A group of our friends decided to get together for a picnic a few days ago. After a couple of suggestions we decided on the little strip of park tucked in between the Nihon Restaurant and Liliu'okalani Park at the end of Lihiwai Street by Hilo Bay.
The sun was shining, a breeze was blowing, the friends were great and the food was ono!
Everyone brought delicious food to share and to keep it all "green", not a napkin, utensil or dish was disposable.
Fruit salad in watermelon basket, delicious chicken salad with a hint of tarragon, absolutely wonderful pork bits served with either hoisin-plum sauce or mustard, roasted Kabocha squash and Maui onion salad with Italian olive oil and two kinds of sea salt mix, hard boiled eggs and lavosh type multi-grain crackers with pistachios and multi-grain crackers with seeds.
Carol & Bob, Brenda & Kevan, Trevella & Galyn and Sonia & Anthony having a fun time with a picnic at the park.
Kevan and Brenda brought some of their homemade ginger ale and wai loke (rose water) made from rose petals and simple syrup. Carol brought some refreshing agua de Jamaica (hibiscus water). We all tried a combination of all three beverages together!
To make the Kabocha Squash Salad, nothing could be simpler; line a jellu-roll pan with parchment and drizzle with olive oil. After cutting the Kabocha in 6 pieces and getting rid of the seeds and strings, place it on the parchment and roast at 400 F for about 20 minutes. Let cool, peel and cut in chunks. Serve cold with thinly sliced sweet Maui onions, a deizzle of good olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
We spent a couple of fun and relaxing hours in the middle of a busy day for everyone.
We decided we needed to do this more often!
Yes, I do find I have to pinch myself...!It is so incredibly beautiful and the scenery so varied all over the island that it never gets blasé. The mixture of the three beverages was quite good! Thank you, Mary.
Posted by: Sonia | June 05, 2012 at 05:53 AM
Oh a picnic!! What a gorgeous spot...the scenery is unreal! Do you have to pinch yourself from time to time living in such an exotic and beautiful location? The homemade ginger ale sounds so good, I would imagine mixing the three beverages would make an interesting libation :)
Posted by: Mary | June 05, 2012 at 02:29 AM