Italian Mango Mimosa

Yesterday we achieved a personal goal which I can't discuss, that's why it's PERSONAL!  But, I will say it was reason to celebrate.  We chose to celebrate with a newly concocted drink, called an Italian Mango Mimosa.  In my mind anything having to do with Italy or somewhere tropical like Hawaii, is the place to be.  And, if you can't be there, at least you can bring those flavors into your kitchen.

I made some homemade lemon liqueur a while back and I figured it would go perfect in this.  It did!  If you need to celebrate or just whisk your brain into tropical vacation mode, try this.  It's an adult smoothie with a twist!

Italian Mango Mimosa

1 cup orange juice

1/2 large or 1 small mango, peeled and cut from pit

Place in a blender and puree.  Add about 1 cup of ice and chop/blend.  Add 3/4 - 1 cup of limoncello.  Blend and serve.  Simple, simple, simple!  Garnish with fresh mint sprig or umbrella and be prepared to dream!

Italy?

Who's that gorgeous pool boy?

Or Hawaii?

In a "Jam" Passion Fruit Bars

On our last trip to Hawaii we happened upon a farmer's market.  On any given day in different areas you can find a great farmer's market.  In Hawaii, it's everything you'd expect it to be.  Vendors selling lotions fragrant with tropical scents, Hawaiian clothing, trinkets made from coconuts, and loads of fresh fruits and vegetables.

As we passed one of the fruit stands, a gal held out a sample of the best avocado I've tasted in a long time.  Being a hop, skip, and a jump away from California's legendary avocados, you'd think they would be in abundance in Northern Nevada.  Unfortunately, this time of year, you're lucky to grab one from Mexico.  Primarily they are shipped from Chile.  So, back to the Hawaiian farmer's market...  We purchased one avocado the size of Rhode Island (actually the size of a child's football) and proceeded to have several sandwiches (counted 7) from this soft green wonder!  Where can you find a great tasting gigantic avocado for $1.00?!!  I know, I should be exporting them!

In addition to the avocado, I purchased some honey and passion fruit jam after happily sampling it.  Yum!  It waited in the cupboard until the right recipe came along.  I didn't want to just spread it onto a mediocre piece of bread!  I had this recipe in my files, not sure of its origin.  It called for raspberry jam in it, which I'm sure is great, but what if I replaced that one ingredient with this golden goodness, passion fruit jam?

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

3/4 cup passion fruit jam from Hawaii (or your favorite jam will do)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 inch square pan.  In a bowl mix the brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and oats.  Mix the butter with a fork or your hands, until it is a crumbly consistency.   Press 2 cups of the mixture into the pan, spreading evenly.  Pat it down.  Then spread the jam over the top and sprinkle the remaining oat/flour mixture over the top.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool, cut and devour!  These are really good!

The website for the Hawaiian  jam is: www.honomujams.com

The Best of the Big Island - Part 3

This last "installment" of the Best of the Hawaii, the Big Island has been percolating in my mind for over a month now.  With Christmas and all, it seemed out of place with all those blogging about cookies, cakes and sweets.  But, I'm ready to divulge the BEST with a day trip to volcano country.  Off to Kilauea we go.

Madame Pelee was in a very good mood that day.  The lava was not flowing like you see in all the pictures, however it was spewing a bit of ash and smoke.  If we had gone another 1.5 hours drive toward the ocean we might have been able to view the lava flowing into the ocean.  Maybe next time.  On this trip we hiked the edge of the crater. (I think it was a 4 mile round trip)  Destination, Jaggar Museum, (hoping to see Mick there, ha ha, but all we saw were displays of history and seismic activity graphs, etc)


Hope this doesn't erupt, now!


The volcano is a "must see" and being a "foodie"  I was more than eager as we veered into a rest stop/bakery on the way and BACK (It was that good!) for lunch and a snack.  One minor problem was that I was "in maintenance" on my diet plan and what appeared before me was definitely not on the plan.  I snapped a few pictures and triumphantly stepped away from the display case, empty handed.  How was I to know that my hubby was experiencing a sweet tooth meltdown!  What he chose, I would not have chosen, but, he needed help so I took a bite or two of his blueberry turnover!  Amazing!



Can I have one of each?!!



If you're ever in the area you need to stop at the Punalua Bake Shop which is the southernmost bakery in the USA.  It warranted a second visit on the return trip!

Making it back to our friend's condo in Kailua-Kona area, we stopped briefly, shared some libation on the deck overlooking the ocean and then set off for the return trip North to our hotel.  The sun was beginning to show its colors as it sank into the ocean.  Another beautiful finish to an adventurous day!

But wait!  On the way back we happened upon an eating place that served some of the best fish tacos I've had in a long time.  It was an unassuming place on the harbor just south of the airport. "Bite Me"  was the name of the place!   It looked like some one's backyard with red picnic tables scattered around the area.  Not much ambiance but my tacos made up for it.   If you're looking for great fish tacos at a more than reasonable price ($2.50 each!) check this place out.

After a days "rest" with only beach activities, walking, snorkeling, swimming with turtles, we headed back out in a different direction, this time to Hilo.  More in Part 4 of the BEST of the Big Island!  

The "Best" of Hawaii - Part Two

Venturing out from the coast one day, after snorkeling first, of course, we went in search of King Kamehameha's birthplace.  Our first stop was at an upcountry town called Waimea or as the locals called it, Kamuela.  The landscape quickly changed as we climbed our way into "cowboy" country.  Rolling hills, cooler weather and the largest cattle ranch, Parker Ranch, in the United States calls this area home.    The town of Waimea hugs the base of Mauna Kea, elevation, 13,796.  Yes, this is where you can snow ski in the winter!

We stopped, briefly at a farmer's market that was closing up shop.  One of the remaining vendors was "Pies in Paradise", manned by Fred and his lovely wife.  In his display case was sweet potato pie, chocolate macadamia nut pie, pecan and the one hubby chose, pumpkin pie.  We shared a slice, (what a tease) and it had to be one of the best I've tasted.  We vowed never to tell my mom who makes the best pumpkin pie in the U.S. on the mainland!  But, my mom makes hers with lots of love as an ingredient!

Fred and his pies!

We continued on, over the hilly eucalyptus lined road which reminded me of Monterrey, California.  A few miles ahead and we were in the tropics with lush palms, vine covered trees and waterfalls cascading from the hills.   The road hugged the coast but  only glimpses of the ocean were seen because  the dense foliage blocked the view.  The last stop (dead end) before we headed back for the day was Waipio Valley.  This is where I regret we didn't have our hiking shoes and clothes on.  The Waipio Valley is a sacred private area not easily accessed, except by 4 wheel drive, guided ATV's, horseback or on foot.   Just gazing at its beauty had to be enough, this time.  The only thing that would have made the area more majestic would have been  a misty rainbow framing the cliffs.  But wait! 

From the lookout at Waipio Valley

The rainbow appeared outside of Waimea town

As we drove a different way back to the resort, we took the high country road perched upon a ridge overlooking the ocean, where on a clear day, views appeared  of Haleakala on nearby Maui.  This was actually voted "the most beautiful drive in the world" by Travel Magazine.   Highway 250 dropped down into an area called Hawi-Kapaau, a small quaint Hawaiian town, the birthplace of the King Kamehameha. (the first one)

We continued back to our resort in anticipation of another awesome sunset!  Every day in Hawaii is a wonderful day!  More to come!

The "Best" of Hawaii - Part One

To me, traveling to other parts of the world is like meeting your best friend for the first time.  Always exciting, and creating memories that will last a lifetime!  I have to admit, I get a little crazy when it comes to picture taking, though.  Is it normal to amass over 500 images during a one week vacation?  For me, nothing less!  It's just my way of cherishing and being able to "remember" it all.

Our trip to the Big Island was no different.  This was our 4th time to the Hawaiian islands and after much "research" we decided to stay on the big island for several reasons.  First, we've never been there.  That's good enough reason for me!  Second, our traveling friends had already booked their trip, choosing to stay in a wonderful condo complex south of Kona, a bustling mecca for shopping and restaurants.

We chose to stay in a resort complex (no cooking for me, this trip) further up North on the sunny Kohala coast, about 30 miles from the airport.   We drove up the coast, and scanned the landscape, all the while thinking it looked alot like Nevada.    Area 51 meets Hawaii!   It was the remnants of huge lava flows with sparse grasses struggling to stay alive.  Wow...not lush like you would imagine Hawaii to be.  What we found out later was that the big island has several micro climates and you didn't need to drive very far to experience them.

Our hotel, the Hapuna Beach Prince Resort, was a lovely property.  What made it special, though, was the beach setting.  Serene, quiet, romantic, and very relaxing!  Exactly what we needed.   Each day we wandered down to the beach and took our daily walk, sometimes taking a morning dip in the warm crystal clear water.  Standing knee deep you could see the schools of fish swim by.  The perfect way to start the day.

Most days we snorkeled which is one of my favorite activities in the world!  On days when we chose to sight see, we'd throw the snorkel stuff in the back of the car, just in case!   One of the "hidden" snorkel spots we found was less that 2 miles away, called Puako Bay.  We took the road less traveled, to the left, which took us through a charming community, general store, marina and a spot where mostly scuba divers entered the water.   The access to the water was easier than it looked.  At first glance, I hesitantly waded into a sheltered hole surrounded by sharp lava rocks.  This tiny entry, about the size of a hot tub, made it super easy.  Of course, the locals explained the best way to enter so our bodies would not be shredded against the razor sharp rocks, and prompted us to try it.  Very much worth the effort.

On another day, we took the road to the right where a trail led down to a gorgeous crescent shaped beach, secluded, except for Sundays.  The snorkeling there was some of the "best" I've ever done.  And the reward was being able to swim with a sea turtle!  Very cool!

I'll have several posts on our recent vacation in Hawaii.  There was so much to see and do.  Here's a few of my favorites:

The BEST snorkeling beach was Puako Bay

Puako Bay

The BEST walking sandy beach was right outside our door, Hapuna Beach.

Hapuna Beach

More to come....

The Return from Paradise - An Overview

I apologize for the lapse (over 1 week) in writing.  I guess when I arrived in Paradise last week, I never realized how fully I would decompress and relax.  It's hard not to do on the Big Island, Hawaii or any other Hawaiian island, for that matter!  I can't think of a better way to start the snowy season.  Yes it's snowing outside as I write!

I have to admit, I was slightly hesitant to visit the "Big Island" only because we are so fond of Kauai, the lush and tropical "garden isle".  You cannot base your decision on first impressions, though!  As we landed near Kona the landscape was similar in every way to the moon or what I would imagine the African Serengeti to be.  Crunchy looking black lava fields dotted with an occasional tuft of grass for miles to the North Kohala coast.

Going through lava fields near airport

We chose to stay in a hotel/resort, the Hapuna Beach Prince because of its proximity to the largest crescent  shaped walkable beaches on the island.  We were not disappointed as the view was breathtaking.  Every morning we wandered onto the beach to walk or snorkel.  What a way to start the day!

Some days we jumped into the car and took off in a different direction to get a better sense of the island.  We LOVE to explore!  The big island is very diverse in landscapes and micro climates.  If you want to go into the tropical jungle it's a mere 20 miles away.   Upcountry Waimea town is an area where grazing cattle roam the rolling green hills of the largest cattle ranches in the US, Parker Ranch.

Lush Hawaii on the Hilo side

A few more miles to the East and you're on the other side of the island, the rainy side, with the lushness of Kauai.  It also seems more native and old Hawaii style, no resorts to be found.  Heading south from there you continue until you arrive in Hilo, a large, but quaint, town. 

Not to be missed was the volcano region of Kilauea, classified as very active.  We hiked the crater rim trail (partially) for about 3.7 or so miles, an easy walk.  Another interesting sight nearby was the lava tube trail and rain forest area.

Active volcano

Busy Kailua/Kona was south of the airport, a funky shopping mecca and haven for nice fairly reasonable restaurants.  If you like to shop, this is the place.

Stay tuned for my "best of" picks while we were on the Big Island.  Aloha!