Island Style....

 

Had to share this video.

It's one of my favorite songs.

 

 

Ho'olu komo la kaua

 

 

 

 

A little slice of the islands from John Cruz, Jack Johnson, & Jackson Browne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Go Nuts for Mac Nuts!!!

Macadamia Nut Tree

 

 

Think of the creamy rich taste of a macadamia nut. Consider its crunch. Many believe the macadamia to be the world's finest nut. The uniquely flavorful and creamy taste of a mac nut is incomparable. They are loaded with protein and calcium. A true Hawaiian delicacy.


 

 

   

Banana-Macadamia Nut Muffins

 

A moist and flavorful banana-nut muffin with a distinctly tropical twist.

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup unsalted macadamia nuts, toasted, chopped

 

Preparation:

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease twelve muffin cups or line with muffin papers. Sift first 4 ingredients into large bowl. Combine bananas, both sugars, butter, milk and egg in medium bowl. Mix into dry ingredients. Fold in half of nuts. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle tops of muffins with remaining macadamia nuts. Bake until muffins are golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack and cool.

recipe adapted from Bon Appetit   

 

 

 

Our good friends Joe and Colleen Ayer (also Santa Cruz alumni) live on the North Kohala coast of the Big Island. They started a company a few years ago called Just Macnuts. They make the most divine macadamia nut butter!!

 

 

 

If you're interested in acquiring this delicious delicacy that is pure Hawaii from North Kohala you may contact Colleen at sales@justmacnuts.com. 

   

Until next time,

Aloha nui loa





The Sun is Shining

Banana plants on our farm

Aloha Kakahiaka (Good Morning),

Woke up this morning to sunshine and the beautiful sound of a Chinese Thrush singing outside my bedroom window.  
After several days of rain, the sun is a welcome relief. I love the rain, don't get me wrong. It's much needed for our banana crops. But, there are days when I have to shout out loud "enough already....bring back the sun!!"

Due to our location on the windward side of the Big Island, it is one of the wettest areas in the world with an average rainfall of 129 inches.
On average, precipitation of more than .01 inches is measured 278 days of the year. Temperatures average around 70°F in the winter and 75°F in the summer. Lows range from 63°F - 68°F and highs from 79°F - 84°F.

While our side of the Big Island definitely has a large amount of rain, much of it is at night. Most days have prolonged periods without rain.
A benefit of the rain is that our area is always lush, green and flowers abound.
Below are some photos Lynn and I took on our last visit to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. The garden is located along the Hamakua Coast just north of Hilo. If you ever visit the Big Island, I highly recommend visiting the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aloha nui loa

 



In the Beginning...

Aloha Everyone,

 

 



I should begin (so there is no confusion) by telling you that both my husband and I have the same first name...Lynn. Nice enough name...short, one syllable, and easy to remember.
Of course, all of our family and friends find it quite amusing. We have been called "Big Lynn & Little Lynn", "The Lynns", "Lynn 1 & Lynn 2", etc...
So, I now go by the name Lynn Marie. Such sweet memories. My mother often called me Lynn Marie as I was growing up...ha ha...especially when I was about to be reprimanded for something I had done.

You might be asking yourself, OK, so where does the "Accidental Hawaiians" come into play??
Well, I'll have to go back to 1973. Both Lynn and I are originally from the Santa Cruz area of California. We dated right after high school, but alas, we ended up going our separate ways. He moved to Hawaii in 1974 and I stayed in California.    

So...how does a surfer from Santa Cruz end up on the Big Island of Hawaii growing bananas?? Well, it definitely wasn't for the big waves on this island. Actually, Lynn had first moved to the North Shore of Oahu for the surf. But reality soon kicked in and he realized that he needed to get a real job. He moved to the Big Island and started farming bananas in 1976.

Where do I fit into the picture? How does a project manager for a design firm in Silicon Valley end up on a banana farm in Hawaii?? I blame it all on Facebook :-). With three previous marriages, 5 grown children, and several grandchildren between the two of us, we somehow reconnected on Facebook 35 years later.  Ahh...the wonders of social media!!

With this blog I hope to bring you a small slice of what everyday life is like living in Hawaii. Some people call it "Paradise"...we call it home.

Sunset outside our window

 

Aloha nui loa