Running lucky

We did the St. Pat's Dash again! And as usual, we didn't prepare... but we still made decent time. Last-last year's time was 35:47, and I definitely weighed less in 2015! 

For this run, I did something different. I jogged at a slow and manageable pace, because I knew I was out of shape and didn't want to get hurt. And it paid off! Jogging (instead of sprinting/walking intervals) was much less miserable -- I didn't feel like I was dying the whole time, just on the last hill. HAHA!  

After not working out for a while, but doing plenty of eating during/between vacations, I feel motivated to return to the gym again. Summer is coming soon, and I want to fit my clothes!! 

One week in paradise: Oahu and Big Island 2017

Tuesday

When I arrived in Honolulu to meet my mom, I landed an hour late because they had to fix the cargo area’s vent system after we had boarded. Unfortunately, her flight had arrived EARLY so she was sitting around at the car rental office for over two hours. Yikes! Our first stop was the Honolulu Cookie company near the airport. We bought our coworker gifts right away, so we wouldn’t have a deal with it later (great decision). Next, we visited Lin’s Hawaiian Market near Ala Moana. The snack selection was ridiculous! Karen recommended their furikake mix, so I bought three bags!! I also got some lilikoi flower, garlic chip, and spicy olive snacks. All very interesting. We had some time to kill, so I ordered melon snow. We shopped at Ward Center before heading to Aunty’s house for a wonderful, welcoming, Hawaiian dinner. She served lau lau, poke, poi, kalbi, and sweet bread with lilikoi butter. I was shocked at how well poi tastes when paired with kalbi. I was stuffed!

Wednesday

We ate breakfast at home, and had a nice chat with Aunty and Uncle. I had a local granola for breakfast—something healthy! We picked grandma up at home and ran errands with her. At the grocery store, we found li hing pineapple. It was REALLY delicious. For lunch, we ate at Fresh Catch. We shared three types of poke, crab stuffed ahi roll, and garlic chicken. The best poke of the three was a wasabi flavor. I liked it so much that I think it’s one of my favorite pokes!

After dropping grandma off, we shopped at Windward Mall. My mom checked out the farmer’s market and bought me some fresh papaya!!! I bought a few tank tops from Cookies, Know1, and Local Motion. Love those stores! We headed back to Kailua, where Cindee had arrived with her family for dinner. Aunty served hibachi steak, spareribs, and veggies. For dessert, we had haupia cake. So much good food.

Thursday

We ate breakfast at home again, which was the fresh papaya from the farmer’s market and some apple banana! We went to visit grandma, before heading to Ward Center for more shopping. I bought a cute one-piece bathing suit for my water adventures over the weekend. I was so fat, I couldn’t fit into any of the bikinis that I had at home. L My mom wanted to go to Barnes & Noble, so we stopped by Ala Moana and ended up browsing. For lunch, I ate Poke & Box. Their two-poke lunch is such a deal! And they have tempura ball toppings, which I had never seen before. I wish all poke places offered that topping.

We went back to grandma’s house for dinner because she had prepared a wonderful roast stew. Uncle Douglas brought Sicilian pizza and cannoli, and Aunty Edith brought more poke from Fresh Catch. Grandma showed us an old photo album, which I had never seen. There were a lot of great photos of my mom and everyone else! It was truly a delight to spend so much time with grandma this trip, and really sit down and chat with her about the past. I can see that she gets tired faster now because her attention fades after a few hours. It makes me appreciative that we could make the trip, and I can’t wait to visit again soon.

Friday

I flew to Kona bright and early! Yep, this trip was from Kailua to Kailua-Kona. We had a delicious breakfast and Frenchman’s before picking up dessert at Holy Donuts. We ordered a dozen and they were all good, but the real gems were the crème brulee donuts! Andrey had to work, so we had lunch in Waimea at Luna. Best zucchini pizza I’ve ever had. The crust was buttery and light. I LOVED IT! Andy and I ventured down the coast to Hilo. We stopped at Waipio Lookout and Laupāhoehoe Point to check out the scenery and take photos. We found a market on the way to Akaka Falls, where we ate the most delicious cinnamon bun ever. It was made with Hawaiian sweet bread! At Akaka Falls, we decided to jog about halfway through the hike. The drop was really impressive, and there were so many different types of gorgeous trees!!

After the long day of sightseeing, we had dinner in Hilo at Hawaiian Style Café. The wait was over an hour, but it was worth every minute. We shared a surf and turf dish, poke nachos, and tripe stew. There was SO MUCH food that we were stuffed! The mauna kea coffee was really yummy. After dinner, we drove through torrential rain down dark and deserted freeway to get back to Waimea. We still had time to kill when we go to Waimea, so we wandered around the KTA store. I loved walking through each aisle, especially at a new store! There was McDonald’s nearby, so we tried the guava pie. After Andy ordered it, he went to the bathroom and I opened it to take a bite. After my first (delicious) bite, the pie dropped back into the pie box and came out through the bottom. MY PIE WAS ON THE FLOOR!!!! I was laughing so hard that I almost peed in my pants. I told Andy what happened on my way into the bathroom, and by the time I came back out he had already bought a second one. HAHA. He didn’t like it, so I got to eat the rest. We finally picked Andrey up and headed home. Exhausting day!

Saturday

We began our day looking for food! After a few failed attempts and a trip to the chocolate store (where we had delicious chocolate turtle samples), we ate melona bars and butter mochi for breakfast in the car. We also stopped at Matsuyamas and picked up poke-stuffed inari. Legit hiking food! We drove to Rainbow Falls to check out the gorgeous views, and then we made our way to another scenic fall. I didn’t feel comfortable taking the local trail, but the guys convinced me to do it. The path was muddy and steep, the rocks were slippery, and by the time I got to the stream crossing I just decided that I wasn’t going to go any further. Andy and Andrey got to enjoy the rest of the waterfall hike while I sat in the stream. In retrospect, that probably wasn’t a great place to park my butt. Especially because that’s probably not a great place to be during a flash flood.  

We drove on to Hilo and picked up strawberry mochi from Two Ladies Kitchen. The strawberry mochi was even better than I expected, and I had some really high expectations due to the number of people who highly recommended it. For dinner, we ate at Café Pesto. The ginger calamari was very good, and the steak, fish, scallops, shrimp, and risotto were all delicious. After some wine, we stopped by Ross to pick up a blanket. Andy and Andrey ended up buying these matching shark shirts, but they didn’t have any in my size. DISAPPOINTING!

When we got to the Volcanoes National Park, we rented bicycles and poncho’ed up. Andrey shared a tandem with me, but the gears on the tandem bike didn’t work. So we had to pedal a whoooole lot. The ride up was not so bad, even though it was a bit windy. When we got to the top, we could see this beautiful, billowing blob of lava red. The shape was ever-changing and morphing as the lava was hitting the water. It was beautiful and almost emotional. Walking on the lava was also an interesting experience. To know that you’re walking on something that was LAVA is perplexing and makes you really think about how cool nature is. The ride back down actually had more uphill areas, and the rain really started pouring sideways. The wind picked up and it was so loud that I felt disoriented. I pedaled as hard as I could, and I was honestly miserable toward the end. I started thinking about Forrest, which I guess is my happy place? By the time we got to the bottom, I was totally beat. That was one of the most physically challenging things that I’ve experience in my adult life. We grabbed some food at Ken’s House of Pancakes, and the saimin made me feel a bit refreshed. We decided to head home and call it a night.

Sunday

We started the day with breakfast from Peaberry & Galette. The croissant sandwich was so freaking delicious. We drove to the Captain Cook area and rented our kayaks and snorkeling equipment. I was nervous to go out on the water because I can’t swim, I’ve never kayaked before, and I’ve never been out on open water without a boat before. The waves were crashing against the rocks, and it was really intimidating. Luckily, Andrey was in my kayak and he is basically a water angel. Once we got started, I realized that I LOVE the rowing part. I insisted on rowing all of the way, even when we didn’t need to row. When we turned the kayaks and started moving sideways with the waves, I felt seasick. I didn’t really have any options so we kept going to the snorkeling area by the Captain Cook monument. We stopped because we saw a group of dolphins! They were playing, spinning, and splashing around us. I got into the water to float with them, and we heard the high-pitched noises of the dolphins communicating. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. I’ve never felt as close to nature as I did right then. Andrey really got close to them and started singing in the water. Dolphins are so cool! Andy and I both did not snorkel. I’m glad we went anyway because being with wild dolphins in sea water is probably not something I’ll get to experience again. For post-kayak food, we ate Da Poke Shack and it was glorious. By sunset, we were heading up to Mauna Kea observatory. Watching the sunset from mid-mountain was amazing and colorful. The higher we climbed, the colder it got. I was happy to buy a sweatshirt and t-shirt at the observatory store just to keep warm! The Asia tourists with their phone lights and cameras were annoyingly disruptive when we were trying to stargaze. If I could volunteer anywhere in Hawaii, I would work there to scold the tourists. Anyway, there were so many stars that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. The night was crystal clear and we even saw Venus in one of the fancy telescopes. After the stargazing tour, we drove back to Kona and ate tacos at Oceans. I had a li hing margarita, which was my first alcoholic beverage of the trip. That must be a record!

Monday

Andy made eggs for breakfast, and we ate them with taro sweet bread. We headed to the pier, where we boarded our Big Island Duck Adventures tour! I love duck tours because they’re fun, comfortable, exciting, and you learn so much. This tour was sooo windy that I could barely keep my eyes open at time. Even with sunglasses on! We played trivia and our team, the geminis, certainly did not come close to winning. HAHA. The tour was fun anyway, and my favorite part was seeing the partially restored pond wall. The guides told us about how there was only one person who still had the skill of placing stones. I think that is something I would enjoy, like stuffing envelopes and grouting bathroom tile. After the tour, we headed to Waikoloa Beach to look for sea turtles. We eventually saw one!!! He was playing in the water by the shore. We went shopped the King and Queen shops, but Andrey was the only one who bought something. HAHA. Well, I did buy a melon icee. After checking out the beaches nearby, we had dinner at Holukoa Café. The dinner was bittersweet, because I knew I would be leaving shortly after. I had a spectacular time on the Big Island because Andrey was a fantastic host and Andy was obviously the best travel buddy. I usually feel stressed, rushed, and overwhelmed on vacations with big groups. Our trio was the perfect arrangement to enjoy everything at our own pace. This is THE MOST wholesome and active friends vacation I’ve ever taken. I can’t believe we experienced so much in so little time. I love how much they pushed me outside of my comfort zone. We made so many memories! I lava it. J

#slowvide and #loaflife

The Anova sous vide has been getting a LOT of action! 

First, we made chicken thighs with olive oil, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper. I was complaining a lot about how long we had to wait, and I was getting pretty hangry. However, when I took the first bite of those buttery thighs, I knew it was worth every minute. This first attempt got us really excited about trying different meats!

The next day, we made steak with olive oil, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic. The wait wasn't quite as long for the steak and the final product as perfectly and evenly cooked. However, I don't think it was worth the wait. The steak was delicious! But it wasn't significantly better than just cooking steak in the cast iron alone. The perfectly even cooking doesn't really justify waiting double the time when the satisfaction level is the same with both methods. 

The day after, we made sockeye salmon with dried dill and lemon slices. Yes, this one was as buttery as the chicken thighs! Worth the wait. 

Today, we made chicken breasts which were very moist for breasts but obviously not as tasty as the thighs. My favorites so far are the salmon and the chicken thighs! I'm excited to try pork and corned beef next. 

I also made a batch of banana bread with Whysk baking mix! More fiber and other goodies, and the bread tasted just as good as usual. I sprinkled cinnamon on the top of the batter, and the loaf came out with a beautiful cinnamonny crust. 

And I haven't given up on the artisan loaves! I made a sun-dried tomato and whole garlic clove loaf. It was a hit at the Seahawks game viewing party. 

Cooking spree

My first week of 2017 has been a cooking spree!

I've always loved banana bread, but I had never made it until now. The hardest part was waiting for the bananas to overripen. We ate slices for breakfast, which is relatively healthy because we normally don't eat breakfast. 

Making tomato bisque was easier than I thought, especially because the immersion blender did all of the work. We ate the bisque with quesadillas that Matt melted on his cast iron skillet. 

Someone mentioned tortilla soup at work, so I made a batch that night! I even made freshly baked tortilla chips. Again, the immersion blender was very helpful.

Matt requested chicken noodle soup because he's sick. If I had a bigger dutch oven, I wouldn't have had to use a stock pot! 

Carrot raisin bread smells like cinnamon rolls and tastes like carrot cake. I LOVE how moist this bread came out! I think we'll be alternating between this and banana bread for our weekday breakfasts. 

I'm going to need to get a recipe binder soon! This loaf pan is really coming in handy. 

Christmas & NYE 2016

I never understood what "baking season" was until now. With this winter being especially cold and snowy, the warmth from oven cooking is a welcome feeling. 

For our beer and cheese white elephant exchange, I made a parm and rosemary loaf with a garlic butter. It was a hit! I also think I got THE BEST gift at the exchange because my beer came with brie and salami (my faves). 

Most of us wore festive sweaters, and we had a great friendmas. I like being able to host these kinds of gatherings, even though I miss hosting at our last house. We had SO MUCH space there! 

Matt and I spent Christmas Eve at church with is family and then we all ate dinner at his sister's house. For the dinner, Matt cooked up a bunch of butcher steaks, and we brought sundried tomato basil bread with garlic butter. And Pokemon snickerdoodles! When I was making the royal frosting for the cookies, I was horrified at how much sugar the recipe called for. No more frosting in 2017! 

The dinner was delicious, and I've been having so much fun playing with Matt's niece. Matt's sister gave me a LC loaf pan for Christmas, and I am so excited to use it! Another one for the collection. Between the Keurig that Matt's sister gave him, the Anova sous vide that I gave to Matt, and the hand blender that Matt gave to me, I think this Christmas has successfully maxed out our kitchen space. 

On Christmas Day, Karen, Sam, and Melissa came over to hang out and watch basketball and movies. Melissa made dokkbokki and I made another rosemary loaf. After we finished eating, we watched The Secret Life of Pets. It was a very relaxing day after what felt like an exhausting weekend!

After Christmas, I made a roasted garlic and rosemary Le Poulet Rouge in my dutch oven. The skin was buttery and the chicken was perfectly sized for my 3.5 qt. pot. A few days later, we used the drippings to make fried rice, and I think it was the best fried rice I've ever had. 

For NYE, David, Matt, Charles, and I headed down to Portland to meet up with other Charles who was visiting his cousin. 

When we got to Portland, I caught up on email and saw a message from my mom about my uncle passing away. It was a really shocking moment, and I thought how sad my cousins must be this NYE. I can't imagine what they went through over the weekend, and what they are going through now. Growing up, we spent many holidays at my uncle's house and he was always kind and welcoming. Since moving away from home, I haven't seen my uncles much at all. It makes me sad that I've lost touch, and it also makes me feel guilty for not going home for the holidays. 

For the rest of the Portland trip, I stayed in touch with my mom via email to make sure she was okay. I couldn't do much else about the situation. Ringing in 2017 at the Midnite event was a huge hit. The venue was gorgeous, people were nice, and music was on point. Most importantly, I got to spend NYE with my closest friends and we all had a great time. My uncle's passing reminded me to live in the moment and enjoy all that is around me. It's easy to get caught up in life and forget that tomorrow is never promised. 

For 2017, I want to be more present in my day-to-day life and appreciate every moment. I'm going to be more thoughtful and more connected.