South Point, Camping, and What We're Eating in Hilo, Hawaii

I had a heck of a time deciding what photo to use for this week's post. As you will see below, I have some really nice ones.  However, in the end, I went with bacon.  Doesn't everyone love bacon?  Maybe I just have bacon on the brain because I'm working on a piece for wisebread.com about fancy bacon recipes.  

The above photo was taken last weekend on our camping trip.  We went camping because the house was being tented (more about that in my previous post). It was really fun. Despite having not camped in probably 13 years, we were very well-equipped.  Between needing to buy food to test bacon recipes and well, just being out of everything after the tenting clean-out, I did a considerable amount of grocery shopping this weekend.  

Below are some pictures of the Ka'u area, but most are of our drive down to South Point. South Point is the southernmost place in the United States. In the ten+ years we have lived here, we had not done that, yet. It is twelve miles down, and sort of a narrow road, but well worth the views.  Don't plan to take a picnic or hang out for long.  It is windy.  Beyond windy.  Hard-to-stand-up windy. It is also very desolate, but in a beautiful, odd, sort of way.  Here is a slideshow, and then we'll get back to menus, below.

Very dramatic scenery, right?  Worth the drive.


Here are this week's menus.


Sunday:  Pork Loin Roast with Pan-Fried Apples and Red Potatoes; Romaine Lettuce Salad with Bleu Cheese and Pecans
Monday:  Chicken Quesadillas (with Pinto Beans, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Olives and Avocado); Corn on the Cob
Tuesday:  Brussels Sprouts with Grapes, Walnuts, and Bacon; French Bread
Wednesday: Cremini Mushroom and Shallot Pockets; Kabocha Squash
Thursday:  Spaghetti Carbonara; Salad; French Bread
Friday:  Buckwheat Noodles in Chicken Broth Topped with Poached Egg, Bok Choy, and Green Onions
Saturday:  "Italian" Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce, Olives, and Mozzarella


Recipe Notes:  Wednesday's recipe will be adapted from this one from Martha Stewart. I need to use up a pie crust. :-)  


Have a great week, everyone!  
-C. Ironing