Pesto Chicken

Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I'm always mentally planning my next trip, the international one we'll take much later on with vacation time that hasn't yet been accrued, and scheming ways to squeeze in additional stops to Pittsburgh and Disneyland. Travel is one of life's greatest pleasures, although returning to your own home can be, too! My own bed, pillow, shower, pet, and kitchen are all things I find myself missing after just a few days away.

After our vacation to California [which I still owe you several posts from] Bryce and I needed to get back in the habit of eating just 3 meals a day - ha! - and return to a real food eating plan. After a Saturday morning trip to my favorite Farmer's Market, a $200 haul at Sam's Club, and one more stop at a "regular" store, we were enjoying a home made meal in the comfort of our own apartment.

This pesto chicken was made with basil and parsley that I actually planted, grew, and kept alive for a short period of time! The tomatoes are from the Farmer's Market, the spinach is surprisingly organic and from Sam's Club (which you can't say about many things), and the pasta is whole wheat.

Out of Town

Living in Hawaii causes people to ask, with a lovely tone of annoyance: When you live in paradise, where do you go on vacation?


The answer is simple: Back to where you (or your significant other) came from.


Bryce and I bid "Aloha" to Hawaii for a week long vacation, although we got the fun started while still here on Oahu... After working last Friday we checked into a 3 day Catholic Engaged Encounter weekend where we did a lot of talking, thought sharing, and eating. Between our little learning sessions we were fed buffet style meals and given free reign to a the largest assortment of snacks since Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes in the desert! Using our phones was discouraged so I have only one photo of one of our meals from the weekend. 


On Sunday we graduated from our encounter, spent just a few hours at home, then went to the airport for our next adventure. After so many serious chats and a weekend of pondering our purpose in life, we were happy to enjoy a cocktail together in the airport bar!

Celebrating [Birthdays and] Pumpkin

Today is the second day in a row that I've been cooped up in the house due to a nasty cold. It's truly mind numbing to be stationary on the couch with no energy to actually do anything. I know I'm not feeling like myself when I have no desire to eat, cook, or watch food-related shows on TV.

Being sick always gives me a better perspective on feeling normal, once it happens again. It's very easy to take for granted how lucky we can be to feel healthy from day to day. Because Mother's Day has just passed and I'm needing to reminisce on a great day after 2 crummy ones, I'll take this time to share with you a great experience that Mom and I shared back in January!

Mom, aka Carol, and I both celebrate our birthdays in January and this year my parents would be here in Hawaii for the occasion. Like we did a few years back, my Dad and I coordinated a cooking class for Mom and I to enjoy together while he would reap the benefits of leftovers, new recipes, and not having to search for a physical present! Of course we drove Mom cra-zay by not telling her what the surprise would be until her actual birthday.

Very early on Saturday morning we headed to Kapiolani Community College for our class called Celebrate Pumpkin. Mom snapped this great photo on the way. Visitors always manage to soak up the views in a way that residents forget to!

Food Tasting for Our Wedding

...because we're going to the Chapel and we're...gonna get maaaaaarried!

Then we'll leave the Chapel and head to a Historic Battleship for drinks, tours, dinner, and dancing. Among the other wedding planning items we've checked off of our list, the most fun was food tasting! Duh.

Spam Jam 2013

I'm no expert on Hawaiian culture although I am quickly approaching my 5 year anniversary of living in the Aloha State. There are many misconceptions about Hawaii that I'm happy to set straight for you.

• Adding pineapple to something doesn't make it Hawaiian
• "Local" favorite drinks are locally brewed beers and Hinekens, no coconuts or umbrellas included
• We are, indeed, the 50th state and part of the USA! The word you're looking for is mainland :)
• Wedding in Hawaii, real original! 
• All weddings in Hawaii aren't on the beach. Our will be indoors, in a Church, nowhere near the shore. 

One stereotype, however, is true: that Hawaii loves SPAM! This article gives a great background on why SPAM is so popular in the Aloha State. It is so well loved here that there is an annual festival in Waikiki to celebrate! My family and I braved our first SPAM Jam in 2010, although we were just window shopping before going to dinner at Duke's and didn't partake in any of the creative culinary creations.

SPAM Jam 2013 was just last weekend and I headed to Waikiki with my appetite in tow! The t-shirt design was adorable and I learned that this years' is the 11th annual SPAM Jam.