Na'alehu, Hawaii

The base for our Hawai'ian dream was in Na'alehu, which is located near the southernmost tip of Hawai'i and also the southernmost tip of the United States.
Our friends live in Discovery Harbor...a gorgeous development based on an award-winning golf course overlooking the ocean. Everywhere you look, there are amazing views.

I spent a grand total of about 30 minutes over several days sunbathing with SPF 30 sunscreen in this beautiful backyard....and I am very tanned! (I don't burn- it's that Frenchie in me. Thanks, Dad)
We went to explore the local area and I know, BIG SURPRISE, I checked out the local Catholic Church.

 

I wept when I saw it was also a 'Sacred Heart'. (I work at Sacred Heart in Klamath Falls, OR-coincidence?? I think not!) It was founded by the order of priests from 'Sacre Coeur' from France who went to Hawai'i in 1827.
I met a wonderful lady who runs the food bank who told me the history of this tiny but beautiful Church! They have a Statue to honor St. Damien Joseph de Veuster of Moloka'i...the famous American civil war veteran who went to serve those who suffered from leprosy and died when he contracted the disease himself.

Rich and Aarah have a beautiful back yard and they grow pretty much anything they want...that the bugs and 'vog' let them harvest. More about 'vog' later...the bugs apparently, are legend. Rich has the yard sprayed on a regular basis to keep the really evil little bastards at bay (see the centipede photo) but the other plants have to be protected in cages that looks sort of like our chicken coops. Yep, chicken coops for the veggies. We did really enjoy the fruits of their labors- home grown super sweet pineapple, lemons, oranges and incredible tomatoes and basil.

They have neighbors that trade enormous avocados (seriously 10 inches in diameter and delicious) and macadamia nuts for pineapple and citrus. Kevin and I both picked a small but incredibly sweet pineapple, and harvested the ugly green shells for mac nuts (as they say in the Islands) to eat fresh, nutty and tasty nuts!
Oh, yah, Rich and Aarah bought a couple of cases of Longboard specialties beers..a locally brewed but nationally known delicious Island beer...hence, the beer Kevin is holding with the pineapple. The green hull is what the mac nut is encased in when it falls from the tree. You can't pick them green- they aren't ready.
We also visited one of the local ranches. Southern Hawai'i is known (as is Waimea in the area north west of Kailua-Kona) for their ranching and raising of longhorn cattle. Who knew?

 We spent that first day at one of the most beautiful places in the world- South Point, or Ka Lae.
This is where the first people who ever came to Hawai'i moored their boats and stepped foot on dry land. It's a very wild area, with very high winds that usually don't die down, EVER.

This is also known as the southernmost tip of the United States.
I can't tell you what an amazing experience this was for me! The ocean was endless! It was wild! It was...powerful. I actually saw the holes bored into the lava by the first people on Hawai'i to secure their boats.
Stunning.
Here is me getting my hair blown sideways!

We ended that night in a very solemn way- looking at an amazingly full moon.
The 'vog' was not so bad that night so it looked clear and calm.
"I see the moon, and the moon sees me. God bless the moon, and God bless me. Amen."
I'm not sure who wrote it, but it was very appropriate that night.

A Week in Paradise...Wish You Were Here

My husband, Kevin, and I just got home from a week in Paradise...aka Hawai'i. We found a terrific rate out of Oakland through Delta (on Alaska Airlines!) for $300 each round trip! Holy Smokes!!
We have some very dear friends who live on the Big Island (Hawai'i) and we haven't seen them since they moved there....around the same time when we moved to Klamath Falls, OR. They were our neighbors in a very unique So Cal neighborhood.

There were 11 homes on our street (Via Olorosa) and we all moved into our brand new neighborhood in January 1987 -all of us with a couple of little kids and great hopes and dreams for the future! We all raised our kids together on the same street for 20 years, all our kids played AYSO and roller hockey in the street (the Whiners and Crybabies were the two teams) had a lot of great times, consoled each other during bad times, had a LOT of block parties and spontaneous 'almost every night bbq's' in the middle of the street and nearly nightly cocktail hour with a portable firepit all year round...that's a whole 'nother story...and have stayed close and in touch since the last of us moved to Hawai'i in 2007. One family moved to Trabuco Canyon, one moved to San Clemente, one moved to Mission Viejo, one moved to Oceanside, two (us) moved to Klamath Falls, and one moved to Hawai'i. a few still live there...a couple lost their homes in the housing market downturn and drifted away and didn't stay in touch- but most of us, we are still connected! Some have gone to their eternal home sooner than they should have- RIP Nico and Richard- but the rest of us are still around!

So we flew to Kailua-Kona (apparently you have to designate every city in Hawai'i because they repeat the names on every island) and were met by Rich and Aarah, our friends! They drove 1.5 hours to meet us with amazing plumeria (me) and Ocean Vodka (Kevin) leis to greet us!

Then, they immediately took us to one of the best places in Kona- the Canoe Club Restaurant.

This is the view that greeted us in Kona on the Big Island! Amazing! Thanks for the tip, Art Sayles!
I took this picture from our table. It was 79 degrees when we arrived. Yah. We were freezing our asses off in Klamath Falls....so this was wonderful!
I had the most delicious quick fried calamari salad with Liliko'i dressing ( made from passion fruit-very sweet!) and Kevin had a bucket of peel n' eat sweet shrimp. Yah, no pictures because we scarfed it down so quickly! The Mai Tai was also fantastic (I had...um, two?? or three) and Kevin had Red Ale (some local Hawai'ian delicious blend). 
We also stopped here on our way to the airport when we were leaving....this is the picture I took when Kevin was trying to call Delta to move our seats for more legroom...isn't this great? Oh, of course, more Mai Tais on the way out, too...

I think it was about 80 degrees here....
Aloha!

Paleo Style

OK, yes, we are going trendy.
Well, not really.
In addition to the walking schedule, we are doing a 'modified' paleo diet to get in better shape. Don't laugh!
Paleo Diet is sort of based on the 'hunter-gatherer' diet...back in the day. WAY back in the day.
It's primarily grass fed meat, fish, eggs,roots, fungi, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. We are avoiding grains, processed foods (well, bacon and sausage don't count, right? or some alcohol- ha ha) and most dairy.
We are willing to give this a try for a few months. Well, Kevin loves his potatoes, but it's kind of a root vegetable, right? And I know giving up cheese will just about kill him, but, well, it's also Lent so he can give it up for 6 weeks or so!!
Anyhow, last night I posted a teaser on Facebook that I made a Paleo Chicken Chili Verde. It was delicious, and even though I only have one photo, I decided to post the recipe.
It's all mine!
1 lb. of husked, cleaned, sliced in half tomatillos
1 poblano pepper, sliced in half and seeded
1 green, red and yellow bell pepper, cut in half and seeded
1 large onion, cut in half and skin removed
3 garlic cloves, skins removed and smashed
1 14 ounce can (or one quart of home canned) tomatoes
2 cups of home made chicken stock
1 whole roasted chicken, boned, skinned and diced. (use the bones to make your stock)
1 tbsp. of sea salt
1 tbsp. of chili powder
1 tbsp.of cumin powder
1 tbsp. of smoked paprika powder
2 tbsps. of EVOO or Coconut oil or grapeseed oil, divided use

 Chop half of the poblano, onion, red, green and yellow bell pepper into chunks and toss with the cut tomatiools on a tray with 1 tbsp. of the oil of your choice. Put in the oven on 475 for about 5 minutes until the vegetables start to brown. Flip them over and roast for 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and scrape into a food processor or blender. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock and blend until smooth.
Chop the other half of the poblano, onion, red, green and yellow bell pepper into small chunks. Chop the garlic. Add to a dutch oven that has 1 tbsp. of the oil of your choice. Sautee on low for about 3 or 4 minutes.
Add the sea salt, chili powder, cumin powder and smoked paprika to the pan and sautee for about 2 minutes, until the spices are fragrant. Add the blended mix of veggies and stock, and stir well.
Add the other 1 cup of stock and the can of tomatoes. Stir well and add the chopped chicken. Let this simmer on medium for about 1/2 hour. It will thicken as it cooks.
Serve warm! You can add avocado, but it really is delicious alone!

Did I mention that it makes a ton of chicken chili verde??
Tonight, we had porkchops with onions and apples. We also had some leftover beets and leftover coleslaw.
The porkchops were easy- just sauteed briefly in some oil (we used grapeseed) on both sides, then I added one chopped onion and one chopped apple to the pan.

I

I added a tiny bit of blue agave, and put it in the oven. 

 

Next, I cleaned and boiled a full head of cauliflower. I drained it and added some butter. Well, you win some, you lose some.

I tossed some chopped cole slaw mix with a little grapeseed oil, sea salt and lemon and there you have it! Dinner! The beets were leftover from the other night- roasted beets, with some EVOO and a little apple cider vinegar. I told you, it's modified Paleo!! Next, I'll be giving up Southern Comfort...since I'm out.

The Rite of Election

This past weekend was the First Sunday in Lent. Now, if you are not a Catholic, or not a 'practicing' Catholic, this might not be significant to you. But for those who practice, this is BIG!
At my parish, we normally hold the 'Rite of Election and 'Rite of Called to Continuing Conversion' at the parish. We are in a snow area, and it's usually not convenient to drive to Bend (3 hours away), where the Diocesan Offices are located,  or Baker City (6 hours away), which is where the Diocesan Cathedral is located.
The 'Rite of Election' is for those who are unbaptized, and are elected by GOD to join the Church. Note that they are not elected by the people, but by God. He picks, not us!  The 'Rite of Called to Continuing Conversion' is for those who are baptized in another tradition (but, by virtue of their Baptism, are already one with us in the Christian Faith) who state in the presence of the Catholic Community, that their intent is to join with the Catholic Church. This is usually a very moving celebration.
This year, we have a new Director of Evangelization and Catechesis...and more importantly, a new Bishop. It really is the job of the Bishop to conduct the Rite of Welcome...although, it can take place in the parish.
I called our new Director a couple of months ago and casually asked if Bishop was planning a group 'Rite of Election' for the Diocese, since the previous Bishop and Administrator had chosen to not offer this Rite.
Barry, our Director, was a little startled, I think- he probably assumed that it would happen since he himself is a convert. (a 'Convert' is someone who moves from unbelief to belief--not a Christian who chooses a different denomination)
He went and lobbied for this idea, and voila! We had a Rite of Election for the Diocese of Baker planned on the First Sunday of Lent midway through the Diocese!

We had some unusual circumstances- one of our 'Catechumen's' (unbaptized)  is a fireman...you can just imagine how difficult it is to make a weekly meeting at the same time for the RCIA so we have been creative with him...and his Sponsor is a fireman, too! I am so proud of both of them- they got off work at 7AM on Saturday and picked up their families and drove the 3 hours to Redmond, Oregon! They also had to be back at work at 7AM on Sunday, so this was really important to them!  You can see them in the far left part of the photo- the two tallest dudes...
Our other Catechumen had a sick child and couldn't make the trip. It's OK, the Bishop also blessed her and greeted her by name- even if she wasn't able to be at the event!!!
Our Candidate was very awed by the beautiful ceremony....you can't see her, but she and her 'proxy' sponsor are on the far right! They are tall, so they are a little hidden :) 
This was a very beautiful and solemn event. yes, I did 'boo-hoo' a bit. It reminded me of the many times we have done the Rite of Election at Sacred Heart in the middle of a snow storm over the past 7 years I've been at Sacred Heart!

The Church is absolutely beautiful. It is in the Craftsman style with beautiful padded and upholstered seats throughout the Church, and gorgeous Gothic arches. I loved the 3-d painting behind the altar with Jesus and 'Doubting Thomas'. It was awesome! The Church is St. Thomas, in Redmond, Oregon.

Bishop Liam Cary was oh, so gracious and welcoming to our folks! The best part is that even though we drove the furthest- there were still over 100 Catechumens (now, the 'Elect') and Candidates and their Sponsors present.
Pretty impressive!!!
St. Thomas Parish also hosted a wonderful lunch in their parish halll! It was wonderful and we are very blessed that they opened their parish doors to be hospitable to our soon-to-be-Catholics!
The funniest moment was when one of our youth ministry students (he's a freshmen) walked boldly up to the Bishop and said, "um, hey yah, hi, my name is..." It was funny! He wasn't quite sure how to address the Bishop, but he was determined to talk to him...and then, he said, 'can I serve the Easter Vigil Mass?? and the Confirmation Mass". LOVE that kid!!

Grilled Flank Steak with Smoky Arrabiata Sauce

I'm still cooking my way through Giada de Laurentiis's 'Weeknights with Giada'.
I'm a big fan of flavorful and spicy sauces, so I thought that the Smoky Arrabiata would work well with a flank steak, since we didn't have any rib-eye steaks in the house. I bought this gorgeous flank steak at Dick Howard's Meats-a local butcher shop- a week ago, and froze it.

Howard's carries 'Prather Ranch' beef, which is 100% free range, grass fed beef from Coburg, Oregon. You can really taste the difference! I buy most of my meat at either Howard's or Diamond S Meats, the other nearby butcher shop. One funny note about Diamond S Meats- today is a 'cash mob' event at Diamond S. These are 'word of mouth' advertised events where as many people as possible go to a pre-arranged local shop and spend money there. It brings much needed business to local places and is usually a lot of fun! I'm heading over later today to get a couple of heart shaped steaks for Valentine's Day...more on that later.
The recipe for the Arrabiata sauce couldn't be easier...toss everything into a blender, and cook it down for 25 minutes or so. It was just long enough to put the flank steak on the grill.
Here's the original recipe... Rib-eye Steaks with Smoky Arrabiata Sauce
And here's the sauce, bubbling away...

Of course, I used roma tomatoes from my garden that I canned back in September.
I also made warm farro salad for me and farro with butter and parmesan for Kevin. He's not a big fan of grain-type salads, so it was easy to just portion it out. I dressed my salad while I added the butter and fresh grated parmesan to the piping hot farro for Kevin. If you don't know what farro is, it is a delicious, easy-to-cook ancient grain. It's similar in texture to barley. It's very versatile to use. I've used it in soup, as a side dish and as a cold or warm salad. It has a tender texture with a tiny bit of bite, and does not turn 'mushy' like some grains if you forget it while it's cooking. I bought this pack from Trader Joe's when we were in Eugene, Oregon a couple of weeks ago, but you can find it in most grocery stores.
I tossed my portion with 1 freshly squeezed Meyer lemon (from my tree!) and a couple of glugs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I added some fresh cracked Applewood Smoked Peppercorns (thanks, Gene and Carla!) and a little of my homemade Basil salt. Yum.
A handful of steamed haricot verts rounded out dinner.

Oh, and a lovely glass of M. Cosentino Ol' Red. (Napa)

Super Bowl 2013 Menu

Kevin and I have hosted a lot of Super Bowl parties over the years...but since Kevin worked the Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast at Church today and I had Religious Education classes- that wasn't happening this year!
Kevin got home at about 1PM and I didn't walk in until almost 2PM...and the game started at 3PM-ish. Thankfully, I had planned our menu earlier in the week and shopped on Friday!

This is the initial feast...
a fruit tray with strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries and black berries; a veggie tray with sungold cherry tomatoes, celery, cornichons (Trader Joe's) , cucumbers, radishes and marinated mushrooms(Trader Joe's) with a smoky ranch dip; and a walking Caesar. We have some jarred stuff from Trader Joe's stockpiled from last weekend:)
The walking Caesar is an idea I got at a reception for the Catholic Daughters by my friend, Deb Brunold. Thanks, Deb! I love this so much that I stole the idea....basically, wash, and spin dry some romaine lettuce leaves. Spread a small amount of Caesar dressing down the middle of the leaf and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Brilliant. Finger salad!
I made homemade mayo from this amazing blog to make this absolutely delicious Caesar Dressing with a freshly laid egg from my hen, Moa
So I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe!

By the way, that's Kevin's Sunday Blurry Mary. It's Mrs. T's Spicy and Bold Bloody Mary Mix with a dash of homemade kosher pickle juice, Worcestershire sauce and locally made Tulelake horseradish sauce, mixed with Bakon Vodka and a celery stick. Usually, it's a homemade pickle instead of celery, or a homemade pickled green bean, or a homemade pickled jalapeno...except, I only have pickle slices left out of all the jars I canned and we ate all the jalapenos....so today we went with boring celery.
I was drinking a Southern Delight ...you can't see it but it's the best Sunday drink ever! My sister in law, Carla, introduced me to this drink on a ski trip...2 shots of Southern Comfort with 8 ounces of Sunny Delight. Original Tangy, of course. Yum.  Perfect for Super Bowl.
I also made the most amazing, delicious Guy Fieri's Korean Crispy Chicken Wings

This picture does not do justice to how incredibly flavorful, spicy and meat-a -licious finger-lickin' good they are to eat!
I followed the recipe exactly. I bought fresh chicken wings, chopped them and got rid of the wing tips, patted them dry, tossed with a little kosher salt, some applewood smoked peppercorns, freshly cracked, and a little oilve oil.
The sauce is fantastic! And since I always have sambal olek in my house (chili garlic sauce) by the way, NOT Sriracha sauce- as well as local honey, about 12 kinds of vinegar, and frozen or fresh or pickled ginger-this was easily tossed together.

I also made some fresh guacamole and salsa, but we didn't break that out until the game was over. There's lots of fruit left for a smoothie tomorrow...and more snacks for the next hockey game we will watch...oh, wait- there's one on now!
Hope you try these recipes!

Two More Giada Dinners

I've discovered that it's not easy to create fast, fresh and delicious meals from just one cookbook.
We usually have at least a 3 (usually a 4) course meal for dinner. I make a main dish (meat, fish, or veggie) a starch of some sort, and at least one vegetable as a side dish...and usually a salad. Plus, a glass of wine with dinner. Rarely, a dessert.
While the meals from the 'Weeknights with Giada' cookbook are fantastic, they are somewhat limited. So, I am supplimenting the menu with some additions of my own to round out the meals.
On Friday night, I adapted a version of Giada's Antipasto Calzone.
Well, it was remotely related!
I made homemade whole wheat pizza dough from this incredibly simple and fast recipe Williams-Sonoma Thin Crust Pizza Dough

and cooked up some sausage, chopped, drained and jarred roasted red bell peppers, homemade tomato sauce (using home grown and canned San Marzano tomatoes) and freshly grated parmesano-reggiano and mozzarella cheese. I also added some frozen artichoke hearts that I cooked quickly and chopped.  I stuffed the calzone and brushed it with a beaten egg from my cute little chickens (they are still laying everyday!) and baked it on a pizza stone for 20 minutes at 425.

It was HUGE!
Kevin and I split it! I also had a small container of more of the tomato sauce for dipping. You can't see the salad, but we had salad, too.

You might notice we switched the china for February- we used the wedding china from 1980 (Viceroy by Noritake) for the month of January, and now we are using the Ashbourne by Royal Daulton for the next couple of months. It's just beautiful! It has beautiful pink peonies on it. Kevin's mother, Lee, gave it to me about 10 years ago before she showed symptoms of Alzheimers. I am so glad I have it now- she loved it, but she gave it to me!! She is in heaven, now, but every time we use it, I think of her, and smile.
Tonight, I had to work at the Church for the 5:30PMN Mass, because we held the Rite of the Presentation of the Creed (the set of beliefs handed down from the Apostles) and the Lord's Prayer (the Prayer Jesus taught the Apostles in Sacred Scripture). It's a short ceremony, but rich in meaning.
I had defrosted some beautiful 'breakfast' pork chops that are super thin this morning in anticipation of a 'quick' dinner when I got home.
I decided on Giada's Spiced Pork Chops with Sweet and Sour Glaze
Of course, I changed it a bit.
I added one half sliced onion and 1 seeded and sliced Anaheim pepper to the garlic saute.

Everything was going great; until I burnt the balsamic vinegar & honey mixture. It was horrible.
I dumped it out and started over.

Once it was made and I drizzled it over the cooked chops, it was fantastic!
I also made some tater tots. Yah, I know, cheater starch, but did you know that TOTS are the 'item of the year' for most hip restaurants? I'm telling you...you have to google 'tots'.
Here's the dinner, complete with a perfectly cooked glaze, veggies and...tots.

You will love this recipe!