Sew much fun!

Maybe it's because my sewing class is on hold for two weeks due to spring break, but lately my fingers have been itching more than ever to sew. I'd been practicing on scraps for a while, but today I was determined to make something, and voila, I completed my first unsupervised sewing project! I made an "envelope" style pillow case. Here's my little work station all ready to go . . .



And the finished product (shown on the back side so you can see my "fancy" work -- the envelope -- hehe) . . .


look really close!

It's not super fancy and not perfect, but I'm so happy! Once you get the first project done, you want to do more. The hardest part was cutting the fabric because I used an old sheet and I don't have a large, hard surface to cut on. Anyway, I'm excited to learn other techniques and make more things!

Afternoon Tea at the Surfrider

The Moana Surfrider is one of the most beautiful hotels in Hawaii, at least I think so. Being in there always makes me think of Victorian ladies in lacy dresses up to their necks strolling the lanai with parasols protecting them from the sun. Afternoon tea takes place on The Veranda, a small lanai with views of the ocean and Surfrider guests lounging on pool chairs. The experience started out with choosing our tea. Our waiter gave a short description of the type of tea, then passed it around for us to smell. I chose a white tea flavored with passion fruit, which was good, but I wish I had chosen a stronger one.

After tea was poured, a dainty lunch of mini sandwiches arrived: croissant with egg salad, focaccia with ham and tomato, and toast with smoked salmon. I'm not sure if that's exactly what I had since our waiter had an accent, but that's pretty much what I remember.



Next came a lovely tray of desserts. I was most looking forward to trying the scones with lemon curd and clotted cream (middle tray). The condiments complemented the scones very well, and all the desserts were very nicely done. Everything was so rich that even with the small portions, I couldn't finish everything and I actually got full! My favorite was the tiny little fruit tart on the bottom tray.



Goodbye, Waikiki!



The day after afternoon tea I was flipping through the cookbook By Request, The Search for Hawaii's Greatest Recipes and came across one for Diamond Head Market and Grill's Blueberry Cream Cheese Scones. Hawaii is a beautiful but odd place . . . only here would things like Fried Twinkie, Black Chicken Soup, Baked Pepsi Ham, and Chile Verde with Pig's Feet make the cut for most requested recipes. I know there are people out there who adore pigs feet, but I am not one of them! But anyone who has had DHMG's blueberry scones filled with chunks of cream cheese and blueberries will understand why this one made it to the top of the list. These scones are dropped onto the baking sheet rather than rolled into a circle or cut into circles. I made a batch of 8 and had myself a little tea party. No curd or cream to accompany the scones this time, but they didn't need them with the chunks of cream cheese tucked into each one. This is definitely a recipe I will be going back to again and again and again!

Review: Red Ginger Cafe

There's a cozy little place in Manoa called Red Ginger Cafe, where I lunched today with two co-workers. I'd been meaning to try it sooner, but the place was always packed with lunch patrons. Guess it doesn't help that there's only about 5 tables in there! But with many places closing shop, I was always happy to see this one buzzing with business. Although there isn't a lot of variety to the menu, they have other good things going on. The food is organic and they sell local items, as well as bags made out of recycled juice boxes that support a co-op of women in the Philippines. Very cool.


(Sorry for the odd picture, I got a little uncomfortable taking pics and had to do it stealthily.)

So what was their food like? Well, it took us a while to decide on what to get. Having only a selection of sandwiches, wraps, and salads to choose from was hard! Ok, it was hard for me . . . because I'm always craving hot food (put a burger, pizza, or enchilada in front of me and I'm gone)! Anyway, AH chose a turkey avocado sandwich, MK a turkey cranberry & cream cheese sandwich, and I an "Earth Salad." My salad started with a layer of brown rice topped with mozzarella cheese, spring greens, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, chicken, and a papaya dressing on the side. I'm not the type to usually choose a salad as my main dish, but all in all, we were happy and satisfied.



I think the main attraction here, however, are the drinks -- although they'll never replace the aloe drinks that the previous occupant used to make. My fellow lunchers both chose the Cucumber Sloshie -- a concoction of cucumbers, lemon sherbert, and soymilk. May sound a little odd, but we were all sipping happily (I had a taste), and my eyes were popping (apparently a sign that I enjoy something). My drink was called the Red Ginger Pick Me Upper! Brace yourselves for this . . . it's coffee, chocolate, peanut butter, banana, and soymilk. Now you see why I chose the salad for lunch. The drink was, as you'd expect, thick, creamy, and just the right sweetness. I would recommend this place if you're looking for a low-key, relaxing atmosphere and food that is light and healthy. Just get there a little early to beat the lunch crowd, or plan to take out.

Weekend damage

Picked up these two cute things at a "Jessica's Traveling Boutique" event at my co-worker's house on Sunday. It's basically a boutique that's set up in someone's home. Think tupperware or candle parties but with racks of clothing, jewelry, bags, and scarves. There were lots of lovely things, but they either didn't fit right or they were out of my budget. :( Good thing they didn't have shoes!

It was a normal day at work today . . . although much quieter and peaceful on campus since it's spring break. Some things I'm looking forward to: a short week (we have a Kuhio Day holiday on Thursday!), trying out Red Ginger Cafe in Manoa Marketplace, possibly learning how to surf, having high tea at the Moana Surfrider, reuniting with my former co-worker Rowena (crossing my fingers since it's so hard to meet up with her), and thinking about some sewing projects!

As for tonight, I'm about to have some dinner (salad and soup -- thanks, mom) and watch the season finale of Jon and Kate Plus Eight. So sad I won't be seeing new episodes with the little cuties for a while!

Finally a sunny day

I heart clean towels.

Productive morning . . .

They have a farmer's market at UH on Fridays, so I stocked up. I've been craving a simple tomato salad ever since seeing Jon and Kate's version on the show. I just tossed all the ingredients together and let them marinate and become friends while I cleaned up the kitchen. I even had some time to make pesto, since basil always seems to just sit and rot in my fridge.

Served alongside a pressed grilled cheese sandwich, I ended up with a pretty nice lunch! All that healthy stuff started making me crave something sweet. The idea of making flambe very randomly entered my mind, since I had bananas and rum . . . but in the end I decided to put a stop to this madness in the kitchen. So the healthy day was not compromised! I am thinking of popping some Ghirardelli chocolate chips, though . . . mmmm, tasty.