Aloha Friday Recipe: Sea Bass with Asparagus & Macadamia Nuts

Filed Under Local Recipes | Leave a Comment

WARM LEMON CURRY VINAIGRETTE:
1/4 cup finely squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

SEA BASS, ASPARAGUS AND MACADAMIAS:
4 (6-ounce) sea bass filets
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
32 asparagus spears
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts, lightly toasted
Lemon zest, for garnish
1 star fruit, for garnish

For the warm lemon curry vinaigrette: In a small saucepan, combine lemon juice, cream, curry powder and salt. Simmer over low heat until hot. Pour into a blender. With motor running, add oil in a thin, steady stream until all is incorporated. Blend in the vinegar. Return to saucepan and keep warm.

For the fish: In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons oil. Place sea bass filets into skillet and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until fish starts to flake. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, combine asparagus, oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for 1 minute. Add water to barely cover and cook over high heat until asparagus is just tender.

Divide asparagus spears between 4 plates and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons macadamia nuts. Top with a sea bass filet and drizzle with the warm lemon curry vinaigrette. SERVES 4

Recipe courtesy of KauaiMenu.com

Four Foods on Friday 84

Filed Under FFoF | 3 Comments

Looking for a fun meme to post on your blog?  Play along with this one!  Just swing by Val’s place.  There’s still time to play for tomorrow’s deadline!

1. What’s your favorite flavor of Italian Ice?
Cherry

2. Watermelon. So you prefer seeded or seedless?
There aren’t really seedless ones.  The ones that claim to be seedless still have those whitish “shells”.  I’d rather have the black ones to spit, I guess.  I don’t really eat it anyway.

3. Ice cream. Do you prefer soft serve or hard?
I like both but typically prefer the hard packed kind.

4. Ice pops. What kind is your favorite?
Flavor Ice reminds me of childhood but I remember they used to give you this weird scratchy feeling in your throat when you were done with them.  I don’t really eat those anymore either.  Hmm.

Will the new “Kauai” movie negatively impact tourism?

Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments

There’s a great article in the Garden Island news about the new thriller “A Perfect Getaway.”  For those who thought it was shot on Kauai, it wasn’t.  It was actually shot in Puerto Rico.   I’ve gotta say I’m disappointed that if you’re going to shoot footage from a helicopter to give the impression it was filmed on Kauai, why wouldn’t you just go ahead and film there?  There’s even a great tax credit to encourage filmmakers to do so!  The Kauai Visitor’s Bureau is a little concerned of the impact this could have on visitors perception of the beautiful island.  I think most people know that Hollywood’s depiction of a place doesn’t necessarily reflect on the true nature of a location but the stigma can still be hard to shake especially to a place who has already seen tourism dip by double digits due to the economy. 

To see more about this story, click here to read the article in the Garden Island news.  What are your thoughts?  Harmless Hollywood movie or potential harm to Kauai’s image?

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org)

Save Kilauea Lighthouse

Filed Under Spread the Aloha | 2 Comments

If you’ve ever been to Kauai, chances are you’ve been to the Kilauea Lighthouse.  If you live on Kauai, this beacon is no stranger to you.  Unfortunately the lighthouse has been deteriorating and they have been doing a grass roots campaign to try to raise money to help get this landmark the care it so desperately needs.

According to the website, “The historic light station consists of a concrete lighthouse, three field stone keepers’ quarters, a fuel oil shed, cisterns, and a supply landing platform. It is one of the nations most intact historic light stations.

Even in the early years, travelers came to enjoy the area’s scenic beauty and to explore the magnificent light. Today Kilauea Point is one of Kauai‘i’s most visited sites with more than 500,00 visitors a year.”

If you would like to help raise money to restore this beautiful lighthouse to its former glory, click here to donate online. 

The picture is borrowed from the Kilauea Point website.

Hawaiian Word of the Week

Filed Under Word of the week | Leave a Comment

Spring- no official Hawaiian word but sometimes used is kupulau.

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”.

Aloha Friday Recipe: Chicken and Shrimp Stir Fry

Filed Under Local Recipes | Leave a Comment

1/2 lb. skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2″ strips1 tbsp. finely minced fresh ginger root
1-2 cloves minced garlic2 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
½ tbsp sesame oil1/2 lb. deveined shelled raw med. size shrimp1 c. cauliflower½ medium onion sliced thin
½ c. sugar snap peas
½ c. sliced zucchini
½ c/ sliced yellow squash
½ c. long beans snapped in half
½ c. red bell pepper sliced into julienne strips
In preheated large skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken, ginger and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil for 2 minutes. Add shrimp and stir-fry 2-3 minutes or until chicken and shrimp are cooked; remove chicken, shrimp, ginger and garlic and set aside. Stir-fry all vegetables in remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and sesame oil about 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp. Return chicken and shrimp to skillet; heat through.

Serve over steamed jasmine rice that has been infused with lemongrass and sautéed mixed mushrooms.

Deep fried lotus root if available to you makes a lovely garnish.

Yield: Makes 4 – 6 servings

Please feel free to substitute any market fresh vegetables that are available in your area. Please note: it is best to have all vegetables cut to a similar size so that cooking will be even!

Recipe courtesy Bev Gannon’s blog

Newest Hawaii Geocaches (7/23)

Filed Under Geocaching in Hawaii | Leave a Comment

Looking to get involved in a fun activity with the family and get some fresh air?  Geocaching is a great way to do that!  Not only do you pass them everyday but you can see places off the beaten path when vacationing.  Planning a visit to Hawaii?  Visit these caches!

Anna’s Ranch  (Big Island)

Ka’onohi Beach  (Kauai)

The Flower That Shattered the Stone  (Oahu)

Past the Fruit  (Oahu)

Intrigued?  If you’re looking to get started in this activity and want to know more, click here.  If you need to get started with a simple GPS, here are a few suggestions:

It’s time for Koloa Plantation Days

Filed Under Hawaii Activities | 1 Comment

If you live on or will find yourself on Kauai this week and weekend, make sure you stop by the sunny south shore to celebrate Koloa Plantation Days!  Lots of great activities are planned all this week.  If you can’t make it, you can visit the website and watch streaming video of some of the events. 

To download the schedule of events planned, click here.

2 restaurants merge spaces on Kauai

Filed Under Food Finds | Leave a Comment

If you haven’t been to Kauai for a little while and go to the Coconut Marketplace looking for Eggbert’s for their famous banana pancakes, you might initially freak out if they’re not in the location you remember.  Fear not, you can still get those fluffy flapjacks just head on down to Kauai Hula Girl Grill and Bar.  The two restaurants now share the same space on the north side of the shopping center.  (Closest to the Plantation Hale hotel)  Personally, we love their ham and swiss omlette but they have lots of great breakfasts to start your day of exploring the island!

If you want a small example of their offerings and contact info, click here.

Hawaiian Word of the Week

Filed Under Word of the week | Leave a Comment

Winter- ho’oilo

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”.

keep looking »