Sonia Tastes Hawaii

Reminiscing... The Akaka Falls Inn... (part 2 of 2)

It was a little bit after 9 am, on the morning of July 23rd, 20 years ago today, and the fire department in Hilo received 17 calls in succession, one almost on top of the other, from some of our friends and neighbors... a small fire caused by an electrical outlet in an upstairs bedroom of the Akita Building in Honomu, all of a sudden went out of control. 

The building was built in 1923. The walls were single wall construction and the ceilings were over 10 feet high.... Before we knew it, the whole upstairs was engulfed.

It was a nice, breezy Sunday morning...sheer curtains were dancing with the breeze when the spark caught one side of a curtain... My son smelled fire, went in to check and the curtain was already on fire all the way up to the top... He ran downstairs to grab the fire extinguisher (in the hallway at the base of the stairs), but by the time he got back up there, the smoke was too thick and flames had caught the wall all around the window...I had followed him up there and grabbed him by the waist of his shorts to pull him out.

 

 

Our friend Cathy was already working at the front making sandwiches for one of the 'People to People' summer tours hosted by the University of Hawaii in Hilo... and the bus had just passed on the way up to the Akaka Falls State Park...she knew they would be back to pick up lunch in about an hour or so...

I ran to the office and grabbed my car keys and threw them to Cathy, so she could move it from the driveway besides the building, so the fire trucks would have better access...then I ran back in the office to grab the bank deposit bag...and forgot all about the money in the cash register... By this time flames were coming down the stairwell.  

It was all over before my mind could grasp what was happening. All I could do was stand there, across the street and watch our whole world (our home, our business) go up in flames... The sound of the fire, the sound of window glass popping and the sound of crashes as things fell and broke, were terrifying and some I cannot forget. 

I had not realized it, but Anthony had gone to the back of the Inn to turn the propane off and some falling debris had burned his back... I first learned of it when I was told by a neighbor the EMT had carried him to an ambulance.  Later we learned he had 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burns on his back.

 

Neighbor Terri went with me down the street to check on Anthony... 

Neighbors helping clear the debris from the front the day after the fire.

A few days after the fire, many people...some we knew, some complete strangers,,, came to help clear things...some braved it inside the building to see if they could salvage anything for us... A few things were saved...mainly things in the back kitchen, which fared better than the rest of the building.

(All but the last two photos were taken by a neighbor shop keeper.  The minute she heard another neighbor yell 'Fire!' she grabbed her camera and ran outside.  I'm not sure who took the last two)

Many memories were gathered in that building... many a game of Scrabble was played with neighbors while sitting in front...The Christmas Day Open House... the Sunday Brunches... The many guests of the Inn who became life-long friends...

We will never forget the generosity of friends, neighbors, and complete strangers in the aftermath of the fire... If I did not know it before, I realized then what it was to be a part of the community... and to accept their generosity with humility and grace. 

The Akaka Falls Inn was an integral part of the community and one we miss to this day.

 

Reminiscing...The Akaka Falls Inn & Cooking School - part 1 of 2

 

(Watercolor of the Akaka Falls Inn by Wanda Boyer)

E komo mai!...(Welcome!)

At Akaka Falls Inn Cooking School we are committed to showcasing the best of our Island!
We have combined our love of food, cooking, gardening and plants, and the islands' multi-ethnic heritage to offer you the best of the Big Island for a unique culinary experience.
We invite you to visit with us and " talk story " Aloha!

Up to 20 years ago, you would have been welcomed at the Akaka Falls Inn with the above words! The sentiment and welcome are still in our hearts even if the building no longer exists.

The Inn was located in the charming and historical Akita Building on the main street of the quaint Village of Honomu, an old plantation rain forest community just north of Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawai’i.  The building housed our Bed & Breakfast, Cooking School, Deli, Gourmet Gift Shop and a sustainable Tropical Botanical Garden in the backyard.

Guest from all over the world made themselves at home at our Inn while attending our cooking classes, which were conducted in a relaxed atmosphere, typical of the laid back approach to life for which our islands are famous.

 

Our principal objective had always been to stress locally grown fresh ingredients. The abundance and variety of exotic fruits and vegetable found on our island as well as the diverse Asian and Pacific Island ethnic groups,which makes for an exciting merging of cuisines which has been coined as “Pan-Ethnic fusion” 

 

 

Our island has the year around growing conditions and diversity of farmers to produce the wide range of produce needed to meet this new trend.

 

(Backyard Bounty)

"I ola no ke kino I ka ma'ona o ka 'opu" 
(The body enjoys health when the stomach is filled)
From 'Olelo No'Eau- Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetic Sayings, by Mary Kawena Pukui

 

(my son Anthony when the Inn participated in a Bridal Fair showcasing our Cooking School)

Although the Inn has not existed for many years, the spirit that drove us to serve the food we shared is the same that guides us to this day…stressing locally grown fresh ingredients and sharing the incredible abundance of produce grown on this island.

A fire in July of 2000 destroyed the old building. Unfortunately, circumstances were not auspicious to rebuilding the Inn.

(continues tomorrow)

A Tea Party memory of long ago...

Our small Facebook Tea Group is having a 'Tea Party' today.  since we're all scattered in different parts of the world, and there is a virus that is keeping us home, we're celebrating it virtually...each of us is hosting our party at home, and sharing it with our story, photos, and menu, on the group site.  The theme of our individual parties are inspired by a memory, a song, a movie, a fairy tale, a favorite book, a certain flower, a different country...whatever we chose, as long as we shared it with the rest of our group. 

My theme is from a memory...bear with me for the backstory...

A few days after my 12th birthday, I embarked on a year-long adventure...My maternal grandmother and I flew from my home in Cuba to Key West, where her oldest brother, our (great) Uncle Park, picked us up in his car and drove us to her home in the Atlanta area. I was to attend school there.  I had been away from my family before, having spent weeks of summer vacations with cousins at their beach home and at another cousin's farm, but this was the first time I was going to be so far away, and for so long...I was excited and apprehensive at the same time...Although I had been to the States before, it had been quite a few years back...and not to attend school.

Before I knew it, time had flown and it was almost time to return home.  School had been fun; I had made a lot of new friends and I had one (of two) of the most memorable teachers I've ever had...I will never forget Miss Eleanor Burgess, and her kindness during the school year.  

It was in May of 1950, a few weeks before I was to return home...I'm not sure if the occasion was for Mother's Day or no particular reason, but my grandmother and my aunt took my cousin Jan and me to tea at the elegant 'Magnolia Tea Room' inside Rich's Department Store in downtown Atlanta.  (Photo above from public domain) The Magnolia Room was  a place where 'ladies who lunched' wore white gloves... I remember Jan and I wore our Easter outfits my aunt had made us...identical sun dresses in white pique fabric with little matching jackets...mine had blue trim and Jan's had pink.

For my tea party, I chose to serve the two items from the Magnolia Tea Room menu most requested, even to this day, by readers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper's food pages... which happens to be what I had chosen for my tea;  the 'Chicken Salad Amandine Croissant Sandwich' and the 'Frozen Fruit Salad' - photo below is how it was served in the tea room and taken from public domain

To set my theme, I wanted to use real magnolia blossoms.  I live in Hawaii.  Magnolias do grow here in certain places, but they're not prolific...In our town, I know of only 4... three of them in a park and one in the front yard of a business near the library...I decided to take my chances and ask permission at the office place rather than get arrested for cutting flowers in a park... Permission was given, but as the lowest blooms were still too high to reach from the ground, I drove my car right under the tree, and with the (reluctant) help of my son, and having the front right tire at an angle, risking life and limb, I used that as a step up and climbed on the hood of my car... Uh-huh...I can just imagine what people thought as they drove by...an old lady up on the hood of her car, cutting limbs from a magnolia tree. Luckily I did not fall and break any old bones. 

So, flowers in hand, and menu all set, my son and I replicated as best we could, my memorable first tea room visit ...

My table was set on the back lanai...dark green corrugated  silk tablecloth, made as a gift to me from a friend who lives in Tampa, moon flower a print napkins (the closest I could come to magnolias), Williams Rogers 'Primrose' flatware, Roscher & Co white Basketweave dinner plates, Assorted patterns of Pink Depression Glass pieces (most of them a Hilo Marketplace score), Edwin M, Knowles salad /dessert plates (a consignment store find), Eggshell Georgian by Homer Laughlin smaller plate (a Goodwill find) under the Pink Depression bowl and I cannot read the mark on the bottom of the tea pot, but it's one of my most favorite ones...The magnolia blossoms around a glass 'hurricane' candleholder, bought at a friend's state sale.

My version of the Chicken Salad Amandine Croissant Sandwiches, using mini croissants,  and the Frozen Fruit Salad...I also made the little savory cheese cookies using a simple recipe for cheese straws...almost forgot they were in the oven, they got a little bit too done... The tea I served was White Peach (of course!) Wuyi Oolong from Stash, one of my favorite teas. 

I will always have fond memories of my very first 'tea adventure' in a proper tea room...and it could not have been more memorable than at the Magnolia Tea Room in Rich's Downtown Atlanta store...alas, no longer there!

Not as pretty as their presentation...but it was delicious and just as I rmembered

The subtle scent of the magnolia blossoms bring back many warm memories of my life in the South... Y'all come back to visit...you hear!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat and repeat?..Not in this house! ...the times, they are changing...continued...

I have to laugh at times... many of the people I know think that because I love to cook, and with my background, I cook elaborate meals all the time...

During these days of 'stay at home isolation' the comment I hear the most from friends is ' You must be cooking up a storm!'...

No...I'm not.

I still cook, mostly from scratch...but our meals are much simpler and less time consuming to prepare...after all, I am also getting older and really don't want to spend all my time in the kitchen.

I love leftovers, because they represent a challenge.  I don't like to just 're-heat repeat'... I like to come up with 'new meals out of old'

Yesterday the challenge was met! 

We had to go into town for the last session in the last round of chemo treatments for my son (until next month)...while in town, we were to meet friends afterwards at a pre-determined location so that we could observe all the new 'social distancing' safety measures we have learned... We parked our vehicles a certain distance apart...we all wore masks...we 'air hugged and kissed' from at least 6 feet apart...(I really miss the actual hugs!) and our friends had brought us a box of fried chicken!  It was still hot, and delicious.  After our friends left, Anthony and I each ate a piece while sitting under the shade of a lovely tree, looking towards an expanse of park, but neither of us could eat it all...so we brought the leftovers home and I decided to use them for our dinner.

I took the meat off the bones and shredded it over flour tortillas...added some sliced green garden onions (green included), thin slices of deli cut Havarti cheese and fresh baby spinach... rolled them up, placed them in a glass baking dish, smothered it with pasta sauce from a jar, sprinkled with a commercial shredded  cheese mix of Monterey Jack, Asadero, Quesadilla Queso, and Mild Cheddar, placed the dish in the oven and barely 15 minutes later, had a meal of delicious bubbling chicken enchiladas!

BTW, the Havarti cheese rolled inside  with the rest of the filling might not be 'culturally correct' for a South of the Border inspired dish, but it was perfect for this. 

Buen Provecho!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my versions of Shrimp & Grits

 

We had a late breakfast today, so we skipped lunch and had an early dinner

Our dinner last evening was breakfast of grits, eggs and bacon..when I make grits, I always make double, so that I can have leftovers..but I usually pour the leftovers in bowls that have flat bottoms and straight sides,. When I unmold them, they look like thick discs... Dinner tonight was one of my versions of Shrimp & Grits... using the discs as base..

 

Cooked grits

Fresh asparagus spears

Shrimp

Butter, bacon grease, or avocado oil

Dry Sherry

Greek yogurt

Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce

Fresh flat leaf parsley

 

Make your grits as you would usually...save some and mold for another meal

 

When disc is cold and firm, slide from mold and heat in skillet...this time I used bacon grease left over from last night to heat the disc, on both sides.

Then I cooked some fresh asparagus spear in the same bacon great until slightly al dente.

After taking the asparagus out of the pan, I add dry sherry to deglaze pan, then added a scoop of plain Greek yogurt, a couple of tablespoons of Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce. Mixed well and added the shrimp. Cooked shrimp just enough to turn pink.  they were so nice they popped when you bit into them/

 

To plate:

Grits disc

Asparagus

Shrimp

Sauce

Parsley as garnish

 

 

What is in your refrigerator and how to use it?...the times, they are changing, continued...

 

We're staying at home...hostages to a vicious virus... hopefully we are well stocked for a longer than 2 week siege...we also need to use up the bits and dregs left in jars, fridge drawers and fruit bins before things spoil...or just to make room ...but trying hard to use up everything and not let anything go to waste.

 

My friend Karen did something I thought was pure genius... she found she had multiple jars of jam and jelly in the fridge, none full but all still good. To save space and be thrifty, she put them all together in a pan, brought it to a boil and recooked them, making mixed fruit jam. She had strawberry, red raspberry, and black cherry, but you can do that with whatever combination of different jams and jellies you might have on hand. Karen washed the largest of the jars and stored the mix back in it.

 

 

Yesterday I found I had a dozen Granny Smith apples and 4 or 5 pears that would soon spoil if I didn't do something with them...so I cut them all in chunks, put it all in my Dutch oven, added a bit of leftover apple juice that was in the fridge, a couple of spoonfuls of brown sugar, and cinnamon... Cooked them down to a pulp and mashed it all into 'a fruit butter'...  I got enough to fill a 32 ounce jar and a smaller jar I gave our next door neighbor.

 

Are bananas rotting?  Banana bread is simple to make and delicious...

Easy Peasy Banana Bread

3 medium bananas mashed

1/2 cup mayonnaise or dressing

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

 

Preheat oven to 350

In a bowl mix together mashed bananas, mayo and egg. In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and pecans

Add flour mixture to wet mixture and stir just until combined. Note: The mixture will be very thick, do not over mix

Pour into a greased loaf pan.

Tip: when greasing the pan, use butter and use granulated sugar instead of flour to coat the sides. It gives the surface a slightly crusty finish giving you a nice satisfying little crunch when you bite into it.

 

Bake 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from pan and allow to cool completely. Can be wrapped and frozen.

 

 

If you have bits and pieces of leftover veggies and chicken, or beef, pot pies are easy and delicious...you can use a combination of fresh or canned veggies, if that's what you have on hand.

Homemade Chicken (or beef) Pot Pie

3 chicken thighs - boneless, skinless (or bits and pieces of leftover chicken or beef)

3 medium-small potatoes, quartered

3 medium-small carrots, cut in several chunks

1 small onion - diced small

1 shallot - diced small

1 garlic clove - minced

 

I cleaned/cut off all the fat globs left on the chicken.  Placed chicken in medium saucepan with water and added the peeled and quartered potatoes and peeled and chunked carrots...Of course, if the chicken or beef you have on hand, are leftover, just ignore this part...

 

Saute the onion, shallot and garlic in just a little bit on olive oil, just long enough to sweeten the taste, but not brown.

 

When the chicken and veggies are cooked, add the sautéed onion, shallot and garlic combination, season with salt and pepper (*) and cook down to a very small amount of chicken broth.  Take the chicken and potatoes out and dice small and cut the carrots in small medallions.

 

To the chicken and veggies combination I added petit pois leftover from a previous meal,  and the leftover Broccoli-Cheddar Cream Soup from a couple of days before...and heated it just a little bit to combine with the little bit of chicken broth and to meld the flavors.

Use your favorite pie crust recipe for the top.  I used a Bisquick dough for the topping and I did not put a bottom to ours.

 

I love coming up with new ways of using leftovers... and sometimes cannot duplicate my efforts because it all depends on what I have on hand...!

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is in your pantry and how do you use it?...the times, they are changing, continued...

In one of the groups in which I'm a member the discussion topic a week or so ago was:

''We can't really avoid this topic. If it comes down to eating from our pantry staples, what are some of your favorite recipes using canned and dry goods?''

We keep an emergency food pantry year 'round due to several reasons, and one of them is...why not be prepared when you live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and 'things can happen unexpectedly'

Here is a list of some staples/canned goods we normally keep in the emergency pantry and use it periodically to rotate and keep our stock 'fresh' - below I will share a few of the things we do with them.

Flour, Bisquick, yeast, sugar, salt, pepper, and other spices I use the most.  Coffee. Canned milks (condensed, evaporated), powdered milk, and long shelf life boxed plain milk (not almond or rice or soy, etc).  Cereals, grits, polenta, rice. Assortment of dried beans, Assorted pastas. Potato flakes are a good substitute if fresh potatoes are not available...can also be used as a thickener for soups and stews instead of using flour or cornstarch. We also like to keep an assortment of bottled juices and ginger ale.  Bottle juices can be too sweet for our taste and the addition of ginger ale helps.

We keep certain canned veggies in our emergency pantry...sliced carrots, beets, kernel corn and creamed corn, spinach, an assortment of beans (black, red, navy, garbanzos, etc) and petit pois (LeSueur brand is our fave) Also diced and or whole stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce or paste. I cannot stand the taste of canned green beans or asparagus.

To keep the stash fairly fresh, I sometimes will mix a canned veggie with fresh to make soups or stews, or depending on veggie, mix with rice. Yellow rice with kernel corn and Spanish chorizo is a favorite. - I once bought some canned potatoes and used them in a potato salad...they weren't bad.

We keep a good supply of canned chicken and tuna...I can 'create' lots of different dishes with either... from salads, to sandwich fillings, etc...Not too long ago, I had lots of fresh broccoli and was trying to find ways to use it up...opened a can of chicken meat and made Chicken Divan... turned out not bad at all. Then of course, there is the old style tuna and pasta casseroles ;-) (although it's been ages since I've made that one.

I don't like canned soups but do like boxed soups...I also usually keep quite a bit of homemade chicken or vegetable stock in my freezer.. You can easily make chicken stock with the skin and bones and bit and pieces of a store-bought rotisserie chicken, strain into bags or jars. I make vegetable stock by saving peelings, parings, ends, limp veggies, etc and then strain into bags or jars.

Beans and rice can be turned into soups...in fact, almost any leftovers can be turned into soups.   I sometimes make a big pot of soup or stew by cleaning out the leftovers in the fridge. You can also turn them into a purée and use them as dips.

Leftover ham, or beef, or cooked liver can be turned into paté or sandwich spreads by grinding them with cream cheese in a food processor. Fritters or pancakes from mashed potatoes, or leftover corn...zucchini fritters are great also.

 

I made potato fritters with the leftover colcannon I had made for St. Patrick's dinner by adding an egg to the mix and 'frying' in one tablespoon avocado oil...You can also make croquettes out of almost anything by processing it with flour and they can be fried in oil or oven fried.

 

Fried rice or rice casseroles are something simple that can be made with leftover rice, a few leftover veggies or pieces of meat...

 "One Stick Butter" Rice Casserole

This version of the recipe is very accommodating; you can use any type rice and any vegetables you want. You can use fresh or canned veggies and switch as you wish...

1 cup Harvest Medley Rice (combination of Basmati Brown, Wild Rice, Heirloom Red Rice & Sweet Brown Rice) - this comes already mixed.

1 shallot or small onion, chopped
2 large button mushroom
2 celery sticks, chopped
5 water chestnuts, sliced
3/4 cup butternut squash, cubed
1 envelope onion soup / dip mix
1 stick butter, cut in pieces
2 cups water
Caramelize the shallot /onion in a tiny bit of the butter. Add the rest of the veggies, the rice, the onion soup mix, butter and water. Cover and bake in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for another 30 minutes. I found I needed to cook the rice just a little bit longer, about 5 more minutes.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa or Dip

The secret of this one is the citrus and cumin...Fun to take to potlucks!

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans kernel corn, drained
1 large chopped red bell pepper
4 - 5 small chopped Hawaiian chile peppers
2/3 cup lime or calamondin juice
1 small bunch chopped parsley, watercress, or cilantro
1 small bunch chopped green onions, some of the green added
Garlic infused olive oil, to taste
1 - 2 teaspoons Badia Tropical Seasoning (no MSG) or to taste
2 teaspoons slightly heaped ground cumin, or to taste

Since we don;t care much for cilantro and my son cannot eat it, I use parsley or watercress, instead. You can add ripe diced avocado or tomatoes if you wish.

We serve them with little star bowl shaped corn tortillas for scooping.

Sometimes I will add canned dice tomatoes... Any leftovers can be used for lunch, wrapped in warm flour tortillas with melted cheese and served with a dollop of sour cream or Crème Fraîche

Yield: Enough for a small crowd and probably have leftovers.
Source: my new cookbook "From Soup to Nuts" page 68

 

An old family favorite: "Indian Corn Casserole" in the crockpot or in a Dutch Oven (if baking) - .an old campfire type recipe from when the kids were in scouts, adapted to making in the kitchen...rotating/using up some of the Emergency Closet canned goods along with grass-fed ground beef..

Indian Corn Casserole

1 can kernel corn

1 can red beans (not kidney)

1 can stewed (crushed) or diced tomatoes

1 can sliced mushrooms (drained)

1 pound lean ground beef

Salt & pepper to taste

or

your favorite seasoning mix

1 box Jiffy Mix cornbread mix

 

Brown the ground beef and discard any extra fat.

Mix all ingredients in a casserole, crockpot or Dutch Oven... and bake at 350 F until set and golden on top.

 

 

Here is another one using canned corn and Jiffy Cornmeal Mix - Original recipe by a friend in the cookbookers group (Blaise Doubman)

 

Corn Pudding 

1 can whole kernel corn - not drained
1 can cream corn
2 large eggs
1 box Jiffy cornmeal muffin mix
1 stick butter - melted
Salt & lots of black pepper
1 cup sour cream

Mix and stir
Pour into greased casserole
You can sprinkle a little shredded cheese on top before baking if you wish

Bake at 350 F for one hour

 

Impossible pies can be made with Bisquick and any leftovers as filling...just whirl some Bisquick, eggs, milk and seasonings in the blender and pour into a pie dish over whatever fillings you might have on hand.

 

Catching up... the times, they are changing.,.

So much has happened since early this year,...way too much... and I have neglected to post...I will try to remedy that.

Let's just say that things were already chaotic for us before the Covid-19 pandemic started knocking on our country's door...

Due to my son being diagnosed with stage 4 small cell lung and liver cancer in mid-January, and all that it entails - doctor visits, lab work, chemo treatment series, etc - we cannot just hunker down and quarantine, except for short periods of times, but we are taking all the precautions we need to take to try to ward off any infections.

Some of us garden, and some of us shop at the farmers markets, or our favorite supermarket...Some farmers markets have closed and some are converting to 'drive-by' locations, where you don't even have to get out of your car. 

Since we can't go shopping as often now, sometimes we might buy a bit more of the fresh veggies than we normally would...and they might start spoiling before you get to use them all...here are some good storage tips I have found.

 

 

How to stop vegetables wilting when picked

 

Cut the green tops off vegetables like carrots, beets and parsnips before you put them in the fridge. These tops absorb moisture and are what hastens carrots and other root veg to go limp and bendy.

 

Some of the tender top leaves can be eaten of course, but do store them separately from their bottoms!

 

Do not wash lettuce or leafy greens before storing unless there is too much dirt, but if you do have to wash them, let them dry naturally before storing.

 

 

For root veggies, such as radishes, carrots, beetroots etc, I make sure they're as dry as possible, then break off the leaves near the crown first and store the roots sealed in veggie cloth bags and if I want to use the leaves I'll put them in a separate bag. Lettuce can last up to 2 weeks. Green beans are a little more difficult, let them dry before storing away

 

It's important to handle veggies carefully, as any bruising will go bad quickly. In cold seasons, it's fine to keep spare veggies out of fridge, but still I seal them up in bags. The main point to keep in mind is to keep the veggies cool and out of the sun or any direct heat.

 

I know putting some veggies like radishes in a bowl of cold water in fridge will keep them crisp, but be careful you don't nick the radishes, because some vitamins could leach out into the water. (Sonia note: my husband loved radishes...I would trim off the top and root end, wash well, and store in a glass jar filled with clean water to which I added salt. He would munch on them as if they were candy)

 

Wrap up

A good way to store celery and most brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, artichokles, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, etc.,  in the fridge is to wash (cut celery into long sticks) and wrap in slightly damp tea towel, then put into plastic bag removing as much air as possible. If you've got a large celery for example, wash and prepare it and keep half in plastic bag in fridge and the rest do the tea towel wrap thing. Once I went away for 4 weeks and this celery was as good as freshly picked!

 

I'll continue to share hints and tips on saving our fresh veggie purchases and any other advice I find to make these days a bit easier on us...

 

Memories of past Chinese New Year Celebrations in Hilo

I thought I had attended them all, but I have a lot of them missing...or can't find records for them. To read them click on each link, below the date.

The Chinese New Year starts on the first evening of a new year's month with a new moon and lasts for 15 days.  It is also celebrated in China as the beginning of Spring. 

February 2008

Kung Hee Fat Choy - Chinese New Year Celebration in Hilo!

 

February 2009

7th Annual Chinese New Year in Hilo 

 

February 2010

This Chinese New Year is called the Year of the Tiger

 

February 2011

9th Chinese New Year Celebration in Hilo

9th Chinese New Year's Celebration in Hilo - continued

 

February 2013

11th Annual Chinese New Year Fest in Hilo

 

February 2014

12th Annual Chinese New Year Festival in Hilo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7th Annual Chinese New Year in Hilo

 

11th Annual Chinese New Year Fest in Hilo

 

Thoughts to carry into the New Year

We're getting closer to the coming year's starting line...

I don't make resolutions, because most of the time they're hard to keep...but I do make conscious efforts to do the things that will improve our life and our surrounds and to continue to enjoy doing the things that fill my soul...

To that end, I propose to do the following:

* Continue downsizing and finding new homes for loved items that we either don't use or don't need any longer.

* Buying items with either reusable packaging (glass mostly, but I don't object to durable, reusable plastic) or no packaging.

* Plant more herbs and edibles, but in pots so that it will be easier for us to maintain.

* Continue to share time and food with friends by participating in gatherings, or taking time to spend a few hours with a friend for lunch, or a movie, or tea, or shopping, or just talking story.

* Take at least one day road trip a month, to whatever destination we enjoy on the island, and take a picnic with us.

Happy New Year!

Feliz Año Nuevo!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!