Fijian Food.

I swear, we really did eat in Fiji. Two meals and one meal that never quite came to life due to the time crunch. Whirlwind is a great word to describe how the week went down. We're at a point where we don't even know what country we're in. Not because we've lot interest, just lost time. Vacation begins in 5 days and our busy is going to come to a halt. We can't wait.

The outdoor swim meet was a success. We had 350 athletes participating over three days. 7 sessions, 7 meals served for 50 people, 266 volunteer slots total...Weather was a challenge, then again it's Iowa for you. We had one night of cancellation, otherwise we survived the heat, the rain and the many swims. What a great sport!

Because of the busy hectic weekend, Father's Day was delayed. There was no time in the 15 hour day at the meet that we could even begin to wish a Happy Father's Day to Andy and to Herb and to my brother, Greg and to visit the cemetery to visit my dad, Joel and Andy's dad, Glenn. So, we have designated Thursday as our Father's Day! We can't wait to honor the men in our lives that are so wonderful to us.

Before the meet weekend, I was able to squeeze out both a Fijian Chicken and a Fijian Fish meal. Both meals were fairly bland. It's time to spice up the flavors a little more and forget whether the kids complain or not. I would like to go back to Fiji. They have a great tradition of eating on the floor which would have been lots of fun had we had the time.


Fiji Islands Chicken
Ingredients
1 chicken, cut up or 4 boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup white wine or 1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, to garnish
Directions
1. Marinade Sauce: Blend together all the ingredients, except chicken.
2. Prepare the chicken pieces (may be whole pieces or bite-size if you have boned chicken) and
marinate for at least one hour. Larger pieces will require more time.
3. Butter and flour a baking dish and place the chicken flat in the dish.
4. Cover the chicken with the marinade sauce.
5. Do not cover the baking dish. Bake in a slow oven at 350° until golden brown.
6. Turn the pieces when the top has browned. This should take about 45 minutes total.


Fish Suruwa
Ingredients
1 kg fish, firm white flesh
1 onion, diced
2 chilies, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
400 ml coconut milk
3 tablespoons oil salt pepper
Directions
1. Heat oil in a shallow pan add the onions and chillies and saute about 5 mins until the onions a soft.
2. Add the tomatoes to the pan along with the cumin and tumeric.
3. Add the fish fillets and lightly fry on each side.
4. Add the coconut milk, season with salt and pepper and gently bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes
5. Do not cover the pan with a lid or the coconut milk will curdle.
6. Serve with rice.