Seattle Part Deux

Today Jason and I ran around Seattle, going from place to place.  First stop, Pike Place Market.

There were so many great, fun street artists....here is one of them we loved.

And don't forget the alley of gum.....an entire side street covered with used chewing gum.  It smelled like tropical punch :)

We made our way to the Space Needle and went up 520 feet to the observation deck.  It was such a cool, beautiful Pacific Northwest kind of day.

More pictures coming soon :)

Hello Seattle

After a long day of travel, I finally arrived!  Welcome to Seattle, Washington...the beginning of my cross country adventure.  You can see the city from the back yard of my Aunt and Uncle's House.  I am so excited that I get to spend time with them :)

After settling in for a day, and while my cousin and her husband were still here, we went to some local wineries and tasted the goods.  There really is some amazing wine that comes from this area.  Below, we are at my winery.... :)

And here is Jessica and me!  I love you Jeddios!!!

So today I spent most of the day traveling around downtown Seattle and then headed over to Snoqualmie Falls.  A beautiful day!!!  Although, I wasn't quite ready for driving on I-90, where there are 6 lanes and the speed limit is 70 MPH.  That is a huge difference from Kona, where the biggest road had two lanes and you go 55.  I just have to get used to it again.

Tomorrow my dog Akua arrives, so I will be getting ready to pick him up and Wednesday, Jason gets here.  The adventure continues...........I will get more pictures up soon, I promise!  Until then, be well everyone.....!

Fire in the Hole!!! (or my visit to Volcanoes National Park)

I finally had the chance to get down south and visit Madame Pele once more today.  It was very much a complete circle for me.  I remember when we first arrived on the Big Island back in 2005 and visited the volcano.  Today I got to revisit many of my favorite sites in the park and give blessings and offerings and well wishes to Pele.

First I stopped off at South Point, where they have a collection of HUGE wind generators.  It is an amazing site.

Then I made it to the one of the craters.  This one is called Halema'uma'u and you can see the plume of volcanic smoke coming up from the crater.

Off through the forest and into the Thurston Lava Tube.  So cold and damp....I was the only one in there!

Finally it was down Chain of Craters Road to the sea cliffs (right after the top picture was taken a HUGE wave crashed into the side and exploded.  I could feel the sea water spraying through the air.  After about a 15 minute walk I was where the lava from an older flow crossed the road.  I love that picture with the Road Closed sign buried in lava.  On the hike back, I asked Pele if I could see an image of her before I left and low and behold, I looked down and was standing right in front of her!  Can you see her face and her long flowing hair?

And finally, a smile from Akua, after I told him we were going to see his friends Honi and Rosie.  Woof!

Smartphone?

Well, I am finally able to say to myself "Welcome to the 21st Century"!  I just got my new iPhone 4 and have had to call customer support too many times already to figure out how to use it!
The great thing about having this new phone is that now this blog will be mobile....and I can't wait to send pictures of my cross country adventure for you all to see.  Look out Corn Palace, here I come :)

Have a great weekend everyone.....Aloha!!

August is......

National Goat Cheese Month!!!

Get ready for a month full of some deliciousness!  Goat cheese is quite possibly my favorite type of cheese.  From a light and creamy French Chevre to a tangy Greek Feta, goat cheese is such a versatile item to have in the kitchen.

I love to pair this type of dairy item with poached fruits, fresh figs and house made crackers.  It is wonderful tossed with cranberries or strawberries in a fresh spinach salad or used with slow roasted garlic on a pizzetta.

Here is a recipe for some house made crackers.  A bit time consuming, but well worth the effort!

1 Tablespoon dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
3 1/2 cups flour

Mix yeast with water and let sit for 2-3 minutes in the bowl of an electric mixer (KitchenAid).  Add the oil, salt and flour and mix with a dough hook for about 6 minutes.  This will help develop the gluten in the dough and will give you a crunchy cracker in the end.

You will need to let the dough rest, in a covered, oiled bowl for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Now, here is the fun part.  Rolling out the dough to make crackers!  If you have a pasta sheeter, whether it be one that attaches to the KitchenAid or a hand crank one, use it!  A rolling pin works, but not as well.

Cut the now proofed dough into small pieces.  Make sure you have a well floured board so the thin dough doesn't stick to anything!  Starting out on the widest setting of the pasta sheeter, put the dough through twice.  Set the sheeter on the next thinnest setting, and repeat with the dough.  Do this until you have a thin, cracker like  strip of dough.  Remember, the bigger your piece of dough you start with, the longer your final sheet of cracker will be, so adjust accordingly!  My pasta roller went to a #4 size for a good thin cracker thickness.  Your setting will vary, so just keep rolling until the desired thickness is reached.

Cut the dough to length (make sure it will fit on whatever size baking sheet you use).  Place it on a baking sheet (like a 1/2 sheet pan) lined with parchment paper.   I leave the dough in the rectangular form (it makes for a great presentation when you break the crackers after baking) but you could at this point cut the dough into whatever shapes you want.  Brush it with an egg wash (gently whip one whole egg with a bit of water) and then sprinkle whatever you want on top!  I recommend sesame seeds, herbs, cumin seeds, or just plain old sea salt and black pepper. (But remember, there is already salt in the dough, so don't put TOO much on).

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown (I am hesitant in giving a time as each oven will bake differently.) So, that being said, check it after 5-10 minutes or so and continue until ready.  Let cool and then break open that log of Chevre you've had in the fridge and enjoy!