Rosemary was wearing a pair of these at work, today. It happened to be a perfect, sunny day, and I thought, "Ocean." I guess that was the sea glass talkin'. Island Gems
A reader e-mailed me recently, and stated “You haven’t cooked anything lately.” !
Well, that’s just not true. I cook just about every night. I just don’t photograph and blog about everything. Wouldn’t that be boring? I’d be embarrassed to say, “Hey, look! Fried tilapia, mac and chese, and peas, again. Woot!” I mean, come on. As Mr. Logistical occasionally says: “They can’t all be winners.” So true. My other issues are (1) plating and (2) photography. These are two “P”’s that I need to work on. Even if I make something really outstanding, a lot of the time it doesn’t look that sporty on the plate, or the lighting is so bad that the photo looks downright frightening. Like that pineapple upside-down cake a few posts ago. It tasted good, though. Today I felt like baking so I went with it. First up were bran muffins. Before you judge me, I happen to really LIKE bran muffins. Regularity is a side benefit, not the goal. I would also like to point out that Mr. L and I are NOT SENIORS YET, AARP, so you can stop with the really effing annoying mail, AARP. We just happen to LIKE bran muffins so LAY OFF. Cripes. My mother went through a phase where she kept a huge jar of bran muffin mix in the refrigerator and baked fresh muffins every morning. That was a good phase, although not as good as my dad’s phase when he made sausage and eggs every morning. That was before the bran muffins. They must have had their cholesterol checked. That was followed by Grape-Nuts, and I was really glad it was about time for me to move out at that point. This link will take you to the recipe for these delicious muffins at allrecipes.com.  My friend Rosemary made this bracelet, and a lot of other gorgeous stuff, that I will show you later in today's post. When Rosemary isn't working, rescuing dogs (see previous posts), cooking or crocheting, she is making jewelry. Yeah, I know -- she makes me feel like a slacker, too. I asked Rosemary to share her ironing story. "I grew up with an iron that must have weighed 10 pounds. It had no thermostat. When it got too hot you unplugged it, and when it got too cold you plugged it back in. My dad never updated our house wiring. That meant that if you ironed school clothes in the morning and made toast at the same time, you’d blow a fuse. Those were the days . . . ". Another ironing hater. Welcome, Rosemary! I asked her a few questions, because I am nosy. Q: I know you love to make jewelry, crochet, and cook. Which domestic activity do you enjoy the most, and why? A: Right now I like making jewelry the best – when you cook, you spend a lot of time and make a mess and only get one or two meals out of all that work. Jewelry lasts. Q: If you could afford ANY jewelry medium to work with, what would it be? A: I’d love to work with the Cortez pearls --they are a blue/green/lavender and are found only in the Sea of Cortez (Baja California). Q: How do you come up with your designs? Do you draw them, dream them, etc.? A: I just fiddle around with the beads and see what happens. Q: Has living in Hawaii changed your jewelry style? Do you choose different materials or designs now? A: I work with pearls more, now that I live in Hawaii. Pearls are appreciated here! One time a man told me that ‘pearls are out of style’ – that is so not true – ever. Q: Describe a perfect day. A: Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks, lunch at Hilo Bay Café, dinner at Kaleo’s in Pahoa. Cappucino after dinner. I gather she likes coffee. Her designs are available on Etsy.com under Island Gems. 
Yesterday, I wrote about our delicious sushi lunch at Sweet Thunder in Hilo. Coincidentally, today: Meet Sushi the dog. Sushi is available for adoption through Tasha Ohana. He is a neutered, approximately 9-month old male. He likes cats. I don't know if cats like Sushi. The dog, that is.
 Spicy Ahi Poke Sushi Having attended the 14th Annual Big Island Woodturners' Exhibit, Mr. Logistical and I were famished. It's exhausting, admiring everyone's hard work. Anyhow, we thought we would pop into Miyo's Restaurant for lunch. It's consistently great, and one of our favorite Hilo restaurants. However, a new little sushi spot ("Sweet Thunder Products") caught our eye, just across the parking lot (400 Hualani St., #16B). We thought we'd pick up a menu for future use. Then, we looked at the menu -- and we decided to just order sushi. What a great decision that turned out to be! Pictured above is my Spicy Ahi Poke ("Maki-Mono," 8 pieces, Market Price). I am completely addicted to spicy ahi poke and I loved this. Besides the spicy ahi poke, they added cucumber and avocado. Mr. L. was really happy with his choices, too, pictured below. He went with the Fried Spicy Ahi (8 pieces, Maki-Mono, $6.50) and added the "Chicken-Bacon-Ranch" hand roll ($2.00). He left nary a grain of rice in his box. Prices were reasonable, and the owners were really nice. This menu is going on the refrigerator because I can tell we will be heading back again, soon.  Fried Spicy Ahi Sushi  Chicken-Bacon-Ranch hand roll. Check out the bacon! Awesome. 
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.
Our friend Lloyd recently gave us a pineapple (pictured below). It was a white pineapple, and a beautiful specimen. Mr. L. is really nice about sharing with the neighbors and suggested we do so. Being in a baking mood, I went looking for a Pineapple Upside-Down cake recipe. Betty Crocker, my old pal, (see blog entry) came to my rescue. Not only did she have an easy recipe, but it was also delicious. Mr. L. took pieces to neighbors Darryl and NJ and they ate it immediately. For dinner. How naughty was that? Well, life is short. Here is the recipe: Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, a la Betty Crocker. For those of you visiting Hawaii, if you go to a farmer's market and they have white pineapples, buy one. They are delicious! 
White Pineapple
Assembling the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Come to Mama.
As Mr. Logistical pointed out, I rarely seem to remember to take pictures of my lovely lunches when we dine out. I guess I have a theme going, inadvertently. Maybe I should just start a beer blog. However: I am sorry I did not take a picture of my delicious lunch at the Harbor House Restaurant. Besides these fabulous bowls of cold beer, they have a very nice menu and I can wholeheartedly recommend their salad with fresh fish. We lucked out and hit it on a "fresh spearfish" day and it was GREAT. Mr. L. had his spearfish in a sandwich and said he could have eaten two (not due to it being a small portion -- it was just that good). It's a handy lunch stop, located in the Honokohau Harbor, near the airport. There is the added benefit of being able to watch boats come and go, which I could do all day. With another beer. 
Honokohau Harbor, Kona, Big Island of Hawaii
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