Sunsets and Pau Hanas

The sunset was pretty epic at work last night.  It was impossible to resist snapping a photo, even though phones are a no-no on the floor, I grabbed mine anyway and got a couple of snaps.

One of my last tables left me a glass of wine, so I took that down to the bar.

I enjoyed my pau hana (translation: after work drink) with some good grub at the bar.

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Star Noodle

Last week, Bryan deemed Star Noodle a safe destination to dine now that the summer crowds are gone.   Star Noodle has always been a hotspot in town, but business has really blown up ever since their former executive chef, Sheldon Simeon, was a major contestant on Top Chef last season.

Now that summer is officially over, there's been a slight lull in traffic at the restaurant, so Bryan and I snuck in and snagged a couple of seats at the bar.  And then we ordered up a storm.

{Bacon and Eggs--done Star style: pork belly with a poached egg in a sizzling skillet}

{pork belly on my plate}

{the best Pad Thai in town}

{shrimp tempura}

{pork belly steamed buns}

{that night's special: more pork belly served on a risotto with baby bok choy}

We may have possibly overdone it on the pork belly...pork belly three ways! But it was totally worth it.

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A Clear Day At Iao

A few of us girls from the house hopped into a car and drove to Iao Valley to revisit one of my favorite hikes.

The sunshine held on strong, and the clouds stayed away, so we had a fantastically clear day at Iao.

{a slightly unfocused shot of the Iao Needle}

{a stack of prayer rocks on the trail}

{a monster 'shroom growing out of a tree}

{a whole lotta ferns on this hike}

The Iao hike is one of the best foraging trails around.  We snacked on strawberry guavas and of course, Hawaiian wild raspberries, which Jess just informed me are technically called thimbleberries.

{a handful of thimbleberries and pooch Bella}

{ginger blossoms}

{Alexa and Jess climbing to the top}

{Alexa}

{monkeying around}

{trekking back down}

After our quick trip back down the trail to the Iao Valley park, we scooted off the paved path and down to a watering hole to cool off.

{looking down into the crystal clear water}

{Alexa}

{Jess}

{Bella}

{me}

A bumpy video of the swimming pool:

{a frond underwater}

{getting chilly--getting out!}

Post hiking treats:

Lunch and PIE! at Leoda's on our way back home.  The Banana Cream Tart that we all dug into before our sandwiches arrived to the table, is seriously one of the most scrumptious things I've eaten in a long time.  The dusting of graham cracker crumbs around the outside of the pudding, with the thick layer of banana custard over the cookie crust made the most perfect dessert.  Move over Strawberry Cream Tart, I've got a new favorite at Leoda's now!

After we got home, I called down to the used bookstore at The Wharf to tell them I was coming to browse and buy and to please, please, please not close early (I got totally shut out when I tried to hit them up yesterday afternoon).

I may have a slight book buying problem:

But you can hardly feel guilty when you get 8 books for fifteen bucks.  See everyone, I can bargain shop!

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Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I went to bed last night planning out the stuffed zucchini boats that I was going to make for lunch the next day.  My goal was to utilize as many of the Kula Fields box ingredients as possible.  I used our monster zucchini, a bell pepper, a Maui onion and one of our tomatoes in the dish.

{chopping}

{the hollowed out zucchini and stuffing}

I layered cooked quinoa and stuffing on top of the zucchini, but of course, I had massive surplus of everything, so I just kept layering on top of the zucchini like you would make a casserole.

{about to go into the oven}

I finished it off with grated Pecorino cheese and the last bit of Cabernet Marinara from a jar.  I tipped a generous pour of low sodium chicken stock into the corner of the baking dish to coat the bottom of the zucchini for more flavorful cooking.

When the dish was fully prepped, I stuck it into the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

{cooked and out of the oven}

{onto the plate--his and hers}

I served our lunch with more Pecorino grated on top.  Delicious!

And here's a snapshot of lunch from earlier this week: homemade beef and broccoli with quinoa, bok choy and kale.

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