Sunday, February 3, 2013

Another gorgeous day on Maui! And for Americans, today is also Super Bowl Sunday (San Francisco vs Baltimore).

Saturday morning I decided we needed French toast for breakfast. We had bananas and some leftover caramel sauce from my first night here. So, quick French toast, thin sliced sour dough bread dipped in a sweeten royal (3 eggs to 1 cup of cream). I sliced a banana, then topped it all with caramel sauce. French toast ala Bananas Foster!

The knife we bought my second day here broke after only 2 days. The blade came right out of the handle!! The tang (the end of the knife blade that fits into the handle) was only about 1 inch long, so I think that goes a long way to explain why it broke so quickly. Off we went to the store to see if we could replace it. We did not, however, go back to Foodland Farms where we bought the first one (great groceries, not so great utensils). We ended up, of all places, Longs Drug Store. Would you believe the drug store had a grocery section complete with fresh produce and meats as well as the usual things you find in a drug store!? It was facinating to see what they carried (ok, so I am easily amused). There was an isle that had kitchen gadgets and low and behold, they carried awesome Japanese knives! I asked for the least expensive (the knives started at $30 but at least the tangs were bolted into the handles-a good thing), so ended up with a knife about six inches long. It is one of the nicest knives I ever worked with. Very nice!

Lunch was a Layered Tomato Tuna Salad. They have such great tuna filets here, that instead of canned tuna, I used fresh tuna and did a quick saute and added the flaked tuna to the salad. A layer of chopped tomatoes, a layer of white beans (tossed with a little vinaigrette), a layer of tuna, a layer of chopped egg the garnished with chopped parsley and more vinaigrette. Quite a nice salad, really.

After lunch came the daily question of "Do I go to the beach or the pool?" it's becomes somewhat of a joke here. But alas, still one that needs answering as I do get a lot of free time. I actually laid out in the lounge chair near our lani'i! I am working on a great tan while I am here (even though it will not last long once I get back to Reno).

A little reading, then it was time to start dinner. Sauteed Pork Medallions in an Apple Cider-Mustard Sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans sauteed with garlic and lemon. Yum! Dessert was Carmelized Pineapple served over ice cream. They have the most amazing pineapples here. So much tastier than what you get on the mainland, although I was told it was hard to get a bad pineapple in Hawaii. I suppose so!

Today's lunch was Ribollita (an Italian vegetable soup) served with Shrimp and Pineapple chunks wrapped in bacon (I needed to use up both some shrimp and some of the pineapple). Who would have thought bacon, shrimp and pineapple would be such a good combination?

I decided on the pool after lunch but didn't stay long. The trade winds have really kicked up but the wind was irradic so I cut my pool time short. Outside our condo unit, are bushes of red hibiscus. The blooms only last a day or two, then they fall off, but the numbers of flowers is impressive. Sure can't find THAT in Reno! The rest of the afternoon was filled with reading, although I did tune into the Super Bowl off and on to watch the score.

Dinner tonight was Chicken Marsala served over pasta and a tomato salad-a small take on the Caprese salad sans cheese. Meals have been turning out well here and with all the experience I've gotten the last two years, meals come together pretty quickly for me. It helps that cooking still makes me happy. It never seems like a chore.

After dinner, we sat out on the lani'i, looking at the sky, listening to the waves crashing on the beach. It is quite soothing...