Boocara

The girls needed a little practice run with trick-or-treating : ). So we headed up to Bacara, where they put on a festive Halloween evening for the kids, as well as the adults.

The hotel was dressed to die for, yes pun intended, complete with safe trick-or-treating, DIY s'mores over fire pits, mini burgers & hot dogs, portable wood burning pizza oven, an indoor movie set-up with popcorn and lemonade, and a cocktail station : )

Happy Halloween! (Take 1)

Lanikai Beach

I am going to wrap up our Hawaiian getaway with Lanikai Beach in Kailua.

The most gorgeous beach and soft sand I have ever felt!

Find a spot to park along the neighborhood street and take the path.

Which leads to this:

Until next time Hawaii! Aloha!

Giovanni's and Matsumoto's

Ever heard of Giovanni's Original White Shrimp Truck? Neither had we. Until this trip.

And OMG! It's so yummy!

You can find Giovanni's in the town of Haleiwa.

You gotta keep your eyes peeled though.

There are a lot of shrimp trucks along the highway.

The simplest of menus make for easy ordering:

The Scampi:

 And my little shrimp ; )

And last but not least . . . The famous Matsumoto's for shave ice:

North Shore

North Shore was perfect the way to venture out of Waikiki and all of its' business. 

First stop was the Dole Plantation:

All Aboard!

Could not leave without having their famous pineapple whip!

Next stop was North Shore:

Hunting for serious treasures : )

The next two stops within North Shore need their own posts : )

See ya soon!

Oahu

We just got back from a little vacay to Hawaii. I love getting away in October. Places are not so crowded (well not including Waikiki) and it's a nice break from being home all summer. Come take a look at what we've been up to the past week!

We logged in lots of hours on the beaches of Waikiki:

And we spent lots of time at the pool and water slides courtesy of
The Grand Waikikian (our home away from home):

 Kalista made lots of silly faces, like this one:

Daddy took us out on a boat ride through the channels of Diamond Head:

Sorry, I could only muster up two photos. Mama got a little sea sick. : (

We ate lots of yummy food. 

 And we hung loose at a luau:

Stay tuned . . . More pics to come!

Apple Cake

Last week I opened my front door and found this:

Aren't they gorgeous?! My friend, Nancy, and her darling son picked these from their apple tree. I was thrilled because the girls and I didn't get around to apple picking this year.

I'm not sure what kind of apples these are, but the girls love the tartness and have been eating them non-stop. Luckily I was able to grab a few, before they munched them all, and make this:

Cinnamon Apple Cake (Cooking Light - October 1997)

• 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup stick margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 ounces block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2 large)
• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.

Happy 8 Years

It's always fabulous at the Coral Casino 

September 18, 2004

Soccer Saturdays

It's that time of year again . . . . AYSO!