use real butter

Recipe: blackberry lemon elderflower cake

my welcome home

Yes, that was Wednesday morning… on our deck. I rather like it. It feels like home. Kaweah has been bounding about the house with a toy in her mouth, shaking the very stuffing out of it. We’re settling back into Colorado living and it’s great.

Normally when I step into California, the air feels humid to me because I’m coming from Colorado where dry takes on a whole new meaning. But going from Hawai’i to California, that air felt downright AMAZING. I know I sound like an ingrate for all of the bitching and moaning I do about the wet, humid, and hot weather in Hawai’i. Please don’t misunderstand me! Hawai’i is a spectacular place to visit, but I would be the mayor of Crazytown if I had to live there. I prefer drier climes and need more type A personalities in my life than they have on the entire big island. But gosh if it isn’t a beautiful and wondrous place, especially now that I can look at the photos from my cool, dry mountain home.

green sand (green because it’s olivine)

pretty olivine, isn’t it?

honu or sea turtle (not dead, resting!)

believe it or not, this is an action shot

nightfall at halema’uma’u crater

driving through puna

the ohia blossom

akaka falls was torrential (thanks to all of that *rain*)

gecko

waipi’o valley

pololu valley

You can see more Hawai’i photos on my photo blog, just be sure to come back for some cake. Cake? Yes, I said cake. I made a cake that required more than flipping it out of the pan. It’s been a while since I’ve done a layer cake. There’s a reason for that. Lots of dishes…

blackberries again

folding meringue into the lemon chiffon cake batter

I hadn’t been in a mood to make a layer cake for a while until I got on that blackberry kick with the blackberry curd. I made so much of it that I had some left over. Rather than spooning it directly into my mouth (the thought had crossed my mind a couple of times), I decided to make a cake and distribute it to people who needed a few extra calories.

my most reliable cake recipe at altitude

slicing 3/4-inch layers

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: tuna poke

I’m writing from the cool(er) foothills of Waimea (Kamuela) right now. The drizzle has abated and there is a gentle breeze keeping some residents in pants and jackets. Jeremy has just polished off his second cup of Kona coffee for the day and we’re deciding on where to grab lunch. It’s been a rainy week on the Big Island, but it’s not such a downer considering the amazing food (ono kine grindz) on offer if you avoid the tourist traps.

noms to go at the hilo farmers market

bouquets on display

they had mangosteens, lychee, cherimoyas, mangos…

coconuts

crates of rambutan

white anthurium among the reds

jeremy’s favorite tree: the banyan

We scored heaps of fresh fruits and local treats in Hilo on our way to the Hamakua Coast. I think I’m in love with Hilo because it’s everything that Kona isn’t. The food alone is enough to make me forget about the heat and humidity – THAT is how fan-freaking-tastic Hilo is. As scenery goes, the north side of the Big Island is my favorite for the dramatic jungly cliffs plunging into the gem-blue waters. Another thing I love about the north side of the island is Tex’s in Honoka’a.

this is for malasada research

fresh hot malasadas from tex’s beats the pants off a krispy kreme

pineapple malasada research

We spent the last three days out of Waimea (Kamuela) which is pleasantly nestled on the saddle between Kohala and Mauna Kea. It’s a few thousand feet above the ocean and I’ve been loving the drier, cooler climate (we’re on the dry side of town – yes, there is a wet and dry side of Waimea!). Excellent food here and in the lovely town of Hawi too.

we stayed at an inn on the west side of town

dinner at merriman’s

kalua pig and sweet onion quesadilla

home-cured smoked pork belly with kona coffee glaze

wild pork tenderloin

i’ve also been going crazy for these local taro and sweet potato chips

sushi rock in hawi

cap’n crunch roll

rockstar roll

I knew before coming to Hawai’i that I would be all over the poke – that irresistible mix of fresh raw fish, onions, seaweed, and salt dressed lightly in soy sauce and sesame oil. There are many variations as we took note in the grocery stores: lime poke, kimchi poke (omg omg!!), avocado poke, California poke… We have sampled quite a bit of the poke around the island – I just can’t get enough of it. One way to solve the withdrawal issues when returning to the mainland is to make some yourself. The fish will never be as awesomely fresh, but it’s a start.

tuna (maguro), green onions, seaweed (wakame), flake salt, and sesame seeds

diced tuna, sliced onions, and rehydrated seaweed

**Jump for more butter**

I know you people think I’m on vacation in Hawai’i. That’s only half true. I’m working. It’s a working vacation, which happens when your job involves going to beautiful places. I’m working (and playing) so hard that I barely have time for a proper post. That’s partly because connectivity to the interwebs are a little sketch where I’m traveling, so I’m taking advantage of the fact that I have access and some time in Hilo before the next leg of the itinerary. Meanwhile, it’s soon to be Mother’s Day and I just had to give a shout out to my mom, my MIL, my grandma, my aunties, my friends, and all of the wonderful mothers out there who do the toughest job in the world:

happy mother’s day with aloha

While I’ve been shooting the wonders that are the Big Island (and much of that in the rain so far), I’ve also been snapping photos to document our trip. I promised Jeremy this would not be yet another slog of a photo shoot and that we’d do fun things too. Needless to say we’re both exhausted, but having a great time when we’re coherent enough to remember what we did just two hours ago. Enjoy the snaps and hopefully you’ll hear from me again soon!

the plant life here is incredible

awesome malasadas (guava is pink, taro is purple, also strawberry- and chocolate-filled)

the ubiquitous hibiscus

we stayed in the rainforest

and ate plenty of papayas

**Jump for more butter**