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

 

Aloha Friday Recipe: Twice Cooked Coconut Shrimp

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1 1/2 pounds large shrimp – peeled and deveined
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup ice water
2 cups shredded coconut
1 quart vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup Dijon-style prepared mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Peel, devein and wash shrimp. Dry well on paper towels. Mix together flour, cornstarch, salt and white pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the ice water. Stir to blend. Pour the coconut into a shallow pan. Dip the shrimp one at a time into the batter, then roll the shrimp in the coconut. Once coated, place each shrimp into a frying pan of oil heated to 350 degrees. Fry the shrimp in the hot oil until lightly browned; about 4 minutes. Bake the fried shrimp in a preheated 300 degree oven for 5 minutes. Make the dipping sauce: combine marmalade, mustard, honey and hot sauce in a small bowl. Mix well. Serve the shrimp and dipping sauce side by side.

Recipe courtesy Allrecipes.com

Upcoming shows at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center

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The Maui Arts & Cultural Center has some great shows coming up in the next few weeks/months.  Whether you live on the island or are going to be visiting and want to add some pizzazz to your night, see who will be lighting up the Valley Isle.

February 24th-Jimmy Buffett

February 28th- Steve Miller Band

March 13th- Augie T

March 21- Diana Krall

March 24th- Journey

March 28th- Na Leo Pilimehana

If you’re interested in purchasing tickets for any of the above events, click here.

New Years Eve in the islands

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Don’t have any plans for New Years Eve? Here are a few events going on around the islands. Why not call and see if they still have some seats available and ring in 2009 with some famous faces?

Foreigner at the Sheraton Waikiki For more info, click here.

The Bangles at Hilton Hawaiian Village  For more info, click here.

For more ideas, grab your local paper and check the calendar.  They always have a section for New Years Eve goings on.  Whatever you end up doing whether going out or staying home, please drink responsibly!  Have a wonderful night and Happy New Year to you all!

For the keiki…

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It’s holiday time and now is a great time to share some great Christmas stories and give the kids an activity too!  Northpole.com has lots of great activities but a great one is a page with stories that you can read to your kids, they can have read to them online or maybe they can read to you!  They offer coloring pages to go along with them as well!  The perfect thing to get the whole family into the Christmas spirit.

To get started, click here.

Four Foods on Friday meme #58

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Looking to participate in this fun meme on your own blog?  Don’t be shy!  Hop on over to Val’s place and sign up while there’s still time for tomorrow’s posting deadline!

#1.  Does your family usually eat meals in the kitchen or somewhere else?

Oh we only have a “2 butt kitchen” so there will be no eating going on in the kitchen but we eat at the dining room table every night.

#2.  Who usually does the dishes in your house?

It used to be his duty since we made the deal that if I cooked, he cleaned up but since he’s not always quick enough to load the dishwasher anymore the duty is more 60/40 on my side. 

#3.  What’s your favorite small appliance or tool in the kitchen?

Hmm…I love my apple corer/slicer.  Also like my Pampered Chef little metal spatula which is the perfect size for brownies or appetizers.  I love the crock pot so much I have 4 of them.  2 big ones, 1 medium sized and one mini one for dips.  I thnk those are the ones I use most often.

#4. This one’s for my son. Share a recipe for chili.

I have a suspicion most wouldn’t like my recipe because it really tastes more like spaghetti sauce than traditional runny chili.  I like my chili thick and rib sticking so this is my recipe. 

In a crock pot put together the following ingredients:

2 big cans of plain tomato sauce
1 10 oz can of tomato paste
1 1/2 lbs of browned, drained and fat washed off ground beef
2 cans of chili hot beans
1/2 diced onion
1 packet of hot chili seasoning (like McCormick)
Extra seasoning of black pepper, cumin and chili powder

Let that simmer on low all day and as you serve, sprinkle with Asiago and/or parmesan cheese and add oyster crackers or your favorite crackers.  If you like yours a little more traditional tasting, omit the onion and add 1 medium sized jar of hot picante sauce to thin it out a bit.

Hana Highway finally reopened!

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After nearly two years, the back road that links the remote Kaupo and Kipahulu communities is open once again. The road was closed following a 6.7 earthquake that destabilized cliff faces & undermined the highway.

For more on the story, click here.

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