Tag Archives: Alaska

Love in the 21st Century

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By: Liana

We moved across country again. We got a job offer we couldn’t turn down and it came at a very opportune time in our lives and, so, we packed up our stuff and moved across country again. Back to where we came from. Alaska.

Meshing two lives can be hard.

But way back in the beginning of our careers, a sacrifice was made so that one of the two could shine. And now, way at the end of our first careers- I think everyone should have a couple or at least some serious hobbies- that first sacrifice can be honored by allowing the moves and the travel. Flexibility in work helps a great deal in upward mobility and finding positions which are satisfying and worthwhile. He made the reverse sacrifice for me. How could I not for him? And this circles back to saying yes to everything your significant other wants, which isn’t illegal and is within one’s means. Say yes to every attempt at attaining a dream. It might take a hundred frogs to get to the Prince. Failure isn’t bad. Loss of faith, however, can be severely detrimental. Always be the cheerleader of the person you love and who matters to you. Always. Let others in the world be a discouraging voice. Let yours be ever encouraging.

Back in Alaska, though. I wasn’t sure it would happen. But it did. And it’s not a bad thing. And it might help my writing, which would be a good thing. Alaska is a majestic state. I hope I can fashion some stories to treat her with care and love.

Coconut Curry Soup with Lobster

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When I lived in Alaska, I traveled to Hawaii a lot. For vacation with my family and for work. One of the times I was in Hawaii, I got to stay on Maui which was a treat because I mostly stayed on Oahu. During that trip, I rode horses through volcano canyons, traveled the road to Hana and ate a lot of good food. One of the places that I remember eating at during that trip was Mama’s Fish House. They had the most sublime Coconut Curry Soup with Lobster. I have tried recreating it over the years. The recipe below is the closest I’ve gotten. It is rich and a little spicy. It is also a lot delicious.

If you are ever on Maui, stop by Mama’s. Some of the best seafood I’ve ever eaten was found there. You won’t be disappointed.

Coconut Curry Soup with Lobster

3 11 ½-oz. cans coconut milk
1 oz. ginger root- keep whole or quarter for ease of removal
2 sticks lemongrass, chopped roughly in big chunks
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
¼ cup sugar, brown (I actually prefer palm sugar or coconut sugar)
2 lime leaves, kaffir preferably
1-1inch piece galengal- again, keep whole or quarter
1 tsp. Thai red curry (I add a little more cause I like things spicy)
1 cup lobster stock, or chicken stock, or fish stock (more for thinning)
1 lb lobster, cooked and diced

optional garnish:
1/2-1 lb julienned shitake mushrooms
1/4  lime juice (almost necessary to help cut the richness)
1/4/-1/2 cup minced cilantro
1/4-1/2 lb julienned carrots
3-4 stalks thinly sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse ginger and any other item which have been grown directly in dirt in water and dry off. Place coconut milk, ginger, stock, lemongrass, galengal, sugar, curry and fish sauce in a pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Add lime leaves and infuse them into the soup. About 15-20 minutes. Strain the curry soup of all the items in it. Add half the cooked lobster. When you go to plate, add a small mound of lobster in the middle for presentation and extra lobster chunks–always a plus.

3. Garnish with carrots, shiitake, lime juice, green onions and cilantro leaves in any combo and amount according to your taste buds. However, limes are almost not optional.

Grass is Greener

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I have grass is always greener syndrome. It is a serious affliction. There might be a cure. But I might or might not want it depending on whether I like where I’m at. See, serious frickin’ problem going on here.

I like my yoga classes. I like how I feel after I get done with yoga. I feel centered and more able to deal with the day to day bullshit that swings my way on a daily basis. Recently I got a new yoga teacher for my Monday/Wednesday class. His teaching style is really different from my old teacher. And I want my old teacher back. My new teacher is way too into the yoga philosophy and is very zen-like in his teaching style. Now, I know what I want. But I also know what the universe gave me. I am betting on some level that I have the yoga teacher I have right now because he is what I need. But my mind is doing its crazy dance of telling me I don’t. It is a form of resistance. And really when it comes to the power of the universe shoving something down my throat, resistance is futile. I should gracefully give in. But I will probably bitch and bitch until the light bulb goes off and I figure out why I have the yoga teacher I have at this moment. And then I’ll be all grateful. Until then, I will whine about wanting my old yoga teacher back.

I want to exercise outside. I do yoga inside. My brain is trying to tell me to skip my yoga class in favor of doing my own thing outside. now this could be in response to my resistance to my new teacher. Or it could be that I am just trying to get out of yoga. Or it could be that I really want to get outside. The thing is that if I do skip yoga, there is no guarantee that I will actually get outside. Plus, I could just go at anytime. Before or after I do yoga. So why does my mind tell me to skip yoga? I think it is because gremlins live in my brain and they live to mess with me. Plus, I have spring fever. That combo is bad, bad, bad.

We moved from Alaska to where we are now. I wanted to move. Now, I want to move back. Life back in Alaska was comfortable. I knew all the best places to eat, shop, get a drink, etc. Plus, I was able to work at will in my profession. Not writing, my legal one. Here not so much. I don’t know the legal community and it is harder to pick up the odd job. And lawyerly communities are very high school girl cliche-ish. I know the minute we moved back, I would want to leave again. So when I was being a lawyer, I wanted to be a writer. Now that I am writing full-time, I want to be a lawyer. Go figure.

See, the grass is always greener. Always. Until you step over onto the field that looked so lush and find it is just like the one you came from or maybe even a little worse. Cause there are potholes in this field that you weren’t aware of or wasn’t readily visible when you were gazing at it longingly. Trying to talk my brain into being content exactly where I am is a huge monumental task. I have to work it every minute of every day. Don’t want the highs and lows like a pendulum swinging back and forth.  Just want the even keel of being content without too much variation in the emotional spikes in either direction. Maybe I need to go on a vacay. A little holiday. Or maybe I just need to find all of that right here at home.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut with Mango-Papaya Salsa

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One day it was cold. The next day it was warm. Today is gonna be hot. Hot I tell you.

Spring makes me want to get out my shorts and just be outside. Seriously I get itchy feet to not spend anytime indoors. I think it is stir crazy madness from being indoors all winter. If I didn’t have yoga during the winter, I’m sure I would commit mass homicide. Ya know?

The other thing spring does is make me think about food. Okay, maybe I think about food all the time. I like to cook. I like to eat. I like those two things together even more. Even when I travel, the first thing I do is look up different restaurants, holes in the wall and generally check out the food sitch. Museums, places of interest and what the region is known for are secondary. I gotta say I was in HEAVEN when I went to Italy. Umm, cause, ummm, there was just so much damn delicious food at really beautiful places next to museums and places of interest. And the wine, sheesh. Nirvana. Seriously.

But I digress. Spring. Food. Got it. So spring makes me think of things like pesto sauce and pasta primavera. It makes me want to trade in my beef and lamb for scallops and fish. Lighter food for warmer weather. Makes perfect sense to me. Not just salads and the like. But delicate sauces, seafood, chilled white wine. Lets not forget the fruit. Spring makes me crave fruit. Juicy berries. Pineapples and tropical good things.

Having lived in Alaska, I got a lot of great seafood. And for those of you that don’t know, Alaska has GREAT restaurants with really innovative chefs. They do amazing things with seafood. What is even more interesting is the close connection that Alaskans have with Hawaiians. Guess it’s cause we are all so remote from the rest of the country. Both states are separated by miles of stuff before we can get to the next state. So we stick together in lots of ways.

One of the best ways is the fusion of food. The recipe I am posting below is from a restaurant in the Kenai Peninsula, home of the best fly fishing in the world. A place where you can catch record breaking salmon. It is considered the playground of South Central Alaska. And it is. The restaurant is Mykel’s. If you get a chance to go, do. You won’t be disappointed. In either Mykel’s or the Kenai. Seriously.

This recipe combines fish with fruit. Alaska with Hawaii. It says spring. It taste delicious. Fabulosity all rolled together. They make it with a Mango-Papaya Salsa. I prefer a spicy Strawberry one. Both are good. Enjoy.

 

By: Taz

Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut with Mango-Papaya Salsa

4 6- to 7-oz. Halibut Filets
1 cup Macadamia Nuts—crushed
3/4 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp. Water (mixed with eggs)
Flour for dredging
Peanut Oil for sautéing
Seasoning Salt

Place macadamia nuts and panko in food processor bowl fitted with a work blade. Using pulse, crush nuts and panko together until you achieve a medium coarseness. Do not over grind nuts or you will extract oil. Beat eggs with water until smooth. Heat a large saute pan or skillet on medium-low to medium heat. Lightly season halibut, dredge in flour, shake off excess then dip in egg mixture, then place in macadamia nut mixture and coat well. Press nuts on and lightly shake off excess. Add oil to pan and place halibut in pan. Let brown 3 to 4 minutes then turn over. Continue cooking halibut until golden brown on both sides—approximately 6 to 8 minutes total time. If using thick filets (one inch or more), finish cooking in a 350 degree F oven for 7 to 10 minutes. Serves 4.

Mango & Papaya Salsa—Hawaiian Style

1 Papaya—peeled, seeded and cut into small H-inch pieces
1 Mango—peeled, seeded and cut into small H-inch pieces
3 Tblsp. Sweet Chili Sauce
1 can Papaya Nectar (11.5 oz. can)
1 tsp. Mint Flakes—crushed
2 tsp. Chopped Pickled Ginger
1/4 tsp. Salt
Place cut fruit into a mixing bowl, add all other ingredients and mix well. Let set two hours. Can be made up to five days in advance. Serve at room temperature or just warm (do not let boil–fruit will fall apart).

Strawberry Jalapeño Salsa

15-20 strawberries, chopped into small even dice
1/3 medium red onion, finely minced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
handful of cilantro, well rinsed and finely chopped
1 Jalapeño, finely minced, seeds and all.  (leave the seeds out for less heat)
juice of 1 lime
fresh cracked black pepper

Mix everything in a bowl.  Chill until ready to serve.
~about one hour before serving