Hey, hi, howzit.
Last night I got stuck in the bathroom for a hot sec, which is a bit of a strange feeling. And if I’m being honest, it’s not the first time it’s happened in the last three weeks.
I mean, it’s not that the doorknob sticks.
Or even gets stuck.
And yes, we’re dealing with lots of moisture and humidity.
But methinks it just never really catches.
Or something.
Either way, Hahn got out of bed after a good five minutes of me trying to jiggle my way out, when I finally burst through the door in a very Kramer-esque kind of way, leaving us both standing in our underwear, laughing endlessly.
So, yeah. Taking bets on whether Hahn will have to break me out at some point before we head home in just over a week.
Also, WE HEAD HOME IN JUST OVER A WEEK.
Tucked cozily in the corner of a strip mall in Waipahu (on the Leeward side of the island) is Minasa. An unsuspecting and modern restaurant that blends island-style classics with Filipino flavors, and will leave your mouth watering long after you’ve filled yourself to the brim. At 36 bucks, we ordered the Kamayan Sampler, which included the Lechon Fries, Calamansi Fried Chicken, Garlic Rice, and Ube Churros. Enough food to leave the two of us so full we were struggling to breathe properly, but so good it was impossible to leave even the tiniest of bites behind. All recipes we’ll attempt to recreate when we get home, so each of you can delight in them, too. That is, those of you not on the islands. For those of you who are, well, make your way to Minasa soon.
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Why we’ve only ever talked briefly about the Kaneohe Sandbar, I’ll never know. But it’s one of our favorite adventures on the island, and soon I plan to dedicate some time to bring you alllll the details so you can add it your own Oahu itinerary - especially now that renting a kayak to paddle out to the one-of-a-kind sandbar, located a mile into pristine ocean waters, isn’t as easy as visiting the He’eia State Park located on shore. Now you’ll need to plan ahead a bit more, but Kailua Beach Adventures has everything you need, and will even help you tie down your watercraft, too. Woo hoo!
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As a registered yoga instructor, there was a time when not doing yoga on any given day would be INSANE for me. But life happens and routines falter, so I’m stoked to say we’ve picked our practice back up at the totally vibe-y Yoga Under the Palms studio in Kailua.
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Japanese Milk Bread, or Shokupan, is famous for its soft, fluffy (albeit still chewy) texture and slightly sweet, rich flavor. Often called for in recipes we’ve played around with at home, we’ve never been able to find it in our neck of the woods and assumed it was like any other ol’ white bread. Boy were we wrong. This cloud-like delicacy has not only become our go-to sandwich bread, but also might be the reason we have to move to the islands permanently. Juuust kidding, but what goes for about 5 bucks a loaf will put us back 30 bucks if we want it shipped to Montana - which is why we’ve now got a $15 loaf pan in our Amazon cart.
Operation Milk Bread officially commences when we get home.
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Another thing we’ll be attempting to make, a brisket as beautiful and moist (I know, but there’s no other word for it) as the one we stumbled upon at the Ono Grindz & Makeke (Thursday Night Market) in Ewa Beach yesterday. Paired perfectly with a side of white rice and mustard-forward baked beans, the only thing you could possibly add to this is a side of seared cornbread.
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When renting our kayak from Kailua Beach Adventures, they offered us a discount if we did a 30-minute beach cleanup first, to which we said HECK YES. So they handed us a pail, sifter and set of gloves to comb the beach with. Not only did it feel good to give back to the island a teeny tiny bit, but it also helped answer the how to clean up tiny bits of plastic on the beach question we’ve always had. So the next day we stopped at the hardware store to make our own kit, and let me tell you, beach cleanup is somewhat addicting and actually quite fun.
Now for some food!
Simply click through to view the recipe in its entirety.
Grilled Lemongrass Pork Skewers
Have questions, comments or looking for more details on any of the above?
Leave a comment and we’ll chat!
Aloha Nui Loa,
Lisa
So much good stuff this week! Can’t wait to recreate all the food memories with you 🌺