In Case You Were Wondering...

The Artful Hawaiigirl is back!

 

It has been a month since I've posted

a word here so I'm starting with a visual

of what I have been up to. You might say

I took a Blog vacation. There have been

many stories in my head but blog block

had cast a spell on me. Not for long...

I left Maui in mid-October just as the

leaves were turning in California.

 Halloween came and went as I baked

festive cookies for the occasion!

 
Friends visited me in the mountains
of California to hike, cook breakfast,
share stories and I taught some how
to paint on tees in the watercolor
style.

 

With my mother-in-law in tow we
journeyed through the mountains
awed by the beauty of pine trees,
sage brush, fall color and astonished
at how cold it gets here at 5,800 ft.
above sea level.

My hubby primed and painted the
front of my house with the welcome
approval of my mom and sis.
 We visited local antique stores and
thrift shops to find treasures like
dishes by Mikasa and a Minnie Mouse
hat for Pam.

I have filled orders for t-shirts and
designed a special shirt for Cindy
Papale who wrote My Empty Cup
Runneth Over. We will be marketing
"Cindy's Butterflies and Roses"
together.

There was a fabulous high school reunion
near Universal City which was a pot luck
Christmas Ornament Exchange. So Fun!
Memories were made and I photographed
everything.

Every night and day my Mother-in-law
can only say "So cold!" And with good
reason. Last night the thermometer
dipped to 27 degrees. We run a little
water to keep the pipes from freezing.
 But it is cozy inside our big beautiful
home and it is so wonderful to be with
my family after one year never leaving
Maui.
 Now preparing for Thanksgiving in California,
I have baked pies, banana breads, cookies,
home-made pizza, made stews, chicken soups,
roasted red pepper soup that was divine and
was too pre-occupied to photograph it all while
I am taking care of 5 family members.
Some of you will say big deal but for me
it gets a bit overwhelming.

 

Yesterday I was Queen for a day!
My mom made breakfast, lunch and dinner
and said I wasn't to do any housework.
Meanwhile I was busy writing an appeal
for a referral that she was denied for a
medical specialist for the third time in
three years. So I am becoming a patient
advocate.
  It's busy here in the mountains though
we rarely leave the house. There is much
to be done. Lists to make, check them
twice, dreams to dream, beautiful fires
in the fireplace, books to read and review,
packages to be sent and friends to catch
up with. Haven't tweeted lately except
when I get down the hill to cell phone
service available from my iPhone. Then
I just post my pics to twitpic.
  So, I miss you all and will get back
to you soon with a month full of stories.

Have you thought about your life lately?
Are you thankful? What are you thankful for?

Aloha friends,

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be posting all the preparation of our Thanksgiving dinner starting the night before with my Portuguese Vinha De Alhos (Vinga-Doyzh) Turkey, American style turkey on Thanksgiving Day, (with stuffing, of course), Pumpkin pie cheesecake, stuffing with apples, walnuts, sausage, sage and raisins, gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, apple pie with crumb topping in other words

The Works!

Can't wait!

Then it's back to Maui just in time for the Christmas season.

Aloha
The Artful Hawaiigirl

http://www.amaryllisofhawaii.com/






 

The Winner is Liza of A Maui Blog

Aloha friends,
  On October 15th I announced on Twitter and Facebook the winner of the contest. I asked for comments answering the question "What would you to inspire people during this economy?" ... Liza of A Maui Blog and Liza's Eyeview answered so beautifully. Some of you responded via e-mail and I received some wonderful letters. Thank you to those who answered the best they could. This is a relatively new blog started in July and I look forward to many more contests in the future. I received many orders for my hand-painted T-shirts and I really appreciate that. If you are still interested right now, I am offering free shipping with any orders placed before October 31, 2009 (Halloween) :) Payments can be made through paypal even if you don't have a paypal account. I will generate an e-mail invoice for you and they will instruct you how to proceed! It's great. So comment or link to my e-mail at http://www.amaryllisofhawaii.com/ at the bottom of the page and I will get back to you right away.

Thanks everyone for your support!

The Artful Hawaiigirl is about to start painting!

I have over 5o new hepburn tops and

Corset Tops to paint.

Got to get to work....

Remember to follow your passion

even if it is just a few minutes each day.

I will post the ten way to make money

using your creativity tomorrow!

Aloha,

Marilyn

(The Artful Hawaiigirl)

 

How will you inspire others during this economy? PRIZES!!!

One More day to post a comment to win all the prizes from Amaryllis of Hawaii.

Your choice of a hand-painted design just for you!

Scoop neck Bella Tee by Marilyn Jansen Design

Cotton Lycra Corset Tops

Beautiful Hepburn tops

Your choice of designs

Taro Leaves

Maui Kitty

Maui Kitty on denim  (only available in small at this time)

Sleeveless Cotton-lycra corset top

(I'm painting 25 of these over the next 2 weeks)

Beautiful Soft Wave design

Don't forget I have Ti-leaf design for Men!

Hawaiian Ingenuity

These are all Limited editions so be the LUCKY ONE to win one of these designs.

How will You inspire others during this economy? Make your comment here and on your own blog if you have one with a mention and link back to http://artfulhawaiigirl.blogspot.com/  or just comment here!

Winner also gets a lilikoi jelly, and a set of Amaryllis of Hawaii Books see http://www.amaryllisofhawaii.com/

and a one hour design session with The Artful Hawaiigirl. ♥

http://www.amaryllisofhawaii.com/

Aloha is a gift that must be shared! I look forward to sharing my love of Hawaii with you.

-Marilyn (The Artful Hawaiigirl)

Brave, yes!

Inato lang Filipino Cuisine and More: APPLE BUTTER FRENCH VANILLA ICE CREAM WANTON NAPOLEONS (OCT. DARING COOKS CHALLENGE PART 2

My friend Tagaluto makes wonderful Filipino Food! Inato lang Filipino Cuisine and More: APPLE BUTTER FRENCH VANILLA ICE CREAM WANTON NAPOLEONS (OCT. DARING COOKS CHALLENGE PART 2

4 more days to Win A Bunch of Prizes from Amaryllis of Hawaii

Win all these Prizes from Amaryllis.
You could win all these items below:

A set of my books

Silk-screened t-shirt of your choice (I have over 14 designs)

   

          Men's Tank ti-leaves on front           Hawaiian Ingenuity on back

              Hand-Painted tee designed just for you!

One Lilikoi "Passionfruit" Jelly made by The Artful Hawaiigirl on Maui.

Beautifully gift packaged.


A One hour design session with Marilyn.


In this session I will give you a choice of either learning a recipe with me, an hour of t-shirt design in Illustrator, or How to paint on tees in the Watercolor style. This could be in person if you live on Maui or via Skype if you live elsewhere.

The total package is valued at $350.00

I am reviewing the entries
and will choose a winner by October 15th, 2009.
Winner will be announced and prizes awarded that day!

So hurry if you want to enter.

What would you do to inspire people during this economy?
I love Hawaii and I'd love to share my inspiration with you!

Marilyn

The Artful Hawaiigirl
http://www.amaryllisofhawaii.com/

Kula Country Farms

   My mother-in-law and I were out for a drive upcountry the other day. We call it "holo-holo" which means to just go all around. Sometimes we get in the car and go with the wind. It is such a nice feeling and since it is a small island we don't use too much gas. I thought we would go past The Kula Hardware Nursery towards Keokea in search of that vegetable stand at the side of the road we had heard about.

We were driving on the Lower Road when suddenly I said "Oh look, a Pumpkin Patch!" Then I saw the signs for parking at the Pumpkin Patch. As it turned out this was the place I was looking for. It is called Kula Country Farms.

   The farm is owned by the Monden family and it has been open about two years here in Kula, Maui. Upon arrival I was so amazed at the beautiful farm. It was more than a vegetable stand. It was a working farm/garden. Chickens and a big beautiful rooster were running about. There were gorgeous pumpkins everywhere displayed among hay stacks.

If you look closely you can see Taro, artichoke plants, cosmos, spearmint, and strawberry plants at the top of the hill garden. Everything is tended by the Monden family and their workers. I met Teena and her daughter Tess. They were helping people pick out their pumpkins and herding the chickens back from the Kula Highway by throwing some corn out for the birds. The baby goat is so tame, and the setting so charming.  Who could resist taking photos of this picturesque place.

Tess and Teena Monden with their baby goat at Kula Country Farms really look the part of beautiful country Maui girls, don't they? We wandered into the produce stand where they were selling local produce including squashes, tomatoes, lettuces, herbs, papayas, bananas, Napa cabbages and fresh tuberose stems.

They have their own product line also. Pictured here is the Kula Country strawberry syrup.

Look at these gorgeous sweet vine-ripened tomatoes. I bought some of these and some butterleaf lettuce, corn, asparagus, strawberries and a huge bouquet of tuberose stems. (They were only 50 cents per stem, so I bought ten stems.)

What a great place! I look forward to visiting again up the Kula Highway.

Take the Kula Highway 37 above Pukalani, about 7.8 miles (just a short distance past Rice Memorial Park) and you will see the pumpkin patch on the right. Park and enjoy the view. It is fabulous.

Aloha friends,

And don't forget just a few more days to win the prizes. Make a comment about how you would inspire people during this economy. The best comment wins all the prizes. See http://www.amaryllisofhawaii.com/ for more samples of my designs you will be able to choose from. You can look at pages from my books also. Amaryllis, Amaryllis How Does Your Garden Grow? "Organically, of Course" is a great book for beginning gardeners and experienced planters too.

I'll give you some ideas: I feel the best thing one can do during this economy is to stay close to God and family. Know in your heart that it is going to be alright. Start each day with a smile on your face and faith that if you persist that you will harvest the fruits of your labor. Do something everyday to pursue your dreams. Even if you are in a line of work that you don't love, find something to love about it while you pursue your passion daily. If you are out of work there are many ways to make money if you have a creative mind.

Next post I will give you ten ideas on how to make money in this economy!

Aloha,

Marilyn

The Artful Hawaiigirl

Lemon Meringue Pie Maui Day

It was a beautiful day to bake a pie on Maui. I had prepared my dough a day ago and it was chilling in the fridge. I found the big beautiful Meyer's lemons which Not Quite Nigella had suggested because of their amazing sweetness, and the light seemed right for photographing today. Actually, there were intermittent clouds and a possibility of showers which was a perfect day to stay indoors and play with flour.

I have been making my own pie crusts for years ever since a lady taught me on the Big Island of Hawaii. She called it the Perfect Pie Crust recipe and I have elaborated on it ever since. I know it by heart though which makes it so easy. I start with 2 cups of all-purpose flour. I sift that with a pinch of salt, a tablespoon of sugar, then add 2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. of shortening.

(I use Crisco and butter) for flakiness and butter flavor. I just scoop out my cold butter into the measuring cup and add Crisco to make the additional amount. 2/3 cup plus 2 TBSP. of shortening.

I begin crumbling the flour and butter between my thumbs and fingers to distribute the shortening. I add one egg yolk for golden color and the sugar makes it brown slightly and taste sweet. Patee Brisee is a sweet pastry dough. Now I add 6-10 TBSP. of ice water to make the dough the right consistency for a perfect pie crust. If it gets a little too wet add more flour until it feel just right. Mold it into a ball and refrigerate for about an hour in a ziploc bag.

So now I was ready today to roll out my dough. Start with a lightly floured surface so your dough doesn't stick and always flour your rolling pin between passes.

First cut this dough in 1/2 before you start rolling it out. This recipe is for a two crust pie.

It is so nice to make your own pie crusts, especially during the holidays. Nothing can compare to a homemade perfect buttery flaky pie crust. Those cardboard storebought types are just not the same.

 Roll it out to about a 1/4 inch thickness and then lift it up off the surface by sliding a spatula all the way around under the dough.

Place it into the pie dish and finish the edges how you like them. It depends what type of pie I'm making as to how I create my edges. This time I kept it plain and simple because I knew I'd be piling it high with the meringue.

This requires a pre-baked pie shell, so I first pricked the bottom with a knife to vent it and weighted it with some ceramic weights I have. (Actually these are cookie dough molds which worked fine.) They say to use dried beans otherwise. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Take out and lower heat to 325 degrees.

 The Meyer's lemons were incredibly juicey and fragrant. The recipe called for 1/2 cup lemon juice, or 2 lemons.

To make the lemon curd, first I whisked the 1 cup of sugar, 8 large egg yolks, 1/8 tsp. of salt and 1/4 cup of cornstarch in a pan. I gradually added 1 1/2 cups of water and heated on low-medium until the mixture was thickened, as  instructed. I nearly scorched it by raising the heat too fast. I removed it from the heat and added the lemon juice, 2 TBSP. of melted butter and 1 TBSP. lemon zest.

The lemon curd filling is spread into the pre-baked pie shell then the meringue is piled high on top.

I let it cool down while I prepared the meringue which consists of 8 egg whites, 2 TBSP.cornstarch, 2/3 cup of water, 1 tsp. cream of tartar and 1 cup of sugar.

Not Quite Nigella said to first mix the 2 TBSP. of cornstarch and 2/3 cup of water in a saucepan until it thickens then cool. It thickened very quickly to a satiny mixture. Then beat the egg whites in a large bowl. (I used my Kitchen Aid mixer) Thank God I have one because egg whites take quite a while to whip into peaks. The 1 cup of sugar, 1 tsp. of cream of tartar are added to the egg whites while beating and the satiny cooled cornstarch mixture is added a tablespoon at a time to the egg whites until they are glossy and peak perfectly.  

Look how perfect it came out. I piled it high like Not Quite Nigella and I so thoroughly enjoyed creating this pie. It goes back into the oven at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes or until areas are turning slightly golden brown.

It should be completely cooled before cutting but of course I couldn't wait so this is what the first piece looked like.

Later this evening a well chilled piece came out perfectly piled high and set on top of the lemony mixture.

Voila! My Maui lemon meringue pie. Awesome, delicious lemon meringue pie!

You have to try this. It really is quite easy. I just had to get organized and some days that is easier said than done.

Aloha,

until tomorrow friends.

The Artful Hawaiigirl

http://www.amaryllisofhawaii.com/