As most of you know, I live in Paris right now. Today was what I would call a perfect rainy day. No food posts, but just some of the gorgeous sites around my current home town. May the City of Lights bring you all the romance you need for lovely Valentine's Day.... because even though it was just me, my camera and a grey day... it couldn't have been more lovely.
Let's face it people. Winter is here. We are cold. We miss the sun & if you're anything like me where I live in grey cloudy weather during the winter months, I can't even begin to tell you what my recent trip to Maui, Hawaii just did for my soul! I'm a die hard Maui lover and not only do I return with my batteries recharged and ready to face the rest of the winter blues, I dream of the next time I'm going back there even before I've left! If you're thinking about visiting Maui, here's an honest review of the best places to check out, restaurants to eat at (trust me I've tried them all) and even down to a place where you can pick your own fruits and vegetables that'll give "farm to table" new meaning!
Where to stay: The Four Seasons Maui is absolutely the epitome of luxury. The resort itself is incredible. The rooms are spacious and all of them, even if you have a garden view room are spectacular! We are a family of 5 and we usually all stay in an Executive Garden Suite. It's big enough for all of us and we don't feel like we are piled on top of one another. But, if you're just going with the two of you, a classic room will do just fine. When you arrive to your room, you are greeted with Hawaiian music playing, an orchid lei around your neck and some of the most delicious ginger lemonade you'll ever have. I'm not sure I could ask for any more than that. There are plenty of things to do at the resort... get a luxurious massage or body treatment at the Ritual Spa, or go paddle boarding or kayaking in the ocean... wake up early and take an amazing yoga class or even just go for a long walk along the path by the water. Breakfast is phenomenal. The buffet has everything, and I mean everything you could ever imagine. Fresh pressed juice (the kale, apple, ginger is my fave) Hawaiian papaya that will make it hard for your to ever eat papaya from anywhere else in the world, omelettes made to order and who can resist the macadamia nut french toast with warm coconut syrup. Enjoy a lunch by the pool... might I suggest their asian chicken salad or the cuban sandwich with fried pickles. Not exactly going to make me feel great in my bikini but I could care less. Follow up with a mint mojito... you're all set. Oh and God love the sweet lady who walks around and hands out the complimentary ice cold cucumber slices for your eyes and just soak in the sun! (Don't forget the sun screen... they have you covered in that department too!) As far as restaurants & things to do- I suggest making your reservations before you get there. The earlier slots always get taken, and with the time change, we're always looking to eat on the earlier end and it seems everyone else is too! My restaurant suggestions are as follows (All are kid friendly and some of the best food on the island) - Matteo’s Osteria- Fantastic Italian food! Rivals anything you'd find on the mainland let alone in Italy! That good! - Duo at the Four Seasons- Friday nights are the best night there- they have their shellfish bar which has oysters, crab, shrimp and all the ahi poke you could dream of- live guitar music AND someone there to entertain the kids while you enjoy dinner - Sansei - best sushi on the island - Looks like a dive bar sushi place- but it’s really really good sushi- like they caught it that day from the ocean kinda good. great food for the kids too- it's in Kihei, the next town over... and the karaoke on the weekends is kinda fun too! - Monkey Pod - nearby the hotel- casual. Great drinks- all hand crafted cocktails. One of my favorite places to go. Try the Ahi Poke Tacos and the Bulgogi Pork is outrageously delicious. Great for a night when you guys are wiped out and just want to listen to nice music and just let the kids melt down. No one will care there. LOL. Or head over there in the afternoon to take a little break from the sun and eat a bite. The Liliquoi Mai Tai is the best thing you’ll ever drink in your life. Life changing good. FOR REALZ. Looking for a Luau? We've all been there. I'm not gonna lie. You have to see a luau in Hawaii at least once in your life. Luckily you're in a good place to do this. The Grand Wailea has the BEST luau if you’re interested in doing that. Get a seat that’s towards the front- they will bring the kids up there. My kids loved it. We only did it once… that’s enough. LOL The food is good for luau standards. It's a fun night. *By the way the Grand Wailiea is an amazing hotel to stay at with the kids. Their pool set up is a kids dream. Lazy river, water elevators, water slides, and endless selection of pools to choose from. Really, really cool. Wanna get outdoors? I mean really outdoors? Everyone and their mother will say "Go to Hana! You have to see the 7 waterfalls there!" And yes, they are amazing. Incredible. Breathtaking... but with that being said, if you're like me and you have 3 kids under 12, it's not the priority on my list to get there. A great little hike with the kids with out going all the way to Hana (waste of a day driving there, unless you like hearing your kids scream in a car for 5 hours to drive 60 miles) and show them a waterfall or two- It’s a good day excursion. It’s about 30 min away from Wailea on the other side of the island. Check out TWIN FALLS. Before I head out for my mini hike at the falls, I gotta fuel up! I head to the town of PAIA - it's on the way... go to Charley’s Saloon (Willie Nelson owns it) for the best pancakes EVER. My kids go gaga over the chocolate chip pancakes, they are awesome. I always get the blueberry macadamia nut ones with coconut syrup and i die. Yes, literally right there. They are light, fluffy and everything you could ever dream of a pancake being in your lifetime. Then keep driving about 10 minutes up the road and you’ll see a stop on your right hand side that says TWIN FALLS- There is a pineapple stand in front- (resist the urge to get some pineapple anything and grab a pineapple smoothie on the way back down) go take the hike up there. It’s half a mile up to hike (not hard at all, my little ones do it easily) and you can walk up to the falls. The water is freezing cold, and make sure everyone is wearing good flip flops or shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy. Hike up there and then make your way up to the falls. THIS IS HAWAII! Have the hotel give you extra towels so you can dry off when you get to the bottom- and pack a sweatshirt. That side of the island is ALWAYS chilly for whatever reason. Once you leave you can head back and stop and see the big waves and the surfers there- it’s cool watching them. Then stop at MAMA’S FISH HOUSE. The location is fantastic and it’s got a great view. Right on the water. I'm not saying you'll have the best meal of your life there, but it’s pretty good and a must-stop on my list. Let's get in the water!!! If you want to try snorkeling the BEST boat on the island is the Alii N’uii - THEY ARE AWESOME. They can pick you up in the morning from your hotel. They serve you a good breakfast, take you whale watching and then take you snorkeling. They have two points they go to- Turtle Point & Molokini. We usually go to Turtle Point because it’s less crowded and you generally see more fish and the big turtles. Molokini tends to be a lot more congested with people and you don't see as many fish as you do at the other point. They have divers who will go out with you- and they will help you with the kids if you ask for it. Use the floatee thingies too- they really help, especially with the little ones. They serve a great lunch when you get back on the boat and then they cruise around for another hour or so. It’s a really really nice day. The good thing about the Ali N’uii is, unlike the other boats on the island they don’t over crowd them and they only allow about 40 or so people on MAX! So it’s very personalized service. They are the most expensive ones, but well worth it in my opinion. Upcountry Maui! If you want to go horseback-riding and see upcountry Maui- which is just beautiful farm land- there are two things I suggest. The first one is PIHOLO RANCH. We have had some of the best times ever horseback riding! The guides are amazing... we just loved ours, his name was "Frenchy" The horses are super nice, the guides are awesome and they take very special care of the little ones. Don't forget the ZIPLINE! Oh my goodness, hold your breath and GOOOO!!! It's exhilerating! It gets chilly up there so make sure you bring a sweatshirt too! While you're in upcountry there is a great restaurant/farm there called O’o farm. It’s pretty incredible actually- you get to go into the farm fields and you actually pick all the foods that you’ll be eating for lunch and they prepare the meal using them. It’s a really nice experience and the food is excellent. It’s a nice change from the beach day if you want to get a break from it. And there you have it. That’s my tour of Maui. I hope you check out some of these places and I'd love to hear your thoughts! And you can always email me if you have any questions or want some more suggestions!
Here's so staying warm this winter! xo, Michelle aka. The Mediterranean Mama
It’s full of flavor, has tender chicken and great crunch from the lettuce!
Curry Chicken Salad on Hearts of Romaine Lettuce
Ingredients
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt & Pepper
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
Romaine Lettuce
Directions
Bake chicken in the oven on 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes covered with alumnium foil. Cut chicken into small dice, set aside and keep covered to retain moisture in the chicken.
In a large bowl combine:
1/2 Onion, Diced Small
1-2 Tablespoons Yellow Curry Powder
2 Tablespoons Currants (or Craisins)
1 Green Apple, Diced
2 Stalks of Celery, Diced
1/2 Cup Light Mayo
3-4 Green Scallions, Diced
Coarse Salt & Pepper
Directions
Combine well and then add the chicken. Place in fridge for about an hour. The longer this sits, the better the flavors! Spoon into romaine lettuce wedges. YUM!
Let's face it... a turkey is a BIG bird and there really is no easy way to defrost it quickly... however short of giving it the traditional 2-3 day thaw slowly, here are a few tricks just in case you get caught in a last minute bind to get that turkey defrosted and ready for family and friends to devour!
How to quickly defrost a turkey
THINGS YOU’LL NEED:
TURKEY
WATER
MICROWAVE
REFRIGERATOR
Step
1
Refrigerator
defrost: First of all, you do not want to just put it on a counter to defrost
because of bacteria. The best way to defrost it is to do it in the
refrigerator. The math is 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey, so a 10 pound
turkey would take 48 hours and a 20 pound turkey would take 96 hours or 4 days.
So, buy an average size frozen turkey on Sunday and put it in the refrigerator
and it will be defrosted Thanksgiving day.
Step
2
Microwave
Defrost: If you do have a microwave that is big enough for a turkey you can
defrost it, but you have to cook immediately after you defrost it. Take off the
wrapper, take out the giblets and so forth and put it in the microwave. Every
microwave varies but in general it takes about 6 min. per pound of turkey at a
medium setting. Also, be cautious as a microwave may defrost one area and cook
another. (I find this to be gross... but if you must, then do it)
Step
3
Defrosting
in sink: Leave the plastic around the turkey and put it in a sink full of
water. You will have to change the water every 30 minutes and it will take 30
minutes for every pound of turkey, so you are looking at about 8-10 hours to
defrost, along with you changing the water every 30 minutes. It's a day's commitment, but the best option.
Thanksgiving
is literally biting me in my ass at this point.The stress of knowing that I will be responsible for feeding 30 of our
“closest” is no small feat. I’m lucky that I actually like most of my family
members.(Note to family members, please
do not ask if you are part of the most list on the table this year)
Luckily I
will be armed with something fabulous that will keep my stress, my heart and my
health under control.You’re in luck
too… this Thanksgiving, I’m in the spirit of giving!Three fabulously delicious recipes that should
be staples on your table!All with one
of my favorite ingredients… CRANBERRIES!
Cranberries
rock.They do. I’m not lying.Cranberries are actually among one of the highest-ranking
foods when it comes to proven health benefits.We all know they come to the aid in a snap when you’ve got a bladder or
urinary tract infections… at least we did back in our early 20’s when we were
having crazy amounts of sex. (Yes, you’re reading a Thanksgiving recipe post
that’s talking about sex. Move along now…) But here’s some facts about those
berries that you might not have known.
·Cranberries
are known antioxidants… meaning they have great anti-aging properties. They
actually can give you glowing skin!
·If you have
an ulcer, some studies have shown that drinking unsweetened cranberry juice for
a few months can actually kill the bacteria that causes them.
·Cranberries
are proven to relax the blood vessels, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and help
prevent heart disease.
Here’s a
recipe for my absolute all-time favorite all-in-one Thanksgiving…
Cranberry
Stuffing Recipe
1 small onion, diced
1 cup of diced mushrooms
3-4 stalks of celery, diced
1 stick of butter
1 package of seasoned stuffing (I use
Mrs. Cubbison's)
1-2 cups chicken broth or water (per
box instructions)
1 package of fresh cranberries (may use
canned if fresh unavailable)
Fresh thyme
Note: If
you would like to follow step-by-step instructions on how to make this recipe,
just click here.
Directions
Melt the
butter on a medium heat and add the onion and celery. Allow them to sweat and
turn translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes on
medium high heat.
Add the
fresh cranberries. Don’t worry about the cranberries cooking down too much…
you’re not looking for them to turn to mush just yet! They’ll cook down once
they’re in the stuffing. Just give them about 3 to 4 minutes to cook.
Now add the
stuffing mix straight outta the box. Any brand that you happen to like… I
usually use seasoned stuffing mix… it just adds more flavor. Add broth and
combine thoroughly.
Transfer mixture into a Pyrex or baking pan that has been coated with non-stick
spray or butter. Sprinkle the top with some of the fresh thyme and bake in the
oven covered on 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes,
remove the cover and allow the top to become golden brown.
Cranberry-Apple
Dressing
112-ounce bag fresh
cranberries
3Tablespoons sugar
¼ Teaspoon ground
cinnamon
2Medium Golden
Delicious apples, peeled and diced
2Teaspoons fresh
lemon juice
¼ Cup Orange Juice or
Water
In a saucepan place the cranberries, sugar, and cinnamon and add
juice or water- just enough to bring the cranberries to a float. Bring to a
simmer for 5 minutes and then drain, but leave a small amount of liquid in the
pan.
Add apples and cover mixture for 5-10 more minutes or until apples
are tender.Stir in lemon juice.
Allow cooling - then transferring dressing to a serving bowl.
Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.Serve chilled.
Makes 3 cups
Cranberry Twist Cocktail
4 ounces Cranberry Juice
2 ounces Vodka
2 ounces Ginger Ale
½ ounce Lemon Juice
1 ounce Simple Syrup
In a cocktail shaker combine all ingredients. Shake. Shake.
Shake.
