Christmas in Hawaii

It's that time of year again. The Fourth of July- oh wait, I mean Christmas. Sorry, I was just a bit confused with the weather and all. At any rate, the shoppers have slowed their surging, the neon pink Christmas trees are starting to go on discount, and once again I am late with my blog post. I have decided to err on the side of Christmas spirit this year and wear these out in public...

Christmas in Hawaii is a little different from what I'm used to. There isn't any snow or snowmen or snowstorms, for one thing. Every time a holiday song comes on the radio joyfully exulting about how "the weather outside looks frightful" or how people are "dressed up like eskimos", I scream "Liar, liar" because last time I checked, Hawaii is never frightful and the people here are dressed like eskimos after global warming.

But Christmas is still Christmas ... and I feel blessed to rejoice in the love of a good God, a wonderful family, and the prospect of a new year without any mistakes in it yet. I hope you all are enjoying the holidays wherever you are, and may the new year be full of love and joy! Mele Kalikimaka and Hau'oli Makahiki Hou from Hawaii!

The above is my attempt at a sand-man :)

Liliko'i - Hawaiian Passion Fruit

While those on the mainland are canning away their harvest orchards of apples, here in Hawaii we have our own kind of harvest. Apples and other orchard fruits don't grow well in the volcanic soil, but other more exotic fruits thrive in the Hawaiian climate. We have pineapple and papaya and guava. One of my favorite tropical fruits is the passion fruit, which in Hawaii is called Liliko'i. The sweet sour taste really can't be compared to that of any mainland fruits. So lately we have been harvesting the lilikoi and freezing the juice that we can use in smoothies or baking all year round. Though a passion fruit can simply be eaten with a spoon, there are many recipes and cocktails that call for lilikoi juice. To separate the seeds from the juice can be a bit tricky, but totally worth it. I've put together some tips and guidelines (with plenty of pictures) on how to use the lilikoi here.

You won't want to miss the martini recipe!