Monday, May 11, 2009

Huli Huli and a birthday present

No, that's not some weird Vulcan greeting that I'm practicing for the Star Trek movie (groan..I did promise S he could pick the next movie and Star Trek it is)....Huli Huli is a Hawaiin bbq sauce.
But first, my present. Along the way of raising us kids, having a marriage and working, my father picked up a woodworking hobby. He has built dining room suites, bedroom suites, clocks, etc. And this year for my birthday he built me a little wine rack for my dining room. It is absolutely beautiful and my picture does not do it justice. It looks like a tiny Japanese temple.

And see Dad...I put wine on it ;) I just didn't have time to pick out the wine while you guys were visiting. I love it - like everything Dad makes, it looks truly amazing! He does great work and is extremely talented (you should see my bed that he made me!) We've been trying to convince him for years to sell his work, but he just doesn't seem to want to!


Now back to dinner. I am always on the hunt for a fast meal on the bbq and picked up a couple of grilling magazines this weekend. Cuisine Tonight - Grilling had a delicious picture of bbq'd chicken on the front...and a whole section on 30 minute meals. S quickly zoned in on the picture of the Huli Huli pork with pineapple. I omitted the peppers that went with it - mostly so I would not have to stop at the store.

The sauce was a snap to make and true to their word, dinner was on the table in around 30 minutes tonight.







There is nothing better than bbq'd pineapple - I could eat just this fruit for the rest of my life.







Sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced fresh gingerroot
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

4 boneless pork top loin chops - 1 inch thick
Pineapple slices

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Combine sauce ingredients in a small pan and simmer until sugar dissolves.
Cook pork chops 6 - 7 minutes per side, brushing with the sauce.
Cook pineapple rings 2 - 3 minutes per side.

14 comments:

  1. That wine rack is the best! It reminds me of skis...and pagodas...It's lovely!

    And I adore BBQ pineapple. Actually, I adore pineapple period, but I do love it cooked in various ways, too. Yum!

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  2. Dinner looks delicious, and I LOOOOOVE the wine rack your Dad made for you - it's so beautiful

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  3. I love the sauce recipe. I bet the fresh gingerroot and lime juice really had a fresh twist. The whole dish looks so very good. The wine rack is AWESOME!!

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  4. This looks amazing, I love the added touch of the grilled pineapples, YUM!

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  5. Thanks ladies! Dad will be happy to know it's not just his family that likes his woodwork ;)

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  6. I bought pineapples last night...was craving them like crazy. Your sauce looks fabulous!

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  7. That wine rack is awesome!! I love huli huli =)

    The Star Trek movies is AWESOME!!

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  8. aaah...as the weather gets warmer, I'm smelling all sorts of delicious smells from my neighbors' grills! I really do think I need to jump in the bandwagon and get a grill too!
    thanks for the awesome sauce recipe...and grilled pineapples! lovely!

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  9. Love the wine rack - such a talented Dad!

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  10. Gorgeous wine rack!

    Love this dish. I will bemaking it soon.. what a great choice and Pineaplle is on sale this week, yippee! Perfect timing.

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  11. I had this grilled fruit phase a while ago, but it didn't include pineapple. I'll try it out!

    The wine rack is beautiful. Can your dad send me birthday presents? ;-)

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  12. Dad says thank you for the compliments on the wine rack. He is very shy about his talents. We love everything he builds and I especially have a hard time seeing things being sold, so when Dad gives them as gifts I know they will be well looked after.

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  13. What a great birthday present! I am also in love with grilled pineapple :)

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  14. What a fun Birthday present. I love grilled pineapple looks wonderful.

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