May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii

Aloha, Hawaii

The Haku Lei I Bought For Veronica From Hawaii

(Haku Means Head Lei)

The Beautiful Blossoms of Plumeria and Hibiscus I Purchased Online

The Reed Like Thing You See Above, I Found on Our Ewa Beach and Painted it, It Houses My Lei Needles

1988

Although you can’t see her, Veronica is on my back! 🙂

Macadamia Nut Goodies are Always Loved Here

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My Skulpy Ornaments/Tie On’s

I did a lot of craft projects while we were living in Hawaii and working with Skulpy was a favorite of mine. I loved the clay that you could create and mold into anything, then bake into an oven to set. Here are some tie on’s/ornaments that I made. I used rubber stamps on many of them to create the indentations. Then, once baked I would color them in with colorful pens or markers. Always remember to create a hole at the top before baking for a hook or a ribbon to thread through.

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The Kodak Hula Show

Waikiki, Hawaii

The Aunties With Their Ukulele’s

This is Tahitian, not Hawaiian

The very fast dancing that you see here is not native to Hawaii. It is from Tahiti. But, because there are many Polynesians on the islands of Hawaii, you will always see this dancing at Luau’s and other events.

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The Hula Tells a Story

The dancers use their arms and legs to tell a story in a dance. The grass skirts are traditional, but when the missionaries came over to Hawaii they encouraged the people to wear clothing. And, the only clothing they could get the Hawaiian women to wear were big and roomy with very loud prints. Hence, the Muu-muu is born. (My Grammaw’s favorite attire while in Hawaii.) 🙂

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I wanted us to make some special foods for Lei Day, but I wanted to keep the foods with Lei’s in mind.

Macadamia Nut Hummus with Taro Fries

Topped with Toasted Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia Nut Hummus with Chips

Our Hawaiian Haku Lei Muffuletta Sandwich

Looks a Bit Like a Haku Lei, Doesn’t It?

Bok Choy Works Great Here

Sliced and Ready to Eat

Doesn’t It Look Great?

(Recipes Down Below)

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Click Here For: Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce

My Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce Plays an Important Roll in our Sandwich

For the recipe, click on the above link.

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Black Lava Salt

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These are Actually, Pretty Good!

(These pickled items are really delicious and added to our meal.)

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Julie and Veronica, our Backyard in Honolulu, Hawaii, 1988

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February 13, 2024

My 63rd. Birthday

Peanuku and Myself Wearing Our Lilly Pulitzer’s

(The closest thing to Hawaiian attire I can find in Florida.)

Our Hawaii Living Room

Isabelle’s First Taste of Sugar, My Birthday Cake, 2024

Back Home and Enjoying some Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts

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When we were living in Hawaii from 1986-1999, Lei Day was always a fun day. You would see people wearing lei’s all over the islands whether they were at work, school, or just going about their daily lives.

One year, my friend Kathy bought me a lei and presented it to me. We were running errands for our Girl Scout Troop. I was so proud of it. No one had ever given me anything like it before and I loved the gesture! I did have a really hard time with Tuberose. It is extremely pungent and perfumy. It was actually making me a bit sick to have that around my neck but I kept it on all day long. I was not about to hurt the feelings of my friend. Kathy was born and grew up on the Big Island in Kona. She was what the locals called, Hapa-Haole. That meant that she was half Japanese and half Caucasian. Going around the island with her was a different kind of experience. My interaction with the local people was always a bit guarded on their part. But, when I was with Kathy, their guards were dropped and they were so much more accepting of me because I was with her.

I miss Hawaii, I miss Kathy, and I miss Lei Day,

Julie (Kulii)

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Haupia

(Eaten at Most Every Luau)

Usually White in Color Except I Used Coconut Sugar, and not Granulated Sugar

(Recipe Down Below)

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Giving The Gift of Hawaii For My Birthday

(Gifts for my Children and their Partners from Me.)

Bags of Hawaiian Sea Salt

Plenty of Candied Macadamia Nuts, Various Short Bread Cookies, Many Pancake Mixes, Sea Life Crackers, Hawaiian Mugs, Tropical Stuffed Fish, Macadamia Nut Brittle, Spice Mixes, Hawaiian Coffees, Hawaiian Coffee Candies, and plenty of Hawaiian Tea Towels.

Toffee Macadamia, Chocolate Macadamia, and Sea Life Crackers

More Close Up Pictures of the Goodies

Various Pancake Mixes

Gordon Cooked Ours and They Were Delicious!

(Had we eaten them with a Coconut or Pineapple Syrup, they would have been perfect!)

My Favorite Were The Taro Pancakes

Da Kine! Spice Mix Seasoning

(The purple box behind these spices was a Taro Shortbread Cookie. The best I have ever eaten!)

Love The Tea Towels!

So, exactly why am I giving gifts to others on my birthday? Because I want to!

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Putting Together the Gift Leis

Veronica and I were Assembling These While Isabelle was in the Chair, above right.

Although what you see above is a jumbled mess, the mess does become more organized as we work on these lei’s.

Gift Lei’s are given in Hawaii at various celebrations. They are perfect for Children’s Birthday’s, or even Graduations, etc.

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Gift Lei’s

This is a Macadamia Nut Gift Lei

This is a Candied Chocolate Macadamia Nut Gift Lei

These Gift Lei’s are for Veronica, Brian, Brodie and Mackenzie, to get them into the mood for a trip to HAWAII!!!! 🙂

Snacks, Toys, Masks for the Airplane, Sunscreens, Key Chains, Candy, etc.

The ZERO Bars are for Brian and Gordon. It’s their favorite candy bar.

You can see the Blue/Green colorful face masks for us to wear on the airplane.

You Always Add a Flower to any Gift Lei

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Me, With Baby Veronica at the Waikiki Aquarium

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Items For Gift Leis, And How To Make Them

Gift Lei’s are fun to assemble. You just need to decide on a theme, or an array of items you wish to use. Here, what I wanted to do was assemble some fun things for a trip to Hawaii! 🙂

The first thing you need is the nylon netting used to create a nice gift lei. You can see the colors in the photo above. Green, Orange, and Red. and Blue. Whether for a child or an adult, you do need to make sure you have enough of the nylon cut to allow for the size of the person, and the items you will be using in the lei’s.

Here I chose Honu’s (Sea Turtles), Candy, Sunscreen, Macadamia Nuts, and various little trinkets.

Here Are The Sunscreens

Here are Some Heart Pins to Add

You Also Need Some Thin Ribbon to Use to Tie Between Each Gift

When you have your lei just as you like it, you will need to tie the nylon together into some sort of square knot. This is difficult because the nylon will then sort of unravel. I use hot glue to make sure it doesn’t unravel, BUT, the hot glue can melt the nylon so I just use enough of it to seal it, and not melt it. I then adhere a nice artificial flower to “hide” the knot.

The Nylon that I used above on these leis was recently purchased by me from online. But, what you see above is the nylon from the lei’s I saved from our time in Hawaii. Ah, memories. 🙂

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A Honu Lei For Peanuku

I put this gift lei together for my Grand-Daughter.

Veronica has it hanging in her bedroom. It is a lei of many colorful Honu’s, (Sea Turtles).

Peanuku With Her Honu Lei

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RECIPES START HERE

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Macadamia Nut Hummus

w/ Roasted Macadamia Nuts and….

Veggie Hawaiian Chips

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Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts

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Ingredients:
2 – 6 oz. Jars of Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts – Roast a little more in the oven
4 – 10.5 oz. Cans Chick Peas/Garbanzo Beans – drained and rinsed
~3 Tbsp. Tahini
2 – Garlic Cloves
~2 Tbsp. Pineapple Juice
1 tsp. Hawaiian Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
1 Pineapple Ring
~1/2 to 3/4 Cup Olive Oil
~1/4 Cup Water
The Juice of 1 Lemon

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Into The Oven

Here I placed the Macadamia Nuts onto a sheet pan and in a 300’F oven for about 10
min. or until they got a little color to them, and/ or I could smell them. Doing this will bring
out their oils and make them just taste a little better.

Here you can see the roasted Macadamia Nuts.

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The Chick Peas

I drained them in a colander first…

Then rinse them with cold water to remove that canned taste to them.

Here are the Tahini, and Garlic Cloves

Now, place your Macadamia Nuts into the blender and blend them until most of the
large pieces are gone.

Put some of the Macadamia Nuts aside for the Hummus Topping

Add your rinsed Chick Peas to the blender along with the Tahini.

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Now add your Garlic Cloves, Hawaiian Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to
the other ingredients in the blender.

I then added some Pineapple Juice to give it that extra Hawaiian taste.

Here is a great picture of all the ingredients so far.

Now add a Pineapple ring from the can.

Here I am pouring in some nice Olive Oil.

Use a rubber spatula to move the ingredients around and up off the bottom.
I also poured in a little bit of water to make the Hummus creamy.

Blend the ingredients well…

Then blend them some more. It looks good, but how does it taste? Here I felt it needed
the acid of lemon, which is in the original hummus recipe.

Blend in the Lemon Juice well then taste again… I thought it was perfect!
Hope you enjoy this amazing Hawaiian inspired Hummus!

Be Sure to Decant into a Nice Bowl

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Our Hawaiian Hummus and Taro Fries

Topped With Black Sesame Seeds on the Hummus,

and Black Lava Sea Salt on the Taro Fries

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Served With Our Hawaiian Muffuletta

Taro Fries

If you go to your local Asian Supermarket, they do sell Taro.

It usually comes in a block which you then cut into, creating the French Fries.

Fill a Cast Iron Pot with Peanut Oil, and when it comes to temperature, add your Taro Fries.

Cook them as you would French Fried Potatoes,

then place onto paper towels to drain, with a sprinkling of Black Lava Sea Salt

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Our Hawaiian Haku Lei Muffuletta

Here is the Round Hawaiian Sweet Bread we used to make this great sandwich.

In preparation to make the sandwich, slice the bread by taking off the main part of the
cap as shown. This will allow the sandwich to be thick.

Now remove the inside of the bread leaving about 1 inch around the sides as shown.
This bread is very good so keep it to use for a cheesy dip or quick snack.

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Prep your Bok Choy and lettuce by washing them under cold water and setting them on
paper towels to dry.

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Pineapple Rings

Using a large non-stick sauté pan, cook them over medium high heat until slightly browned
on both sides.

We thought a nice Hot Asian styled mustard would go well with this sandwich. Mix the
dry mustard as directed. Taste it so you understand just how hot this mustard is.

We would have loved to have had some sweet Maui Onions, but these Vidalia Onions
will be just as good. Slice them into ¼ inch slices then saute them in a large saute pan
over medium heat.

Add some Olive Oil

Macadamia Nut Oil

Macadamia Nut Oil to keep with the Hawaiian theme.

(We used two different Olive Oil’s here to saute the onions.)

Use a lid to help keep the heat in…

Then to brown them, take the lid off which will evaporate the moisture.

Continue to cook them until they are softened and browned.

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Now It’s Time To Build The Sandwich

We also decided to use some of Julie’s Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce as well as some
Eckrich Spicy Pineapple Ham, and Provolone Cheese.

Here you can see all the ingredients are prepped and ready to be made into this great
sandwich. This is called mis en place in culinary terms.

In the front you can see our previously made Macadamia Nut Hummus, which works
great with this sandwich.

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Start by placing some Hawaiian Jezebel Sauce on the bottom and sides of the bread as
shown.

Then add your Romain Lettuce leaves to the sandwich. These will provide a nice
crunch.

Now lets add some of the Spicy Pineapple Ham slices.

On top of the Ham, add some of the Hot Asian Mustard, then some Provolone Cheese
slices.

Then fill the cavity with your sauteed Pineapple slices…

And top that off with your sauteed Sweet Onions.

Then place some of your Bok Choy leaves around the sandwich basically giving each
slice one Bok Choy.

Looks nice, and we are almost done.

I felt the sandwich needed a little acid, so we found some Enoki Mushroom Pickles.

Add a few dollops of them around the top of the sandwich ensuring each slice will have
some.

Lastly, I spread some on the Macadamia Nut Hummus on the underside of the bread
cap.

Our Hawaiian Muffuletta Sandwich

Looks a Bit Like a Haku Lei, Doesn’t It?

Place the cap on top of the sandwich as shown and slice it into equal portions.
We hope you enjoy this Hawaiian take on the classic Muffuletta sandwich.

Our Hawaiian Muffuletta Sandwich

ONO!!!!

Brok’ Da Mouth!

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Haupia

Haupia is a standard at every Luau. It is a classic Hawaiian dessert. It is a coconut pudding.

Most Haupia is White, because of the White Granulated Sugar used to make this dessert.

However, mine is a lovely tan, because I used Coconut Sugar in place of White Granulated Sugar.

I, Julie, am using a classic recipe. The only area where I differed was in using the Coconut Sugar, and topping it with a Chocolate Coconut Candy. I also used a Hawaiian Sea Salt in place of Kosher Salt.

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Ingredients:

2/3 Cup Sugar (I used Coconut Sugar)

1/4 t. Hawaiian Sea Salt

1/2 Cup Corn Starch

3 Cups Coconut Milk

1 1/3 Cups Whole Milk

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Golden Coconut Sugar, Hawaiian Sea Salt, and Corn Starch

(Just a few of the ingredients.)

In a Medium Sauce Pan combine the Coconut Sugar, Hawaiian Sea Salt, and Corn Starch.

Next, add the Coconut Milk to the Sauce Pan…

Whisking It In..

On Medium High Heat

You need to continuously whisk the ingredients in the Sauce Pan until they start to simmer.

Once everything starts to simmer you want to turn the heat down to Medium-Low, but continue to whisk, as the mixture starts to thicken, 4-6 minutes.

The mixture will go from liquid to very liquid, before it starts to thicken.

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Pour in the Whole Milk while continuing to whisk. Bring the heat back to Medium and continue to whisk. You want the mixture to the consistency of Glue, and can coat the back of a spoon. Yet another 4-6 minutes.