Happy 4th of July - Apple Pie Cake

Happy 4th of July to everyone today!  Hope you are all enjoying a relaxing and restful long weekend full of BBQ and sweet delights.

Last weekend I pulled out my annual buntings that I got for a steal at a garage sale a few years ago.  I just love my nostalgic buntings.  They drive my husband crazy and can't understand why I tote these around every time we move.  How can you not love these - they remind me of the old western movies when they always had them out for some big parade or election....they just scream out John Wayne to me.

I'm sure our new neighbors just loved our patriotic showing as well, since I continued our theme and lined the front garden wall with my miniature flags.  I did notice a few double takes as people drove by.  Really now, it's only once a year and it is the time to get your spirit on!!

We are having a dessert, tailgating, fireworks watching evening with Matt and Heather, complete with Blue Velvet cupcakes, red velvet cookies and their patriotic embellishments.

The girls and I hit our local fireworks tent last night and found the perfect pyrotechnic.  How can you not love a firework that is named after you - my husband loved it!!

Last weekend we celebrated a little early with this Apple Pie Cake.  So sweet and delicious.  Since we are still working on our eating changes but needed a little treat, I substituted using an unsweetened apple pie filling and 1% milk and topped it with low fat Cool Whip. Oh so yummy, incredibly easy and tastes exactly like an apple pie!!

Apple Pie Cake
Courtesy of Plain Chicken

Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 (21oz) can apple pie filling
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk

Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 inch pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, apple pie filling, vanilla extract, cinnamon, eggs and milk. Mix with an electric mixer just until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Whisk together powdered sugar, cinnamon and milk. Pour over warm cake. Allow cake to cool completely before serving.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped topping or fresh whipped cream.

Grilled Caesar Salad with Shrimp

I have a confession...I cheated on my husband.  It was around 3:00 in the afternoon and I needed a break from my computer at work.  I went for a walk and found a small place to decompress for a few moments just to regroup and take a breath of relaxation.

I was thirsting for something that I have needed for awhile....tall, dark and something to rejuvenate me.  Frozen cappuccino drink - yes, yes!!!!!

Well, it wasn't quite cheating on my husband (I just cheated on his diet).  

My husband has even reached a point that he shared with me, "If I have to eat one more salad I am going to lose it".  Guess that's why we ended up at Baskin Robbins also this week, ugh!!! (Glad I'm not the only one in our household trying to deal with a sweet tooth.

Okay, so giving up the breads, rice, pastas has been a challenge (after all, coming from an Alaska meat and potatoes upbringing), but every now and again, you need that fix of sugar.  I have learned from my many years of weight loss episodes, they all say, if you have a craving, then just get it out of the way in small portions and get back on the program the next day.  Don't feel guilty about the cookie or ice cream, just deal with it, don't beat yourself up, ask for forgiveness and do better the next day.  Since I am Catholic, that internal guilt seems to get elevated to a whole new level.

I have been diligently trying out new recipes, searching for low carb and/or gluten free dinners and reinventing some from my South Beach cookbooks, all of which I hope to share with you soon, if we ever get our office and computers up and running in the new house.

Here is yet another salad that I tried to turn up a notch to make it more interesting.  It's not the prettiest looking meal, but it did have great flavors.

Grilled Caesar Salad with Sauteed Shrimp

2 heads romaine lettuce
Olive Oil
Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette (see below)
Parmesan Cheese

1 pound peeled, deveined, raw shrimp (tails off)

1-8 ounce package of sliced button mushrooms

Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons anchovy paste
1 tablespoon white wine or champagne vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil

Preheat a grill to medium-high.

Saute the shrimp and mushrooms in skillet with butter and mined garlic until slightly golden brown and shrimp are completely cooked.  Set aside.

Rinse and pat dry the lettuce. Cut the 2 heads in half lengthwise. Brush surface with olive oil and grill about 4 to 5 minutes total, turning occasionally. Place each wedge on a salad plate and drizzle with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette or your favorite Caesar dressing. Add the sauteed shrimp and mushrooms.  Finish with shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese.

Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette: Place all ingredients in a pint jar with a lid. Secure the lid, then shake to blend. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Fajita Salad and Island Fever

Well, I am finally back blogging and life is somewhat getting back to normalcy.  The past two weeks I have packed up one house, moved and unpacked into another house, packed up an office and moved into a new office space that we just remodeled.

After being through a few moves with my husband in our life together, I have learned that moving is the true test of love and a good, strong marriage.  Exhibit A:  My husband and I are packing up the kitchen and dining room.  He says to me, and I quote "How many cake platters do you need?" Without blinking an eye I answered, "I don't know...how many golf clubs does one man need?"...silence.  I rest my case your honor!!

So in the end, all the cake platters and golf clubs made it to the new house and here is what we have established, some people in our home have a golf addiction and others have a platter, cake stand, tablecloth, and dishes addiction. 

I would much rather be here right now.

While sorting through my boxes and boxes of platters, I am having island withdrawals and want to be back at our condo on the ocean forgetting about reality for another two weeks.  Unfortunately that is not going to happen, so we are working in our new backyard, getting ready for future dinner guests and preparing the grass and clearing branches for the girls' new volleyball area.  In trying to keep our Polynesian memories the girls suggested that we decorate our new powder bath with the island flair.

To add to all the fun I have been having the past two weeks, my husband decides half way into our Hawaiian vacation that we need to lose weight, change our lifestyle and go on a diet.  Are you kidding me??? On my vacation...I have one word - BUZZKILL !  I think our chocolate chip and coconut scones pushed him over the edge, or maybe it was our dessert indulgence at Roy's with our Pineapple Upsidedown Cake and their Chocolate Lava Cake tastings we had.

At any rate, I have had to temporarily say good-bye to my food tv girlfriends Ina, Trisha and Ree.  Okay maybe my (as my friend Toni refers to) "big girl pants" were getting a little snug in some not so flattering areas.  We hit the South Beach Diet strong and I'm just taking the attitude and looking at it as trying out some new cookbooks.  Stay tuned....

So let's just recap here. In the past 2 weeks, I have moved twice and I have not had potatoes, pasta, white rice, crackers or chips.  Crankiness is setting in without a doubt.  We did succumb over Father's Day weekend and shared a bottle of  Klinker Brick Pinot Noir wine and I made fat free brownies with mini chocolate chips because the mini chips have less calories that the regular size chocolate chips, right?

As we were wrapping up our vacation, we had to start using up our leftovers for dinners and clear out the refrigerator.  Yes, sometimes you do need to have leftover night, even on vacations.

Since I had to start preparing myself for a lot of proteins and salads, I came up with this suprisingly great combination fajita salad.  I took our remaining rib eye steaks from anniversary night, the shredded chicken from our quesadilla lunch and the garlic sauteed shrimp from a caesar salad dinner and grilled them all up together with half a yellow onion, sliced and some diced yellow, red and orange peppers.

I then plated all the meats and veggies on top of chopped romaine leaves and finished it with tomatoes, cheddar cheese, avocados and sour cream.  Of course, anything tastes wonderful sitting outside on your patio watching the sun set into the ocean.

Aloha and Mahalo To Kohala Coast

It is time for us to say Good-Bye and Thank You to the beautiful island of Hawaii and the Kohala Coast. Tonight we go home, back to reality, the puppies and our piles of cardboard boxes as we prepare to move to our new house.  It is very bittersweet, but we will always have the wonderful memories of this past week.

We enjoyed our last coastal sunset and finished up our week with parasailing and an incredibly special dinner at the famous Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant in Waikoloa Village.

Roy's Famous Short Ribs - Most ordered item at all their restaurants.

The pork potstickers - yummy!!!

Filet Mignon and island sauce.

Here are some of my favorite moments from our week...such special memories forever.

Dad and his little ducklings.

Aloha and Good-Bye

Zip Lines and Homemade Luau

This week has been quite an adventurous one, to say the least.  We have already done waterfalls, rain forest hikes and kayaked through the Kohala Ditch Adventure.

Such a great trip to take on the northern Kohala Coast.  We were told about a stretch of highway at the edge of the island and walked to the end of the road where the original sugar cane fields once were and an old mule station.  Absolutely breathtaking.  We could even see the island of Maui on our drive there.

I conquered one of my greatest fears this week...heights!!  I searched out a company on the island near us that has zip line tours through the rain forest, near the same sugar cane ditches that we kayaked through.

Kohala Zipline offers various zip line adventures.  Since this was the first time for all of us, we went with the 9 line tour that also has a canopy experience like no other.

 Perched amongst the trees of Halawa, Kohala Zipline’s Kohala Canopy Adventure featured elevated suspension bridges, soaring tree platforms and thrilling zip lines. From the moment we entered the aerial trekking course, we were enthralled by the magic of Kohala.

They started us at what they call "flight school", which are 2 smaller lines just to see if we could get the feel of all the equipment and assure our instructors that we could graduate to the 1100 foot drop of the last line that took us to speeds up to 50 miles an hour.

 Their tag line is "Elevated Inspiration"...that about sums up how you feel when you have completed their course.  What an adrenaline rush!!!

Perfect remedy for a day in the forest - Mai Tai and Pina Colada.

Of course you cannot go to Hawaii without attending or having a Luau.  We made our own version this week with grilled pineapple and sweet bbq ribs, as we listened to the hula music from nearby hotels and resorts.

Seafood and Waterfalls

I decided when I found out we were coming to the islands for our vacation that since we were staying in a condo and eating most meals in that we would treat ourselves to a wonderful tropical dinner for our first night and last night here.

Our first night here we enjoyed an "appetizer" dinner at Tommy Bahamas.  Truly the best of island cuisine. You can't go wrong with their menu for a wonderful tropical experience.

Tommy Bahama's Famous Coconut Shrimp

Their amazing blue crab cakes with chili sauce.

Creamy crab bisque that will amaze.

The next day we went to the other side of the island for waterfall hikes and tours. We started with the Akaka Falls Park and hike in the rain forrest and then headed 30 minutes south to Hilo and the Rainbow Falls Park.

At Akaka Falls we had a really fun and sunny tailgating lunch with some of our rations that we picked up at Costco when we arrived.

After a long hot afternoon we of course had to stop at Komet Kones for a blended ice cream treat for the ride back to Kohala.

Akaka Falls

Hiking through the rain forest.

Rainbow Falls

In the spirit of our seafood fest we made lobster ravioli that we picked up in town....delish!!

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my honey.  Seventeen years ago today, I married my best friend in Indian Wells, CA on the most beautiful setting around lakes and waterfalls with 125 of our family and closest friends.

The greatest gift ever, this morning I woke up in our beautiful condo at Mauna Lani on the Kohala Coast for my anniversary, along the Pacific Ocean with my husband and girls.

I have always been drawn to Hawaii ever since my mom brought us to Maui when I was younger.  My mom was born in Hawaii and it is told that her grandmother was a seamstress for the Royal Family.  I always knew I came from royalty.

The Big Island Of Hawaii, as it is known, was first introduced to us by JoAnne and Dick, my brother and sister-in-law 12 years ago when they graciously included us in their summer vacation to the Mauna Kea Resort.

The famous Mauna Kea Resort.
One of the world's top rated beaches.

They brought us back the following year and we were hooked ever since.  We have not been here for 10 years but the minute I stepped on the Mauna Lani private beach with my girls, it was like a day had never passed.

View from our Master Bedroom lanai - breathtaking.

In the beginning.....

I am still drooling looking at this photo and
remembering the sweet morning.

We went to the resort market and found this darling coffee shop that served hot Coconut Mochas and Chocolate Chip and Coconut Scones - oh dear heaven I have never had such an amazing breakfast (if you can call it that).

A beautiful day to remember...

The Mauna Kea famous "Frederico" that we
created for tonight's happy hour.

Tonight's incredible sunset from our patio.

Best party ever....photos courtesy of my scrapbook from GGMa.

We made a wonderful dinner for our family anniversary...grilled up some Spencer steaks, roasted purple potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and ceasear salad - better than any steak house could make up.  Here is the bigger question...why does food taste so much better when you are on vacation?  We have made this same dinner a hundred times, but tonight's meal was exceptional !!

Pork Wellington...This Too Shall Pass

I am still on my week of packing, prayers and patience...they are all a process.  Whenever I am feeling weighed down (and I don't mean from the constant ice cream sandwiches), I just tell myself, "this too shall pass".

The towers of boxes are getting bigger and the available walking floor space throughout the house is getting smaller.  In my ever quest of being a neat freak, you can imagine that moving a house and office and packing is starting to wear thin on my ever bubbly personality.

Not to worry though, in 12 hours I will be sitting on a plane with a Mimosa in one hand and a Mai Tai in the other...for the next 10 days!!

Before the kitchen was packed up I tried out this creation with a sheet of puff pastry that needed used in the freezer.

Pork Wellington

1 pkg. pork tenderloin (2-3 pounds)

For the marinade:
4 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T. country dijon mustard (whole grain mustard)
4 T. honey
2 T. fresh orange juice
1 T. finely chopped fresh rosemary OR herbs de provence
freshly ground pepper to taste
3 T. olive oil

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry (thaw 30 minutes before ready to use)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Take tenderloin out of package. Rinse and pat dry.

Place in a 9×13-inch Pyrex sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

In a measuring cup or in a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the olive oil. Then slowly drizzle the olive oil while still whisking.

Pour the mixture over the tenderloins and put into preheated oven. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, basting after 15 minutes.

After the first 30 minutes have passed, remove the pork from oven (continue to keep oven at 350 degrees.)

Place puff pastry on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Transfer the pork from the Pyrex dish to the puff pastry and wrap completely. Reserve the marinade for sauce.

Return pastry covered pork to oven and bake another 30 minutes, until pastry is cooked through.

While pork continues to bake, pour the marinade from the Pyrex to a sauce pan and simmer until reduced by half.

Once pork is  removed from the oven, allow to rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Spoon the pan sauce over the tenderloin medallions and enjoy!

** I served this with Parmesan Risotto.