Capturing a Swarm of Honeybees

You can tell when I've run out of blogging material when I start posting YouTube videos.  😄

So here you are . . . a YouTube video.  But, holy cow, this one was so interesting to me, I ended up wishing that the video was longer.

Be back in a few days or so when I have something to share.

Sticky Monkey Pod Sap

The routine when I first come home from going to the swap meet is to dig out all the stuff that's stuck onto my slippers.

UV Resin

I'd been wondering about resin crafts for awhile, but just the thought of winding up accumulating more art supplies turned me off.

But I did take the plunge recently when I realized that I could experiment just by getting these two things . . . for cheap.  The resin was $8.45 and the UV lamp was $5.94.  The lamp turned out to be too weak, but it was good enough to at least start the process.  I finished up by using our Hawaii sun for a bit, and that worked out real good.

This project was very simple.  All I did was coat a few rocks that I painted a few years ago.

Dd's Salad Nicoise

 

SALAD NICOISE
 
2 c. romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
4-6 oz. olive oil packed tuna, drained
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced*
8 green beans, blanched, 2-inch lengths*
1 medium red potato, boiled, cut into 6 wedges*
8-10 grape tomato, halved*
4 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained
8-10 kalamata olives, halved
Olive oil, as needed
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, as needed

Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette:
½ lemon, zest & juice
½ TB Dijon mustard
½ TB shallots, minced
½ garlic clove, grated
salt, freshly cracked black pepper
½ c. olive oil
 
*Separately season green beans and boiled potatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil. Reserve.  Separately season tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs with salt and pepper. Reserve. 

Onto serving plates, arrange salad ingredients.  In a small mixing bowl whisk together vinaigrette ingredients, adding additional olive oil as needed to bring to desired consistency. 

Drizzle onto salad.  Serves 2.

Kona's Chew Toy

It's been a year today since Kona passed.  I hadn't been able to bring myself to throw away his  toy so a few weeks ago I washed it instead. 

Now it sits on my desk. 

Make Your Own Mojito

You know that it doesn't take much to intrigue me.  And I found this seemingly empty "make your own MOJITO" bottle with attached strainer at Ross very intriguing.  

When I looked inside this is what I saw. 

It was $7.99.

The instructions said to add your favorite rum and store in a cool, dry place for 1 to 3 weeks depending on how strong you wanted it flavored.  You need to shake the bottle 3 to 5 times a day for the duration.  Once the infusion has reached peak flavor you strain out the ingredients. 

I was curious so I wondered if I should get it . . . until I saw "Product of China".  Ummmm . . . sorry . . . no thank you.  And I put it back on the shelf.  

Wendell's Heavenly Lemon Oreo Dessert

Wendell made this the other night, and it was ono, refreshing and oh so heavenly.  The recipe is from the website called Life in the Lofthouse.

Ingredients

• 1 package (14.3 ounces) Golden Oreo cookies
• 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
• 2 packages (3.4 ounces, each) instant lemon pudding mix
• 3 ¼ cups milk 
• 2 containers (8 ounces, each) Cool Whip, thawed
• 1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• Crush all Oreo cookies in a food processor or crush with a rolling pin in a large ziplock bag. (They can be as thick or fine crumbs as you prefer.)

  Reserve 3/4 cup of the crushed Oreos for the topping.
• Pour the remaining crumbs in a 9x13-inch baking dish; spreading out evenly. Pour the melted butter all over the crumbs. Mix together and then press this down into the bottom of the pan to create the crust.
• In a medium bowl, mix together both lemon pudding mixes and the milk. Whisk well to combine. Cover bowl and place in the fridge for 5 minutes to thicken.
• In a separate bowl, place the cream cheese inside. Blend the cream cheese until smooth. Then blend in the powdered sugar until combined. Fold in one container of cool whip. Spread this mixture very gently and evenly all over the Oreo crust. 
• Spread the lemon pudding evenly over the cream cheese layer. Then spread the remaining container of cool whip over the top.

  Sprinkle the remaining crushed Oreos all over the top.

  Cover and chill in fridge for 2 hours before serving. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Truly Hard Seltzer

I somehow have the feeling that Landon "Truly" likes this drink.  I tried the Mango Lemonade, and it was good, but I felt like it coulda been made more thirst quenching if I added in some POG juice to it.  😄

Lan said that this Tropical Punch flavor was hard to get.  He only had this one can.

Mix Arare from 7 Eleven

Holy cow, this was so bland I could scarcely believe it.  😂

I even gave it a second chance the following day thinking that maybe my taste buds somehow weren't functioning properly before.

Nope, still bland.  I'm usually impressed by the food stuff from 7 Eleven, but not this time.  I trashed the bag.  Wasn't worth the carbs.  At least it was only $1 something. 

Aloha Watercolors

I ordered handmade watercolors from Aloha Watercolors a few days ago and am so so happy with them.  I received them two days after placing the order, and Keiko the owner also included three free sample colors, snacks and other goodies. So nice, yah!

There's no video of the painting process for you because my battery died halfway through filming (as usual) and this time my backup battery was also drained.  Irritation was about to interrupt my zen flow so I told myself to forget it. 

Here are some greeting cards that I'm making using the watercolor paint for the background.

Tap - Wearable Keyboard

This was on Lightening Deal yesterday and from what I could tell, it was well on its way to being sold out.  Have you every heard of it?  It is totally unlike the regular keyboard that we're used to.  You type by tapping your fingers.  And forget the keyboard layout.  It has nothing to do with the layout.

Tapping your thumb on your desk (or knee - it doesn't matter) once gives you an A, forefinger once an E, middle finger an I, ring finger an O and little finger gives you a U.  Thumb + forefinger simultaneously gives you an N, forefinger + middle finger a T, middle + ring finger an L and ring finger + little finger is for S. 

Isn't it cool?!  I wonder how well it works.  

Here's a YouTube video about it.

Dd's Chicken Katsu Donburi

 

CHICKEN KATSU DONBURI
 
1 large boneless chicken breast, pounded, cut in half
salt, white pepper
½ c. flour
1 egg, beaten mixed with 1 TB water
1 c. panko bread crumbs
vegetable oil for frying

*Dashi Sauce:
2/3 c. dashi
3 TB each mirin, soy sauce, sake
2 tsp. agave nectar or sugar

Donburi:
2 eggs, beaten
2-3 TB *dashi sauce
8 shishito peppers, halved
1/2 large onion, sliced
6 stalks green onion, 1-inch slices
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 ½ c.  cooked rice
Garnish: shichimi
 
In separate mixing bowls place egg and panko.  In shallow skillet warm oil.  

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Dredge in flour, coating well.  Dip into beaten egg mixture.  Dredge in panko, pressing to adhere to coat all sides.  Carefully place into skillet; fry until both sides are golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.  Slice into 1-inch slices; set aside. 

Sauce: In a pouring measuring cup combine all ingredients.  Set aside. 

Donburi:  In a mixing bowl combine eggs with dashi sauce as desired.  Into a medium skillet over medium-high heat saute shishito peppers until slightly charred on all sides.  Remove from skillet; set aside.  Into skillet add dashi sauce and onions. Bring to a rapid boil.  Reduce heat. Top with green onions, sliced chicken katsu, shishito peppers and egg mixture. Cover 
and cook until eggs have set to desired consistency, about 2 minutes.  

For service spoon rice into serving bowls. 

Divide donburi over rice; garnish with shichimi. Serves 2-3.

Garden Hose Nozzle

Honolulu Aunty recommended this nozzle from Costco, and now I highly recommend it too!

It's around $10 for a two-pack . . . 'cause, you know, it's Costco, so they gotta make it at least a two-pack.  But it's totally worth it. 

Here's one of the nozzles.

And here's the other one.  You can choose different types of sprays with this one.  It's a little bit bust-up looking 'cause we've had it a few months already and Wendell got some white paint on it.

You push the back part up and down to adjust the flow.  I love it!  Thanks for the tip Aunty!

Gradient Hills Watercolor Painting

I actually wasn't going to film this, but decided to use my phone to catch some footage.  

Surprise Find at Ross

I've been into making Cleta's Cheesecake Bars lately, so have been looking for jams on my weekly Ross visits.

I was surprised to find my favorite brand a couple of weeks ago at the McCully branch.

It was $3.79.

Cleta's Pan-Seared Halibut with Lemon Caper Sauce

Pal Cleta got thumbs up from her family when she made this for them the other night.  The recipe is from A Family Feast website.

 

1 pound fresh halibut, skinned and cut into two equal portions

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Few grinds black pepper

3–4 slices lemon (we used Meyer lemons but regular lemon will do)

2 teaspoon fresh garlic, finely chopped

¼ cup white wine such as Chardonnay

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoon capers drained

2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley chopped

Salt the top of the fish with just a small sprinkle of kosher or sea salt.

Place two tablespoons of butter and the olive oil in a medium to large skillet or sauté pan and heat over medium heat.

Swirl the butter and oil around and once it starts to slightly brown, add the fish top side down. Sprinkle the side facing up with the rest of the salt and the pepper. Cook for five minutes then using one or two long fish spatulas, gently flip over being careful not to splash hot fat.

Add the lemon slices to the pan as the fish cooks and cook the fish about 3-5 more minutes. Poke the fish to test for doneness or insert a small knife in the side of the center to see if the fish flakes. You want to stop the cooking just before it fully cooks so a little undercooked in the center is fine. It will continue to cook outside of the pan.

Using one or two fish turners, remove the fish filets to a platter along with the cooked lemon slices.Pour off all but two tablespoons of the fat left in the pan. Best to pour it all into a bowl, let the burned bits sink to the bottom then skim off a few tablespoons of the fat at the top and place back into the pan.

Pour off all but two tablespoons of the fat left in the pan. Best to pour it all into a bowl, let the burned bits sink to the bottom then skim off a few tablespoons of the fat at the top and place back into the pan.

Keep the heat at medium and add the garlic and cook one minute. Add the wine and cook to evaporate. Then add the lemon juice, capers and parsley. Cook for a minute then remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir to make the sauce.

Put the fish back into the pan along with any liquid from the platter, bring heat back to medium and use a spoon to spoon the sauce over the top and cook for 30 seconds then remove to a platter and serve. 

Serve each portion with a cooked lemon slice and some of the pan sauce.

On Da Desk

This was inspired by a watercolor painting done by artist Iraville.  It was done with watercolor paint, black gouache, sepia micron and white gel pens.

Landon's Breakfast Tortilla

Here's one of Landon's made-up dishes.  He said he smooshed up some frozen meatballs and fried them.  He added cilantro and olives and spiced it up with some chipotle hot sauce.  Then he poured over some beaten eggs.  After the egg had cooked a bit he topped with a flour tortilla which he smashed down onto the egg/meatball mixture.  

Now comes the hard part.  I know it was hard because I could hear some cussing.  Using a wide spatula he flipped the whole thing over so that the tortilla could be fried and made crispy.

It was really, really good.

Face Mask Trick

 Here's a cool trick to help make your face mask fit better.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work if you have big ears.

Green for U

I went to visit some of my former coworkers the other day at the Kaheka Professional Center.  I hadn't seen them since the covid thing started.  

After my visit I passed by Green for U which is on the ground floor on the Kaheka side of the building.  I forgot that Dd had told me about this place opening up.  I went in to check them out.

This is what I bought.  I got the large because I'm a pig.  I could only finish half and ended up freezing the rest.  It was really, really good.

"Used" Items on Amazon

 

I saw this on Amazon awhile back and thought that Geri's granddaughter might enjoy playing around with it.

It was selling for $9.99.

I also noticed that there was a "Condition: Used - Very Good" one that sold for about half the price.  It was being sold by Amazon Warehouse.  I was curious.  So I ordered it. 

This is what came.  It was actually brand new and really not "used".  Just the upper right hand corner of the box was a bit damaged.  Good deal, yah.

Dd's Cream Spinach and Mushroom Soup

This looks so good to me.  Too bad it's beyond my expertise.  🥲

 

CREAM OF SPINACH & MUSHROOM SOUP

 

1 TB olive oil

2 TB butter

1 large shallot, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 oz. oyster mushrooms; thinly sliced, stems; chopped

2 TB flour

½ # fresh spinach leaves and stems

1 c half & half

2 c chicken broth

¼ tsp cayenne pepper 

Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste

2 TB parmesan cheese, grated

Garnish: grated parmesan cheese, salad croutons

 

In a large pot over medium heat, saute shallot, garlic and mushrooms until softened. Remove half of mushroom tops and reserve for garnish.  Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Add spinach; cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add half & half, broth, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Puree to desired consistency with emersion blender. Stir in cheese. Check for seasoning; adjust if necessary.  

For service; garnish with mushroom tops, cheese and croutons as desired. Serves 2.

Like Sibylline

Actually, I wish I could do art like Sibylline.  

This is from Sibylline Meynet's Instagram page.  

My Scalloped Potatoes

Landon bought choke potatoes so I decided to make this.  I didn't use paprika or cayenne pepper.  Instead I sprinkled seasoned salt in between the layers.  I also added in some parmesan cheese because it seemed like a good idea.  And I topped with chopped up cilantro to make it look good.  It came out ono.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes, (Yukon Gold or Russet; about 2 pounds give or take)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, , divided
• paprika

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 1.5 quart baking dish (8x8 or 9x9 inch baking dish will work). 
2. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and stir in flour. 
3. whisk in the milk and season with salt and cayenne. 
4. Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk. 
5. Reduce heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. 
6. Place a half of the sliced potatoes in the baking dish. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes. Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce. 
7. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese on top. Top with some paprika for color. 
8. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350°F or longer until the potatoes are fork tender.

I Love Mila

So cute her.

Got'z Grindz

Wendell picked these up a couple days ago from Got'z Grindz in Kaneohe. 

Musubi Sampler (regular) - $9.50.  My favorite was the Karaage Mayo Furikake.

Garlic Noodles (large) - $5.95.  This was good.

Davey D Special Bowl (Beef Stew + Spicy Karaage Chicken) - $10.25.  This was really good.

Beef Curry Bowl - $9.55.  Landon said this was really good but wished had more meat.