Cuisine...Facial...Drink Container...Potted Plant: The Versatile Pineapple

Hawaiian Rum Punch served out of a pineapple shell!

But wait...it is so much more than a delectable fresh fruit, or a drink container.

By cutting off the green top with about an inch of the fruit...you can pot it and grow another pineapple plant (maybe even small fruit)

Pineapple plant from crown to small pineapple

https://youtu.be/SrcCPAnFtnE

And the enzyme in the inside (when you peel the pineapple) works wonders to slough off dead skin cells and it amazing for a facial or entire body treatment leaving skin silky smooth. This works especially well in combination with a luffa sponge.

It is also great raw....mixed in salads...as an accompaniment for ham or roast pork...brown sugar baked...in a variety of recipes...baked into brownies...dipped in chocolate or dried for a portable snack. 

 Baked Whole




Dried

The fibers from the tough leaves are used to produce cloth, clothing and furniture. 

Dress made from Pineapple Leaf Fibers

And a bench made from those same fibers

Truly a versatile plant.

 Known for its pineapple fields, Hawaii has acres and acres planted in them and they are a major island export.

Dole is headquartered here.

Tour

https://youtu.be/8RtXyIA28MM

https://youtu.be/YhvKfF1DbOY

And harvesting

https://youtu.be/Mza1h4pmY3U


 Originating in Brazil and introduced to Hawaii in the early 1900's. DelMonte and Dole both operate and have headquarters on the islands now.

More anon...

Novel-The Plan: Detective Brinks and The Cabin

The General (as he prefers to be called) and I laid our plans for Easter Day.

I obtained the necessary paperwork to search Troy's property the week before, and Davis provided the opportunity by having the doctor over with his ex-son-in law and children for Easter Dinner.

There was no entry problem. Well off the main road and very secluded, the door was unlocked and we walked right in.

The house seemed in order with nothing unusual. I was beginning to think my former chief was right. Hunches were...well...just that.

Then we found Tracy's car...hidden at the back of the heavily wooded property behind an outbuilding. It was storage shed type building about half the size of the cabin. Inside the shed were a collection of cast off items. Most broken and useless. A work bench. An old Norton motorcycle in pieces. A basket case, my dad would have called it. My late father was known to buy crates of old Harley parts and reassemble them in the winter. By late spring he would always have a running bike. Until that day in his mid-forties, when a 20 year old eighteen-wheeler driver hauling electronics, would sit on the shoulder of the interstate head-in-his-hands sobbing to the officer, paramedics and God

"I swear, I didn't see him. Came out of no where. Oh god..oh god...oh god"

and they scraped what was left of George Brinks off the hot blood-smeared pavement.

The kid would die in a big winter pile-up on I-80 later that same year. 

[Louis Brinks was fairly certain, at the time, that wishing someone dead didn't actually make it happen...but wavered a little after hearing about the accident.]



In the far corner, behind all the broken crap, was an unused rust-streaked old latch type deep freeze.

When we opened the creaky lid we smelled her long before we removed the bundled tarp from the chest.

Scrambling tiny black bugs had discovered her long before we had.

There was no sign of violence or any entry/exit wounds. No blunt trauma. An autopsy and post-mortem would give us a better explanation of how and when she died. He had closed her eyes.

We had the bastard.

Sometimes a hunch is all you need.

I accompanied the homicide team as we converged on The General's place for the arrest.

He got away with it the first time.
He wasn't going to be given the chance again.

I was also naming him as a person-of-suspicion in her husband, Jerry Black's untimely death as well. Maybe it wasn't as open and closed suicide as I had first thought.

Given what The General had told me about Doctor Troy's romantic unwanted attraction to his daughter it made sense he would have gotten her husband out of the way first. 


Establishing a possible motive.

He had also been the last person to see Jerry Black alive. When I had questioned him at his office he has seemed unduly tense, nervous. Out-of-sorts.

Nothing would give me more pleasure than nailing the son-of-a-bitch.





  

 

Virtual Hawaii: Macadamia Nuts

Omg...where have THESE been all my life!

(...sitting right there on the shelf at Kroger...)

Decided to start with something I have always known existed...but never tried.

Macadamia Nuts

A rich Cashew-buttery soft nut with a hint of the flavor of Brazil Nuts and maybe Hazelnut.  
Very nice. 

At 5.00 for a little over 4 ounces they run about $20. a pound, here. And worth every penny of it. 

Found a recipe for Brownies using these, fresh pineapple tidbits and coconut that I must try soon.

Not to worry....I'll share.

Well,  the recipe anyway....

The genus Macadamia originated in Australia. A bush-like evergreen that grows between 7 and 40 feet tall.

Now they are grown in several countries...but primarily in the USA. Hawaii is the largest exporter of Macadamia Nuts.  California and Florida also grow them.

They can be green-housed as well.

Interested in growing your own? You can get a gallon start here

https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Macadamia-Nut-Tree.htm

with all the instructions for its care.

The nuts begin as flowers.

When pollinated they become hard green strands of balls.

When they are ready to harvest they dry and turn brown. The brown skin splits to reveal the nut (also  brown)

Which you crack open to find the soft butter-coloured round meat.

Harvesting Macadamia Nuts in Hawaii

https://youtu.be/Q5oSderhztU


I can certainly see how this nut would work well both in savory, spicy dishes, and with chocolates, fudges or candies.

If you have never tried them...grab a can.  
Dry roasted and lightly sea salted they are a real (Hawaiian) treat.

Enjoy!

Outstanding Week...and Easter!

Full of Morels

Mostly grays. my favorite. The yellows are starting though...and with all the rain they are ginormous!

Fixed them sautéed, and battered, and in sauces, and even to top pizza.

Nearly the size of my hand!

And a Wednesday Mall-Ratting in Terre Haute with Loretta...and brunch at Cracker Barrel (where I found these Island Dishes)

Also a Lilac Bouquet

 It has the whole house smelling good compliments of my driver (...who usually engages in this horticultural larceny with me...but this year just knocked on my door with a bunch!)  Saving both of us from a life of crime.

And a perfectly lovely day with John (...my old friend and almost bank robber buddy from back in the day...we were nearly notorious..) a long drive through the countryside and catch up/chat...Greek (Saganaki...Tiropita...Avegolemano Soup...Spiced Lamb with Tzaziki Sauce...and Bakalava) A special Early Birthday treat for  me...and expanding his culinary experiences at the same time...having never tried Greek before!

OPA!

Oh, and THIS

A box of handmade chocolates filled with fruit and a variety of nuts!

Quite possibly some of the BEST chocolate I have ever tried    
Thanks, John!

A Thursday Visit with Pizza...James and Hannah, and a Drive-by Grand-Puppying with Chris. Bennie LOVES pepperoni, by-the-way! Got to spoil the grand-puppy, too!

Yeah, I'm feeling very spoiled today! 

And 57 is still 9 days away...

A great week despite the news.  And is there ANYONE who doesn't open their newsfeed without saying

Oh Dear Christ...WHAT have they DONE now?

85 days into his Presidency, Trump, who has bombed Syria and Afghanistan.

"What does THIS button do?"

And how the hell do you launch 54 Tomahawk Missiles into an Airfield and it remain OPERATIONAL????   Seriously!

Also managing to piss off China, North Korea and Russia.

United Airlines who has pretty much bombed their own business and profits.

and spawned a number of hashtag sites on Twitter..the best being #BoycottUnitedAirlines with some of the best mottos around.

Seriously though, after the Doctor's beating and unseating and the bad PR...this may solve their over-booking problem.

 Just saying!

Loved the new statue that Greenpeace delivered to Coca-Cola as a commentary on their use of disposable plastics.  A brilliant piece showing a family on picnic at a beach with a seagull nearby regurgitating a pile of plastic.

Looking forward to Easter tomorrow with James,Nicole and The Grands. Although with the rain it might be snorkeling for Easter Eggs.

And Aiden caught his first ever FISH this week!

Chuck and Shirley celebrating his (Chuck's) 76th birthday in Key West for the next 3 days!

Tina and Chris off to Comic Con today!

Where they can meet Val Kilmer and Nichelle Nichols (among others)

(...a bit of background...Bill grew up smitten by Nichelle Nichols but never was able to meet her...)

a while ago I got  a quick e-mail from Chris saying I got you something." with this picture.

Autographed to Bill. 

Just because...

How wonderful!

Going to mat and frame it with a nice photo of Bill set into it!

 I will be catching up with Lennon on Easter.

Shelby has settled in and taken over the house. And given John her "Houseguest Seal of Approval" after a long head-and-ear scratching session.

Tucker is improving daily. Eating more now, and I am making him cheese sauces and a dish of heavy cream to try and get his weight back on.  He lost so much weight while sick.

I have a new antibiotic ophthalmic gel that he hates...but seems to be improving his eyes (that were both infected when the abscess opened) .

sigh

It has been a long long three and a half months...but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

And he made it. 
Back to purring and eating and running the household.

That is what is important!

I am practicing a lot with my wheelchair.  May need to set up a concourse with soccer cones...lol My nickname is CRASH..I think. My steering still leaves a lot to be desired.   
On the bright side it makes life a lot easier!


Wishing Everyone a Happy Easter.

I LOVE the Deadpool Egg!



Update:

Caught up with Lennon who was having a very Italian (DeVenuto) Easter Dinner of  Home-made Lasagne! But, much like Chris and Tina, had to work later that evening.

Also James hunted THESE...much better than Easter Eggs to accompany Easter Dinner

Easter Morels!

The yellows are getting huge already.

And showed me a new way to fix them I had never tried.
Quite delicious, I might add.

Sliced into quarters lengthwise...not battered...but fried in hot olive oil very quickly until crisp then sprinkled with seasoned salt.

Kind of like Morel Chips.
Crisp.

Very good!

Nicole outdid herself with a HUGE ham, green bean casserole,mashed potatoes, and corn. It was all fabulous!

We even got to play in the gardens a little.

The Grands had a ball! Chocolate, hidden eggs, meeting Emma's not-my-boyfriend...er...boyfriend...lol


And a colorful Glow Stick Easter Hunt!

More Anon...

Hawaiian Cuisine...but first a word about Poi

Picked up groceries to create Hawaiian Dishes in the next few weeks.
Also fell in love with the Islands Plate and Mug and bought them, too.

Shopping list was basically a lot of fresh fruits...pineapple...pork...shellfish...rice...coconut...peppers and such.

Oh...and learning about Poi.

Poi is one of those traditional Hawaiian foods that I had always heard of..but knew nothing about. 

Until now.

Yeah...the mystery and magic is completely gone.

Poi  is made from this

 Taro Root.

Which is a bit like a hairy potato (a tuber) with white flesh that turns kind of purplish when boiled.

And looks like then when mashed,creamed,salted, and served.

Basically a lot like lavender mashed potatoes.  The"grits" of the Polynesia.  Just a side dish served with pretty much everything.

...sigh...

Yeah, I know. There I thought it was made from magical berries from an exotic Poi Plant or something. Another illusion shattered.

But I did find recipes for

Hapuia: A Coconut Pudding

Hawaiian Fried Rice that has ham, bell pepper and pineapple.

Pineapple Whip: A Frozen Dessert.

Butter Mochi:  A lot like the Scottish Butter Tablet

Loco Moco

Kalbi Ribs

Kahlua Pig

and Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (who knew?)

Along with an array of Hawaiian Punches and Fruit Concoction (drinks)

So recipes to share as we make them through the next couple of months...as for Poi

If you really really want to try it...you can buy Taro Root at Melissa's

https://www.melissas.com/Vegetables-s/1477.htm?searching=Y&sort=7&cat=1477&show=15&page=26

and all that is required is that you peel it...boil it until tender like a potato...mash with  a bit of cream and salt and pepper to taste...for that purplish, omnipresent  island side dish.

More Monday!

 

Honolulu: The Historic District & Chinatown

And although you will find "The King" (...well...his life sized statue...) here

You will also find tributes to another king...

King Kalakaua... King of Hawaii before its overthrow in the early 1900's. Reminding us that this used to be a small country of its own with a Royal Family.

Iolani Palace and Barracks are now open to the public for a modest entry fee.

https://youtu.be/5E1NrhMfQS0

Take a moment and visit the Palace Gazebo used for Coronations.

Take a closer look at King Kamehameha

And King Lunalilo Mausolium

https://youtu.be/Jb3zLyPzP9o

Be sure to see Honolulu's Chinatown

Historic Honolulu Tour


https://youtu.be/9vHPD4r8Fog




Chinatown Honolulu Tour



https://youtu.be/kXJIJQPgzGk


Tomorrow, we will take a look at some Hawaiian Cuisine!

More Anon....