Musings of a wife and mother, born and raised in Hawaii. Far away from home now, but creating and discovering bits of sunshine and paradise in everyday life.
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Chickpea Kale Soup Packets

Chickpea Kale Soup Packets

Some get well sunshine for my sweetie~ It’s hard being away from your child when they’re sick. Only last month we settled Laurel in at college, and already she texted me that she’s sick. Something’s going around in the dorms now. Oh how I wish I could make her a big pot of soup and...
Tea Sandwich Trays

Tea Sandwich Trays

Summer is slowly coming to an end~ This past month has been busy with cleaning and organizing the house, and getting Laurel ready to go off to college. Amongst all the hustle and bustle, we’ve enjoyed simple tea trays, quickly thrown together, and savored together in the warm weather. Smoked Salmon is always a favorite here. Lemon zest,...
Frozen Smoothie Bowls to beat the heat!

Frozen Smoothie Bowls to beat the heat!

NWS Heat Index : a quantity expressing the discomfort felt as a result of the combined effects of the temperature and humidity of the air. When I went back home to Hawaii earlier in the month, the heat index was 100 and above–boy was I miserable in that heat and humidity! It really is much hotter...
Icy Orange Hemp Dream

Icy Orange Hemp Dream

Summer is definitely here! Stay cool with this refreshing slush reminiscent of an Orange Julius, but better. Hemp seeds add creaminess and a slight nutty flavor, along with a good dose of protein as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Use calcium fortified orange juice concentrate to bump up the nutrition factor even more. Enjoy~ Icy Orange...
School Spirit-Logo-Mascot Candy Lei

School Spirit-Logo-Mascot Candy Lei

It’s that graduation time of year again. Time to think about making some candy lei if you don’t have access to fresh flower lei, or budget friendly flower lei. This year I’m making something different– candy lei based upon the graduating school’s logo, and/or mascot, and the school colors. Grab some clear cellophane, curly ribbon,...
Happy Hump Day! Sock Animal Mania!

Happy Hump Day! Sock Animal Mania!

I just thought I’d share some pictures with you to brighten your day today with these cuties~ Laurel spent hours making these for her high school senior project. She wanted to donate them to somewhere that benefits kids, so she is donating them to Lilu to sell at their annual fashion bag show on May...
Strawberry Rhubarb Piece of Pie Parfait

Strawberry Rhubarb Piece of Pie Parfait

The thing about pies are that they usually take at least an hour to bake. To cut down on the time, and a bit on the calories, I’ve been enjoying a deconstructed “taste” of pie by making the filling and crust separately. Strawberry rhubarb filling cooks up in less than 10 minutes, and pie crust...
Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon

Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon

Here’s something to hit that sweet and sour craving. My csa boxes have been filled with cabbages for many months now, and this easy recipe I came up with has become an addicting favorite. Equally good with red or green cabbages. Slice cabbage and bacon into 1/4″ strips. Fry bacon until it is about halfway...
Charred Kale Sticky Rice Dumplings

Charred Kale Sticky Rice Dumplings

Kale dumplings! Weekly question for the past several months after looking in my CSA produce box: What should I do with all this kale? I’ve tinkered off and on with making a gluten free dumpling, but never very successfully– until I made these. The flater leaf lacinato kale, also known as dino (dinosaur) kale works much better than...
Frosted Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Frosted Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Here’s a little something to brighten up a humdrum day. Choose a cookie shape that brings a smile to your face. I added a few white sprinkles to sort of represent a paper cupcake liner. Mmm… fresh lemon frosting~ These are not plain cookies– must have frosting! And a cherry, a cherry on top! No...
Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

The flu season is definitely in full swing all over the country. It knocked me out for the past few weeks, and chicken noodle soup seemed to be mostly what I wanted to eat. When you’re not feeling so well though, and you want to make a nourishing bone broth, a rotisserie chicken comes in...
Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Cami, with her own tiered tray of peanut butter biscuits~ Wishing you peace and joy this holiday season!