Sonia Tastes Hawaii

Chocolate & Coconut Cake

While on a search for a light but Easterly dessert, my friend Deb from Georgia suggested the following recipe.  I thought it was perfect.  The coconut and the chocolate complemented each other very well...and the best part as far as I'm concerned, is that both are island products....Cacao is grown on this island and chocolate is also being made on this island....not that the ones I used were, although I could have used local if they had been available to me.

I made the cake for our Easter meal and it turned out delicious. 

See my notes below

Chocolate & Coconut Cake

1 Duncan Hines Devils food cake mix
2 cans of Cream of coconut (not coconut milk) found near liquor mixes
1 large cool whip
1 to 2 cups shredded coconut
Hershey syrup to drizzle on top if you want.
 
Bake cake as directed on box in 9 X 13 pan, while still hot from oven, poke with wooden spoon handle every inch or so. Then pour 1 can of coconut on top, wait a couple of minutes and pour second can on.

Cool in fridge.  When completely cool top with Cool Whip, and sprinkle with coconut. Then drizzle just a small amount of chocolate on top or use chocolate shavings. 

Sonia's Notes:

First, I could not find Duncan Hines Devils Food cake mix so I used Pillsbury and it was good - very light.

I made the cake in a deep 9 x 9 Pyrex dish instead of a 9 x 13, so it was a bit thicker slice when cut in squares.

Instead of 2 cans of coconut cream, although I did have 2 in my pantry, I used only one and thought that was plenty.  The cake turned out very moist.

I did not assemble the cake as explained above, I sort of layered the ingredients after serving the individual portions in clear glass bowls.

I only sprinkled a bit of coconut flakes over the cream.... I think 1-2 cups would have been too much.

We did drizzle with chocolate syrup and I topped it with a candied cherry.

YIELD: 1 9x13 cake

SOURCE: Internet recipe - shared by Deb Rogers (Southern Belles ring louder)

 

Photo: Chocolate & Coconut Cake - the slight green tinge on the bowl is a reflection from the green charger I had placed underneath the bowl and dessert plate.

Our Easter Menu

I wanted our Easter meal to be colorful, tasty and light....and it was!

A friend at Gather.com had posted what looked like a delicious cream of beet soup several weeks ago and I thought that would be the perfect beginning for our meal....and it was!

Cream of Beet Soup - courtesy of Dorine Houston

1 bunch beets 
1 bay leaf 
4 whole black peppercorns 
Water to cover 
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped 
1 shallot, peeled and chopped 
Tiny pinch cinnamon 
A few gratings nutmeg 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
1/2 cup plain yogurt 
Chopped fresh mint leaves to garnish 

Remove leaves and stems from beets; reserve greens for another use.  Wash beetroots thoroughly in several changes of water to remove all sand.  Cut the tail of the beetroot down to about an inch from the end of the bulbous part. 

Gently boil beetroots with bay leaf, peppercorns and enough water to cover them until the beets are tender through.  Depending on their size, it may take 15-30 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, plunge cooked beets immediately into ice water.  This shocks the skin loose so it is easy to peel the beets with your fingers.  Chop peeled beets and place them in a blender or food processor. 

Strain the beet cooking water into a 2-cup glass measuring cup.  If necessary, add cold water to reach 2 cups.  Pour about 1/2 cup of the water into the blender.  Process until the beets are smooth.  Pour into a clean saucepan.  Add another 1/2 cup of the water to the blender and add the apples, shallot, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Process until smooth.  Add apple mixture and remaining water to the saucepan with the beets.  Bring to barely a boil and turn the heat off.  Whisk in the salt, pepper and yogurt until smooth. 

Pour into a tureen and sprinkle with the chopped fresh, mint.  Depending on where you live, it may already be making its presence known in your garden! 

 

Sonia's notes: I divided the recipe by 1/3 and it was still a substantial amount for the two of us.

Instead of adding yogurt and whisking it in, I added a couple of dollops of sour cream.  The taste is a combination of piquant and sweet.  I will definitely make this again.

 

Photo: The Cream of Beet Soup

 

Easter Bunny Carrot & Orange Salad

 

Grated carrots

Orange juice

Orange bits

Golden raisins

 

This was one of my kids favorite salads and it had to make an appearance at the Easter table every year.  No set amounts.  Just to taste.  I grated the carrots in the side of my grater with the larger openings.  Add orange juice and bits of orange and golden rainsins.  Let it sit, covered, in refrigerator until ready to serve.  May add a bit of mayo if desired, but I don't.  Serve on a lettuce leaf.

 

Ginger Sesame Salmon

 

4 onion slices, sliced thin
2 carrots, shredded or julienned
1 pound salmon fillet (to 1 1/2 lbs)
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

Center onion and carrot on foil sheet. Top with salmon fillet.  

In small bowl, combine ginger, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Pour over salmon. Season with salt and pepper. Wrap and seal foil to form a packet.  

Cook covered, 20 to 25 minutes on medium-hot grill or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

 

Serve salmon topped with onion and carrots on a bed of spinach. Sprinkle with additional seasoned rice vinegar, if desired.

 

Baking instructions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees; bake for 16 to 20 minutes on a cookie sheet.

 

Sonia's notes: I cut this recipe in half for the two of us.   I sauteed the spinach until wilted but not overcooked in the grease after cooking the equivalent of 1 bacon slice cut in small pieces.

 

YIELD: 4 servings

SOURCE: International Recipes OnLine

 

The dessert will be on another post

 

Photo: The Carrot & Orange Salad served on Hawaii grown Manoa lettuce leaf, sour cherries in syrup in the tiny bowls,  Ginger-Sesame Salmon topped with julienne of carrots and slice of onion on a bed of sauteed spinach in bacon pieces. 

 

 

 

Making Dulce de Leche

Making Dulce de Leche

Dulce de Leche means literally Sweet of Milk.  Way before Haagen Dazs came out with a Dulce de Leche ice cream flavor; generations of Cuban children were eating Dulce de Leche as their "merienda" or mid-afternoon snack of choice. 

It can be made by several different methods, and using regular milk which you have to first curdle, but the method I prefer is one that was made by my Cuban grandmother who taught it to my American mom and in turn was taught to me. 

Our method is made with condensed milk.  Condensed milk must run in the veins of all Cuban children because we all seem to grow up eating the stuff from the time we are born.

Our method is to boil it in the can in a stock pot.  Some people will make it in the pressure cooker, and I have in the past, but since I like to make several cans at one time, I find a stock pot roomier and more convenient.

Some people express fear that the cans will explode when boiling in the can. They will if the level of water falls down below the top of the cans....so I don't let it get there.  I make sure there is always plenty of water in my stockpot.

 

There are several methods for making it, but here is mine which is quite simple

Take label off the cans.

DO NOT make holes in can.

Put several cans at the bottom of a large stock pot - I usually make about 4 to 5 cans at one time, since it takes the same amount of time and energy.

Cover with enough water to at least twice the height of the cans - most of the time I add almost 3 times height of can, depends on the pot and how heavy the bottom is.

Bring to a boil and let it boil at a rolling boil about 10 minutes or so.

 

Turn down heat and let it boil at a slow boil:

1-1/2 hr for a softer more liquid caramel
2 hours for a soft caramel
3 hours for a solid caramel that you can slide right out of the can and slice (by opening the can on both sided and pushing with one lid end out the other - same as you would a can of cranberry jelly)

By always using lots of water, there is no need to keep on adding water while it is cooking and I don't even need to check to see if water has boiled down below to the can line....

PHOTO: Opening can at both ends, push the dulce de leche out of can with one lid as you would cranberry jelly.  You get this consistency after boiling at least 3 hours.

Cooked cans can keep for months unopened without having to be refrigerated, but be sure to refrigerate after opening.

The above is the method my Cuban grandmother taught my mother and me and she made it for years and years and so have I with never having a can explode.

 

PHOTO: To make muffins or cupcakes, put part of the batter in mold, add a dollop of dulce de leche, then add the rest of the batter making sure you enclose the dulce de leche all around so it won't leak while baking.  Then I added a cinnamon and brown sugar crumb topping. 

It can be eaten as is, spooned right out of the can.
It can be used to coat a pecan half and then cover the whole thing in melted chocolate.
It can be a filling or topping for brownies.
It can be eaten with ginger cookies.
It can be eaten by dipping apple slices in it.
It can be used as a filling between two layes of cake or as a filling inside cupcakes or muffins.

 

PHOTO: For some reason I couldn't get the camera to focus right when taking this one, even after many tried...but left it so you can at least get an idea of what it will look like when the muffin or cupcake is split in two.

 

PHOTO: Served with Granny Smith apple slices.

.............and below it was served in a small parfait glass with Kona Coffee Ice Cream...........I'm sure that you can come up with other ideas for serving it!

Buen Provecho!

Tutu and the 2-minute Hawaiian Pineapple Pie

 

Tutu and the 2-minute Hawaiian Pineapple Pie

The story behind the Tutu Doll:

Hawaiian children call their grandparents Tutu.  Tutu Wahine is Grandmother and Tutu Kane is Grandfather, but the name Tutu by itself is more commonly used meaning a grandmother.

When we first opened our Inn, we also had a gift shop.  We started carrying these wonderful Tutu Dolls made by someone in the town of Waimea (Kamuela).  I have since lost track of her, but I fell in love with her dolls.  The calico print muu'muu, the lauhaha woven papale (hat) with it's lei hulu (feather lei) around the crown and the crocheted shawl completes the charming Hawaiian Tutu look.

My friend Sue who lives in the same village, fell in love with the lovable Tutu Doll in the photo, way back in 1995 and bought her for her own.  This past Christmas, 14 years later, she gave me the gift of her Tutu.  Circles of love...

When I was trying to think of a prop to use for the Hawaiian Pineapple Pie photos, my eyes immediately fell on the Tutu Doll.  Mainland Grandmothers might bake apple pies, but island Tutus love their pineapples!

This one is for you, Sue ... Mahalo nui loa ... Me ke aloha pumehana...

A foodie friend shared this recipe in one of the Internet food groups in which I'm a member.  It appealed to me due to the simplicity and the imagined creaminess I could just taste when reading it.  I made it yesterday and it turned out delicious.
So simple.  I added a slight change to the instructions as they were given.   The ingredients list just says 1 prepared 9-inch Butter-flavored pie crust......and not that anyone of my foodie friends would miss it, but the instructions don't specifically say the pie shell needs to be baked.

I was a cooking school teacher long enough to know that a little details like that will/can trip a newbie baker!
;-)

 

Two-Minute Hawaiian Pie

1 package (5.25 oz) Instant vanilla Pudding & pie filling
1 can (20 oz) Crushed pineapple in syrup, undrained
1 carton (8 oz) Sour cream
1 prepared 9-inch Butter-flavored pie crust

 

Sliced Pineapple for garnish
1/2 cup Flaked coconut for garnish

 

Pre-bake the pie shell until golden and cool before filling.

 

In a large bowl, combine the vanilla pudding mix, undrained crushed
pineapple, and sour cream; mix until well blended.

 

Pour mixture into pie crust.

 

Decorate with sliced pineapple and cherries and sprinkle with coconut.

 

Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

NOTE: Don't make the vanilla pudding according to package directions;
just add the dry instant pudding mix to the other ingredients.

 

SONIA'S NOTE:
I did everything except use sliced pineapple rings to decorate the top.  Instead I used candied, glazed cherries I had in the refrigerator and then sprinkled the coconut on top.  Turned out quite festive looking.

YIELD:  6-8 servings
SOURCE: Linn Lancaster - shared by Bob Koontz

 

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou - Happy New Year!

 

 

 

Christmas Eve Tapas

In our family we usually celebrate a Cuban style Christmas Eve Noche Buena supper but this year since it was just the 2 of us and my son has been recuperating from double pneumonia, we decided to just have a simple meal consisting of a few tapa style dishes.

One of them was inspired by a friend from near Maryland who mentioned driving all the way to the coast just to eat crab stuffed mushrooms.  I tried to buy fresh crabs just before Christmas, but could not find any in our markets and since I had decided this was one of the dishes we wanted, I resorted to using canned, which I normally would not do.  It turned out quite good, actually, as the horseradish masked the usual tinny flavor.

This is not quite a recipe, per se, as I didn't meassure the mayo and horseradish, but I used 1 can of white crabmeat.

Baked Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

2 large open capped Portobello mushrooms
6 ounce can crab meat or equivalent in fresh crab
Mayonnaise
Creamy horseradish
Melted butter

It is best when you use big, wide mushrooms with their gills open to give more room for the filling. Clean and remove the stem.

Brush the inside and outside of mushrooms with melted butter and set aside on a foil or parchment lined baking tray.

Fluff up the crab meat - if using canned - add mayonnaise and creamy horseradish to taste. You want a light mixture but not too 'soupy'.

Divide the mixture and fill the mushroom caps leaving a little mound in center.

Bake at 350 F until puffed and golden.  Serve while still hot.

YIELD: 2 servings
SOURCE: Sonia's kitchen
I had read several recipes for stuffing mushrooms with crab meat, but I wanted something simple. Some called for lemon juice, bread crumbs, dill, cheese, etc...Although I kept it to the minimun amount of ingredients, it was delicious.

Another tapa bite I wanted to try was one found in the Simply Recipes blogsite (see info below).  I used Elise's recipe as my guide, but made some changes to use up ingredients I had on hand.

Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Toast Tapas

Sometimes you can find herbed Chevre (soft goat cheese) already packaged.  If you don't, just used a combination of your favorite herbs.

Herbed Chevre (soft fresh goat cheese)

or add a combination of herbs you prefer to plain Chevre
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil - see note below

Thin slices French-bread baguette (*)
Thinly sliced smoked salmon

Thinly peeled citrus strips, cut into tiny slivers

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the goat cheese, herbs and black pepper in a bowl to blend. Set aside. (This part can be made, covered and refrigerated a day or two ahead)

Brush oil over all surfaces of the sliced bread. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and bake until crisp or about 4-5 minutes per side (This can be done a couple of hours ahead of time) - I used our toaster oven and it took about 3-1/2 minutes per side.

Generously spread cheese mixture over each piece of toast. Top them with thin slices of smoked salmon, trimming to fit, then garnish each with a thin citrus peel strip. Arrange on a platter and serve.

YIELD: Depends on length of baguette and width of slices.
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Elise's Simply Recipes site - post for Dec 20, 2008
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000900smoked_salmon_and_goat_cheese_toasts.php

(*) I used slices of a sourdough baguette I had in the freezer; pre-packaged herbed Chevre and paper thin slices of smoked salmon we already had in the refrigerator.

The peel I used was thin slivers of lime. These limes grow in our yard and the peel is very thin without much pith. They look more like a small orange than what we think of as a lime, round and orange colored when ripe. The taste is halfway between an orange and lime and the size is halfway between an orange and a small calamandin....

The taste of the peel with the goat cheese and salmon is really a great little burst of flavor and should not be skipped.

NOTE: The olive oil I used was a Blood Orange flavored olive oil, sent to me by an Internet foodie friend as part of a Holiday Gift Exchange.  The oil came from Queen Creek Olive Mill in Arizona.  Thank you, Sarah.  As you can see, I put it to use right away!

Cornish Hen in the Clay Pot

I love using my claypot especially for chicken or Cornish hens.  The meat just seems to 'melt off the bones'.

For this past Thanksgiving there were only the two of us, my son Anthony and I, so we decided to cook a Cornish hen instead of a turkey.  I thought I would be sorry to not have leftover turkey meat for sandwiches, but we were amazed at how much meat there was on that little bird. 

It was enough for the meal and leftovers rendered 5 sandwiches!

Tcook in the clay pot, you first immerse the clay pot and lid in a sink or small tub full of water until it absorbs all the liquid that it an take in.

Place the food in it and bake in the oven.

 

I marinated the Cornish hen with a mixture of juice from one large Meyer lemon, lite soy and a sprinkling of Goya Adobo  - I stuck the already juiced lemon rinds inside the cavity along with some stick oregano.

Covered it with the clay lod and baked at 350 F for about 45 minutes. 

The meat was lovely - it browned nicely without having to take the lid off the clay baker and it was so tender and juicy it literally fell off the bones. 

I served a half to each and it was so plump, we both saved half of it for sandwiches with cranberry relish and mayo. 

We will be trying this marinade again!

Half a Cornish hen, Medley of Herbed Rice and Wild Rice with Mushrooms and Onions, dressing with dried fruit, summer squash (just because they were so gorgeous), Baked Plantains with brown sugar, butter and liliko'i (passion fruit) juice and homemade Cranberry Relish.

Smoked Goat Cheese and Ginger Jelly Bundle

I had decided to use the small smoked goat cheese pyramid I received recently from my friends Dick and Heather Threlfal owners of the Hawaii Island Goat Dairy to make one of our appetizers for our Thanksgiving Dinner and ended up eating it as part of our dessert!

I have made the same thing previously but using my homemade tomato confit, which is actually my favorite, but we were completely out of the confit.

You first start with a sheet of commercial puff pastry and smooth out the folds a bit.  Place the smoked goat cheese pyramid in the center and smother it with whichever jam or jelly you decide to use.  I suggest something strong and sweet as the smoked goat cheese will be strong.

Bring up the sides of the puff pastry and fold as you bring them up around the cheese and jam, to form a little bundle.  In the past I have added chopped and toasted macadamia nuts, but I didn't his time.

Place on parchment or foil paper on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan and bake at 350 F until the puff pastry is 'puffed and golden'.

Let it rest a few minutes before serving.

Can be served as an appetizer or even as part of your dessert as we did. 

Here are the instructions for the Smoked Goat Cheese with Tomato Confit in Puff Pasty Pouch

Enjoy!

Liliko'i Rice Pudding

Photo: One of the many baskets full of liliko'i we have gathered this year so far... We have about this many every three or four days!

In Hawaii passionfruit is called Liliko'i.  I find it is one of the most versatile fruits to use as you can use it in so many ways.  We have several vines on the property that came up as volunteers.  So far this year they have produced 2 crops and I expect to have another one ready to harvest around the holidays.

You can find passionfruit juice sometimes on the mainland in frozen concentrate form  in Asian or Hispanic markets. South Americans call it Maracuya and you can also look for it under that name.

I wanted to experiment making rice pudding flavored with the taste of liliko'i and I also wanted to see if I could make it in the crockpot.  The results were delicious, but I hit a small snag.  When I added the liliko'i syrup to the milk in the crockpot, there was a bit of curdling.  It did not affect the taste, but I didn't like the looks of it so I put the rice pudding in the blender and made it smooth.  We liked the silky texture very much.

Photo: Liliko'i syrup in the little glass pitcher and fresh liliko'i blooms garnishing the pudding bowl.  A piece of the vine and fresh fruit completes the setting.  The back drop is a framed Chinese embroidered silk panel I got from my mom's house in NC during my recent trip.

Liliko'i Rice Pudding

1 cup rice (I had Calrose so that is what I used)
5 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)
2 cups sugar
1/4 to 1/2 cup liliko'i syrup (*)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook until it reaches the desired consistency. We like ours creamy, so I let it cook for 4 1/2 hours. Stir every once in a while during the cooking process.

The pudding is not your traditional completely snow white pudding as the passionfruit juice is yellow/orange and it colored the rice a bit.

(*) Taste it first before adding more to make sure you like it milder or stronger.

To make the liliko'i syrup
Pour passion fruit juice in a saucepan and add sugar to taste.  Cook until it reaches the desired syrupy consistency. Passionfruit is quite tart on its own so it needs quite a bit of sugar.

Bring to a slow boil and let it simmer until it reaches the syrupy stage you like best. Don't overcook or it will get too dense.

My crockpot is a 3 Qt West Bend and the temperature was set for High.

I used the blender to make it smooth.... More pudding-like

YIELD: Not sure yet how many portions but the 3 Qt crockpot is a bit over 3/4 full

SOURCE: Sonia's recipe

Other posts and recipes featuring liliko'i:

Demo at the Farmer's Market

Gifts from the Kitchen

A passion for liliko'i

Liliko'i...the passionate fruit and the Elizabeth Cake

Passion Fruit Hot Peper Jelly

Enjoy!

 

Tropical Ambrosia

I was asked to do a small 'festive or holiday' food demonstration at the new Kino'ole Farmers Market in Hilo.  The demo was this morning and I decided what is more festive and holidayish than an Ambrosia Salad.

In South Carolina, where we lived for many years, Ambrosia is traditionally served during the Christmas Holidays or even as part of the Christmas dinner.  Since we have so many beautiful fruits available to us at this time of year, I decided to make it a Tropical Ambrosia.

Starting with a pineapple, long recognized as 'the symbol for hospitality', I hollowed a pineapple shell with a great gadget that cores and slices it at the same time, leaving an intact shell which can be used for other purposes....of course, we saved the top to replant.

I then added the slices of small apple bananas and mixed well with the pineapple pieces and juice so they wouldn't turn color.  Building on that base I used an assortment of fruit as follows:

Pineapple cut in bite pieces

Apple banana slices

Mango, diced

Tangerine pieces

Strawberry papaya pieces

Solo papaya pieces

Star fruit slices

Persimmon, chopped

Pomegranate seeds

Coconut, freshly grated

Candied ginger, chopped in small pieces

Macadamia nuts, chopped and lightly toasted

 

Mix all together and serve from a clear glass bowl...

or in stemmed wine or martini glasses.

Heart of Palm and Garden Salad

We recently attended a wonderful food event nearby which I predict will become "the foodie event of East Hawaii" very quickly. 

I will share more on this a bit later, but I wanted to share this salad which I made with Hawaii grown heart of palm I received as a gift from our friends Michael and Leslie who own Wailea Agricultural Group not too far from us.   Leslie and Michael's company had a booth at the 'Hamakua Alive' event. 

First, let me explain, there are some varieties of heart of palm that to get to the edible part you need to chop down the whole plant, thus killing it, which never made sense to me.  The heart of palm grown and sold by Leslie and Michael is from the peach palm, which sends out 'shoots' around the main palm trunk, and these shoots are what is cut, so the palm continues to grow and produce without having to be killed. (*)  I will write more about heart of palm in the near future, but today I just wanted to share this wonderful salad.

(*) CORRECTION: Michael was here this morning and he corrected my impression of how the heart of palms were harvested.....

Actually it is the main trunk that is cut, but there are always several keiki (baby) plants coming around it to renew themselves, so using this variety is a sustainable way of harvesting...    Eat your heart and grow it too.... ;-)

Heart of Palm and Garden Salad

1 stem fresh heart of palm

a couple of handfuls of spinach (*)

a handful of pineapple sage leaves

a scattering of pineapple sage blooms

Liliko'i (passion fruit) vinaigrette

(*) I used a combination of Malabar and Moluccan (Dawn Dewa or Sambung Nyawa) spinachs from our garden.  The pineapple sage leaves and blooms also came from our garden.  The passion fruit vinaigrette was also made from fruit collected from our yard.

Pick and wash the greens early in the morning.  Pat dry with paper towels and refrigerate stored in separate ziplock bags until ready to put the salad together.

Slice the heart of palm stem in thin slices.  Store, covered in refrigerator until ready to assemble the salad.

Scatter the Malabar spinach around the platter.  Take bunches of the Moluccan (Dawn Dewa) spinach and cut into a thin chiffonade (*).  Scatter some over the Malabar spinach and save some to scatter over the sliced heart of palm.

Scatter some of the pineapple sage leaves over the two other spinachs.

Place the sliced heart of palm on top of the greens and then scatter a bit more of the chiffonade of Moluccan (Dawn Dewa) spinach and a few more pineapple sage leaves on top.  Scatter the red blooms of the pineapple sage over all.  Drizzle with the liliko'i (passion fruit) vinaigrette.

For instructions on how I make my passion fruit vinaigrette check the blog entry for the Demo at the Farmers Market

(*) A chiffonade of greens is actually any fresh greens that have been cut in thin ribbons.  To make a chiffonade, take a handful of green leaves: basil, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, etc. and loosely wad up under your hand over a cutting board.  With a very shap knife (I like to use my Santuko knife) and with rocking motions, cut across the wad of greens to make thin slices to form the ribbons.

As you can see, it makes a very festive salad.  It was also very ono (delicious) or like we sometimes say in Hawai'i, onolicious!