Category Archives: Family

Family, Lifestyle, Politics

Holiday Baking Hawaiian Style

Want to give your holiday baking a little island flair? Try adding some flavors from Hawaii like coffee, rum, apple banana, mango, papaya, coconut, vanilla beans, and, of course, Maui cane sugar. You can easily order these ingredients online if you can’t them in a store nearby (see resource list below for suggestions). Or ask someone who’s going on vacation to bring you back a few things.

(Hawaiian style it: Individual servings of apple banana bread with vanilla rum sauce)

One of my favorite holiday recipes is Hawaiian apple banana bread with vanilla bean rum sauce. Start with your favorite banana bread recipe, but substitute apple banana puree (about 1.5 cups puree for 2 whole bananas). Same for the sauce. Use your favorite icing recipe and add a splash of Hana rum and ground vanilla beans. Sprinkle the top with freshly shredded coconut.

Another crowd pleaser is Kona coffee cake. I never leave a party with anything but an empty pan. Using your favorite coffee cake recipe, substitute finely ground pure Kona coffee. I especially love using peaberry from the Hualalai area. I also find that adding fresh, unrefrigerated eggs from your nearest hens really plumps up the flavor of the coffee. A hint of vanilla bean or dark chocolate tastes fabulous, too.

For any of your holiday baking, you can substitute raw Maui cane sugar for demera and turbinado sugars. The golden color of the Maui cane caramelizes beautifully.

During the holidays, it’s the simple pleasures that we enjoy most: time with family and friends and good food. Enjoy and aloha!

Online shopping for Hawaiian foods:

Familyfoodhawaii.com

Hawaiianfoodonline.com

Suresave.com

Family, Politics

Obama Loses Last of Relatives that Raised Him

Madelyn Dunham died of cancer Sunday evening November, 2, 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was the grandmother of Barack Obama and made famous by her role in his life as his white grandmother from Kansas.

She was the last surviving member of his family that was involved with raising him. Her husband, Stanley Dunham, died in 1992. Their daughter, Ann Dunham, who was Obama’s mother, died of ovarian cancer in 1995. Obama’s father, Barrack Hussein Obama Sr, came from Kenya and died in car accident in 1982.

Obama’s surviving family members include his half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng (they have the same mother) of Honolulu and his step-relatives through his father in Kenya . He also has two daughters, Sasha and Malia, with his wife Michelle.

Obama was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Family, Science

Hawaii Students Advance to Final Rounds of National Science Competitions

This fall two young men from O’ahu have made the cut and will advance to final rounds of national science competitions.

Jack Uesugi was selected as one of ten finalists in this year’s Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, for creating a video that details the elements of a satellite’s orbit around planet Earth.  Jack will compete in the national competition in Washington, D.C., from October 4th to October 6th, 2008, for the chance to win a $50,000 U.S. Savings Bond, as well as earn the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist of the Year.”  NASA will host the competition finals at its world-renowned Goddard Space Flight Center.  Jack attends Island Pacific Academy.

(Jack Uesugi, finalist in the 2008 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge and student at Island Pacific Academy)

Judges selected Thomas Goodin as one of thirty finalists at the 2008 Society for Science & the Public Middle School Program science competition for his project, “Which Windmill Rotor Pitch Is the Most Efficient?” Thomas emerged as a finalist from more than 75,000 students who entered local science fairs nationwide during the last school year.  He is now on his way to Washington, D.C., to showcase his project at the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences on Sunday, October 19th.  Thomas attends Mid-Pacific Institute.

(Thomas Goodin with his display and finalist in the 2008 Society for Science & the Public Middle School Program, courtesy of Mid-Pacific Institute)

Congratulations and all the best to you both!