Sonia Tastes Hawaii

Summer Day Kolekole Picnic

 

Our friend Holit has had a visitor from the mainland for a couple of weeks and they've done the island in style during this time, but had not had a picnic in a park, so last week we all decided we would meet this weekend for a picnic at Kolekole Beach Park.

My son and I decided to go a bit earlier to see if we could snag one of the smaller pavilions, but the park was full and every pavilion was taken...just as we had decided to 'suck it up' and grab one of the tables in the sun, a family that had been using the smallest pavilion started gathering their stuff to leave, so we grabbed it as they were barely leaving it ;-)

We set the table and Anthony grabbed some newspapers to read while I pulled out my current book to read, and just a few minutes later, Holit and Chuck drove up.

The picnic quilt was a gift made by my sister Sandra with fabrics she bought during one of her visits to the island...

We try to do our Keep it Green part by not using any disposable plates, glasses, flatware or paper napkins...

Anthony & Holit... Chuck also took photos.... Chuck and Holit call each other cousins...their families have been friends since he was 6 years old..

Our menu: my homemade Bread & Butter pickles, carrot, raisins and orange salad, Holit's tahini with corn chips, Chuck's mixed salad, my chicken salad with dried cherries and apples, and I also made a dilled potato salad.

Carrot Salad

Peel carrots, and using the peeler, flake the rest of the carrot into a bowl.  Add raisins and orange juice as a dressing.

Dilled Potato Salad

Cut the potatoes into bite size pieces and boil (I don't peel them).  Hard boil eggs and cut them in small pieces.  Blend the two, add dill pickle relish, mayonnaise  and seasonings; I added salt, pepper.

Chicken Salad

I used a rotisserie chicken.  Peel off the skin and chop the meat, add chopped green Granny Smith apples and dried cherries, plain Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise, seasoned with salt and pepper and some powdered cumin.

Recipe for the Bread & Butter pickles can be found HERE

 

(sorry for all the awful signs at the top of the photo - I lost my Photoshop program and can't find a way to crop photos with Picasa)

Anthony, Holit & Chuck - Holit brought coconut macaroons for dessert - sitting at the end of the table - the red mug (was my grandmother's) held individual sugar packs for the green iced tea, if anyone wanted.  No one did ;-)

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

Chuck is leaving our island today...we only said a hui hou, because we know he will be back!

 

 

A Kaiwiki 4th

Our friends Flavia and Gordon have a tradition of inviting everyone they know to a big, informal 4th kind of bash at their place, up in the nether regions of Kaiwiki Road, on the Hamakua side of Hilo.  This was our second year attending and it is always a lot of fun running into mutual friends and people you haven't seen in a while...and of course, the food!

I cannot even imagine how long it takes for all the before-hand preparations, because there is always so much food...and Gordon mentioned yesterday that the crew came at 3 am yesterday to light the fire in the imu and the food cooked underground for 9 hours!

Some of the following photos were from last year's 4th and some from this year...

The imu is a traditional pit in the ground that is used as an oven.  The imu is lined with rocks, branches, banana trunks, banana and ti leaves and the food is placed in covered containers nestled in wire baskets and also covered with ti leaves.  

You would not believe the amount of food that comes out of that hole in the ground!

The line of people helping carry food from the imu to the tables is impressive...a parade of loaded containers emitting wonderful aromas as they wind their way up to the house.

The pumpkins and 'ulu (breadfruit) in particular, are delicious...some of my favorites!

Flavia tells me the secret to the pumpkin's deliciousness is butter, brown sugar, more butter and nutmeg in the cavity....how can it not be good?

There is always plenty or pig, chicken, turkey, fish, and other meats, and every kind of root vegetable you can imagine...

Potatoes, purple and orange sweet potatoes, yams...there was also a tray loaded with delicious beets

 

Shredding the meats

Guests bring side dishes, dips & chips, desserts, soft drinks, wine and beer.  

We counted at least 70 people there meeting old and new friends, talking story and enjoying the bounty! 

Lucky live Hawai'i... \m/

Mahalo Flavia & Gordon, for your warm and always open and friendly hospitality!

July 4th Eve

We're spending tomorrow afternoon with friends who host a big Fourth BBQ every year - they cook all sorts of good stuff in the underground imu and guests bring sides or desserts...I will try to get some good photos to share

Meantime...we celebrated our own 4th with the sound of fireworks popping and booming a bit early, from across the gulch,

 

Biscuits, a block of cream cheese and some of the tomato jam I made a week or so ago.  I made this batch using a variation of this recipe - Tomato - Onion Relish Jam, but I let it cook a bit longer so it would be thicker.

 

 

Click on the link for the recipe for the pickles in the little white ramekin - Summer Bread & Butter Pickles

I used some of our Hawaiian currant tomatoes, basil and some 'pearl mozzarella balls' for the Caprese Salad Kabobs

 

 

I made the tablecloth with fabric I found at the Fabric Warehouse in Hilo.  The napkins (Pottery Barn) and flatware mimic 'the Stars & Stripes".  The Warren Kimbel Flag Plates found on eBay a few years ago.

The red goblets are part of a set of 8 I gave my mother many years ago when she was going through her black and white with red accent phase - I got them with S&H Green Stamps!  

 

A very simple but delicious chicken salad in the red bowl

Chicken & Apple Salad 

I small rotisserie chicken

2 Granny Smith apples

Dried cherries

Plain Greek Yogurt

Sea salt, ground very fine

Freshly ground pepper

Celery salt

Bone and chop the chicken, chop and add the apples and the dried cherries (if you can't find dried cherries, cranraisins are fine to use. Add the Greek yogurt and seasonings to taste.

 

Individual mini trifles for dessert

Lady fingers

Whipping cream

Vanilla

Confectioners sugar

Blueberries, raspberries & blackberries

Whip the cream with the vanilla and confectioners sugar until very thick, but be careful to not turn it into butter.  

Layer lady fingers, whipped cream and fruit alternating layers.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

I hope everyone enjoys a very Happy & Safe 4th!

Summer Bread & Butter Pickles

 

I just finished making some quick, refrigerator type Bread & Butter pickles and they were a breeze to make...Took longer to score the length of each cucumber with the tines of a fork and cut them than to put it all together!

Our CSA box yesterday had some small, pickling type cucumbers - the longest was no bigger than 5 inches.  The week before we got a bag with about 8 small sweet onions.  I decided to use them all to make these pickles...a combination of several recipes for quick refrigerator pickles I found on-line.

Summer Bread & Butter Pickles - Refrigerator Style

6 - 8 small pickling cucumbers

8 small sweet onions

Score the cucumbers with the tines of a fork, lengthwise and slice.

Peel, cut onions in half and slice.

Place them in a large bowl and set aside.

For the brine:

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon whole peppercorns - I used white

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 cups apple cider vinegar

Place brine ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a quick boil.  Mix well to make sure sugars and turmeric have dissolved.

Pour the brine over the sliced cucumber and onions, cover and cool.  

Note: I packed the sliced cucumbers and onions in the glass jars and then poured the brine, to cover.

Suggestion: some of you might want to add a tiny Hawaiian Chile pepper or two.

Refrigerate overnight before eating.  Will last about a month or so in refrigerator.