You're Not Going to Believe Me...

You're not going to believe me, but I finally bit the bullet and purchased my first e-reader ever. 

{image from cnet.com} 

It's kind of a big deal in this household, and I'm sure it's going to be earth shattering news for Mom and Dad who have been trying to push Kindles on me since Amazon.com ever made their first model.  After many months of wringing my hands and agonizing over the debate of e-reader over traditional books, I finally made the purchase this afternoon (complete with a black Kindle Paperwhite cover).

Since I live outside of the contiguous United States, I have to wait a little longer for my Kindle to show up, but once it arrives, I'll have a lot to share with you, I'm sure!

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Instagramage

I've been missing in action from the blog!  So sorry about that.  It's not as if a lot has been going on...and that probably explains my absence. I haven't been up to too many adventures, but here are a few snapshots from my Instagram feed to show you the day to day stuff that I've been up to lately.

I made this amazing Butternut Squash Lasagna, using a squash and sage that came in our Kula Fields delivery box.  I'm loving our home delivery of locally grown fruits and veggies that we get every two weeks.

Some T-Bone loving.

My first ripe cherry tomato from my plants!  It was delicious!

And a sunset from work.  You know that a sunset is good at the restaurant when employees rush out with their phones to grab a picture.  Technically, cell phones are not allowed on the floor during work, but our managers tend to turn a blind eye when the sunset is this gorgeous.

I hope you are all having a great day!

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Welcome to My Weekend

Today has been a great day off of work.  

Early this morning (early for Paige-standards), I joined Shaina for a booty-firming hike up at the Village Walking Trails at the Kapalua Resort.  Along our walk, we were continually tempted by the explosion of guava along the path.  It wasn't until we finally began cruising downhill from the duck pond back to the car that we began to gather fruit.

I ended up using my guava in my evening cocktail.  I think Shaina went for something a little more healthy and snacked on her guava for breakfast after I dropped her off after our walk.

{guava cocktail: muddled guava with vodka, Pelegrino soda water and a good squeeze of lime}

Before I got to the cocktail, there were a few other highlights to the day: Bryan, Will and I did lunch at Lahaina Pizza Co. (half off of any sized pizza during the entire month of June for locals to celebrate the restaurant's anniversary), and then Bryan, Alexa and I went to Airport Beach for a late afternoon snorkel.

We basked under the sun, clouds and palm trees after our swim.

And in case you were missing him, I included your daily dose of T-Bone.

I'm not entirely sure what's in store for my day off tomorrow, but I do know that I'll be capping the night off by being a crazy dancing machine at the TOLO show at Longhi's.  Be there or be square!  10:30 pm 'til last call.  If you're lucky, you may even see me rock some heels.

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Homemade Squash Pasta

I posted this foodie pic of my homemade meal a few weeks ago, but a girlfriend of mine is asking for the recipe so I decided to repost with some gentle instruction.

When I was a poor college student trying to lose my Freshman 15, I cleared out my pantry of every single rice and pasta product and vowed to find some healthier substitutions. 

I heard about the mysterious vegetable spaghetti squash (a squash with innards that resemble thin spaghetti noodles that can be baked or sauteed with a tomato sauce to mimic the real deal), but I had my doubts--and I guess I still do since I've never attempted cooking with one.

Instead of tackling the spaghetti squash, I stocked up on the more familiar yellow squash and zucchini at the grocery store.

At home, I wash the zucchini and squash while readying a large bowl and my vegetable peeler.  Pat the vegetables dry, then go crazy with the peeler.  I aim for long, narrow strips peeled from the squash and zucchini.  Keep peeling until you get down to the core of the veggies.  I usually put aside the cores and store them in the fridge to be chopped up and thrown into another dish later in the week (a perfect addition to stir fries).

Heat up a large nonstick pan.  Once hot, add about a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan.  Add your zucchini and squash "noodles" to the pan and saute until tender.

This is when you can go crazy with it.

In the dish pictured above, I added fresh spinach to the pan and let it wilt.  I seasoned everything with a healthy dose of fresh ground pepper and sea salt, and threw in a dash of red chili flakes (love the heat!).   Once the spinach had cooked down, I threw it all on the plate and topped it with fresh chopped tomatoes, basil and a handful of garbanzo beans.  A drizzle of balsamic vinegar finished it all off.

Some other great ideas for your Squash Pasta:

• top with your favorite marinara sauce and freshly grated Pecorino cheese
• top with a simple white pasta sauce (think a healthier version of Mac & Cheese)
• mix in some pesto! and so easy to make homemade
• throw in some bacon...or prosciutto with peas.

Go wild!  There is no wrong way to make this delicious, healthy alternative to your typical pasta dinner.  Tell me what you come up with!

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