Four Foods on Friday #34

It’s business as usual at Val’s place this week. Here’s this weeks questions.

1. What is one food that is grown, produced or made near where you live. Corn! If you are from Ohio, you KNOW what’s “knee high by the 4th of July!”

2. What is one food from another location that you haven’t had anything like anywhere else. Poi. This is taro root boiled and mashed into a purple, tasteless paste. Back in the day Hawaiians used to mix it with the salty cured meats to balance out the flavor.

3. What is your favorite food from somewhere else? Rambutans. The weird looking spiky fruit tastes like a peeled grape and is very refreshing.

4. Share a family, ethnic or international recipe.

Chilled Tropical Fruit Purée with Rambutan Stuffed Pineapple

INGREDIENTS
1 can Pineapple, drained
1 can Mango, drained
40m1 lemon or lime juice
1 can Hosen Rambutan Stuffed with
Pineapple, drained
8 strawberries, quartered

HOW TO
1. Place the drained Pineapple, Mango, and lemon juice in a blender and process until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. Spoon the blended purée into a bowl and garnish with Rambutan Stuffed with Pineapple and strawberries.

SERVES: 4

TIMES: 10 minutes (excluding chilling time)

CHEF’S TIP
For an even more refreshing dessert, freeze the drained Pineapple and Mango for 20 minutes before blending.

International Year of the Reef 2008 at Maui Ocean Center

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Celebrate International Year of the Reef 2008 at Maui County’s Reef Night bash, on Sunday, June 22nd from 6-9:30pm. The theme of the event, and Maui County’s IYOR programs, is Ola Nâ Papa I Pûlama `Ia, Cherish the Living Reefs. Discover what’s going on under the surface of our oceans with over 20 exhibitors from local non-profits and eco-organizations. Enjoy live entertainment by Lei’ohu Ryder, the Abrigo ‘Ohana, Jason Sadang and more. Hear fascinating environmental and cultural presentations by Kimokeo Kapahulehua, Dr. Isabella Abbott, and a hauntingly beautiful demonstration of Hawaiian nose flute playing by Anthony Natividad. Additional activities will include a Pono…Do What Is Right! fashion show, professional and amateur invasive species cook-off, door prizes, photo wall, poster contest results and Ocean Awareness Training graduate recognition, all emceed by KPOA’s Alaka’i Paleka!

Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Admission is $16.00 for general adult, $13.00 for general child, $11.00 for kama’aina adult, $8.00 for kama’aina child - all prices include tax. Day admission receipt is not valid to attend Reef Night. A separate Reef Night admission ticket is required to attend the event.

Tickets may be purchased at ‘Ulalena Theatre in Lahaina; the Maui County Store in Maui Mall, Kahului; 9th Floor, Maui County Building in Wailuku and Maui Ocean Center’s Front Gate and Website.

Behind the scenes at Food Network Challenge: part 2

Filed Under Food Finds, Hawaii TV, Hollywood in Hawaii | 2 Comments

When they near the end of the challenge they start doing some pick up lines which is when you hear them say things like “competitors you have 1 hour left” or “get your proteins out of the imu” well after the proteins have been taken out. People began showing up in droves and sat in all of the chairs. Wimps! We were good and red and we’d only been there 2 hours at the time things peaked at their fever pitch. As time winded down, all of the chefs were scrambling to make things look just right for the judges. With about 3 minutes left, Bill Yosses decides to whip out a chainsaw to present his drink or some aspect of his dish in an ice sculpture and his blade broke so that shot that idea! (They later had us “react” to his blade breaking as well as looking forward like we were watching the chefs when no one was up there at the time and clapping and getting audience shots. Ooh we were so big time) Regardless, everyone finished on time though technically they had an extra 20 seconds. We started the countdown and one of the producers ran in front of the camera to grab something and we had to stop. Then when they got situated, we began the 5 second countdown again. Everyone cheered wildly and were encouraged to be boisterous and loud. The chefs shook hands and hugged and were glad standing over boiling pots in 100+ degree heat was done. Bev and Sam were at his kitchen resting when he motioned us up to his kitchen. Ooh we felt so privileged going past the ropes! LOL He introduced us to Bev who was very nice and we all chit chatted. Then Keegan saunters up to all of us for an interview for the crowd. (See above pic)

Is there good pizza on Maui?

Filed Under Food Finds, Restaurant Review | 2 Comments

You know when you’re vacationing on different islands, sometimes you don’t feel like local food or some expensive splurge, you just feel like a good old fashioned pizza. We have found over the years that pizza on Maui is, to us, severely lacking. We tried Pizza Paradiso in the Honokowai area and were unimpressed. We heard really good things about BJ’s Chicago Pizzeria and felt it was a little bland and expensive. Vinny’s Pizza was probably the worst pizza we’ve ever had…anywhere. It said “authentic New York style pizza”…I beg to differ. NY style is thin but not thin as rice paper, barely any sauce and it was SWIMMING in grease. We went through 3 paper towels soaking the grease off of it. Pizza Hut is just awful anymore, it’s certainly not what it was back in the 80’s. It tastes distinctly manufactured over the past 10 years so you can’t even rely on the big chain pizza places for good food anymore.

We’re really not that picky when it comes to pizza, I swear! This year we’re going to try Round Table Pizza in Kihei. It looks good and while we don’t stay in that area, we’re making a special trip because we’re that desperate! I still get sticker shock when I see pizza prices like $25 for their “Maui Zaui” pizza.

We’re beginning to think a good zesty pizza pie just isn’t possible on the Valley Isle but we’d love to be proven wrong! So does anyone have any suggestions?

Hawaiian word of the week

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Pele-(peh-leh)- The Hawaiian Volcano Goddess of fire. Many legends surround her.

The alphabet contains 12 letters: 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 7 consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p, w). To simplify pronunciation, sound consonants as in English and break up words so they are easy to say (ie- Humuhumunukunukuapua’a would be pronounced humu-humu-nuku-nuku-apu-a-a)

Pronounce vowels as follows:

a - a in above; e - e in set; i - ee in see; o - o in some; u - oo in moon.

Pronounce vowels marked by a glottal stop (`) quickly ie- o`o sounds like oh-oh! in English.

Stress rising dipthongs (ae, ai, ao, au, oi, ou, eu, ei) on the first letter and end with a short e, i, o or u. ie- oi sounds like oy in soy, ending with a short “i”.

CLOSED Giveaway: Win Hawaii art from The Little Grass Shack

Filed Under Sweepstakes/Giveaways | 63 Comments

Need to brighten up your home or office with some beautiful art from the islands of Hawaii? Here’s your chance to win this 11×17 print of this beautiful rain drenched pink plumeria taken on the island of Kauai. It’s common size makes it easily frameable so you can personalize it to match your decor!

All you have to do is leave a comment below (leave email or website url to be contacted) and subscribe to True Aloha. The winner will be picked on June 21st, the first day of summer!

If you’d like to purchase this or other beautiful Hawaii art, stop by The Little Grass Shack’s art section!

(Deadline midnight HST)

Aloha Friday Recipe: Chocolate Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies

Filed Under Local Recipes | 1 Comment

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 tsp. shortening
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup Unsalted Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts (coarsely chopped)
• 1/4 cup Unsalted Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts (finely chopped)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

In large bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla together. Slowly stir in flour until well blended. Add coarsely chopped macadamia nuts. On waxed paper shape cookie dough into a roll approximately two inches in diameter. Roll waxed paper around dough then wrap the roll in aluminum foil. Place in refrigerator, chilling at least 2 hours or more.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove chilled cookie dough and cut roll into slices between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until they turn golden brown around the edges.

While cookies cool on a wire rack, pour 1/4 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts into small bowl. Melt chocolate chips in a bowl in microwave. Add shortening to warm, melted chocolate chips, blending well. Dip one end of each cookie into chocolate, then into the finely chopped macadamia nuts and place on wax paper. Refrigerate cookies until chocolate hardens. Store in cool place.

Recipe courtesy Mauna Loa Nuts

Bento #5

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Have I really only done a formal bento five times?? Ugh. I’ve been doing the grab and go’s lately and I’ve been griping about not getting in enough fruits and veggies. Well the easiest way to get them in, for me at least, is by doing bento lunches. It’s not that I don’t have the veggies cut up and ready to go, I do but for some reason I just don’t open the crisper drawer. So I decided to stop griping and start bento-ing. (Would that be a verb?)

So in today’s Aloha Friday bento I have a ham and swiss croissant sandwich with yellow mustard, baby carrots, broccoli, orange slices and red seedless grapes. I indulged getting croissants for the first time and I think that was a mistake…they’re YUMMY!! I hope 6 months from now I’m not saying “I’m Anele and I’m a croissant addict.”

For the keiki…

Filed Under Fun Stuff | 1 Comment

Most kids are out of school now and looking for fun activities to do. Many don’t realize one of the best ways to have fun with your child is right at home. What better way to bond with your child than cooking together? NickJr offers some activities for the keiki including recipes that parents can make with their kids! You can start with a fun recipe to make Dora and Boots’ Monkey Bread.

Click here to begin your culinary adventure!

Summer Sale at Sunsets of Hawaii

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With the cost of everything rising from gas to food and everything in between, many people are taking “staycations” this year. The staycation is for those trying to save money by maximizing the activities they can do close to home. This doesn’t mean you can’t watch a Hawaiian sunset from the comfort of your air conditioned living room.

SunsetsofHawaii.com is having a summer sale when you buy direct through their website. Get $2.00 off each DVD with these coupon codes added at checkout:

Sunsets of Hawaii coupon code: QP9DCNGM
Sunsets of Kauai coupon code: SCRWYEQR
(Tax and shipping charges may apply)

These make great souvenirs if you’ve returned from a Hawaiian vacation, miss the islands or would like to have some good background scenery for your luau. Stop by SunsetsofHawaii.com today!

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