First Day in Maui So Far!

So after this...

We landed last night to this...

Then today we woke up to this...

The condo we're staying in has an amazing view!

We even had the special treat of a rainbow while enjoying our morning cup of joe.

Then we headed over to the Ritz Carlton to see my sisters wedding site.

I loved this beautiful altar.

And the view there is stunning!

The beach is stunning.

And the ocean is so many gorgeous shades of blue...

Me, my sister the bride, and the husband.

A bit wind blown.

On the walk up off the beach we stopped at the Jean Michell Cousteau Ambassador Conservation Center where they had Loco and Moco the pigs.

Of course I had to stop and say hello!

They were the cutest! Such little sweeties!

Then we headed over to Star Noodle for lunch. It's supposed to be some of the best noodles on the island and is where Sheldon from Top Chef cooked for a while (not sure if he's still there...).

Any rate... It was sooo yummy!

We started with the Ahi Avo, a seasoned raw ahi and avocado dish that was superb.

Next we indulged in some steamy deliciousness.

These steamed pork buns were so good with the hoisin sauce and spicy mustard they came with.

I'm really loving the steamed bun combo these days.

I had the the Fried Saimin noodles minus the egg, cause I'm allergic. It had kamaboko (the pink and white fish pieces), spam, bean sprouts, and scallions. I wasn't so sure about the spam cause it was my first time trying it... It wasn't bad but it was the dish as a whole that was super good.

The husband had the Lahaina Fried Soup which consists of Fat Chow Funn, ground pork, and bean sprouts. It was yummy too but mine was better.

I washed it all down with some Teazu: iced tea, yuzu, and simple syrup. Definitely something to try to replicate later!

Next we headed back to the condo my parents rented where my sister is staying. Tristan was watching for humpback whales and enjoying the waves and kit boarders.

The view is gorgeous!

So right now we're just chilling out and enjoying all of this!

Maui Kisses,

K

(All photos created and owned by Krista Carson.)

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Sweet Potato Pancakes with a Browned Honey Butter Nut Sryup

When I posted this pic of the Sweet Potato Pancakes my Mom, sister Jen, and I made the other day on Instagram it was a big hit. People were curious for the recipe so I thought I'd share it here with you today as well.

Take a gander and if it's up your alley maybe you'll want to make it for Sunday Brunch tomorrow?

The recipe we used is actually from a Disney World Resort but we made a few simple changes. We used leftover baked sweet potatoes instead of canned. I browned the butter first before adding the rest of the syrup ingredients and used a cinnamon spiced cashew/ pecan mix for the nuts, since that's what we had on hand. The last change I recommend is adding a smidge of maple directly into the syrup. While it's good on its own, we all agreed that a touch of maple made it yummiest!

"Sweet Potato Pancakes

Boatwright's

Port Orleans-Riverside

Yield: 12-15 pancakes

Pancakes:

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups milk

3 each eggs

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12-ounce can sweet potato, mashed

Pecan honey butter:

1 stick butter (at room temperature)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup toasted pecans

To make pecan honey butter, combine butter, honey and toasted pecans. Set aside.

To make the pancakes, combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir in milk and beaten eggs. Add oil and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Fold in the mashed sweet potatoes (should result in a lumpy texture). In a small nonstick frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil over medium heat. Pour in batter to desired size. Cook until dark brown (sweet potato pancakes take a little longer to cook than regular pancakes because of the density of the sweet potatoes). Serve pancakes warm with pecan honey butter."

Lastly, I recommend keeping your syrup warm till the table and making it last. It is mostly butter after all. And butter can set. Keeping it warm makes sure it's all melty and happy.

Also, I'm totally aware that the calorie count for this must be ridiculous... That's why it's such a special rare occasion treat!

Kisses,

K

(All photos created and owned by Krista Carson. Recipe found via Allears.net)

Posted with love, please credit when re-posting.

What I Ate

I'm having a girl's night in tonight. Yes girl, singular! as in just me and my sweet puppy. So for dinner I decided on simply spicing up yesterday's leftover tomoto soup tonight.

I added a dash of a spicy Bloody Mary mix (no alchohol, though I'm sure that would taste yummy) and grated parmesan.

Then I topped it off with some onion crackers... Yummm! I'm wondering why I never thought of doing this sooner! It would be great for guests gussied up with some homemade parmesan crisps!

Kisses,

K

(All photos created and owned by Krista Carson.)

Posted with love, please credit when re-posting.

What I Ate: Maple Pumpkin Butter

Back when my sister went to Massachusetts for a wedding she brought me back a jar of Mother's Maple Pumpkin Butter that I've been saving...

 

I've been sick with a cold this week and still working hard unpacking after our move so when I came across this super creamy Kerrygold butter at the grocery store I knew what I would do.

 

 

I toasted some Melba thin rye bread, buttered it up, and spread on a layer of jarred Mmm...

So worth the wait!

Thanks for the pick me up and taste of the season sweet sister!

Have you ever tried pumpkin butter? It's like a Fallidays party in your mouth!

Kisses,

K

(Photo by Krista Carson.)

 

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What I Ate

Today I'm snacking on some delicious apple cider donuts from Stade's Farm. Mmm... It was my first time trying them an they live up to the hype.

So. Good.

 

If your where you can get some this Fall it's worth it!

Kisses,

K

(Photo by Krista Carson.)

 

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St. Petersburg, FL

Internet is still intermittent... and I leave for Chicago on Friday for a family wedding for a week (Hooray for my sweet cousin Melissa!)... and the new puppy may be winning the training war... and I think I'll be unpacking my new house for a year in the midst of all the chaos... But... I'm still trying to get things back to normal, at least on here. So without further ado, more on St. Petersburg, FL.

Back when the Husband and I went down to St. Pete to stay at the Vinoy for the weekend we ate out at the most delicious British pub, The Moon Under Water. It was just a short jaunt through the park and was well worth braving the heat.

Our hotel, the Vinoy.

More after the jump... :)

Hawaii Day Two: The Fish & The Hog

By the time we got up into Waimea the music store was closed and we were haungry! We wanted to find someplace good to eat so we popped in the Starbucks (They truly are everywhere! Waimea is a small country town.) to ask the locals for tips. The consensus was that we should go to the Fish and the Hog for some real Hawaiin barbecue. We had passed by it not long before, it looked like a hole in the wall but sometimes aren't those the best places? So off we went.

In true island fashion it took forever to get our food so by the time it came we just dug in. Which means no pictures, sorry (that's been happening a lot lately actually...). We had a gumbo made with the Fish & Hog's own housemate chorizo to start. It was spicy but so so good!

Next came our barbecue plate, we shared everything. It was brimming full of meat (vegetarians this not for you... Sorry...) and actually consisted of two plates full. There was mouthwatering fall apart brisket, delicious ribs (I even ate them and bones really freak me out), awesome pulled pork, housemade andouille sausage, and of course house spiced fries. We couldn't decide what barbecue sauce to try with them, havering never have either... So the waitress brought us both.

After trying both sauces we still couldn't decide which we preferred. The poniolo sauce was less sweet and a little more traditional. The crackseed (Yes, crackseed. Apparently it's some sort of Asian fruit... Who knew?) was sweeter and smoker and super tasty too!

It was all super delicious!

(Husband patiently waiting for our food. It was c c c cold in up there in Waimea and inside was no exception. We ended up cuddled next to each other on a bench seat instead.)

(Paying for dinner with the day's specials behind.)

(Crackseed! Anyone who knows me well knows why this was specifically super funny to me... Crack chicken anyone?)

(Even though it wasn't that late it was über dark in the little mountain town, between the time of year, volcanic fog, and sparse population there was a dearth of light pretty early on. Kind of eerie.)

After stuffing ourselves silly we started the long drive home to the resort. Our adventure left us sleepy but being foodies, before foodies were the cool thing to be, it was well worth it. If you ever find yourself up that way and get a hankering for some local grub you should definitely check it out. Best barbecue I've had in a long time!

Absurd more amounts of Hawaii yet to come. (Sorry non family peoples but with our cams so spread out and very far away this is the best way for us to share. Also, I take way too many photos.)

Kisses,

K

(All images created and owned by Krista Carson, Please ask permission prior to use.)

 

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Belated Valentine's Date

Last week the Husband and I finally got to have our belated Valentine's date (He's been working a lot of long hours lately). We exchanged presents in the morning and spent the day at the Seattle Aquarium, wandered around the market, and enjoyed the sunshine (more on those later).

For lunch I treated him to one of our favorite Seattle treasures: Lowell's. We tried it for the first time over four years ago when we were apartment scouting prior to our move out here.

It's a local institution and the fish is deliciously fresh and local. (The Dungeness crab Lowell's Rolls are insanely good!) Normally it's shoulder to shoulder on all three floors of the restaurant but the market was slow and it was almost entirely empty on the first floor so I took the opportunity to take a few pics and linger with my love.

Especially since it might be our last chance to enjoy it. With the Husband's super busy schedule before we move in July (Oh yeah, we're moving!), my brother's wedding in June, and how insane the market gets end of spring/ early summer the odds are not in our favor.

I had a super yummy salmon sandwich! So fresh and delicious! All the accompanying accoutrements were just as good too: freshly baked panini bun, crisp local veggies, killer aioli sauce, and some of the best french fries around... Mmm!

(The Husband was all sunlit smiles.)

Husband threw me for a loop when he ordered the pulled pork sammy, we've never bothered to order anything but seafood there before, but it proved to delectable too.

(The view complete with piers and docks on the sound downtown. And including... Sunshine! Hooray for sunshine in Seattle!)

(Seattle's new ferris wheel. They lit it up pink with hearts that swirled and changed sizes for Valentines Day, so fun!)

(Me soaking up some sun in all my Seattle layers. It was chilly out thbrrr! Note me proudly wearing the sea otter sticker the aquarium gave me for filling out a survey, I lurve sea otters! Sooo cute! Getting people to fill those things out sucks so I did one to help out.)

If you're ever in the market you should stop in for a bite, you won't be disappointed!

Kisses,

K

(All images created and owned by Krista Carson, please ask permission prior to use.)

 

 

Posted with love, please credit when re-posting.