Sonia Tastes Hawaii

Living 'the life'... a year in review

 

Ke Ola in Hawaiian means 'The Life'... 

Ke Ola Magazine is a magazine for those who love the life we lead on the Big Island of Hawaii sharing stories about the land, culture, people and living a sustainable life. 

Ke Ola's first issue appeared in December of 2008 and in these few years the magazine has grown deep roots in our island community hosting a diverse cast of writers sharing stories about the land, the people and the Hawaiian way of life.

Anyone who knows me knows about my love of learning about our plants, produce and fruit, so I was thrilled when asked to be a contributor to this beautiful and prestigious magazine with feature articles about the exotic tropical produce and fruits available in our farmers markets.

The magazine is published every two months and to date seven of my features have been "spotlighted" on the page opposite the Hawai'i Island Farmers Markets listings page.

I am sharing the six features from 2012.

For some reason, the blog post does not show the photos in the actual size in which I post them.  To be able to read the pages, please click on each picture to make it larger.

January/February 2012 - Breadfruit and the recipe 'Breadfruit Fritters'

  March/April 2012 - Purple Sweet Potatoes and the recipe 'Purple Sweet Potato, Yacón & Watercress Salad'

 

 

May/June 2012 - Taro and the recipe 'Taro Cream Soup' 

 

July/August 2012 - Mamey and the recipes 'Mamey Cheesecake & Mamey Smoothie'

 

 

September/October  2012 - 'Ulu (Breadfruit) and the recipes 'Breadfruit Goes Bananas Custard and Breadfruit & Warabi Curry Salad'

 

November/December 2012 - Tropical Fruit Ambrosia and the recipe 'Ambrosia...Food of the Gods' Salad/Dessert

 

 

NOTES: Breadfruit and taro can be sometimes found in Asian or West Indian markets on the mainland. You can now find purple sweet potatoes being grown in North Carolina.  Yacón is a crunchy root similar to jicama but juicier and sweeter. Mamey is a beloved fruit by all Cubans and can be found in most South Florida markets and also in some Asian and West Indian markets elsewhere.

If you're not familiar with any of the produce mentioned and are interested in finding more about them, I suggest you do a search or just make a comment and ask me.  I will try to reply as best I can.

As you can see, there is a full year of features and recipes from last year and I've already started on this year's contributions...to be shared later.

 

You can order back issues of Ke Ola Magazine HERE or subscribe HERE

Follow Ke Ola on Facebook

 

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Sonia's Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies and Jenn's Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

I shared this recipe on-line a few years ago and you can find a 'tutorial' with photos HERE

 

Sonia's Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

 

1 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350 F

 

Mix all ingredients and roll dough into balls (*) and place on ungreased cookie sheet 1 or 2 inches apart. Use fork dipped in sugar to make cross hatch marks. Bake 10 minutes or until bottom just turns golden brown. Cookies will look slightly underdone and will be very fragile.  They will get crispier/crunchier as they cool.

~~~

 

Jenn's Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

2 sticks butter

2/4 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

 

 

Beat the butter, dark brown sugar and granualted sugar until fluffy; beat in the vanilla and eggs. Whisk in the flour, baking soda and salt, then stir into the butter mixture. Add the semisweet chocolate chips and the chopped nuts.  Chill for at least 30 minutes. Roll into balls and bake 8 to 12 minutes at 350 F.

 

 

 

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To read other Cookie Exchange recipes and the original party post click on the links below

~~~

....and a good time was had by ALL!

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Macadamia Snowballs

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Liz' Ginger Crinkles

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Liz' Yule Log Cookies & Bren's Liliko'i Bars

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Trevella's Pecan Sandies

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Bren's Ghirardelli Chocolate Macadamia Cookies or Bars & Trevella's Pistachio Cookies

 

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Bren's Ghirardelli Chocolate Macadamia Cookies or Bars & Trevella's Pistachio Cookies

 

More delicious cookies from our recent Christmas Party Cookie Exchange

~~~

Bren's Ghirardelli White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies or Bars

 

1 stick butter or 5 ounces by weight virgin coconut oil

 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg (room temp)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or more) 

1-1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (1/2 11 ounce bag) Ghirardelli white chocolate chips

3/4 cup macadamia nuts chopped

  ~~~

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter/oil and sugars until fluffy

Add vanilla and egg, beat well

Mix dry ingredients and add to batter

 ~~~

For cookies:

Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet

Bake for 10-12 minutes

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

 ~~~

For bars:

Spread batter on ungreased quarter sheet pan (13 x 9 x 1)

Bake for 15 minutes.  Turn off heat and remove at 18 minutes

When cool cut into bars 

Makes 24 2" cookie bars

~~~

~~~

 

 

Trevella's Pistachio Cookies

 

2-1/4 cup All Purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup real butter (softened)

1/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract 

1 (4 ounce) package Pistachio Instant Pudding mix

2 large eggs

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Green food coloring to suite your preference.

 ~~~

Mix flour and baking soda in large bowl.

In a separate bowl cream together butter, sugars, extracts, and dry pudding mix.

Beat in eggs individually and gradually stir in flour mixture.

Mix well and fold in nuts.

Chill for a few hours and roll into balls, place onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 375* for 8-10 minutes.

Do not over bake!

~~~~~~~~

To read other Cookie Exchange recipes and the original party post click on the links below

~~~

....and a good time was had by ALL!

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Macadamia Snowballs

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Liz' Ginger Crinkles

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Liz' Yule Log Cookies & Bren's Liliko'i Bars

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Trevella's Pecan Sandies

 

 

 

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Trevella's Pecan Sandies

 

More YUMMY cookie recipes from our recent Christmas Party Cookie Exchange

 

Trevella's Pecan Sandies

 

1/2 cup real butter

 

1/2 cup brown sugar

 

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

1-1/4 teaspoons salt

 

1 cup all-purpose flour

 

1 cup finely chopped pecans

 

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in vanilla and salt. Gradually add flour and fold in pecans.

 

Roll dough into balls and flatten slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.

 

Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes or until edges are just slightly turning golden. Do not over bake. Parchment paper is especially nice (but not necessary) with these cookies as they tend to stick where ever a pecan touches the pan

~~~~~~~~

To read other Cookie Exchange recipes and the original party post click on the links below

....and a good time was had by ALL!

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Macadamia Snowballs

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Liz' Ginger Crinkles

Christmas Cookie Exchange 2012 - Liz' Yule Log Cookies & Bren's Liliko'i Bars

 

Good Bye to 2012 ... Aloha to 2013

 

At the end of the year I give thanks for all the blessings we receive during the year. Our health...our amazing family...our wonderful friends, new and old. I am very grateful for having known and shared in the lives of those who are no longer with us, family and friends alike...

My cup runneth over with gratitude.

Long gone are the days when I partied until late to greet the New Year with friends... We seem to have turned into homebodies and, at least in my case, I hardly ever make it to midnight anymore...but I still enjoy marking the end of the year and greeting the new with a festive meal...and for New Year's Eve we seem to prefer a meal composed of appetizers and other simple foods rather than an elaborate dinner.

 

The table was set early in the day, using my new plaid dinner plates I had ordered for Christmas - 'promised' by the seller to arrive by the 24th but actually didn't make it here until the 26th... since I didn't want to wait a whole year to use them, the plates dictated the rest of the setting which I named "Auld Lang Syne" in honor of the Scottish poet Robert Burns who gave us the 'song most often heard around the world'.

 

 

The table centerpieces were a large martini shaped glass container holding Clementines, small red apples, a sprig of fresh bay leaves from our yard and a few bits of Christmas greenery and yellow popcorn orchids left from our Christmas arrangements...an old fashioned lantern, wide plaid ribbon and gold balls.

 

 

I had planned a menu of Cuban style food, but plans sometimes fall through, so I just checked to see what I had on hand without going to a lot of trouble.

 

 

Shrimp cocktail served with fresh salsa made with chopped grape tomatoes, chopped green onions, chopped orange mini-bell peppers, a touch of minced garlic and topped with bits of microgreens..all mixed with a small amount of chili sauce and served in these beautiful red swirled martini glasses that I had been eyeing for a couple of years at a local shop...When I dropped by on the day after Christmas there were only 4 left and marked down drastically, so I just could not pass them up one more time!

 

 

Mini pizzas made with a thin crust and topped with creamy brie, thin apple slices and dabs of Caramelized Red Onions & Figs preserves from Queen Creek Olive Mills in Arizona...a delicious combination of flavors!

 

The cheese and fruit course...the cheese selections were sharp Cheddar, Queso Fresco, a small piece of Brie left from the pizza making and a new-to-me brand of cheeses from England that I find amazingly good...Real Yorkshire Wensleydale.  For our Christmas party I served the one with cranberries and for last night we had one flavored with ginger...Absolutely Delicious!  

Following the Hispanic New Years Eve tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight, I added grapes to our cheese plate...although we cheated and consumed ours way before midnight!

 

An ambrosia salad made with fresh pineapple, fresh sliced apple bananas and papaya, Clementine slices, shredded coconut and pomegranate seeds all mixed in a bit of mango juice; 

 

 

For dessert I served Macadamia Snowball cookies with a side of puréed Mamey.  The mamey was a gift from our friend Carol who has a tree in her yard.  To prepare the mamey purée cut the fruit in half, scoop out the big seed and scoop out all the pulp. Put through the blender or food processor to purée; place in a saucepan with a bit of sugar (to taste) and enough milk or cream to soften it a bit, also to taste.  Can be turned into delicious smoothies or milkshakes, or even ice cream if more milk is added.  If you find you can't use it all at one time, place in plastic bags or an appropriate container and freeze until needed.

 

 

Wishing a Joyously Happy, Healthy and Very Prosperous New Year to all!