Enjoy National Parks for free until Sunday!

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This week the National Park system is waiving entrance fees to many national parks! 

If you are in Hawaii, you’ll get to see some amazing national parks.  To check which parks are participating, click here.

Tsunami warning has been cancelled

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County Civil Defense Agency has cancelled the tsunami warning.  However some coastal areas in Hawaii may still experience abnormalities in currents so please do NOT go into the ocean today!  If you see exposed reef, go inland as this is a sign of the water receding before a surge.  See post below for links on sites to stay updated.

Update:  Ticket holders for tonight’s luau at Old Lahaina Luau…da party is back on!  Eat some kalua pork and have some of their awesome punch for me!

From OLL’s FB page “Aloha friends, family & fans! Old Lahaina is happy we’ve received the all-clear from civil defense. We are busily preapring to open up to receive your phone calls and host tonight’s luau. The show will go on and we’re excited to host you and your guests!”

Aloha Friday Recipe: Kim Chee Soup

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2 pounds pork butt OR 2 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, chopped
1 tablespoon Hawaiian salt
6 to 8 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bottle (12 ounces) won bok hot kim chee, cut into bite size pieces
Salt, pepper, and/or shoyu
1 bunch watercress, chopped into 2-inch pieces

Place meat into a large pot; add water to cover. Stir in Hawaiian salt and garlic; cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until meat is tender. Remove meat from broth then strain broth and return the broth and the meat to the pot. Add additional broth or water if necessary. Bring to a boil. Add the kim chee (including kim chee liquid) to the soup; stir; season to taste with salt, pepper and/or shoyu. Add watercress to the soup and remove from heat; serve immediately. Very ono & will certainly warm you up.

Recipe courtesy of KPOA.com’s Honey I’m Hungry, What’s for Dinner?

Four Foods on Friday 101

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Do you have any food related New Years resolutions?
Nope.  This isn’t a new year’s thing but we buy one new thing to try at the grocery store per trip to the store.  If we hadn’t done this, many things that are now staples of our food diet wouldn’t be.  I highly recommend it!

What’s one thing you’d like to learn how to make from scratch this year?
My grandma’s noodles.

What’s the most unusual thing in your cabinet, refrigerator or freezer right now?
Black Beluga Lentils.  Haven’t tried them yet and we’re kind of scared!  LOL

What kind of can opener do you have?
Funny you should ask, our under the counter can opener just bit the dust so I’ve been kickin’ it old school with a manual one until we can figure out what we want to replace it.

If you’d like to play along, there’s still time!  Stop by Val’s place and post on your blog by tomorrow!

Don’t have an imu for Christmas? No problem!

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Kauai residents looking to cook up some ono food for the holidays have the option of using the imu service provided by the Kapa’a High School girl’s basketball team.  There is a charge for tickets to do so but it benefits the girls basketball team program so it’s a tasty, worthwhile cause!

For more information on this program, go here.

Indulge in dessert for a good cause

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Roy’s is taking part in Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out September 20-26, 2009.  To help support this great cause and raise awareness, all Roy’s locations will be donating proceeds generated from sales of the Classic Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé during the week of September 20.

Share Our Strength is a national organization that raises money to aid community programs across the country to help children at risk of hunger. In addition to Great American Dine Out, the foundation uses a variety of programs to help raise funds to support their initiatives.

To learn more about Share Our Strength and the Great American Dine Out, please click here. To make a reservation, please click here.

Picture courtesy of Roy’s Restaurant.com

Maui Ocean Center is honu central in August!

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A must for any honu enthusiast, the Turtle Tour Package is available exclusively in August during Turtle Mania!  Upgrade is $15 and includes a special naturalist tour and complimentary lunch or dessert option from the Reef Café.  Their naturalists will take guests behind the scenes to see and even help out with food preparation for the turtles on exhibit.  A fascinating presentation will teach guests all about turtles, including the special care that goes into keeping the turtles at Maui Ocean Center.  Tours begin at 11:30 am, with signup and check-in at the Front Gate.  Spaces are limited and reservations are strongly encouraged. Call 270-7089 to reserve a Turtle Tour.

Dates: Wednesdays - August 12, 19, 26
Time: 11:30 am
Place: Meet at Front Gate
Cost: $15 for adults and children, park admission not included
Reservations: Highly recommended, call 808-270-7089

Will the new “Kauai” movie negatively impact tourism?

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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)

Na Kai O Ke Ao at Maui Ocean Center

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Oceans play a vital role as an irreplaceable source of sustenance and recreation throughout the world.  In June, Maui Ocean Center celebrates World Oceans Day with an entire month of special events and by joining in on the worldwide screening of the film A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fish.

Along with daily naturalist presentations, OceanFest, and special aquarium activities, there will be plenty of exciting craft stations and story times for keiki ages 3-12.

Keiki Activities
Children’s craft stations will be offered on June 3, 12, 17, and 22 from 10 am-2 pm in the aquarium’s interactive Marine Mammal Discovery Center. Maui Ocean Center’s enthusiastic volunteer staff will be there to assist children.

Every Saturday, an intriguing story time told by an Ocean Naturalist will take place in the Hawaiians and the Sea exhibit. A fun craft will follow story time.

Craft Stations
Dates: June 3, 12, 17, 22
Time: 10 am-2 pm
Place: Marine Mammal Discovery Center
Cost: Included with park admission

Story Time
Dates: Saturdays - June 6, 13, 20, 27
Time: 11:30 am
Place: Hawaiians and the Sea exhibit
Cost: Included with park admission

Celebrate the first annual Maui Brewers Festival!

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FIRST ANNUAL MAUI BREWERS FESTIVAL
Saturday, May 30 Events Lawn 2:30- 6:30 pm
Presented by Kona Brewing Company, a new event to highlight the food n’ brews of the Pacific.
Be a part of this inaugural fun event to help the MACC celebrate its 15th Birthday!  Get your tickets Early!
With (20) Brewers serving (40) Brews from Hawaii and around the globeEntertainment includes:
Island Rumours Band featuring Rick Veto!
Erin Smith & the Throwdowns
Off Tomorrow
and Celtic Tigers
For a complete listing of brews and food vendors click here

Tickets: General Audience $50 advance. ($75 day-of-event) Includes 8-4 oz. pours in a keepsake commemorative mug, and grazing freely among the numerous pupu offerings. General admission attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs or mats, and enjoy the music as they would for The MACC’s annual Ki Ho‘alu (Slack Key) and Ukulele Festivals.

Premium $150 ticket ($175 day-of) which allows access to the Kona Brewing Company VIP Liquid Aloha Lounge, featuring wait service in shaded seating, complimentary parking, and commemorative T-shirt and mug. BUY TICKETS

 

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