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Lanikai Juice
Summer has been in full swing the past few weeks here in Southern California and that means hot windless nights and daytime temps in the 90s (This week we’ve even been hitting the 100s!). California has turned into an oven and all I can dream about is Lanikai Juice. Sure California has Jamba Juice and Juice It Up! (which I do love) and little local smoothie shops, but since I’ve been back I can honestly say nothing beats Oahu’s Lanikai Juice. Lanikai Juice opened its doors back in 1997, serving healthy and fresh smoothies, fruit bowls, freshly squeezed juices, food, and cold pressed juices using local and fresh organic ingredients.…
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4th of July
Now when I answer the occasional Facebook survey or someone asks me, "What's your favorite holiday?" I'll usually give them the traditional Christmas answer, but when I really think about it, the 4th of July has always given me so much more excitement and joy then most other holidays. And although I know that I have better memories, for some reason, when I think about the 4th, I find a lot of reasons to smile.
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Where to get the Best Poke on Oahu?
Poke (pronounced POH-KAY) dates back to the ancient Hawaiians who would feast on freshly caught fish massaged with sea salt, seaweed and crushed inamona or kukui nuts. Since then poke has grown and evolved, in some circumstances, drastically. As immigrants from all around the world, and especially places like China and Japan, began arriving in Hawaii, new flavors began to shape poke. While the more traditional Ahi poke is made with tuna, shoyu (soy sauce), sea salt, green onions, Maui onions and limu, visit any poke shop in Hawaii today and you can find a wide array of flavors and options including kimchee shrimp, furikake salmon, miso tako (octopus), pipikaula…
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Mouthwatering Chicken from Maui Mikes
Maui Mikes makes chicken sandwiches that are to die for! I have never been a huge fan of chicken, despite the many times my husband has tried to sell me on the joys of eating good rotisserie chicken, but Maui Mikes is doing something special. And although I didn’t discover them until my last few months on the island, they instantly became one of my go to comfort foods. My go to is the Ranch Bacon Melt Sandwich. It is made of hot fresh juicy shredded chicken, lots of cheddar cheese, bacon, and ranch. It is big. It is messy. And it is so satisfying. My husband normally orders Mike’s…
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Breakfast on Oahu’s Windward Side
I have been lucky enough to live in Kailua, on Oahu’s Windward Coast for the last two and a half years. In those two and a half years my husband and I have been able to seek out and test many of the breakfast options this side of the island has to offer and there are three locations my husband and I keep returning to over and over again. My Favorite – Boots & Kimo’s Boots & Kimo’s is hands down one of my favorite breakfast places, not just on Oahu, but anywhere! They are known for their delicious Mac Nut Pancakes, fluffy buttermilk pancakes topped with a creamy rich…
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It’s all in the bread…
I am not a sandwich person. I really have to be in the mood for a sandwich and when I am it is usually for a hot sandwich, a good Ruben or maybe a French dip. Very rarely do I ever want cold cuts and if I do, normally I’ll save the money and just make it myself. That was the case up until I discovered Timmy T’s. Timmy T’s is a local sandwich shop in Kailua that absolutely changed my perspective on sandwiches and will probably be one of the main places I will miss when I leave Oahu. Timmy T’s serves 8-inch cold cut sandwiches. They have a…
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My Husband’s Favorite Pizza on Oahu – Boston’s Pizza
I have a confession to make – I am not a pizza person. Now that is not to say I don’t enjoy myself a piece of pepperoni every now and then, but it’s not something I always want. My husband on the other hand loves pizza. Ninety percent of the time when I let him choose something for dinner, if he’s not choosing a burger, he’s picking pizza. And while we have lived on Oahu that means Boston’s Pizza. Boston’s Pizza is a local pizza joint in Kailua and they serve giant, fresh, thin crust pizza. I may not be a pizza person but I know a good slice when…
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Moving to Oahu
September 25, 2015 I got on a plane in LAX headed for Honolulu. The previous months had consisted of a lot of couch surfing, living with different friends and family, and a two month stay in Utah. I had less than $3,000, an Airbnb studio apartment covered for a month, no job, and pretty much no plan. I had spent my entire life living in California. Despite having graduated from college in May of 2014, I still had not worked a “real” job and with the exception of my adventures in couch surfing, I had never lived on my own. I had never been on a plane and the farthest…
