Category: Eats - Coconut Diaries

Old Plumeria and Kauai Kookies!

6/22/2014

My husband brought me back a surprise from a recent shopping trip.... Kauai Kookies! He knows I love Kauai Kookies and found a local store here in San Diego that sells them. Ahh... the taste of Kauai here on the Mainland! What a nice treat, I didn't think I'd get my favorite cookies until we were back on Kauai.

If you are missing the crunchy sweet island-style taste of Kauai Kookies, you can order them online or by phone. Cookies from the Kauai Kookie Kompany can be shipped anywhere in the United States.

Check out my Plumeria. It's going to bloom! I'm super excited about it because I thought this guy was a goner. Sadly, last year I had to cut off half of it's branches to save it. It had many mushy spots on the stems. Even though my old tree looks a little funky from my drastic pruning, I was happy to see new growth this spring!

This is my oldest Plumeria tree. I bought it 12 years ago. It was one of those clippings that you can buy at ABC. It started as a little 8 inch sprig, but now it's over 6 feet tall.

I'll be sure to post a photo for you all to see when the Plumeria blooms!

Aloha friends!

Plantation Hale Suites #1 on Kauai!

3/14/2014

I'm so happy to share with you that Plantation Hale Suites was voted the best budget hotel on Kauai! And rated number two in the entire state of Hawaii! Isn't that just awesome?!

Every year the readers of Hawaii magazine vote on what is the best of the best in Hawaii. Thousands of votes were tallied in this year's poll. I'm so proud of Plantation Hale!

We love Plantation Hale, that's why we bought the condo there. It really is a wonderful resort and a great value! A stay at the Coconut Coast Condo at Plantation Hale starts at just $95 per night! What a deal!

One of our favorite restaurants also made the list this year...Hukilau Lanai! It placed in the best moderately priced restaurant ($25-50 per person) category! The Hukilau Lanai is a wonderful place to enjoy an excellent meal and it's within walking distance of the condo.

Check out Hawaii Magazine's April 2014 issue for all of the Best of the Best in Hawaii!

It's Aloha Friday! Have a great weekend all!

Pineapple Jack-O-Lantern...Spooky!

10/29/2013

Aloha Readers!

I love to carve pumpkins for Halloween, maybe a little too much...one year I carved 10! This year I wanted to try something a little different. A pineapple jack-o-lantern! Isn't he cute?! I mean spooky! Haha!

I was inspired by our friend Blake who lives on the Big Island. Last Halloween Blake carved an awesome pineapple!

Here's what I did first...cut a big rectangular wedge from a fresh pineapple...enjoy the yummy sweet wedges! Then cut out the inner back side.

This step would be easier and faster if you have a pineapple slicer/corer gadget. If not, it's not that difficult...just takes a few minutes.

Next, carve out the front part of the pineapple.

Finally, carefully carve the face.

This jack-o-lantern was super fun to carve and actually easier than the traditional pumpkin. No messy guts and seeds. You can eat this one's innards!

I carved this guy two days ago and he's still smiling. Hasn't attracted fruit flies or started to rot. When lit he lets off a nice pineapple scent...sweet!

Blake keeps a fun blog http://theboyshawaiianlife.com/ , if you'd like to take a peek!

Best wishes for a happy and safe Halloween!

Boo!

Coconut Coast Condo is on Pinterest!

6/30/2013

Aloha All!
I got us on Pinterest! I've been busy "pinning" lots of photos of the condo and fun stuff for you to look at. Some Kauai eye candy!

http://pinterest.com/alohasusanz/

I wish you a happy Sunday!

Poke Tacos

5/5/2013

Hola Readers!

Today is Cino de Mayo! How about a Mexican-Hawaiian recipe to celebrate? Here's a recipe for poke tacos. I made these when on vacation in Kauai. They tasted great and looked pretty enough to photograph.

Poke Tacos
Ahi Poke - We usually get ours at Fish Express in Lihue, but Foodland has good poke as well.
Shredded Lettuce
Chopped Cilantro
Won Ton Wrappers - The uncooked packaged ones you find in the refrigerated section.

Fry the won ton wrappers in a couple inches of oil, using tongs to hold the wrapper in a taco shape. Fry until crispy. In each wrapper place some poke, lettuce and cilantro. Garnish with Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce. Enjoy!

Try Bobby V's for Pizza and Authentic Italian Meals

4/27/2013

At Bobby V's Italian Restaurant Pizzeria they say "The best way to someone's heart is through their stomach". It's true! We love Bobby V's pizza!

Bobby V's makes an authentic Italian thin crust, hand tossed pizza with delicious sauce. All homemade! There's a wide assortment of toppings available for you to choose from. The pizzas we've tried include: cheese, sausage and mushroom, pepperoni and one of their specialty combinations. The pizzas were oven baked to crisp perfection. The toppings were fresh and combined with their sauce, It's a pizza lovers dream!

On the occasions that we have gone to Bobby V's Restaurant, we've found friendly, attentive service in a fun, casual atmosphere. The checkered cloths on the tables and Italian music playing in the background bring some Italy to Kauai!

The reasonable prices and great food make it easy to recommend Bobby V's.

Bobby V's Italian Restaurant Pizzeria is located about one mile north of the condo in Kapaa. Their address is 4-788 Kuhio Highway, Kapaa, HI 96746
They're across the street from Mc Donald's.

Open daily from 3 pm. They also deliver! 821-8080
Here's a link to their website for more info.
http://bobbyvpizzeria.com/

Now I'm hungry for Bobby V's pizza; I need to book my next trip to Kauai!
Aloha Readers!

Got Spam?

4/13/2013

We may like Spam a little too much at our house. My husband and children LOVE it! I don't share their same adoration but, I don't mind eating it now and then. How you prepare Spam makes all the difference!

My husband picked up this delightful little cookbook at a Kauai Thrift store. Can you believe that someone would give this baby up?! Hawaii's Spam Cookbook has more than eighty recipes. Including several that use the other popular local canned meats...corned beef, sardines and vienna sausage. Some are admittedly a little unusual but, I found a few that sounded tasty!

Spam Musubi is by far the family favorite. "The perfect handheld meal" my daughter would say! They're great to pack for the beach. Here's a recipe from the cookbook. Notice the author was not concerned about being politically correct! Ha!

You too can do the "Spam shaka" while holding your delicious Spam Musubi! I thought this Spam label was so awesome that I saved it with my other Kauai mementos.

This recipe gave me a chuckle because the author states that it goes equally well with Milk, Coke or beer! My husband and Father both enjoy Spam sandwiches.

One more recipe...Fried Spam. This is my favorite way to eat Spam. Try it with rice!

Here's a bit of the preface that includes some interesting Spam information.

This fun cookbook can still be found on Ebay and Amazon for you Spam lovers!

Thanks for reading my blog and I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Best of the Best on Kauai

3/17/2013

Aloha All,

In my post last week, I was so happy to share with you that Hawaii Magazine readers voted Plantation Hale as one the best budget resorts on Kauai. One more reason to stay at the Coconut Coast Condo!

This week I thought I would share with you some of the other Hawaii Magazine Readers' Choice Awards. More than 50,000 votes were tallied, here's some top picks for Kauai...

Best Golf Course:
Princeville at Hanalei, Princeville,

Best Luau:
Smith's Family Garden Luau, Kapaa,

Best Helicopter Tour Company:
Blue Hawaiian Helicopters
Jack Harter Helicopters
Safari Helicopters
Sunshine Helicopters

Best Beach for Stretching Out On the Sand:
Hanalei Beach & Bay
Poipu Beach

Best State Park:
Kokee State Park

Best Fine Dining Restaurant:
Roy's

Best Place for Cheap Eats:
L & L Hawaiian Barbecue

Best Burger Place:
Bubba Burger, Hanalei, Kapaa and Poipu
Duane's Ono Char Burger, Anahola

For more Readers' Choice Awards please check out the April 2013 issue of Hawaii Magazine. Better yet, subscribe to Hawaii Magazine! It's a great mag, full of beautiful photos and informative fun articles that'll keep you in touch with your favorite place...Kauai!

Wishing you all a Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Love those Hawaiian Kisses!

2/14/2013

'Absolutely LOVE these Hershey's Kisses! What makes them so good? These kisses 'got' aloha! In the center of the milk chocolate kiss is a Mauna Loa macadamia nut piece. Adding to their appeal, they're wrapped in pretty turquoise foil ,with an adorable "ALOHA" tissue flag. So, cute and delicious!

These perfect kisses are only available in Hawaii (really). One more reason to come over for a visit! We leave extra room in our suitcase to bring a few bags of these babies home--just like our other favorite, Kauai Kookies!

Coconut Diaries wishes you a happy Valentine's day filled with aloha! And hopefully. . . a few Kisses!

The Mainland Grown Pineapple!

1/7/2013

Aloha! A lot of people eat pineapple around the Holidays so, I thought now would be a good time to do a post on growing your very own pineapple plant.

Here is one of my pineapple plants. It's 1 1/2 years old.

This is how I grew my plant from a pineapple we bought on Kauai. First, I cut the top leafy part from the fruit. Then I removed the first few rows of lower leaves...

Next, I placed the spiky stem into a glass of water. Making sure that the water level is below the leaves. I change the water every few days...

After a few weeks, your little pineapple plant should have roots. This stem is about 8 weeks old.

It's now ready to plant in soil. I use a "cactus potting mix" but, I think any good potting soil would be fine. I put this plant into a 8" clay pot and set it out in a sunny place in my backyard. If it gets chilly where you live, it's best to bring your pineapple in for the winter. It will be quite happy in an area of your home that gets sunshine.

I got my fingers crossed that one day my plants will produce fruit. In the meantime, my pineapple plant brings some extra aloha to my home!

As always, feel free to post a comment or question! In a few weeks I'll do a post on plumeria cuttings. Happy planting friends!