I’ve hiked Aiea Loop Trail 4 times since the beginning of June. It’s become my training hike for my to Japan. It’s a beautiful hike with gradual ups and downs under the cover of the forest from the morning sun. It’s well traveled trail with trail runners, solo, pairs, groups, familes and very well behaved dogs. There’s strawberry guava and lilikoi to be found (not really hiding). I think a couple more times and then I’ll up my distance on a longer hillier hike. Anyone want to come?
2 years since Oat passed. 2 years being on my own since I met him 33 years ago. 2 years since the saddest day of my life. 2 of the hardest years of my 58 years.
I’m trying my best to carry on, working through things slow.
I’m keeping busy learning new things, quilting, stamping, preserving and spinning.
And making new friends and connecting with my old crew. Laughing, talking and just being silly as we enjoy each others company.
Oat would have enjoyed moving back to Hawaii with me. Maybe too much to do for him but so many opportunities for him to create a new costume photo shoot or a shelter we could use to go camping in. Who knows what he would have came up with all the stuff my dad has. He would have loved all of the tarps. Miss you.
Quick and short post from West Oahu–Makua beach to Kaena point and back. Beautiful day, breezy, big surf, and great company as always.
Checking out the tidal pools or maybe getting a great shot of the ocean
Makua tidal pools
Natural Arch on the way to Kaena Point
Monk seal checking me out @Kaena Point
On way back
One of the many tidal pools on the trail
Beautiful Waianae Range–lush and green
The best thing about living in Hawaii is that people are so generous. And the delivery of mangoes and bananas to my house demonstrated that. Instead of getting just a couple of each, I got the box of mangoes and hand of bananas. Boy, I needed to get my act in gear and use them up before they got too ripe to use.
I said I wanted to make mango jam and I got to make it. I made this recipe before with overripe mangoes from the restaurant and it turned out so delicious. And it was pretty easy.
Mom peeled the mangoes, cutting away any bruised or bad areas. I peeled the lemon rind then took off as much of the pith as I could. Then toss all of it in a wide pot with the sugar and put it on a medium high heat. It will come to a boil, turn it down to medium to simmer. Then let the magic happen. The meat of the mango falls off and once it all falls off it will be ready. I say we had it on for about hour and half.
peeled mangoes and lemons with lemon rind and sugar
This is the final product. Naturally thick and chunky, sweet mangos with bright taste from the lemons.
Mon’s special portion
We got 1 pint, 4 half pints and 2 4oz bottles.
waiting to cool off
I didn’t use up all the mangoes with jam, so I made batch of mango bread using my banana bread recipe and whatever was left I went into the freezer for a pie I’m thinking of trying.
A hand of Williams bananas ripening in a brown bag in the patio, were ready at the same time as the mangos arrive. Meant a lot of jamming and baking on very hot and humid end of summer season. A baker needs to do when the ingredients are ready to go.
I made my princess hotflash healthier banana bread. I couldn’t find ground coconut so I used sweeten shredded coconut instead. I also use this recipe for the mango bread.
I had a brain fart and didn’t look at my mom’s measuring cup and added too much sugar in the banana bread. (thought the 3/4 measuring cup was a 1/2 cup–don’t have a 3/4c in my measuring cups). Oops.
It turned out darker that it should with the extra sugar
But it didn’t taste too sugary. Whew! I was really sad that I may had needed to toss it out.
And the leftover bananas went in the freezer also for smoothies or monkey butter or strawberry banana pie. Not sure which one I want to make.
Well, more baking and jamming to come. Got a bag of distress fruit at Don Quixote. with plums, peaches, grapefruit and mineola orange. A small batch of stone fruit jam with orange and grapefruit curd all for $2.50.
Haha! I wrote I that I wanted to make mango jam and banana bread but I either missed the season or all my frozen bananas were all gone. Now I have a bunch of mangos and bananas waiting for me to do some thing with.
My girlfriend read my post and asked her friend that has a mango farm is she had any more mangoes left and look what I got. There were two people in my house that were so happy to see these. They couldn’t wait to eat one.
Mangoes to eat
A boxes of mangoes to jam
And maybe some mango sweet with the rest of the mangoes.
Then a family friend came by to share some bananas that she got.
Bag of Williams Banana waiting to be made into something
May try batch of monkey butter with the bananas.
Well, I’ll be busy in this coming week. Pray to the weather gods for cool dry weather for jamming and baking.
Princess Hot Flash 