Aloha Friday Recipe: Basil and Mac Nut Pesto

November 21st, 2008

Filed Under Local Recipes | Leave a Comment

Ingredients

5 cups sweet basil leaves, well packed
1/2 cup whole macadamia nuts
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Place basil, nuts, garlic, and cheese in the bowl of a food processor, process until leaves and
nuts are finely chopped. With the machine running, add olive oil in a slow steady stream.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 3 1/2 cups.

Four Foods on Friday #56

November 20th, 2008

Filed Under FFoF | 5 Comments

Posting a day early for those who want to get in their post in time. Don’t be afraid, jump on in and swing by Val’s place to play along!

#1. What’s the worst tasting food you’ve ever eaten?
My dad made some noodle dish when I was in 2nd grade and he sprinkled caraway seeds all over it and I about gagged. He sat there and made me eat it. 3 hours later when Mom got home, she threw it away and even now if I even get a WHIFF of rye bread or even see the words caraway seeds, I almost retch.

#2. Share a funny or embarassing story about a meal you’re made.
Made my famous meatloaf for the in-laws at their place and I couldn’t find a glass pan so I used her cookie sheet…and burnt it beyond recognition. Note to self, use foil if you’re forced to use a cookie sheet. To make a bad situation worse, I went to sprinkle on some italian seasoning on roasted potatoes and hers didn’t have the shaker snapped on tight and half the bottle fell out onto the potatoes. Next note to self, never cook at anyone elses house.

#3. What food do you burn or have problems cooking most often?
Pancakes. I don’t burn them but they’re never golden looking. I’ve tried every temp setting on the stove and the first two might turn out fine but the last two will be a little darker looking. It’s irritating.

#4. Name two foods you’ll be eating on this Thanksgiving.
Turkey and noodles. YUM! One week until chow time!

Crazy gagdet for Lilo and Stitch fans

November 19th, 2008

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Now I’m as big a Lilo and Stitch fan as an 8 year old. I’ve got a few stuffed animals and do dads they released and I could probably recite dialog from the movie. However I’m a little puzzled by Disney’s newest addition their Lilo and Stitch line of products 6 years after its release. The Stitch USB powered humidifier plugs into your computer and “belches” warm, wet air to keep your nasal passages properly moisturized during those dry winter months. Yeah. I can buy the novelty of that but they seem quite a few years too late but how much would you be willing to pay for such an item? $10? $20? $50? Try $117!!!! Good luck selling any of these lovelies Disney especially in this economy.

Coming to the islands? What should you expect?

November 18th, 2008

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The following are good tips from TravelSmartHawaii.com pre-arrival to Hawaii.

How to Dress
When deciding your wardrobe for Hawaii, plan on packing clothes that suit your lifestyle and travel plans. Start with clothes that are light, loose, and comfortable.

Daytime
• Shorts, sandals or some good walking shoes
• Short sleeve shirts or tops
• Hat and sunglasses
• Swim trunks or swimsuit for the beach

Evenings
• Casual pants and shirts for both men and women
• Dress or skirt and top for women
• Sport coat (if you plan to visit Hawaii’s finest restaurants)
• Light jacket or sweater

Special situations
You’ll need warm clothes if your trip will take you to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park or the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island, or to Maui’s Haleakala National Park. That also applies if you’ll be hiking at higher elevations or spending time on the ocean. It does get cool on occasion, particularly if you’ll be spending time up-country on one of the islands, so it’s probably smart to bring a coat or sweater if that’s where you’re headed. Consider bringing:
• Light coat or windbreaker
• Sweater or sweatshirt
• Long pants
• Hiking shoes

It’s also a good idea to check what your weather averages are. We’re heading into rainy season so you may want to consider whether that’s an issue for you or not. Also note when low and high seasons are. You will pay more around the holidays and many accommodations will require a minimum stay that is longer than their typical requirements. If you’re planning a trip to the Big Island, accommodations fill up well in advance around the time of the Ironman Triathlon (October 10, 2009) and Merrie Monarch Festival (April 12-18, 2009.) The Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo tends to fill up the rentals in Volcano, Hawaii 30 miles away where rentals are limited so book way ahead around this time of year.

Hawaiian word of the week

November 17th, 2008

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Ohana-(oh-ha-na)- Family

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: Curried Mahi Katsu

November 14th, 2008

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Ingredients

1 pound mahi mahi fillet
1 to 2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cornflake crumbs or panko (Japanese flour meal for breading)
Vegetable oil for frying

Marinade:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)

Instructions

Cut Mahi Mahi into serving pieces and score. Make marinade and soak mahi for 30 minutes. Dip mahi in beaten egg, coat with crumbs. Heat oil to 375 degrees, fry mahi until golden brown; drain on paper towels. Makes 3 servings.

Four Foods on Friday #55

November 13th, 2008

Filed Under FFoF | 8 Comments

Aloha all! It’s time for another installment of Four Foods on Friday. As usual, I post a day earlier so those of you who would like to play along can go over to Val’s place to post your responses in time. The more the merrier! This week’s are Thanksgiving oriented.

#1. Stuffing. Boxed or from scratch?

I always use boxed because I’ve tried from scratch once and it wasn’t as good as I thought it should be. I really want a good from scratch recipe that is like you find in restaurants. It’s got a slightly wetter texture with big chunks of bread. Maybe one of the participants will have some good recipes.

#2. If you were served the perfect Thanksgiving dinner what would it be?

Turkey, stuffing, grandma’s noodles and gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans for good measure and those little bake and serve rolls and of course a piece of pumpkin pie. People have tried to use other types of rolls over the past few years and it’s NOT the same. I told my mom this year she’d better bring the right rolls since others cannot be entrusted with the job! LOL

#3. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving leftover?

My grandma’s noodles. I mean I love all of the leftovers but we only get those twice a year so they’re a special treat-fresh or reheated.

#4. Share a recipe using turkey.

God love her, Grandma comes from the school of wake up at 4am, put the turkey in and let it cook all day. The resulting bird requires something wet whether it’s gravy, ketchup or drink to get it down. I made the mistake of bringing an extra bird last year since our growing family can no longer support a 22 lb bird and leftovers. People RAVED about my turkey. So my recipe is very basic but tasty.

Separate the skin from the meat of the turkey to make pockets and rub butter in between the layers so it’ll be trapped by the skin but melt into the meat. Now I use plain butter when I bring it for Thanksgiving but if I’m doing it at home I cut up fresh herbs like rosemary and sage, add black pepper and a touch of honey to the butter, mix it up and use that to rub in the pockets. Make sure you butter the outside as well and put a little coarse black pepper and a sprig of rosemary in the cavity, follow the directions on the bird and you can’t go wrong. For slight variations for the cavity stuffing you can put cut citris of your choise along with whole herbs and peppercorns. If you want to go all “Martha” for the presentation you can tuck bay leaves in a pattern under the skin for flavor and wow factor.

Sammy’s Beach Bar and Grill review

November 12th, 2008

Filed Under Food Finds, Restaurant Review | Leave a Comment

When I found out former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar opened a restaurant at Kahului Airport on Maui, I knew we’d have to stop in. The hubby is a big fan and we needed to go for no other reason but to say we went. We had some time to kill between flights so we decided to order. I’m not a drinker but I had to order a Waborita so I could say I had one. To say it knocked me on my okole would be an understatement! Not just from the alcohol but also the astronomical price of $15!!! Maybe drinkers are used to paying that much but I don’t remember seeing a price next to it and had I seen that, I wouldn’t have gotten it. I have to say that for the money the effects lasted a long time so I guess that’s getting the most for your dollar.

I ordered the Crispy Pescado Mahi (Fish and Chips) and my hubby ordered the Pork Quesadillas. See that little thing covered up with jicama julienne strips? That’s my fish. While the Mahi was really juicy and flavorful, it was about 2 oz and for what I paid ($17.99) that is just outrageous. It was literally 4 tiny bites. As you can see from the picture there is much more chips than fish. The only upside to that is the delectable avacado cream they serve with it. It is WONDERFUL and I’m not an avacado girl at all. The hubby got the pork quesadillas and they were good and the size of the quesadilla was decent but he said for what he paid ($18.99) there wasn’t enough pork to justify paying extra for it. That black stuff on top is a black bean puree which is a good idea but kind of freaky looking.

Maui Santa Paws 2008

November 11th, 2008

Filed Under Event, Hawaii Charities | Leave a Comment

Maui residents bring your furry family members in to have their holiday picture taken! Memory of Maui professional Photographers will be partnering with Maui Humane Society for this special holiday event! The photo package is $40 and includes: 1 - 5×7, 1 - 4×6, a CD of all pictures taken, AND a $100 gift certificate to Memory of Maui Photography!

Dates & Times & Locations:

Sat. Nov. 15th @ Maui Humane Society 10am - 2pm
Sun. Dec. 7th @ Lee’s Pet Grooming, Kahului 10am - 2pm
Thurs. Dec. 11th @ Maui Humane Society 3pm - 7pm
Sat. Dec 13th @ Lahaina Gateway Shopping Ctr 10am - 2pm

Hawaiian word of the week

November 10th, 2008

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Malama pono-(mah-la-mah po-no)- Take care

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”.

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