Postcards and Coasters

10/27/11

Big Island of Hawaii...

We rented a house South of Hilo in Kapoho (near the turtle) so we could explore "Old Hawaii".

Things to do in LAIE, HAWAII...

POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER... Explore Interactive activities in each of the 8 Island Villages. End the day with a Luau and an Amazing Night Show.

Luau Dessert: Hawaiian Pineapple Bars...

I recently hosted a really fun Hawaiian Luau. We made Hawaiian Pineapple Bars for dessert. They were a hit! {I was flattered when a Tongan women came up to me afterwards wanting the recipe.}

Hope you enjoy...

HAWAIIAN PINEAPPLE BARS

1 c. butter

2 c. flour

1 c. sugar

Mix well and pat in 9 x 13 pan. Bake 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

FILLING:

2 (8 oz.) cream cheese

1/4 c. milk

2 c. well drained crushed pineapple

1/3 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all but pineapple, then fold in pineapple. Pour over cooled crust.

TOPPING:

Mix 2 tablespoons of butter melted with 3 cups of coconut. Spread on top. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until toasted at 350 degrees.

(If you have a large number of guest make sure you refrigerate the bars for a few hours before you cut them.)

7/21/09

10 Things to do on the North Shore of Oahu...

Chun's Reef

The beach house we rented on Oahu was in a great location on the North Shore. Chun's Reef is a popular beach with the locals. You can take long walks on the beach or sit on the porch and watch a local women swim with her dog and a parrot on her head...Or just watch the surfers!

View from the Beach House Hammock

Laniakea or Turtle Beach

1...Turtle Beach was a 5 minute walk from the beach house. The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles come close to the shore to munch on seaweed and lounge on the beach.

Waimea Bay

2... Waimea Bay is one of my favorite beaches on the North Shore. If your feeling brave you can jump off "da Big Rock"!

Pu'u O Mahuka Heiau State Park

3...Overlooking Waimea Bay is Pu'u O Mahuka Heiau State Park ("hill of escape"). Hawaiians still bring fruit offerings to a nearby alter. I found out about this spot from my Hawaiian friends. If your not into old Hawaiian Temples at least stop and check out the amazing views at sunset! Turn up Pupukea Road at Foodland supermarket, go up the hill and take a quick right.

4...During the winter months check out surfing competitions on Bonzai Pipeline and Sunset Beaches. I spent way too much time here when I lived in Hawaii...my grades suffered because of it. ;)

5...Sharks Cove: Great spot for snorkeling and scuba diving in the summer months (might be too rough in the winter).

Shave Ice in Haliewa

6...This picture say's it all... delish! Try Matsumoto's Shave Ice with ice cream!

Hukilau Cafe

7... Popular with the locals and students from nearby BYU-Hawaii. The restaurant is famous for being the alleged site where Adam Sandler and Drew Berrymore met in "50 First Dates". The movie was filmed in a different location but the cast and crew of 50 First Dates were regulars during the filming. Open Tuesday-Saturday.

Laie, Hawaii Temple

8...You can visit the Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors' Center and learn more about the LDS Temple. Make sure you check out the beautiful gardens.

Polynesian Cultural Center

9...The Polynesian Cultural Center is Hawaii's top tourist attraction. I was a tour guide here during College and had a blast taking my tours to the 8 Polynesian Villages! The Polynesian culture and history is fascinating.

Click here to see pictures from our visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Laie Point

10...Just past the Polynesian Cultural Center on Kamehameha Highway is Laie Point. Across from Foodland take Anemoku Street at the light and go to the right on Naupaka Street to the end where you'll see a small parking lot. From Laie Point you can see the Windward Coast, Goat Island and the North Shore. If you saw the movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" you might remember a scene filmed at Laie Point were Rachel jumps off a cliff. Be careful if you decide to jump and watch out for the reef!

7/17/09

Friday Photo's... Eye-Land Candy!

Polynesian Cultural Center

Dole Pineapple

Manoa Falls

Chun's Reef

Byodo-In Temple

7/13/09

8 Islands in a day...Polynesian Cultural Center

I was a tour guide at the Polynesian Cultural Center while I attended BYU-Hawaii. I became friends with many of the students who came from the Polynesian Islands and worked at the PCC to help pay their way through college. I was fascinated by their culture and by how friendly and talented the Polynesian people are.

The PCC has 8 Polynesian Islands represented where you can participate in activities, see shows and learn about the different cultures.

Canoe Ride in the Lagoon

Figian Village

Learning to use the Derua, a bamboo percussion instrument

Samoan Village

This is one of my friends I met while working at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Kap works at the Samoan Village and is the fire dancer at the evening show. When I met him he had just arrived from Samoa and barely knew English. He's now the star at the Polynesian Cultural Center!

A few years ago he was on a show called Man Vs. Beast and beat a monkey up the coconut tree... Go Kap! He's also a very talented artist and sell's his artwork at the PCC.

Climbing the coconut tree

Tahitian Village

Learning to dance in Tahiti

Aotearoa (New Zealand) Village

Tititorea- stick game

Twirling poi balls

Canoe Pageant

Horizon Evening Show

My friend Kap the Fire Knife Dancer

7/4/09

North Korean Missile hits Hawaii!

Someone in Hale'iwa, Hawaii is having fun with the North Korean missile threats.

Happy Independence Day from Hawaii!

My crafty sister made me and CC a red white & blue Lava Lava. She also gave us some festive July 4th lei's. Thanks Stacy!

Manoa Falls Hike

Trying to swing like Tarzan

We stopped by the Liliha Bakery in Honolulu (popular Bakery and diner with the locals). I recommend the Coconut Malasada it reminded me of Pani Popo. It was Delish!

Hawaiian women at Kahuku Farms

7/3/09

End of a long day...

After all of the packing, non-rev anxiety and flying with a 22 month old who had a melt down the last hour of the flight...this makes it all worth it!

Were relaxing in a beach house for the next week on the North Shore of Oahu.

6/9/09

pani popo

One of my favorite treats I discovered while living in Hawaii is Pani Popo (Hawaiian Coconut Bread). It's really yummy, quick and easy to make. It's sweet enough that you'll want to eat it as a dessert.

Hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 (12 ounce) package frozen dinner rolls, thawed
1 (10 ounce) can coconut milk
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup white sugar, or to taste

DIRECTIONS

Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Coat your hands with cooking spray or shortening, and roll the dough balls in your hands so that they have a light coating. Place in the prepared dish. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled, up to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together the coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk and sugar. Pour this mixture over the top of the rolls as evenly as you can.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before separating and serving.

5/24/06

Kauai & Oahu...

Oahu

Pictures from our sealing in the Laie, Hawaii Temple on the North shore of Oahu. We spent a few days on Oahu then flew to Kauai.

We splurged and stayed at the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki. It's a beautiful hotel, unfortunately it's in noisy Waikiki. :)

We love the hike to Manoa Falls and try to do it whenever were on Oahu.

Kauai

Waimea Canyon

We took the Waimea Canyon Drive and stopped along the way for amazing views. It was so unexpected to find a canyon similar to the Grand Canyon in Hawaii.

The road ends at Kokee State Park.

We took the Zodiac Raft Trip to the Na Pali Coast. They use inflatable Navy Seal Rafts that handle the rough seas. It was quite the adventure! We sat on the edge of the raft and felt every bump and were rained on. Our captain had some mad skills maneuvering the raft into a sea cave.