Snake Surprise

I know I’ve said it before, but Halloween without little kids is much mellower. I’m totally fine not attending the yearly Halloween costume parade at the elementary school, not fighting to get the kids to eat something healthy before the candy binge, and the trick or treating and subsequent sorting through all the candy to make sure my two youngest kids don’t die. And having Malia send me links to Amazon for all her costume pieces is so much faster than sewing all the Halloween costumes. (I always enjoyed creating those costumes though, so there’s a hint of bittersweet associated with purchasing costumes. But Malia and her friends had a whole Harry Potter thing going on, so she really needed some Gryffindor gear. And with how limited my sewing time is of late due to the headaches, purchasing was probably the smarter option anyway.) Honestly, I feel like I’ve paid my Halloween dues and deserve a calmer day! 

Having said that, there are some things that stay the same. Around here, that means the fun food continues even though we are past the years when the kids were so excited that I had to basically bribe them to eat healthy food by making it super fun. I still love hanging out in the kitchen all day playing with my food, so despite the lack of littlies, my frightening foods are still on the menu!

This year’s ode to Halloween was a reptilian double feature with a side of brains. I had to give my family a stromboli vs. calzone lesson when they were all confused by what the actual meal was, but everyone agreed that the stromboli was delicious. I modeled the filling after the garlic chicken bacon pizza that I love instead of the traditional pepperoni and Italian flavors because I’m the boss of the fun food at my house and can do whatever I want! And honestly, no one complains because one of my rules about edible art is that it still has to taste good.😉 

After the fun food was consumed, Malia spent the evening roaming the neighborhood. They called it trick or treating (yes, we broke our rule about not trick or treating once you hit middle school), but honestly, I think it was an excuse to hang out on Halloween. Malia came home with very little sugary fare but had a fun evening. Matthew drove down to Mapleton for a Halloween party that Aliese was throwing. I love that he enjoys spending time with his cousins! And with Kevin home to answer the door for the few trick or treaters we got (one of the side effects of an aging neighborhood is fewer little kids begging for candy), I was able to have a slow evening watching some favorite Halloween T.V. episodes. Yup, definitely calmer with teenagers!

Moving back to the subject of fun food, the next generation has inherited some of my love affair with whimsical foods. Nathan spent this evening making pumpkin cookies that actually look like pumpkins. I’m so proud! 😁

Now I move on to pies…and start planning next October’s fun food extravaganza! (Seriously, some of this year’s recipes have been on the menu since last October. I ran out of days before I ran out of ideas. 🤣)

Heads Up!

When I was young, my mom taught me how to make shriveled apple head dolls. We carved and dried the apples, created a body out of a wire coat hanger and some batting, added a dress and some hair, and voilà! Pioneer style playthings! I remember being very pleased with the end result.

This evening’s spooky snack brought those old memories back to mind. Last year I saw a picture of some apple dumplings carved to look like shrunken heads. It made me laugh and I knew that they needed to be on the menu this year! Malia was on hand to help carve the apples, which was good, because let’s face it. Artistically, she is far more skilled than I am. I didn’t do too badly, but Malia carved three faces in the time it took me to do one. 😂 So while she was putting on the finishing touches, I switched gears and focused on the pastry.

I haven’t made apple dumplings in years, so it was a nice change from our typical cookies and cakes. We did learn a few lessons though. First, if you use gigantic apples, they will take forever to bake. Second, you should use a bigger pan that will allow the sauce to be shallower, so the pie crust doesn’t fall off when you try to get them out of the pan. Especially since the pastry on the carved heads does not get wrapped up all snug on the top. Third, this old-fashioned dessert is a classic for a reason: they are so delicious! Especially when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But only if carving up and devouring a face doesn’t bother you. 😜

Cooking for Cousins

I know I’ve mentioned that Nathan likes to cook. And I know I’ve mentioned that he is so very glad that Jacob is living in Logan now. Nathan invited Jacob over for dinner again this evening and this time Ella drove up to enjoy the food and games in person. These cousins are friends, and I love it! And like I told Nathan, I’m glad Ella was able to join them in person this time because virtual homemade mac and cheese is just not as good as the real thing. 😂

Are You My Mummy?

After so many years of making themed pancakes, sometimes it can be a bit difficult to come up with something new. But after scouring Pinterest for something I haven’t done yet and not finding anything that piqued my interest, I had a spark of creativity and came up with my very own idea. Two weeks in Hawaii was not enough to fulfil my craving for tropical flavors, so coconut pancakes and some food coloring combined with homemade coconut syrup thickened enough to be pipeable created this year’s gruesome griddle cakes. (And they weren’t actually all that gruesome, but I love alliteration as much as I love pancakes!

They were some of the tastiest mummies I’ve ever eaten. And yes, I’ve eaten mummies before. On several occasions. All of them being on or around Halloween, of course. 🎃

Finger Food

When we hear the term finger food, most of us likely think of things like pigs in a blanket, carrot sticks or chips and dip. These are the kinds of morsels we find at parties, the bite sized offerings that can be eaten as we mingle. But today I served up a finger food that was completely different. 

The moniker for this particular creations depends on the source of the recipe. Some people call them witch fingers. Others name them zombie fingers. But whatever you want to call them, these shortbread fingers are a tasty and gruesome treat. Especially when dipped in a little raspberry jam.

And technically, these fingers are still traditional finger food as well since no silverware is required...

Painting Paves a Path…Hopefully

Malia is still not sure about the new ward. And I can’t say that I blame her. Not only is it still really new, but it is far larger than our previous ward. And obviously, our previous ward was quite small and the only ward she has ever known. So, she is nervous and uncertain and ill at ease. I went with her to her midweek young women last week and it turned out ok, but I don’t think she would have even gone without me. She did find one girl that she met at girls’ camp this summer, one that she clicked with very quickly, and that helped a ton. So, she was more willing to go to the activity this week. Especially since the activity this week was painting pumpkins, and the word “paint” is like the call of the wild for Malia. 

She chose a simple, yet effective, design for her pumpkin and I think it turned out great. And she came home wearing a smile, which is fantastic! So hopefully she is on her way to finding her place in this ward.

A Need to Knead

Nathan has had a hankering for homemade bread. But since he no longer lives at home and therefore can’t enjoy the breads of my labors, he decided to make his own. He has been talking about it for weeks now, asking questions in advance like he does when he is planning to try something new on his own. I knew today was his breadmaking day, so I was ready for any questions that came up.

Nathan Facetimed me to make sure he was mixing and kneading it right (which he was) and had to borrow bread pans from his neighbors, but those were really the only signs that he was a first-time solo bread maker. He was mostly pleased with his results, only having a sliver of dissatisfaction in the fact that his loaves cracked, but it provided an opportunity for him to up his bread making game next time when I taught him that loaves crack in the oven when they are not given enough rising time before baking. I always rise by the bread and not by the clock, something he will be more attentive to next time. However, those cracks in no way diminished the wonderful aroma that permeated his apartment and the lovely taste that he has been craving.

I hope his roommates and neighbors, with whom he generally shares the results of his cooking and baking endeavors, realize how lucky they are. 

It’s That Time of Year Again

It’s October and everyone around here knows what that means-Halloween themed treats! I have already missed out on one FHE treat opportunity this month due to the fact that I was in Hawaii. Since Kevin will be leaving for Boston on Saturday, we have family dinner at my folks’ house on Sunday, and Matthew has marching band on Monday, I decided to make a treat on an abnormal day so that I can still get in three Halloweeny sweets this month.

We kind of have a thing about eyeballs around here, so it should come as no surprise that I have chosen to inaugurate this season’s spooky eating with some edible eyeballs. I coated a lovely raspberry sunbutter filling with white chocolate and then used some gummy Skittles to lend a bit of color and black icing finished them off. I tried the whole bloodshot eye thing with some tinted seedless raspberry jam, but it came out looking like ketchup, so I opted to leave the bulk of the eyeballs intact. I know red decorating gel would have given a more convincing visual, but the gel just doesn’t taste that good. And despite the joy I find in creating these fun foods, tasting fantastic still trumps aesthetics.

So welcome to October! And maybe by the end of the month the weather will stop acting like July…

Back in the Bands

It’s a new school year and that means Daniel is back in jazz band. In fact, he’s in both USU jazz bands this year. He auditioned into the jazz orchestra, the upper-level jazz band, and was begged to please, please, pretty please play in the other jazz band as well. So, he’s all jazz all the time. But as he enjoys it, it’s all good. At one of his concerts in June, I’m assuming it was the one right before they left for Italy since Daniel wasn’t actually going to school in June, they had a professional photographer come in and take some pics. Daniel shared them recently, so for posterity, here is Daniel living the jazz life!

A Shoutout for Technology

Nathan is enjoying having Jacob in Logan, had him over for dinner and games, Facetimed Ella in to play Betrayal, she set up her game and Nathan set up his so they could all play together

Rachael’s oldest son, Jacob, got home from his mission late this summer and started at USU this fall. Since we shared a house with Rachael and her family for over five years when our kids were tiny, Nathan and Jacob pretty much grew up together. They were good friends then and continue to be good friends now. Patti’s youngest daughter, Ella, is the same age as these boys and as cousins, they all enjoy being together. In particular, they love to get together and play board games. The times they are able to gather together have been fewer as they have grown up, but they get together when they can. 

Nathan has really enjoyed having Jacob in Logan. This evening, he invited Jacob over for dinner and games. One of their favorite games is Betrayal, one that Jacob introduced them to a few years back. Ella was not in Logan, so they Facetimed her in for a game of Betrayal. Nathan and Jacob set up a board on their end, Ella did a copycat setup with her board and the three of them spent an evening together.

I guess necessity is the mother of invention? 😂

He is the Champion!

Matthew has spent the past several days at the Shakespeare competition held at Southern Utah University in Cedar City. I was not ever in theater classes in high school, so it is something I’ve never done, and all my knowledge is second hand. That means that until this year, I thought the competition was all about the performers-monologues, short scenes, etc. But I was lacking information because there is also a big part of the competition that focuses on the tech part of theater-lighting, costumes, etc.

Matthew has been the stage tech light guru since he was in middle school, so it makes perfect sense that he would compete in that category. They know beforehand the set of skills they will need to show, so he has been practicing the process and timing himself in preparation for the event. The Tech Olympics were yesterday and Matthew was the first to compete. His school had tickets to see a show that unfortunately conflicted with the lighting events. They were able to arrange the schedule so that he was first to go, and he only missed the beginning of the show. Unfortunately, he was not at all pleased with his time. The procedure took a full minute longer than his practice times on his home turf and he was pretty frustrated. While he has his own tools, the lighting equipment was not as new as he is used to and was much more finicky than those he has used in practice. And because he was the first person on the line, he had no other times to compare his to, so his only gauge was his normal time practicing at his own school.

After all the official competition activities yesterday, the kids from Matthew’s school held their own homecoming dance. The official school homecoming was this weekend and since they are all out of town, they all dressed up in their finery and held their own homecoming dance. I don’t know how they all feel about it, but it sounds like a fun substitute to me!

The awards ceremony for the competition was tonight and there were some surprises in store. Not only did Matthew take first place in lighting in his division, but he took first place overall! He was completely jazzed about it! Apparently, his time was nowhere near as bad as he thought it was! 😂

This ended up being a good trip for Matthew. His close friends in band all graduated last year and as such, he has been feeling a little bit at loose ends. But he is finding his place in other groups and making new friends. And having his team perform well this weekend (he was not the only one to come off conqueror) made things even better!

Some Final Thoughts About Our Hawaii Trip

Now that I’ve had a chance to actually get some sleep, allow me to offer some final ruminations on our tropical adventure. 

-Our flight home was only delayed about 20 minutes this time, so that was a plus. However, the red eye is absolutely horrible. Maybe deep sleepers can get some good shut eye on the plane, but for me, it was a night of barely skimming the surface of sleep. As such, I was pretty wiped out yesterday. Kevin came home, showered, slept for like three hours and then drove 3 ½ hours to Cedar City where he is Matthew’s food backup plan while Matthew participates in the high school Shakespeare competition. So at least I got to sleep in my own bed last night. Apparently, my mom slept for a full twenty-four hours, only coming to consciousness for a brief period of time halfway through when my dad woke her to make her eat something. This trip has taken a lot out of her, and these long overnight flights are particularly hard.

-They eat some weird food in Hawaii. As I mentioned a couple days ago, loco moco is a huge thing that is kind of strange. The meat, gravy, and rice bits seem totally normal to me, but throwing a fried egg on top just makes it bizarre. Poi is still disgusting, at least in my opinion, and while I already knew this, Spam is a hot commodity. So hot, that in the Long’s Drugs we visited (which is like a CVS Pharmacy), it was a locked glass display case. If you wanted to buy Spam, an employee would have to come get it out for you like it was an iPhone. 😂 We saw some oddly flavored cookies and such, but I think the most revolting item I spotted was Spam flavored macadamia nuts. I kid you not. Right there on the shelf. 🤢

-I’m a huge fan of Liliha Bakery. We ate nearly all of our breakfasts there as well as several dinners. Everything we ate was really good…even the waffle if I take the macadamia nuts out of the equation. 😂

-There are feral chickens everywhere. It seems kind of weird to me, but they really are all over. It is such a common thing that we saw a display of stuffed animal chickens in the mall.

-The restroom signs in the Honolulu airport are far more fun than the ones we have here.

-My tendency to tan rather than burn is AWESOME and makes for some funny tan lines. You can tell that I wore the same sandals the whole time.

-Everything out there has its own special Hawaiian flair. We ended up needing to purchase some reusable shopping bags at Target and you most definitely can’t get that same design around here.

-Although it can be a challenge finding treats that are safe for Matthew and Malia, we scoured the island and did actually find a few tropical flavored goodies that are safe for them. Malia particularly enjoyed some gummy pineapples we found. Not only did they taste good, but they are dimensional and stand up on their own, which makes them even better!

-Apparently, we chose souvenirs wisely because Malia is ridiculously happy about the fact everything matches-shirt, shoes, and bracelets are all green, her favorite color. And while the pineapple socks don’t necessarily match, they are super fun and are the perfect finishing touch. AND because of where we were, we were actually able to find some things that had her name on them, something that never happens around here.

-It was a fun trip and I’m glad Kevin and I were able to explore the world a little bit. And I’m glad we were able to help facilitate my mom’s visit to her home turf. I am happy to be home though. And I know Kevin will be happy to be home in a couple of days when he actually gets to be here for more than three hours!

Aloha Oe

Today was our last day in Hawaii. Our flight is not until 9:00 p.m. and we had to check out of the hotel by 11 a.m., so this morning Kevin and I drove back out to the Dole Plantation in the hopes that water would be flowing, and that it would actually be open this time. And as luck would have it, both criteria were met! This is a working plantation, not an amusement park or anything like that, so we didn’t feel like we needed a load of time. We did ride the train which takes you out into the actual plantation. We saw fields that had been harvested, some that were being planted, and others that had pineapples ripening. The signs along the route pointed out a variety of tropical plants, some grow naturally in the area and others that are intentionally cultivated on the plantation. After the train ride we walked through the botanical garden and saw more tropical plants and flowers. There were some really interesting and beautiful varieties growing. 

Once we finished our walk, we headed into the plantation food court and had lunch. I chose kalua pork and rice while Kevin opted for the loco moco. Loco moco is a local dish that has shown up on nearly every menu we have seen over the course of this trip, the exception being the Chinese restaurants and the ramen shop we visited last week. Basically, loco moco is a hamburger patty covered with brown gravy that is served over rice with a fried egg slapped on top of the whole concoction. Kevin felt like at least one of us should give it a try before we went home, so he took the plunge today. It was ok. Not great. My pork was much tastier and despite being a fast-food kind of a situation, it was juicy and flavorful. It was a really good last traditional meal on the island. We rounded out our meal with some Dole whip, of course, and it was absolutely delightful! Kevin also tried some chocolate-dipped pineapple which ended up being what looked like a quarter of a pineapple dipped in chocolate. It was a much bigger portion than he was expecting, and he said it was kind of weird. So, note to any who visit in future-the Dole whip is the way to go!

After eating and shopping (we found some pineapple gummies that are safe for Matthew and Malia!), we still had plenty of time left before we needed to head to the airport. We headed back towards Honolulu and decided to stop at the Honolulu tabernacle. Like the tabernacles that dot Utah, this one was built as a large gathering space for the saints on Oahu. Unlike many of the tabernacles in our neck of the woods, the Honolulu tabernacle is still actively used as a ward building and stake center. It is not open for tours or anything like that, but we were able to appreciate the architecture, which includes a large mosaic of Christ, and enjoy the beautiful grounds. One of the most fascinating was the enormous banyan tree that grows on the tabernacle grounds. Not only was the thing incredibly enormous, but banyan trees are interesting because new roots grow down from the branches, eventually embedding themselves in the ground below. So, while it might look like there are numerous smaller trees growing near the large one, it is, in fact, just one gigantic tree.

From there, we made our way to the airport. We met my parents, got through security, including the additional agricultural check that we don’t have around here. My parents upgraded seats allowed them to take advantage of the Delta first class lounge, so once we got them settled there, we moseyed around to find some dinner. Even with some slower service, we still find ourselves with plenty of time to hang around before our flight leaves. And then, we attempt to sleep on the plane as we wing our way towards home.

Locals Only

Today was a day of driving around the island visiting a variety of my parents’ old haunts. We started off the day by driving up to the Round Top lookout. We drove through some beautiful, lush tropical rain forest on our way, and it is very different from the temperate rain forest we saw in Washington. The lookout offers a spectacular view of the south side of the island and overlooks Honolulu and Diamond Head. It was a popular gathering spot when my mom was young, and she shared some memories of times spent there.

After enjoying the view, we drove back down the mountain to visit the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, often referred to as the Punchbowl due to its location. For those who don’t know, the memorial is an official military cemetery that honors and provides internment for members of all branches of the military who served in wars in the Pacific. It was first established after WWII and also inters soldiers from the Vietnam and Korean wars. It is one of those somber stops, but such a good reminder of the sacrifices made by so many. My mom has an uncle who is interred there, and we were able to look up his location. In the course of our travels this morning, we also drove past the Chinese cemetery where my maternal grandmother is buried. 

Remember our conversation about Don Quijote a few days back? Let’s add a bit to our Don Quijote knowledge base. Apparently, this is the place where the bakery and deli offer a large selection of sushi, butter mochi, teriyaki and a variety of other Asian and Hawaiian goodies. Kevin and I wanted to go back to pick up some macadamia nuts so my parents, who were already in possession of this knowledge, suggested we pick up lunch in the deli. While some deli lunches are somewhat lacking in quality, I discovered that this particular one is actually pretty good. My sushi was quite tasty for deli sushi. 

After our lunch and shopping spree, we drove to the Pali lookout which is located on the top of another peak and provides a spectacular view of the north side of the island. It is also extremely windy up there. My mom said when she was young, they would drop a penny over the edge and if they caught the wind just right, the penny would get blown right back up. So yeah, super windy. 😂

Our last stop today was the cemetery where my maternal grandfather is buried. You can actually see the cemetery from the Pali outlook. My mom was only five when her mother died, so her father was the one who raised them, with help from all the aunties of course, but her dad was the parent she knew best. He lived with my mom and dad during the last part of his life, right before he passed away, so my dad knew him well also. As such, this was an important stop for my mom. Due to her health, I really think this might be her last visit home, which made it even more important that she get the opportunity to visit her dad’s grave.

Our travel route today was a big circle that left us back where we started. We visited some spots that draw fewer tourists and more locals. We did a couple family history stops and even drove past my mom’s high school. These are the reasons that traveling with our parents is such a perk. Because they both lived here, they know all the ins and outs of the island.