Mmmmm Sansei!

Its now Monday and I have a little less than a week here left.  On Saturday, we woke up and headed down to the swap meet for some bargain shopping while my mom prepared a big dinner.  As usual, it was nice and hot in Kahului but we found a few things to take back home.  So many vendors sell the same thing, its crazy!  We needed a bit of a cool off so we got some shave ice (Rachel got pineapple and I got blue raspberry).  My mouth was blue for the rest of the afternoon (good choice MKB).  Had an early turkey dinner before my brother headed off to work.  Homemade stuffing is the BEST!  Then I took a nap for a couple of hours.  I just cant seem to get enough sleep. 

Yesterday, we woke up and attended the meeting at the Haiku Kingdom Hall.  It was nice to meet new people.  They had the International Convention going on in Honolulu these past few weeks, so there were a lot of visitors (Australia, Minnesota, Texas, New York, etc.).  It was really neat to see that.  My mom even went (her first time at a meeting!). 

After the meeting, we hung around the house for a couple of hours before heading out to dinner at Sansei, my favorite sushi restaurant.  We have to get there for the early bird at 5:00 p.m. so that we can get the 50% off discount (we stood in line for 45 minutes to ensure our spot in the restaurant).  Thats the usual.  On the menu: 

• Kapalua Butterfry Roll (yes, I said ButterFry):  Slices of Hamachi (yellow tail), crab, and some veggies wrapped in nori (seaweed) and deep fried in panko flakes!  Anything deep fried is delicious, especially sushi.  This is one of our favs.
• Maui Beef:  tender sliced teriyaki beef served on a bed of greens.  This has to be the most delicious beef on the planet.  It practically melts in your mouth.
• Sansei Special Roll:  Love the crab mix in an inside out roll topped with spicy/sweet chili sauce.
• Shrimp Tempura Roll:  Also inside out, stuffed with delicious shrimp tempura (yet another fried item) and a sweet unagi sauce (the best sauce ever).
• 69 Roll:  California Roll (which I usually despise) topped with slices of unagi (eel) and tobiko (teeny tiny little bright orange FISH EGGS) and drizzled with the unagi sauce.  Best roll of the night for me.
• Panko Crusted Ahi:  Usually one of my favorite things on the menu but it fell really flat this time.  Its ahi lightly seared wrapped with a bitter yet very complimentary arugala and deep fried in panko flakes.  The sauce is the best part of this dish.  Hard to describe it but its a bit butter and orange, dotted with black sesame seeds.  It was just OK this time.  Too bad.
• We also had misoyaki chicken and some vegetable tempura.  Pretty basic but very delicious.
• Top that off with a to go box of spicy tuna, spicy hamachi, and another 69 roll!  We are obsessed with sushi.

Rachel did try a few things but we really got the tempura, beef, and chicken to make sure that she was nourished for the night (sushi, fish, and shrimp are not exactly her forte).

My brother's friend from when they were little stopped by and gave us the run down on the neighborhood gossip.  Mostly people having babies after babies!  Oy.

This morning we got up and had bagels and cream cheese, turkey bacon, and orange juice while we sat on the deck listening to the sounds of Haiku.  We are off to the beach today, if I can get my brother out of bed that is.  Got some turkey sandwiches, chips and guacamole and salsa, and some beers for the day all packed up!  Sun, here we come :)

Maui Time Has Arrived!

Well, its finally here.  Yesterday, Rachel and I woke up at 4:00 a.m. to catch our flight to Maui via Honolulu on Hawaiian Air.  The flight was a bit long but I got to catch up on some reading.  Of course, due to our flight being on Thanksgiving Day, the complimentary meal onboard was dry/stale turkey with lumpy mashed potatoes and gravy.  Mmmmmm.  We had a quick stop over on O'ahu.  Its been about six and a half years since I last touched down on that island.  I really need to get back there to visit my family.  We arrived on Maui at about 2:00 p.m. and were greated by my mumsy and we headed out to Haiku.  First day of hair feeling nasty down.

What do I delve into first?  Chips and salsa and guacamole!  Ahh the salsa.  Made by Tiffany.  She has put wayyy too much tomato sauce in it.  It no longer seems like salsa but more like bordering on spaghetti sauce.  A big disappointment.  Hopefully, we can spruce it up with some cilantro or something.  Gotta love the guac though with the mutant avocados that grow in my mom's yard!  So buttery and delicious.  The evening was topped off with tacos made with homegrown Maui beef and my mom even deep fried the shells herself (we are too lazy at home for such things).  I dozed off while trying to watch the Dancing with the Stars finale and then proceeded to head to bed....for the next 12 hours! 

A special treat was listening to the Maui rain last night.  I love it as it patters on the tin roof and falls down onto the leaves.  Its so soothing.  I should record it and make it into my very own soundscapes mix.  It was easy to fall asleep to that with the cool breeze floating in the window with the smell of rain.

This morning we leisurely got up and had a bagel.  We were a bit fearful that it would be cloudy and rainy all day but we were able to saunter off to the beach this afternoon in Lahaina and got our first taste of the sun.  It was delightful!  The water was great as well.  I love the feeling of salt in my hair with a bit of a sunkiss on my face.  Its great to be home thats for sure.  Up on the menu tonight for dinner:  quiche!

Countdown to Maui

Well, I officially have 8 days before we leave for Maui!  I have not started packing yet, nor have I done any laundry yet.  I usually like to cut it pretty close.  My mom has been keeping me posted on groceries she has already purchased...food is a BIG deal.  I ordered a new lense for my camera, so now I can zoom in about 4 times as much as I could before, which should give me some extra opportunities for good photos.  Can't wait to use that!  I'll be updating here while I'm in Maui so stay tuned.