hillside hideaway blog
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Dec 21
One of our favorite weekend “brunchtime” rituals is a mimosa (or 2, or a whole bottle’s worth). It’s so nice to kick off a relaxing weekend with this classic champagne and OJ libation, a little late breakfast, and some bright Hawaii sunshine. Read more
Our neighbor has a papaya tree, and watching the fruit grow on it has been making me crave papayas in a major way. But instead of a regular old papaya eaten plain, how about papaya slaw? With cool, summery flavors like lime and mint? Yum. Read more
Taco Tuesday (well actually, Wednesday) cravings struck again recently, and this time we decided to go for shredded chicken tacos with Maui onion and lots of fresh lime juice. This recipe was super easy and just involved a few minutes on the grill and a few minutes in a saute pan. (But if you have some time on your hands, definitely check out our carnitas recipe…totally worth waiting the 4 hours for it to cook!) Read more
While on a quest for a tomato bisque recipe that didn’t call for a boatload of heavy cream, we tagged two favorites: a Food Network Kitchens recipe (which sounded delicious but included a whole cup of heavy cream), and a version from Gina’s Skinny Recipes that substituted reduced-fat sour cream. Read more
Remember those wavy glass dishes I picked up at the Goodwill a few weeks ago? I’m loving the deep turquoise jewelry dish I created with one of them, so I decided to use the same paint-from-the-inside method on a second dish, this time for our vacation rental. We’d found the PERFECT welcome amenity for our guests, and I needed something to house it. Read more
Red meat is a frequent bone of contention in our house. I want less, John wants more. What can I say? He’s a man. Men love meat.
One of our favorite compromises is this delicious steak salad, which lets us split one steak between the two of us in a most enjoyable manner. It’s super casual and easy; we just toss in the ingredients according to how much or how little we like. We’ve prepared it with a homemade orange balsamic dressing and a bottled blue cheese vinaigrette; both are scrumptious. (Note: if you use the blue cheese vinaigrette, decrease the amount of added blue cheese accordingly). Read more
It was a dark and stormy night…literally. We were on our way back from dinner and John was telling me about some curbside goodies he’d seen on his daily running route. Apparently one of the big houses up the hill had decided to get an early jump on the monthly bulk trash pickup, and had set out quite the display. “Oh, let’s just go up and look,” I said, and off we went to check it out. I spotted 3 full size metal file cabinets, a wood coffee table (with no glass on top, and a badly damaged upholstered bottom shelf) and some cheap office furniture and other random stuff. I briefly considered the coffee table, but it had been sitting out in the rain and seemed beyond repair. Plus, we had nowhere to put it. Then I spotted 2 metal card files…and before I knew it, I was darting out of the car like a weasel in the night! Read more
John had braised greens on his mind on our last grocery shopping trip. We came home with two humongous leeks that were practically jumping into the pan to join the allium veggie fest about to take place in our kitchen. We braised the leeks until they were soft and tender, and then promptly stole some from the pan to top a mini pizza (also at the party: port salut cheese and bacon…yum). But the leeks really got a chance to shine the next evening, when we combined them with Maui onions and garlic in a creamy pasta sauce (see what I meant about an allium veggie fest?). Read more
John’s been here 6 years and I’ve been here over 2, and we only just discovered the awesomeness that is Tamura’s Fine Wine and Liquors. Family-owned and in business since the 1920′s, Tamura’s has 3 locations (Waialae, Aikahi and Aiea) and carries an amazing collection of wines, from inexpensive bargains to super high-end splurges, as well as just about every liquor you can think of. Even better, they stock hard-to-find gourmet food items and some pretty famous poke. Read more
I discovered Hawaiian Bath & Body‘s North Shore Soap Factory soaps on a recent trip to Whole Foods (no surprise…as soon as John gets into the checkout line with our food purchases, I dart into Whole Body and usually return with a soap or two). These handcrafted, vegetable oil-based soaps are sold in bulk (by weight) and smell absolutely divine. Read more
Aloha! We're John and Kristen, two transplanted East Coasters loving life on Oahu. We're DIY enthusiasts, foodies, wine lovers, and the property managers for the Hillside Hideaway. Follow us for a glimpse into our island life!
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