Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 97

National Hermit Cookie Day

I love the zesty fresh taste of spices. A particular fondness lingers for ginger and clove, both of which are usually prominent in the hermit cookie recipes. If you like a spicy, chewy, melt-in-your-mouth bar cookie, this could easily become a favorite go-to recipe!

Hermits

Here’s my simple update to a timeless classic favorite!

1 c butter, softened to room temp

¾ c monkfruit or other granulated sweetener

¾ c coconut sugar or other brown sugar

2 lg or x-lg eggs

½ c molasses

1 tsp baking soda

¼ c warm water

3½ c almond flour

1 tsp each: cinnamon, ginger & salt

½ tsp each: nutmeg & ground cloves

2 ½ c raisins, covered with cold water & boiled 15 minutes; drain & cool

Cream butter and sweeteners together till light and fluffy; then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in remaining ingredients and spread in well-buttered 13×9” baking pan.  Bake 25-30 min at 350º F.  Let cool on wire rack before cutting in squares or bars.

KISS Notes:  Add ½ c of chopped nuts, if you like. You can also replace all or part of the raisins with other dried fruit, such as cranberries, apricots, or cherries. These also freeze very well.

 

National Homemade Guacamole Day

Everyone has their favorite guac, and this is your day to enjoy it your way. If you haven’t made it at home, give it a go!

Super Simple Guacamole

Guacamole is so easy and fast to prepare you’ll find yourself making it often.  Adjust hot pepper sauce, onion, and garlic amounts to suit your preferences. 

4 ripe Haas avocados, halved, pits removed; flesh scooped into large bowl
¼ c freshly squeezed lime juice (and more for the surface)
0-8 dashes hot pepper sauce (to suit your taste)
½ c finely diced sweet onion (or ¼ c red onion)
½ – 1 tsp finely minced garlic

¼ tsp ground cumin (optional)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 medium plum tomato, seeded, finely diced

Use a sharp knife to coarsely dice avocado flesh.  Stir in remaining ingredients, which will partially mash avocado to your desired chunkiness.  Spoon into serving bowl & liberally spritz surface with additional fresh lime juice to delay or prevent oxidation browning.  Then loosely top with plastic wrap, pressing down with your fingertips to remove any air pockets between guacamole and plastic wrap.  Refrigerate till serving time. To serve, remove plastic wrap & stir guacamole.  Serve with crispy bacon, raw veggies, and/or warmed corn tortilla chips.

Or try adding a fresh spin, such as Lobster Guacamole, by adding half a pound of coarsely chopped lobster meat. Or go for Fruity Guacamole, by adding diced mango or papaya or even fresh berries. Another favorite of mine is Bacomole. You guessed it, added 8 crumbled slices of crisply cooked bacon. (This also makes an awesome deviled egg filling; simply add the mashed yolks to your guac.)

Life!

I pause from my typical postings on this day for a brief look at Life as it has been affecting me over the past couple of months. Life. We are not in charge.

 

Yesterday, we attended two precious gatherings of people. Interestingly, speakers at both said, “We are gathered here today for a celebration of Life.”

Sadly, one gathering was to honor a life that passed far too young. The other was celebrating two merging lives beginning a new phase of their time together.

Ron Morton left us at just 47 years of age. The decorated, special operations U.S. Navy veteran lived his life fully, if not overflowingly. A genuine person, a dependable and devoted friend, and the proud father of Kaden, he had spent many hours in our home.

 

With my hubby being Ron Martin, whenever they were together, we called them Ron Squared. Ron Morton will be forever missed, and never forgotten.

 

 

 

A Facebook posting of his from nearly one year ago served up a memorable slice of his philosophy. “Life is a puzzle. Solve it with the right pieces.”

 

 

 

 

 

From the military honors and service at Brookwood Park in Landrum, SC we then drove to Saluda, NC. A wedding had been meticulously planned deep in the gorge, along the banks of the Green River.

 

 

Guests were welcomed with hot cider, popcorn, and donuts prior to the ceremony.

Misty Proctor and Brian Davis hosted a full array of friends and family at a unifying celebration of their love.

 

 

 

 

 

The groom glowed, and the bride was radiant. The famed river provided a rousing backdrop for the event’s autumnal color scheme.

 

The reception that followed flowed with their creativity and passion, from the do-it-yourself caramel apple station and Cuban food truck catering to the West End String Band and the kayak paddle bridal couple welcome.

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Conflicting emotions filled our hearts yesterday. Loss and love. But that has been a theme for the past two months.

We had suddenly lost a dear friend, Tom Kraemer, in Marco Island, FL earlier this Fall. Ron always had the knack for making The Chief smile! But just 3 days before Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida, I got the hauntingly painful, middle-of-the-night text from his wife, Rose.

 

We love her to the moon and back, and his sudden loss smashed all sensibilities and left her in shock. Not that she could mourn in peace, because the category 4 hurricane was about to add more distress. Finally, when the church reopened, and she could hold a memorial service, Ron and I ended up communing in spirit, rather than in person. Due to so much hurricane-related property loss, there were no flights, no rental cars, and no hotel rooms. We wanted to drive the 13 hours, but we would have to drive straight back as we were departing the next day for our long-awaited (and already twice canceled) trip to Hawaii.

Talk about conflicted. Life does this to us. Celebrate while we can.

These celebrations of life hardly stop there. This Fall served up many blessings in the form of healthy, new babies, too. We have felt so richly blessed by the birth of our second grandbaby, Ayla on October 18. Adam and Caiti’s growing family reminds us that the circle of life is real, worthy, and beautiful.

 

 

 

 

We should and do celebrate lives just starting, lives joining in love, and lives lived.

 

 

 

Life is fragile. Lives are fragile. Celebrating Life continually reminds us to value and cherish each moment, even when it feels far too fast and fleeting. Go with the goal… face Life fearlessly!

 

National Happy Hour Day

Before we can enjoy Happy Hour, we must dance our way through several other hours first. Let me begin with a little Big Island info.

 

 

Of the 13 distinct climates found on Earth, 11 are right here on the Big Island. No arctic glaciers nor desert sand dunes exist here, but you could ski in the morning and sit under a tropical palm tree on the beach in the afternoon. The population has grown from 185,000 to 200,000 since the Covid pandemic. That also drove home prices crazy, just as it did elsewhere. On the rainy side of the Big Island, the median home price in Hilo of $375K jumped to 600K. In Kona, a small home now runs between $800K and one million dollars. Eek.

Our second day on the Big Island was spent in Kona, on the west side of the island. We had a Zodiac Boat adventure. This was a rollicking excursion. Our inflatable Zodiac could handle 17 guests, but we had just 7. Perfect!

We cruised the Kona coastline for 17 miles to our snorkel site… a “no fishing” bay filled with superb coral and massive schools of colorful fish!!! It is amazing when Yellow Tangs, for example, are schooled together in such numbers that they boldly color the water… yellow in this case.

On the shore stands a statue in tribute to Captain Cook. This is the site where he had come ashore and initially thought to be a god. This is also where he died as the people no longer viewed him as a god. Further, and there are conflicting stories on this, he got upset about the people borrowing the long boat they had given to him. When he challenged them, they killed him. Or it is said that when he challenged them in his conversation with the King or Chief, Cook touched his arm, which is forbidden, so they killed him… OR stabbed him… or not…. He may have tried to swim back to his ship, but since he could not swim, he drowned. Regardless, they burned the flesh from his bones in the honoring method used for chiefs and kings… and then buried his bones in a secret place.

(This was the standard method for high-ranking leaders, so that no one could steal the powers of his spirit.) The secret places were always lava tubes in steep walls along the coastline.

 

In addition to learning culture, history, and lore, we also enjoyed Parrot Cove, where dozens of green parrots now nest on the steep walls.

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No mongoose can attack their nests and eggs here, so it is wise. The mongoose was brought to the Hawaiian Islands to rid them of rats. However, since mongoose like daylight, and rats are creatures of the night, all they got was more trouble. The mongoose love to dine on bird eggs, which is leading various species down the path to extinction. Fortunately for the island of Kauai, a mongoose bit the handler when he was bringing the crate from the boat. He was ticked off and threw the crate of mongoose into the ocean, drowning them all. Inadvertently, he thus protected the birds on that island.

We learned that only two mammals are “endemic” to Hawaii, thus found nowhere else. Monk seals and teeny tiny bats, barely the size of mice. However, these bats do not like the many captivating caves along this ragged coastline. Because bats are blind, they rely on sound to fly. They do not like the caves on the Big Island because lava has no echo!

 

Other caves and bays are known for where manna rays feed at night to where bones of ancient kings were buried. Every turn was eye-opening.

We were also blessed by large pods of dolphins.

 

 

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Then it was time for Happy Hour, so should we return to our ship? Later.

 

 

Instead, we hung loose with the locals. This included a splendid little gang of geckos.

 

 

 

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Yes, they like a maraschino cherry with their piña colada… or just the cherry.

 

 

What fun we had at Da Shark Shack. I mean, it was “Sharktober,” after all, and even sharks are protected here.

 

National Sundae Day

Sundae makes Fun Day on each and every day you choose. But must “I scream; you scream; we all scream for ice cream” necessitate traditional ice cream in that sundae? I used to think so. But now I’ve been introduced to Hawaiian shave ice, and just wait until you have it as a sundae!!!

 

Trust me when I say that shave ice is NOTHING like a snow cone. The more familiar icy mainland treat could never work as a sundae. It truly is just finely crushed ice in a paper cone into which a fun, but “fakey”-flavored syrup is poured. No snow cone can hold a candle to even a commercial Hawaiian shave ice. If you’ve been to Hawaii and indulged in the classic frozen treat, you know exactly what I mean.

Shave ice is such a thinly shaved ice that the powder-like texture truly feels like fresh snow. (Only those of us who’ve lived in snow belts know the plainly naturally fun of munching on freshly fallen snow.) Like snow, the fine shavings also more readily “absorb” the flavored syrups. If the differences stopped there, it would be enough. But NOOOOO!

The best Hawaiian have ice vendors now pride themselves on their made-in-house syrups, many adding no artificial sweeteners, flavors, nor colors. The quintessential first-timer’s shave ice experience features a rainbow of colors and flavors in a nicely mounded bowl. Two of the standards in the rainbow will be strawberry and banana, and not just food coloring and sugar. Further, most shops offer between two and four dozen single flavors. These do not mean just the familiar cherry, grape, lemon-lime, and blue raspberry sugar syrups either. (You know, our traditionally beloved snow cone “flavors.”)

Think “snow cones gone gourmet!” Flavors go wild in Hawaii, AND they are for real! Pineapple. Mango. Li hing (sweet & sour, plus salty). Strawberry. Banana. Mango. Guava. Almond. Root beer. Chocolate. Papaya. Peach. Green tea. Dragon fruit. Passion fruit. Catamansi (a sassy citrus fruit, native to the Phillipines). Plus, they serve endless combinations, both classics of their own and whatever else the customers want!

But we need not just enjoy our Hawaiian shave ice as it is. They traditionally top these delicious, snowy sundaes with a drizzle of something sweet. At commercial shops, it’s apt to be a bit of sweetened condensed milk, which makes the shave ice a Kakingori. At the shops and trucks that feature Hawaiian-grown or Hawaii-made ingredients, you may find a topping to be a “honey-thick” passion fruit cream called liliko.

Now, in light of this being National Sundae Day, let me take you to the true “Aloha in a Bowl.” THIS is how Hawaiian locals do shave ice.

You first scoop locally made vanilla, macadamia nut, or coconut ice cream into your bowl. Pile the shave ice on top. Then a favorite house-made syrup is generously poured over the ice, followed by a drizzle of Haupia. (This is basically a cream pudding made from freshly grated coconut, cornstarch, sugar, and water.) You can even dash fun bits on top… from chunks of fruit, like papaya or kiwi, or a sprinkle of fresh or roasted coconut flakes.

 

One that I especially “wild,” because it stood out as a total news flash to me is called “Li hing,” which I mentioned earlier. This is a red powder made from ground plum skin, combined with licorice, red food coloring, and salt. While a taste for Li hing is an acquired one, I am told it’s a special treat.

We first learned about it in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Since the early plantation days in Hawaii and the powerful influence of early Portuguese ranchers throughout Hawaii, Portuguese sausage has remained extremely common and popular. The same goes for malasada. In 1952, Leonard’s Bakery in Honolulu became the first bakery to make the Portuguese donuts, and the shop still gets lines of daily customers! These delightful dough balls are deep-fried and then rolled in sugars of many colors. The best ones are also filled with coconut cream. AND you can sometimes find them sprinkled with red powder. Yup! Li thing.

Whether you opt for that on your donut or sundae is purely personal. Li hing is not used on most servings. Then again, neither is seaweed, but you can get it on your shave ice in certain places. What!!!???!

Many popular combinations are featured in Hawaiian shave ice. Sir Ronald and I kept it very simple with just strawberry added to piña colada, atop macadamia ice cream. But other combos called out gleefully. Consider Almond Joy, with its coconut ice cream topped with shave ice, coconut milk, chocolate sauce, roasted coconut flakes and crushed almonds. Perhaps Dragon’s Blood is more to your taste with shave ice piled atop macadamia nut ice cream, followed by dragon fruit, pineapple juice, a drizzle of organic honey and a fresh fruit garnish. Or go for Kauai Coffee. Yup, move over Kona as Kauai takes over! This gem for coffee aficionados features your choice of vanilla, macadamia nut, or coconut ice cream, shave ice mounded on top, followed by coffee cold brew, then a chocolate-coconut cream, sprinkled with chocolate cookie crumbles.

OMG! True Hawaiian shave ice will scintillate your senses! The Hawaiian expression for awesome exceptional flavor, “broke da mouth” definitely applies here.

The Big Island

Being greeted by a rainbow as we cruised into the harbor, we knew we were in for a great day. And a wonderful new adventure!

The Big Island is home to Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano. Simply having to go there, we began our adventure in nearby Hilo. Visitors only come here to see the volcanoes, and for pretty good reason. Hilo gets 12 feet of rain per year. Yikes!

It’s also known as the Tsunami capital of the world, with the last 3 major ones claiming lives and wiping out much of Hilo in 1946, 1960, and 1975. No wonder there are just 3 hotels in this quaint little city. And where buildings formerly stood near the water’s edge, are now a great many beautiful parks.

Babe Ruth Banyan Tree

 

 

It was suggested that Banyan trees could withstand tsunamis. Thanks to a “celebrity” program, Banyan trees began to be planted in what became known as Banyan Drive. From Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Richard Nixon to Amelia Earhart, Cecile B. DeMille, Arthur Godfrey, Louis Armstrong, Babe Ruth, and more, Hilo’s Walk of Fame grew and still flourishes with more than 50 trees.

 

Ohi’a lehua Blossom

 

Thanks to Kilauea, many other endemic- to-Hawaii plants and trees flourish on this island. One of those is perhaps Hawaiʻi’s most iconic tree, the “ohi’a lehua.” Found only in the Hawaiian Islands, they are noted for their gorgeous, fluffy flowers. We were fortunate to still find some still clinging to fiery red puffs! I can only imagine how it looks when the entire tree is covered with these flowers.

Also, while driving to Volcanoes National Park, I learned a lot about volcanoes. Plates in the earth’s surface are constantly moving, but the “hot spots” underneath them remain, erupting in volcanoes, such as the 137 Hawaiian Islands (many of which are now underwater) that cover 2,000 miles, stretching all the way to Midway. Geologists tell us that the Hawaiian Islands are moving west, away from the hotpot, at a rate of 4” per year. This decreases the likelihood of lava flows in most of the islands. Also, in theory, this means the Hawaiian Islands will reach Japan in some 6,000 years.

With the time it takes for volcanoes on the ocean’s floor to form new land, and with the fact that the earth’s plates are still moving, the islands’ ages differ. The eldest are the furthest west. Thus, Kaua’i is the oldest Hawaiian island at 5 million years old, followed by Oahu, which is between 3- and 4 million years old, then Moloki at 2 million, Maui at 1 million, and finally the youngest, which is The Big Island. At a mere 750,000 years old, The Big Island is still forming thanks to Kilauea. This pewing volcano has been erupting continuously since January 3, 1983.

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Currently, its crater measures 93 x 76 miles. I say “currently” with all deliberateness. Kilauea has added 200 million more acres off the national park as it has flowed into the ocean just since its last major eruption on September 29, 2021. Seriously, in barely 13 months. Prior to that, the primary crater was 400’ across and 200’ deep. It is now 4 times wider and 1600 feet deep.

Looking into the crater in daylight, the lava’s red color is masked by the thin black crust that forms on top. At night, however, the lava glows strongly through all the cracks and vents.

 

The famed Thurston Lava Tube is no longer accessible for tour busses because of the many sinkholes under the roads after so much lava flowed. Oh, a “lava tube” is formed by flowing lava. The fiery red part cools and turns black on the outside rather swiftly, but the hot lava continues its flow toward the sea inside. Once that eruption ceases, the outer black layer hardens into lava rock, leaving the path the lava followed empty. These lava tubes can be as small as a foot in diameter or so large that humans can easily walk inside. And they can continue for many miles.

Since the last violent eruption, Kilauea’s lava lake is filling the crater once again. In just over 1 year 29.2 BILLION gallons of lava have been added to the lake. And between September 5 and October 26, 2022… just 21 days… 2.9 BILLION gallons have been added, raising the lava lake by 496 feet.

“Fascinating” is how I describe standing on ground that we know will be gone with the next earthquake on the Big Island. So many fissures in the land are visible, it was rather disconcerting.

 

Steam constantly escapes through vents in the earth and lava rock for miles around. Seeing them and feeling their intense heat felt surreal.

 

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And we could see burnt remains of a few structures around the crater’s edge.

 

While Kilauea is still erupting, it is not the world’s largest volcano. That honor belongs to another volcano, also on the Big Island, which remains at an elevated threat level to erupt again. While Mauna Loa is Earth’s largest volcano, Mars can boast of having the largest one in the solar system. Scientists say it’s the size of New Mexico.

Yes, indeed… Hawaii has a whole lot more than great beaches happening!

Sunrise on Haleakala

Haleakala is a rare and sacred place with an abundance of stories from both ancient and modern Hawaiian times. The seemingly barren volcanic landscape delivers a stark contrast to the sub-tropical rain forest just below the massive crater, which measures 7 miles long, 2 miles wide, and 2600 feet deep.

At 2:30am, the alarm rang for our sunrise excursion to Haleakala. Our driver, Preston, has been driving this long switchback route up and down the mountain for a decade, and he was wonderful.

We knew that at 10,000 feet above sea level the temperatures would feel far less than tropical. But WOW! Cold wind! 40 degrees. Not that we would have wanted to pack heavy winter coats, hats, scarves, and gloves, but we sure could have used them. Haleakala National Park temperatures tend to be 30-50°F with 10-40 mph winds. Naturally, it is coldest in the morning and overnight, AND it can be much colder… even icy. Weather was on our side, but we saw a picture of how the clouds at crater level turn into columns of ice crystals in winter.

 

 

We had a long wait for the highly worthwhile victory of the gloriously famous sunrise here. This is why there is always a crowd to await the sunrise here. Park rangers and other locals immediately broke into song as soon as the sun had risen. They do this every single morning! I found it a most appropriate way to celebrate dawn on the mountain whose name means “house of the sun.”

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There was no road up Haleakala until the early 1930’s. And yet, Haleakala has been a visitor attraction since the late 1800’s, when Samuel Clemens wrote, “It was the sublimest spectacle I ever witnessed. And I think the meaning of it will remain with me always.”

That is true for me, too. Witnessing sunrise on Haleakala is one of those magical moments we wouldn’t even know should be on our bucket list.

Haleakala on the island of Maui in Hawaii is the world’s 3rd highest peak in the most remotely isolated land mass. Maui was actually formed out of 2 volcanoes, rising from the ocean’s floor. Haleakala forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Island of Maui. (The rest is formed by another volcano, Mauna Kahalawai. After enough eruptions, she finally rose above sea level.

Check how big Haleakala is from base to summit. Though erosion has chopped off 2,000 feet, Haleakala still stands at 29,704 feet from base to summit. Yup. That’s BIG. She stands taller than Mount Kilimanjaro (19,341’), Mount McKinley (20,320’), and even Mount Everest (29,029’).

Atop Haleakala you will find “Science City.” There are several observatories and powerful telescopes.

 

Even more interesting are some of the species endemic to Hawaii, meaning they are not only native, but they grow nowhere else on earth. One example is the Haleakala Silversword. Its Hawaiian name is ‘ahinahina (which is pronounced like ah-HEE-nah-HEE-nah. This literally translates to “white white,” as the Hawaiian language has no single word for “silver.” This plant grows at 7,500 feet up the mountain and only blooms once per year. They have a soft, hairy feel to them, like the spot just above a cat’s nose. My picture lacks the blossom, as they are done blooming by fall.

Fortunately, our driver, Preston shared his photo with us, and I now share it with you. The base is only knee-high, but with the blossoms, the plant can grow to 8 feet tall. Crazy! Stunning to see the fascinating species that survive and thrive here.

 

Another favorite, though hardly endemic to Hawaii, is a partridge-like bird we saw scurrying all about our vehicles and the edges of the crater. We learned it is the Chukar partridge, native to Eurasia. The upland game bird is from the pheasant family. So, go Hawaiian and have a Chukar in your pear tree for the 12 days of Christmas.

Election Day

 

“It’s time for greatness — not for greed. It’s a time for idealism — not ideology. It is a time not just for compassionate words, but compassionate action.”

— Marian Wright Edelman (1939 –  )

Founder, Children’s Defense Fund

Whether you feel tired of all the political divisiveness or not… whether you’ve grown weary of cancel cultures or not… whether your passions rest with the economy, the Constitution, healthcare, the environment, human rights, social liberties, or anywhere else, today is the day where all US citizens have both the right to vote and obligation to exercise that right. Vote because each vote matters. Vote because there are many millions around the world who do not get the right to freely vote. Vote because we can.

Here Today… Gone to Maui

On our cruise, we got to enjoy 2 days docked at the Kahului Port on the island of Maui, known as The Valley Island. Cruising into the harbor, I could easily see how the warm moisture from the Pacific Ocean is captured on the windward side of the island by the giant volcanic mountains. Thus, a lovely tropical rain shower is likely in some places, while the other side of that mountain stays dry.

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I also find great interest in learning about cultures, whether in our own nation or traveling abroad. For example, while the battles of the ancient Hawaiian kings are legendary, each of the ruling chiefs of the islands of Hawai’i promoted peace and prosperity through unity. Once recreational grounds for Hawaiian royalty, areas on the island of Maui feature fine beaches, swimming, and snorkeling.

That’s how we spent our first day here. On one of Pacific Whales Eco-Adventures’ 65’ power catamarans out of Ma’alaea Harbor, we cruised 5 miles into the Pacific to Molokini, which is actually a steam release crater. It was formed during eruptions of the now dormant, great Haleakala volcano.

The Molokini Crater is a crescent-shaped islet known for its crystal-clear waters, abundant coral, colorful fish, and resting seabirds, including the Great Frigate, which still appears to be rather prehistoric.  As a protected conservation area, this volcanic crater is only accessible by boat with a certified tour operator.

Molokini Crater is noted as one of the Top 10 snorkeling sites in the world. Many types of colorful fish and lots of bulbous coral live here. The coral is not too colorful, but it’s plentiful and healthy, along with black and red huge sea urchins and a couple of jellyfish.

My favorite fish at Molokini included the black triggerfish (black with a thin turquoise stripe). They are noted as the clean-up crew, munching on all the debris left by other fish. I also loved the royal blue fish which sported bright yellow tails and red fins, both top and bottom.

I learned that the large fish with shimmering aqua back halves and also many green scales with colorful adornments are rainbow fish and terminal red lip parrotfish. Each can produce 1 pound of sand per year!!! (This is from chomping on algae!) So, we can thank these beauties for the sandy beaches.

The Moorish Idols appear as black, white, and yellow angel fish, but the bright Yellow Tangs were even more radiant. We also saw trumpet fish and a yellow fish with black vertical stripes at the face and where the tail meets the body. We learned they are Milletseed Butterfly fish.

 

En route to our second site on the south side of Maui we first looped around the back side of Molokini. Here you can snorkel or dive along a 300-foot vertical drop straight down the outside wall of the crater. Yikes! As the island is about the size of a large ship, Molokini was used for serious target practice during WWII. The scars of battle still show.

During the Ice Age, the water line was much higher, and those ancient lines are still clear, as well as layers showing the results of various eruptions.  When the Pacific Whale Foundation’s Pac-Eco group takes swimmers here they call it ‘The Wild Side.’

We also saw something that we came to recognize as common in Hawaii…. Rows of windmills, generating electricity. I’ll share more on that in another post.

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Our second site featured many caves in the dive area. The topography of this dive site was dramatically different, featuring a mostly sandy bottom into which a large and sudden protrusion of lava appeared, many feet high and filled with large crannies and caves.

And we watched out for sharks. We were there in late October, also dubbed as “Sharktober,” as they see so many sharks. Of the 40 shark species found around Hawaii, only about 10 are seen close to shore… including the hammerheads, various reef sharks, and tiger sharks. Great white sharks tend to only be seen between January and April when water temperatures drop below 75°F. We learned that when sharks die, their teeth become fossilized and turn black. If you buy white shark teeth, the shark was killed to get them. Eeek. Regardless, we were pleased to learn about sharks but not see any!

We did get to see the green sea turtles. We learned we must stay 10-15’ away from them as they are near-sighted, might not see us, and could accidentally bump into us. These sea turtles are important in Hawaiian culture, as many believe they are ancient ancestors.

 

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I also got “the sighting of the day,” as I spied the pod of spotted dolphins swimming toward our boat. Local law prohibits the tours from letting us get into the water with dolphins, but these dolphins came to us, and a few folks were still in the water.

 

Back in the port harbor of Kahului we saw a hydrofoil windsurfer. Yup, he “blew” past fellow windsurfers. We enjoyed a grand day that was barely the beginning of our Hawaiian Island adventures!

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National Nachos Day

I love nachos of all sorts. A marvelous Mexican chef and restauranteur taught me to make them with a single layer of chips, individually adorned with cheese, sauce, and any other finely diced toppings you need. That is still my favorite preparation.

Naturally, traveling in Hawaii means trying Hawaiian nachos, which are made with Hawaiian pulled pork. Polynesians were not the only people to settle in the Hawaiian Islands. They were joined by numerous Europeans, along with ranchers from South and Central America.

Pork in any form is by far the most popular protein in Hawaii. It was first brought to the islands by ancient Polynesians.  True Hawaiian Kalua Pork is smoky, tender, flavorful, and juicy (never dry). Traditionally, it is served with cabbage, Hawaiian macaroni salad, and rice.

As your friendly, traveling foodies were walking down Waikiki Beach, we stopped at a beach bar. Go figure! Sir Ronald had the Hawaiian Pork Tacos, filled with their traditional smoky pulled pork, shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, sriracha cream, and some fresh pineapple on the side. I chose Hawaiian Pork Nachos… with nacho cheese, the same seasoned juicy pulled pork, fresh pineapple-pepper salsa, sriracha cream, and sliced jalapeño peppers on the side.  Yummy!!!

Then we spent time at the pool. Needed to rest… I mean, work those calories off. Hah!

So, you’d like to make Hawaiian pulled pork at home. It’s easy, freezes well, and makes a yummy variation to our traditional mainland or southern pulled pork.

Smoky Hawaiian Pulled Pork

Hawaiian pulled pork is smoky, sweet, and tangy. Try it on rice or nachos, in tacos, sandwiches, or lettuce cups. We can dig a backyard hole to make this in a traditional underground Hawaiian oven… an imu, making this Kalua Pig. The smoky flavor is aided by the pig being seasoned with Hawaiian red sea salt and wrapped in ti or banana leaves and cooked over wood. Having no imu nor such leaves, we can Super Simplify it with liquid smoke or smoky paprika.

3 – 3½ lbs pork butt or boneless pork shoulder, sliced 2-3″ thick

1 T Hawaiian red sea salt

3 T olive oil, or as needed

1 lg sweet onion, chopped

1½ c chicken or turkey stock

1 c pineapple juice

½ c tamari or soy sauce

3 T sweet Thai chili sauce

2 T each: minced ginger and brown sugar (or golden monk fruit)

1 T each: minced garlic and smoked paprika (not sweet or hot) (or 2 tsp liquid smoke)

2 T cornstarch whisked with 1 T cold water (optional)

Rub all sides of the pork with Hawaiian sea salt and quickly sear in batches in olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat just till lightly browned. Transfer meat to slow cooker on high heat setting. Combine onion, stock, pineapple juice, tamari, chili sauce, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, and smoked paprika. Stir into the pork. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let cook for 8 hours. Then remove meat to heavy flat baking dish with sides (to catch liquid). Shred using 2 forks. Stir in as much of the cooking liquid as desired (after stirring in the cornstarch slurry, if you prefer the liquid thicker).

KISS Tips: This reheats beautifully, and the flavors improve. If using sweet or Hungarian paprika, add 1 tsp liquid smoke for the traditional smoky flavor. Keep some fat on the pork butt for flavor and moisture. Make this in an Instant Pot-type cooker to reduce cooking time to 30 min. To truly make this more traditionally in the slow cooker, simply cover the seasoned meat with water in which you have added 1 T liquid smoke, rather than adding all the other seasonings.