Coconut Macadamia Banana Waffles - A taste of Aloha

Dreams of swaying palms, warm ocean waters and light tropical breezes constantly fill my head and become my happy place when I'm in need of a lift.  A tropical girl at heart yet stuck on the mainland, my husband and I have made San Diego our home and every once in a while we can almost feel a Hawaiian influence around town.

That same husband was lucky enough to actually feel my beloved warm, soft and tropical Hawaiian breezes last week as he "worked".  Yes... flying that big huge airplane all the way across the big huge ocean to find that teeny tiny island is actually work.  So much so, he says, that that is why he and his hard working co-pilot received 2 full 20 hour layovers to "rest", one on the Big Island and the other downtown in Waikiki.  I actually think it has something to do with flight scheduling... but we'll let him have his hard work fantasy.

With images such as this one:

King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel

And this one:

View from Chuck's Steakhouse, Waikiki

arriving frequently by text message,  I got the Island Fever... and I got it bad.

Intense and pure jealousy flowed through me as I received 10 minute updates on his meal at my Favorite Kona Brewing Company on the Big Island while he dined on my cherished Strawberry Spinach Salad with Island Macadamia Nuts sprinkled lightly on top (I'll spare you that photo message).  The next day he enjoyed views of Waikiki beach while dining on a fillet at Chucks, just over Dukes, as they watched the sun dip into the calm Pacific.

While he did bring me a new Kona Brewing Company water bottle, I couldn't help but be just a bit envious of his "work" last week.  Heading to the internet, I immediately started researching Bed and Breakfast locations on the Island of Kauai.  Settling on a lovely vacation rental property with panoramic views my next thought was about the breakfast part of the deal.  With no real description on the website I turned to Tripadvisor reviews and found that the breakfast at this bed and breakfast is lacking.  While the property is indeed spectacular, the breakfast included a basket containing instant Quaker Oatmeal and a sleeve of store bought bagels.  So disappointing, and potentially disappointing enough to have me stay elsewhere (in my vacation dream).

Pulling staples out of my Hawaiian stocked pantry, Liv and I set to putting together our own version of what a proper bed and breakfast would serve.  Luckily, our day was sunny with light breezes as we mixed a basic banana waffle batter.  Enhancing with coconut was a no brainier and then topping with additional bananas, toasted coconut and chopped macadamia nuts brought the islands to us.  The Liv Life Bed and Breakfast proudly serves Coco-Mac Banana Waffles with fresh tropical juices and Kona coffee.

Oh... that traveling husband?  I'm not so jealous anymore... this morning he is dining at a cheesy buffet in a hotel in Fresno before heading to Rockford, Illinois.  I think I'll stick with San Diego.

White Chocoalte Macadamia Cookies (Secret Recipe Club)

Once again my Secret Recipe Club assignment has introduced me to another delightful blogger.  Julie, of Julie's Eats and Treats, lives in West Central Minnesota and I feel a little bit of a connection with her as my Dad's family hails from Red Wing, MN, which I'm guessing is not all that far away.  With relatives still in Minneapolis I get occasional winter weather updates and with my San Diego-Sissy skin I'm always somewhat thrilled that I'm not knee deep in snow with wind chills below zero.

Perusing Julie's blog I didn't get far before I stumbled upon her White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies.  Loving of the buttery mac nuts like I do, my hunt for a recipe ended nearly before it began.  Now, that's not to say that there weren't many other recipes that I have tagged to try... just that I couldn't get past this one featuring my favorite Hawaiian nuts.

Remembering Debbie Fields introducing her little cookie shops I have fond memories of discovering how much I love these flavors together.  A job at a department store funded my college education, and I spent many a break popping into Debbie's stores where the cookie I usually purchased was the White Chocolate Macadamia (with the occasional Oatmeal Cookie on the side).

Since those college years I've been on a search for as many mac nut recipes as I can find and I simply couldn't pass this one up.  And... I'm really glad I didn't.  Not really on my pre-vacation diet, I probably shouldn't have made them, but I did cut the recipe in half so as not to overly temp myself with the sweet treats that disappeared from our cookie jar in a flash.

Being a little impatient I have to admit to not following the recipe as I should have and I performed that ever dreaded mistake of reaching for the baking powder in place of the baking soda.  Luckily catching my error before dumping the entire spoonful into the mix, I only dropped about 1/4 of a teaspoon into the dry ingredients.  However, I'm thinking that with the beautiful rise I got out of these guys it may not have been a bad idea.

Slightly crunchy on the outside and chewy inside, these cookies had me reminiscing of afternoons spent with Mrs. Field's.  Julie, truly a pleasure to meet you, I'm so glad you were my assignment!

Macadamia Coconut Granola Bars

We did it!  The show was a resounding success.  Our last post detailed the last minute sewing, rhinestoning and general chaos that led up to the big day, the beginning of Liv's Competition Dance Season, and I'm here to say that it was all worth it.  

Liv and Molly ready for the Magic number!

My girl hit the stage a-glitter with all those beautiful (hand applied) sparkling rhinestones (I have currently have a great amount of appreciation for sparkle), the sash with my less than perfect stitches that didn't fall off and the hats and headbands that stayed together with large amounts of hidden gorilla glue and red duct tape.  She and her dance team members rocked the stage and brought many of us moms to tears in the process.

Liv and Ellie ready to hit the stage.  Liv's sash almost looks like a pro sewed it on!

Now that the costumes are complete, the real fun begins.  The team will travel the region in hopes of a trophy or two between now and the final competition, Nationals, on the stage in Vegas in early July.  Friday they will hit the road again with costume bags and makeup kits in hand as the first competition sets off.  They are ready!

Yesterday's performance was sort of a dry run for our studio and the girls danced for the community.  In between shows our tireless Booster Club put on a BBQ for the dancers and their families asking each family to provide a side or dessert.  Our assignment was dessert and I had it all planned - Macarons from Jill Colona's book Mad About Macaroons.  However time slipped away and the macarons didn't happen (coming soon!), but thankfully Carolyn of All Day I Dream About Food posted the ideal treat.  Wanting to provide the girls with something a bit sweet, but also something that would fuel them for the next show Carolyn's Granola Bars fit the bill.  Her description, "These are to die for", had me more than comfortable making them without a dry run.  She was right.

Macadamia nuts, crystallized ginger, coconut and dried mangoes brought a tropical flair to our grain filled bars while the rolled oats and golden flax meal provided much needed energy producing nutrition.  Honey and brown sugar lent the perfect amount of sweetness bringing us the ideal dancer treat.  Easy to toss together and filled with nutritional goodness along with a touch of sweetness these bars will be a regular in our household.  Thanks Carolyn, these bars are indeed to die for!!

Blueberry Coconut Macadamia Muffins

A day at the spa calls for a special tropical treat, doesn't it?  All that getting your hair cut,  blown out and then styled, followed by a nail trim and a good tooth brushing works up an appetite. San Diego may well be home to some of the world's top spas, La Costa being one of the most well known (Tiger stays there when he's in town), but Kona and Tavo prefer the Grateful Dog.  Coastal in Leucadia, Mary and the other grooming girls take good care of our little guys.  They arrive matted, dusty and over-grown and come home soft, styled and smelling pretty. 

Tavo and Kona post spa!  
(Lisa, Authentic Suburban Gourmet, this shot is for you!!)

So pretty in fact, that as we dropped Liv at her dance rehearsal Tavo actually got "propositioned"!  Around the corner walked a lady with her female Maltese pulling the way and Tavo caught both of their eye.  Approaching me, she commented on his good looks and excitedly asked if he would be available for breeding.  Unfortunately, Tavo's breeding days are over (well, he never really got any to start with), but he appreciated the sentiment anyway.  Later in the day as I aprised the story to my husband, he thought for a moment then reached for his phone to make an appointment to have his own hair styled...

One sleepy boy!  (Tavo)

While the pups choice of after spa treat may not concur, the real people in the house fully enjoyed these Blueberry Coconut Macadamia Muffins.  With my love of the tropics, either coconut or macadamia alone is enough to turn my head.  But, put the two together and we have something to hula about!

With these muffins Eating Well not only provided one of my favorite combos but they packed it with whole grains and antioxidant-rich blueberries.  Tenderized with buttermilk and topped with a lovely mac/coconut/brown sugar streusel these muffins are the ideal post spa snack.  (They do well for breakfast, after school or as a late night treat too!).

Mauna Loa Macadamia Brittle

The last few day have brought so much rain that I nearly began building my own ark.  Branches and leaves are covering the roads, drainage ditches are swollen and overflowing, and the ocean has been a swirling angry mass.  Today however, it's a new world!  We woke to a brilliant sunshine with stunning clear blue skies.

Sending my son outside with a rake, Liv and I headed back to the kitchen for a little more treat making.  With our swaying palms looking so tropical and glistening in the sun, we chose a Hawaiian themed Macadamia Nut Brittle.  Studded with a chopped mac nuts the perfectly crisp toffee-like candy only takes half of an hour start to finish (well...except for the cleaning the dishes part!).

With the leaves raked and bagged my hungry 14 year old son returned to the house and immediately smiled as he reached for a chunk of the toffee.  Leaning back in his chair with a satisfied grin he said, "Ahhh... I knew you loved me!"  Watching him reach for a second piece, I know all is good...  Happy Holidays my friends!