed immediately and leftovers stored in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Labor Day Recipes – Bruschetta

Bruschetta with After Hours Toast
This is one of my favorite summer recipes. The roma tomatoes are so great in the summer.
4 lbs. ripe roma tomatoes (cut into quarters)
1//4 c. olive oil
1 or 2 bulbs of garlic (peeled)
Goat Cheese
Fresh Basil Read more

Sunset Magazine August Issue

Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Salad
Page 87

I try at least one of the recipes in Sunset every month. If you try one I do not review please let us know what you thought of it. This column in our blog is really to interact. Your opinion is very important to us. As usual!
Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Salad
2 T. plus ½ tsp. salt, divided
3 eggplants (3 lbs. total)
4 firm-ripe tomatoes cut crosswise into ½ in. slices.
About 1 C. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¼ c. mint leaves, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ tsp. each freshly ground black pepper and dry mustard.
1. In a bowl, dissolve 2 T. salt in 3 quarts. Water. Cut eggplant crosswise into ½ in. slices. Put slices in salted water: top with a plate or pot lid to submerge. Let sit 30 min.
2. Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal or gas grill for medium heat (350 to 450, you can hold your had 5 in. above cooking grate only 5 to 7 seconds.) Drain eggplant on a kitchen towel. Arrange eggplant and tomatoes on a baking sheet. Brush all over with ½ C. oil.
3. Grill tomatoes, covered, turning once, until grill marks appear, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
4. Grill eggplant (in batches if necessary), covered, turning occasionally, until browned all over and tender to the bite, 5 to 8 min. arrange on a large platter.
5. In a blender or food processor, puree remaining ½ cup oil, the lemon juice, ½ cup mint leaves, the garlic, remaining ½ tsp. salt, the pepper, and mustard.
6. Drizzle three-fourths of dressing over eggplant. Arrange tomatoes on eggplant, drizzle them with remaining dressing, and top with remaining ½ cup mint. Season to taste with more salt.

Make ahead: Prepare recipe through step 5 up to 3 hours ahead, cover, and hold at room temperature. Assemble just before serving.

I am not a big fan of mint. Let’s just say I had to redo all of my raised beds because of it. It is extremely evasive. Living in Maui I try not to spread evasive plants all over the island. So, what I did with this recipe was I used basil and if you would want an easier dressing I would suggest drizzle very good balsamic vinegar over the salad. It would cut the prep time down and this is also delicious.

July 4, 2009 Lobster Fest

I live with a Pakistani. This man does not get some of the holidays. This has its good side and bad side. Would I like hot dogs and hamburgers or maybe brat’s for the 4th. Yes I would. But then he comes home with these treasures to prepare. Syed found live Maine Lobsters. (ON MAUI) Not Maine Lobsters that are grown on Kauai. He came home with the real deal. We have this gentleman down the road who grows and teaches organic gardening. He sells us produce once a week when our garden is resting. It is his chard and red white and blue potatoes on the plate. All I did to prepare the lobster was boil a large pot of water with lots of salt and put the lobsters in the pot. Once it gains a boil again set the timer for 12 minutes. The Lobster came out perfect! We had a bottle of Chateau Montelena 2005 Zinfandel from our last Napa Valley trip. I know what you are saying “What Red” I love red. For me it is Red, Red, Red with everything.

Hope you all had a great holiday!

Kheere ka Raita

Cucumber and Mint Raita
A cool and refreshing relish, Raita is always the perfect partner for very hot dishes. Some cooks also like to serve it as an accompaniment to mildly spiced foods, claiming it helps indigestion.
2. cups plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced.
1/3 cup thinly sliced onion (sweet Maui is nice.
1 tomato thinly sliced
½ teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint or 2 teaspoons dried.
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, plus ¼ teaspoon for garnish.
I always toast my spices before I grind them. It brings out the flavor.
In a medium bowl, beat the yogurt until it is smooth. Add the garlic, and the 1/8 teaspoon cumin, salt, pepper,and mint. Stir until well blended.
Add Cucumber,tomato and onion, Turn the Raita into a serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, sprinkle the Raita with concentric circles of the cumin and paprika, for garnish. Makes 2 ½ to 3 cups. Make when you are ready to serve. Does not keep well overnight.

Masala Murgha – Spicy Whole Baked Chicken

Masala Murgha – Spicy Whole Baked Chicken
This simple roast chicken-flavorful but not too fiery is a lovely light supper or lunch dish.

3 large garlic cloves, halved
1 medium fresh hot green chili, seeded
One 2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled & coarsely chopped
¼ C fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
One 3-31/2 pound chicken, skin removed
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
For Garnish:
6 sprigs fresh coriander
2 lemons, sliced
2 large tomatoes cut in wedges
½ cucumber, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced

In a blender, combine the garlic, chili, ginger, coriander, and lemon juice, and process to a fine paste. Transfer to small bowl and add the turmeric, cumin, paprika, salt, and oil. Stir to make a coarse paste. Using a sharp knife, score the chicken in several places and place in a shallow baking dish. Rub the spice paste over the chicken, spreading it into the crevices, until the bird is evenly covered: rub some of the paste inside the cavity. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight. Preheat the oven to 400. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Dot the surface with the butter. Bake, basting with the pan juices several times, 1 ½ hours, or until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and garnish with the coriander sprigs, lemons, tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. Serves 4.

Ginger, Lemongrass, Lemon and Maple Syrup drink

When my son visits he likes to make ginger tea. From this tea I have added a few more ingredients. My vegan and health nut friends love it!

I had a spa day recently and served this tea cold in wine glasses. For the main dish using a potato peeler I peeled squash into strips like a wide pasta with a fresh macadamia nut pesto.

This drink can be served hot or cold. The ginger is very good for digestion and the lemon is cleansing. It is nice to use maple syrup and stay away from the processed sugars. I like a lot of ginger. If you like less ginger, just add more water after it is finished.

You will need:

Large pot

4 inches of ginger, peeled

2 stalks of lemongrass cleaned down to the white inside, about 5 inches long.

4-6 Lemons- I use Meyer lemons

Maple syrup to taste

With a zestier or food processor, grate the ginger into a pot filled with filtered water. Add the lemongrass. Turn the pot on low and simmer for a few hours. Once cooled strain and add the lemon and maple syrup.

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