Eat Like A Local

It's no secret. Food in Hawaii is pitiful. We have pithy tomatoes, $10 Kraft cheese, mediocre bread and no Burrata. Everything that isn't grown locally has to be shipped. And everything that is shipped is low quality and overpriced.

The best way to avoid having a disappointing meal while in Hawaii is to eat local foods. For breakfast enjoy a bowl of fresh tropical fruit with Island granola and coconut flakes instead of a bagel with cream cheese. Skip the caprese salad and try the taro fritters. Last but not least stock up on your seafood. But first, check out this seafood chart to find the best sustainable seafood options in Hawaii.

One restaurant on Kauai that prides themselves with their field to table philosophy is Common Ground. They use fresh, local and wholesome ingredients sourced from local farmers and even have a small garden in the back. Their food is healthy without compromising taste and they have some of the meanest fish taco's on the Island.

(Grilled Island Fish Taco's Served with Organic White Corn Tortilla, Asian Slaw, Cilantro and Garlicky Yogurt Sauce, Served with Beans and Quinoa)

(Okinawan Purple Sweet Potato Fries)

(these fries are THE BEST!)

(sheep located on the grounds)

Wordless Wednesday: A Lovely Afternoon

These is my Jamzzzz

Every holiday season I battle with the same question. What to give? Between friends, family and co-workers, gift giving can turn a happy wallet into a sad change purse. Who wants to waste their money on candles,chocolates, or other meaningless gifts? So I dug deep (real deep) and found the somewhat warped, frightened and sad Martha Stewart that had been hiding inside.

Last year I tackled terrariums. The finished product looked good but the plants died a few weeks later which was, oh you know... INCREDIBLY embarrassing.

This year I opted for something that wouldn't leave the receiver feeling like a murderer. Homemade Jam. My Aunt, whose inner Martha Stewart could beat the shit out of my inner Martha Stewart and THEN use her skin for an origami project, recommended THE BLUE CHAIR JAM COOKBOOK. This book makes jamming look ridiculously easy and beautiful, (it is not) but I still recommend it. And if you realize jamming just isn't your thing, it's heavy enough to use as an elegant door stop.

Before I had 20 jars of a decently tasting product, I spent 5 Sundays in a row bent over a hot stove, red berry juice covering my kitchen floor and walls, while I tested for jam "doneness" as Bob Marley's "Jamming" played in the background.

Here are some of the concoctions I tried:
red raspberries with rose geranium (too sweet), strawberry with rosemary (yuck), plain strawberry (too runny), cranberry & pomegranate (yummy), and tart raspberry lemongrass (tart & yummy).

In the end my hard work paid off. Sorry Martha but you'll need to find somebody else's skin for your art!

heating cranberries in pomegranate juice

jars ready to be sterilized

cute and thoughtful Christmas gifts