Thoughts on housewifery . . . and the perfect vacuum cleaner
I’ve been thinking a lot about housekeeping lately as I ponder a young friend who will soon leave for college and doesn’t have a clue of how to care for a living space. Raised by a grandmother who thought I’d be a housewife whatever else I achieved in life (she was...
Bean there, ate that — rediscovering a snack that grows wild
The men in my family — both on the Portuguese and the English-Irish sides — are enthusiastic storytellers who love nothing better than to capture others' attention, catch them by surprise or even amaze them. My cousin Anthony, 84, a retired Advertiser printer who...
Brother, can you spare a rib?
I've been wandering many recipe roads in the past few days: researching school-days dishes from the '40s-'70s, brainstorming a cooking course I'll be helping with at Grand Cafe & Bakery in March that will include some homey, old-style preparations. For people like...
Forgotten fruit?
An upcoming recipe competition on the Big Island will celebrate Hawai'i's largely unappreciated one-time staple, ulu or breadfruit (see details below). Breadfruit, starchy, bland but filling, wasn't Hawaiians' favorite; they preferred kalo (taro) and 'uala (sweet...
Chicken Little
Working on a project related to a favorite subject: memories of school lunch. Paging through files, I came across a recipe I tried once before and loved, and decided to make it for dinner. (Forgive me; camera issues so no pix today.) It's an oven-"fried" chicken, NOT...
Maui: As much as the food, it’s about the people-watching
The other day, I'm getting on the plane to come to Maui and there's a guy in a skirt. A gray gored skirt. And not a swishy guy, nothing Brad, Brad World or Project Runway about this guy; he was tough-looking, with lots of wicked tatts and longish '70s hair. But then...
Maui no ka . . . busy
Life has been flowing by like water in the Kepaniwai Stream of my youth and in equally as pleasing a fashion: trickling, splashing, rushing, pooling in a round of cooking, work, family, church, family, more cooking, a little TV time, did I mention family? I’m on Maui...
O, Happy Day!
Had lunch two days in a row with two different knowledgeable and helpful friends; with no office to go to besides my couch, it's important to keep touch. Don't isolate; "no good can come of it," as the Bible says. But back to food: Had lunch both days at Cafe La Tour,...
Lemon Meringue Pie: Chapter two in a sad story
I couldn't blog yesterday not only because I was busy but because I had just too sad a story to tell. "Joy of Cooking" let me down. You may recall I made a lemon meringue pie for Husband, his favorite. This giant pie involved 8 eggs and was a Mess with a capital M;...
Posting from a mostly quiet, somewhat desparate kitchen
I have been so involved with work and study that I haven't been cooking much. Also, Husband has taken to eating his big meal in the mid-afternoon, so he doesn't want dinner anymore. I'm bereft, although this is a healthier way for him to eat. He's not trying to sleep...