Surfer Andy Irons passes away

Filed Under Hawaii Sports | Leave a Comment

Hawaii has lost a surfing legend. Pro surfer Andy Irons, 32, has passed away suddenly leaving behind his pregnant wife who is scheduled to give birth to their first child next month. An exact cause of death has not been confirmed but an autopsy will be performed. The New Zealand Herald is reporting that Irons was battling dengue fever, a viral disease at the time. Several prescription medications were found on his nightstand prompting the autopsy to see if there was an accidental overdose. Irons was scheduled to compete in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing in Hawaii next week which he had won four times.

To see Billabong’s press release, click here.

The humpbacks are back

Filed Under Current Events, Travel Tips | Leave a Comment

The first humpback whale has been spotted off of Maui! If you’re interested in seeing one of these beautiful creatures up close in the wild, official whale watching season is typically December through April with a few hanging around until the beginning of May. So plan your trip accordingly if whale watching is on your itinerary!

To read more about the humpback’s arrival, click here.

Hawaiian Word of the Week

Filed Under Word of the week | Leave a Comment

Corn- Kulina (koo-lee-nuh)

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: Rustic Maui Onion Bread

Filed Under Local Recipes | Leave a Comment

2 cups lukewarm water (80–90° F.)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast or 15 grams fresh active yeast
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
3 ½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour (can be made using half wheat
and half white flour)
Reserve ½ cup flour
Topping: caramelized Maui onions
1 large Maui onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Put 2 cups lukewarm water in large bowl. Stir in sugar. Sprinkle yeast over top of water and allow to soften for 20 minutes in a warm area.

Add to the yeast mixture the olive oil, salt and one cup of flour. Stir with a large whisk until all lumps disappear. Add flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. Dough should be soft, sticky and not completely smooth looking. Whisk in the reserved ½ cup or of flour if the dough is still soft.

Oil a large bowl and scrape the dough into it. Drizzle with oil to make sure the surface of the dough is oiled enough so as to not form a crust. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes to an hour. Do not punch down. (If you are making the dough ahead for baking the next day, place in refrigerator before allowing to rise.)

While bread is proofing, heat a large sauté pan over a medium flame, add the oil and the onions, stirring till the onions brown. Add the brown sugar to further caramelize the onions. Let cool. Can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator till needed.

For same-day bread, when dough has doubled, do not punch down. Oil a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking sheet. Slide dough out into prepared pan. Dough will be soft and will slide easily. Gently pull, stretch and push dough so that it covers the sheet and fills corners. Brush the dough with another 1 tablespoon olive oil, Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draftfree area until puffed, about 1½ hours.

Preheat oven to 400° and place rack in center of oven. Bake bread until golden brown, about 35–40 minutes. Bread will be done when edges have a hollow sound when tapped with your fingers. Allow to cool a couple of minutes, then transfer to rack to continue cooling.

Recipe courtesy of EdibleCommunities.com

Hawaii Geocaches

Filed Under Geocaching in Hawaii | Leave a Comment

Planning to do a little geocaching on your next vacation? Check these out!

Fiftieth Anniversary Cache (Maui)

The Colored Leaf Cache (Big Island)

Wailua State Park (Kauai)

Aloha Keiki Cache (Oahu)

Looking to get started? Here are a few recommended handheld GPS’ to start your adventures.

Maui Mall Pet Costume Contest

Filed Under Fun Stuff | Leave a Comment

Is Spot or Fluffy a fan of dressing up for Halloween? Show them off at the Maui Mall Pet Costume Contest!

Friday, October 29th
Center Stage From 6pm-8pm
(registration starts at 5pm)
Only $10/entry and all proceeds benefit the Maui Humane Society!

Categories:
Scariest
Most Unusual
Cutest
Best Look-A-Like Pet and Owner

If you’re unable to attend but still want to help out Maui’s homeless animals, click here to donate online.

Hawaiian Word of the Week

Filed Under Word of the week | Leave a Comment

Candy- Kanake (kuh-nah-kay)

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: Island-Style Beef Short Rib Stew

Filed Under Local Recipes | Leave a Comment

3½ lbs Beef Short Rib (bone-in)
2 lbs Potato (peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks)
2 cups onions (coarse chop)
4 ea. celery stalk (2-inch pieces)
1 lb carrots (cut into 2-inch pieces)
1 cup tomato paste
5 cups beef or chicken broth
4 garlic cloves (large – pushed through a press)
3 tomato, chopped
3 bay leaf

Cut each short rib into 4 pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat pressure cooker over high heat with oil. Sauté the beef short ribs for 1 minute. Add onions and garlic and cook for another minute until golden brown. Then add broth, tomato, tomato paste, bay leaf and cover. Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 40 minutes. Allow the pressure to come down naturally. Remove the lid, making sure it is tilting away from you to allow the excess steam to escape. Add the potatoes, carrots, onions and celery and place cover back on. Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring the pressure back to high. Then, reduce to maintain a high pressure and cook for 5 minutes. Quick-release the pressure. Remove the lid, making sure it is tilting away from you to allow the steam to escape. Serve.

Recipe courtesy of Roy Yamaguchi HSN

Attention all athletes

Filed Under Hawaii Sports | Leave a Comment

Maui, the birthplace of XTERRA, hosts the 2010 World Championships for qualifying tour athletes from 20 different countries and 40 states. Five-hundred-fifty international racers will embark on a mental and physical test of endurance in sand, lava and ocean under the Maui sun. The 27-mile swim, off-road bike ride and run takes these champions from sea level to 1,400 feet through the foothills of Haleakala and back. Come cheer on these warriors as they complete this emotional journey. Want to participate in your own off-road excursion? Sign up for the 5k/10k trail run starting at 8 a.m. Oct. 23rd, the day prior. Entrance fees of $25(5k) and $30(10k) benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui County. Racers will receive a race day shirt and post-race refreshments.

For more info, click here.

New vegan dining option on Kauai

Filed Under Food Finds | 1 Comment

Rainbow Living Foods is a new eatery in Kapa’a offering everything from “burgers” to shakes, sweets and salads. If you’d like to find out more about this great new vegan option, click here to go to the Garden Island article.

« go back — keep looking »