Life of Larisa or LOL

Happy birthday to Gabe. A day late...it's only fair...he was two weeks late. Worth the wait. Hopefully the cupcakes I baked this morning are worth the wait too. A simple vanilla cake and vanilla frosting. I was especially pleased with the perfect "Transformer" gray that I created using red and blue food coloring. The decorations aren't too fancy but then again the party isn't too fancy either---bowling. Lucky number thirteen...that's how many kids are coming...wish me luck!

...has the best veggie sandwich in recent memory. The magical ingredient? Squash. It was soft, flavorful, and a welcome change from avocado, eggplant, or tofu---the normal veggie sandwich staples. Locating the restaurant was somewhat of an ordeal (see what I mean about downtown?), but the memory of that was quickly erased after my first bite...and by the very sweet girls behind the counter at Mix Cafe . Another downtown eatery...I had to double up---I couldn't drive into downtown, park, and only hit up one place to eat! Gabe enjoyed a chicken sandwich (well, half of one). The sandwiches come with a fresh, local green salad---the dressing (I feel much more qualified to comment on now) was tangy and delicious (I know, not very official or technical descriptions). And a small side of fries. Surprise! (There's the "mix" in Mix Cafe...salad, sammich , and fries to "mix" it up.) Real potatoes with oil and salt that were baked and not fried and won't

Thanks to Lehua for agreeing to try out this new (to me) cheesecake shop. Clearly, I would do the same for her...what are friends for right? Downtown Honolulu is not a place I frequent, despite all of the terrific eateries that abound. The thought of parking downtown gives me hives and accelerates my breathing. In other words, it stresses me out. Once again, however, I have been spending too much time on Yelp, and I was intrigued by a dessert shop that was repeatedly popping up all over the discussion boards. Otto Cake is in downtown. A hive just popped up on my leg as I typed that. Otto Cake serves a unique variety of cheesecakes. The hive has disappeared. Gabe, Lehua , Dahlia (the youngest cheesecake lover at under a year) and I entered the smallest downtown shop and decided to split two flavors---butterscotch and red velvet cheesecakes. Mmm . Surprisingly, my butterscotch loving son was not impressed with the butterscotch flavored cheesecake...he loved the red velvet

Since this was the last of the four treats I made today, I got lazy. I didn't put the topping on...a chocolate ganache with a blackberry garnish. Seeing as how I used marionberry instead of blackberry anyway, I think these cupcakes, which seem more like muffins, turned out fine---even minus the fancy ganache and garnish. Due to the addition of simmered berries in sugar to the batter, these cupcakes were super moist. The recipe did not make the usual batch of 18, which is probably a good thing, considering all the other things made in the kitchen today. Speaking of which, the other two items were a crisp rice cupcake (a.k.a rice crispy with white chocolate...you get the idea) and peanut butter cups. But please---a word to the wise---organic peanut butter is not recommended when recreating this classic kid treat. Go ahead and use the JIF ...it won't be that great for you, but who cares, you're eating a peanut butter cup !

With all the baking therapy that was happening at my house today, I felt obligated to make a salad for dinner---you know, balance out the sweet with something healthy and fresh. Today's salad was a Waldorfesque recipe. I made my own dressing again---it was amazing. The key ingredient being cayenne pepper---and it was not too spicy, just tasty. The salad did not have lettuce. Yay . I was getting tired of lettuce anyway. It was still green, however. The crisp, thinly sliced Granny Smith apples from overpriced Safeway, acted as the lettuce base. Added to the apples were thin slices of celery, fresh grated Parmesan cheese, chopped walnuts for added sweet and crunch, topped off with the hint of red dressing. The dressing called for cognac and I skipped it...no one missed it. The salad called for fennel. Skipped that too. And again, no one missed it. I paired the apple salad with penne pasta that I added feta cheese, capers, and pesto sauce too, and our all green meal (a

I spent the whole day "in therapy" today. That is, I spent most of the day in the kitchen. It was a trying day (to put it mildly) with the almost seven year old. Instead of rewarding the behavior with a fun summer outing, I channeled my energy into filling the fridge (and my belly) with baked treats. The first of which was this fancy French bread called brioche. It was my first time using active dry yeast and actually creating my own bread dough. This bread-cake will go great with a cup of morning tea or coffee...too bad I first tried it in the middle of the afternoon with sips of lukewarm water. The texture was perfect and I learned that an egg wash can make your pastry gleam and brown. It was a fun experiment. I would prefer if it were more on the sweet side, but I had my sweet tooth taken care of with the other three goodies I prepared today. Isn't therapy great?!

I've been spending a lot of time at the Bishop Museum over the summer. We invested in the family yearly pass, so it is a great air conditioned place to escape to with Gabe and friends. Over the weekend the museum was host to Farm Fair. We stopped at Starbucks for breakfast and caffeine fuel and entered the gates a few minutes after opening. We took advantage of the valet parking and as members of the museum, our fee for Farm Fair was waved. I love a free event. Our first stop, the 4H tent. We saw chickens, bunnies, cows, sheep, and my favorite, the pigs. I was happy to see the animals early on before too much heat and stink set in. Next, we wandered through the huge farmers market, where we scoped out things to munch on later. Gabe was getting a little antsy and repeatedly informed us that it was time to actually go inside the museum and check out his favorite exhibit---the volcano. It was the perfect chance to cool off and take a break from the summer sun rays. A few H

Today my toes hurt. My knee, where I poked a kiawe bush, hurts. My calf muscles hurt. I have got to get in better shape. Yesterday we hiked to the bunkers on top of the small mountains...okay, probably more of a hill...behind Lanikai . Kapua , Michelle, John, Isom , and Gabe---all the worlds best hikers---included me in their scheme. We walked straight uphill for an hour, getting sweaty and dirty...all for a couple of slices of watermelon, a sip of coke, and a million dollar view. I guess it was a good idea. We rewarded ourselves not only with the view, but also with ice cold beer from The Shack in Enchanted Lakes ( Kapua had never been...we had to introduce her). I have done this hike twice before---both times in better shape than yesterday. I'm hoping the discomfort I'm feeling today will be temporary, but serve as a kick start to getting out and hiking more---in order to avoid this feeling after future hiking expeditions. And, if I can enjoy great views and beer a

This place is irritating. It is far away. It always has a ridiculously long line (and therefore long wait). The menu is out of control...leaving me wondering "How can they make all of these things well?" But, despite my slight aversion to this evil, wicked place---I still go---for the cheesecake of course. We at least got to enjoy wandering around the Royal Hawaiian Village while we waited for our pager thingy to go off and let us know that our dining experience could begin. The grounds are always beautifully kept and then there's the shopping (even if it is of the window variety). Isom's pocket was buzzing in less time than anticipated, and we made our way through a maze of tourists into what appeared to be "the kid section" of the restaurant. We were surrounded by them (including our own). I didn't even bother looking through the mammoth menu. I skipped right to salad and pizza. I made sure to save room for the COCONUT MACAROON cheesecake. D

Happy birthday to my Grandma...well, it was yesterday. My apologies for the delay. Good things come to those who wait? I thought a mini photo montage was in order to celebrate. Grandma truly embodies her motto "Live, laugh, love." I see her breathing this spirit every time we get together. We love to live, laugh, and love with grandma. She has definitely lived (around the world and back again)...she loves everything (I think this is where my passions for things---food, people, reading---comes from)...and she laughs (at you, with you, about herself, and the comedy that is life). Even though we couldn't spend this birthday with grandma (and the rest of the family---during the family reunion in Colorado) we look forward to spending many more birthdays to come...where we can all live memories , laugh out loud , and love the company we are with.

This one's for you Lena! Thanks to Lena, our family enjoyed a delicious Thai meal last night. No, she didn't slave all day in the kitchen preparing Pad Thai, spring rolls, or green curry. She used the power of suggestion . You see, you should probably never talk about food or restaurants around me...I will go. I will try it. I will order an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. Some people splurge on travel, I splurge on food...daily. It is a form of travel. Last night we traveled to a little village in Thailand...with nice table clothes, linen napkins, and a well dressed waitress. Thai food is one of the few food genres Isom and I can agree on. He is there for the spice and I am there for the vegetarian options...and flavors. How is it possible that no matter what you order from a Thai restaurant, the flavors always go well together?! Thai Village has two locations---one in Waipio and one in Kunia . We checked out the Kunia location and now that we know it rocks

The good thing about corporate restaurant chains...healthy competition. I mean, if Starbucks wasn't out there addicting the world to Frappuccinos, then maybe places like Arby's wouldn't feel the need to step it up with their shakes. I was already a fan of the Jamocha shake from Arby's . For years, they had the other fast food places beat by a long shot--- jamocha shake and curly fries. Perfect mall rat treat. Yesterday, we were mall rats. So... After yet another Dino adventure at Pearlridge , reading kids books at Borders, playing with (but not buying) all the toys at the toy store, window shopping for Hello Kitty jewelry, it was time for a lunch break. Gabe had his heart set on Arby's , and since he wasn't requesting McDonald's, I gave in. I wasn't optimistic about what choices I might have as far as meatless fast food entrees went. I was sure I would be forced (ha, ha) to be content with a simple jamocha shake and curly fries. I was happi

Chocolate makes cherries taste good! The fruit to chocolate ratio was perfect and I actually enjoyed these chocolate cupcakes. I am using a different cocoa and I think it has made all the difference. That, or my tastes are changing. It's been nicer making salads than cupcakes lately because it is just super hot, muggy...sweaty miserable...and the oven being on doesn't help, but I was having baking with drawl so Gabe and I trekked to Safeway and purchased the missing ingredients needed to bake these cuter than cute cupcakes. I still haven't perfected my technique for making homemade cream topping, but who needs cream when you have chocolate and cherries? These were a hit for the lucky few who were able to taste them. This recipe is in the running with the ginger cupcake for "best in show". Now, that I have bragged and bragged about how marvelous this combination is, here's the recipe...in case you are interested in wowing and dazzling your friends, fam

...in ten days Gabe will be seven. Time has flown. In the past seven years he has learned to crawl, stand, eat, walk, talk, swim, read...aggravate, talk back, argue, irritate. Balance---good and the bad. The past two days have been especially enjoyable, however. He has had play dates with friends and actually managed to share and get along...he does listen! We are looking forward to celebrating Gabe's birthday in the coming week. He has already received his first present (thanks Auntie Tonya)... Legos . He can't ever get enough. In any relationship, they say there's something about seven that makes you want to re-evaluate and think things over. (Thankfully Isom and I made it to ten.) Nothing to re-evaluate with Gabe...no one makes me laugh harder, think harder, play harder, sleep harder...let's rename it seven year bliss . We'll save itch for when he turns sixteen.

Through all the anniversary planning, the Wedding Cafe was hardly of any use to me. Now, that the big party is all done, the Wedding Cafe finally has something I can use---cupcakes---although they are not made at or by the Wedding Cafe, they are from Hokulani Bakeshop . I should have known. It was a delicious treat regardless. And nice to know I can have my cupcake tooth satisfied while shopping or restauranting in Ward Warehouse. Red velvet before noon...that's my kind of day.

I did not participate in these shenanigans...only as awesome videographer .

I might need a new category of " cocktailing ". The end to the day on Friday was great---it involved meeting up with two of my favorite girls and sharing an adult beverage and pupus at The Counter ---a place I love. I had no idea they had a Friday night happy hour! I enjoyed this "Dazzle" with my sweet potato fries. It was a scene right out of "Sex in the City"...I look just like Carrie Bradshaw don't ya think? Sometimes impromptu girl time is the best girl time.

I thought I liked this place. But, as it turns out, I don't. It is an inexpensive, relatively kid free option for lunch (that's where Gabe and I dined on Friday for lunch), but the service was just so, so and I've decided that I can make better pasta. That is actually a huge insult to Old Spaghetti Factory. I ate here so much in college that I think I thought it was good----I was just a poor student. I enjoyed our lunch mates (Mari, Sean, Cecily, Ella...and Gabe of course), but I think I might rather eat at Subway or something. Do you ever eat somewhere and you can't put your finger on what it is about the place that bothers you? I was happy to see that they had gluten free pasta options, but what's the point of having that if you can't make it taste good. I'm sure Mari is reading this and thinking..."but she ate her entire portion, she must have liked it". Well, after years of the "clean your plate syndrome" growing up, I find

I'm still not sure if it's pronounced HAIL or HA LEI... Did you catch the phonetic difference? Last night was date night. Finally. I've been having perpetual date day with a six year old all summer. I was so relieved to spend the evening with just Isom . I made the plans, so it was a perfect evening. Through all my Yelping, I'd heard about a vegan restaurant...I was intrigued and wanted very much to try it out. So, we did. It is in town and has parking (although limited) and they are open for both lunch and dinner. It was small and modern and the staff was friendly...weird, but friendly. Our waiter continually bowed. It was quite amusing. We were unsure of what to order (which I must add here, the waiter should have spent more time explaining dishes and less time bowing down). Our dining experience was an adventure. Not only is Hale a vegan restaurant, but it also macrobiotic. Don't know what that's about? Click here . The nice thing about eatin

Having a hard time distinguishing where the oranges are? That's because I didn't use any. The alternate ( approved substitutions ) recipe called for apples, which I had. Thanks Isom for doing all of my fruit shopping for me. I knew the day would arrive when I would be forced to make fruit based or fruit included salads. I was trying to put it off. I'm not a fan of fruit. Yesterday's salad was in a cup. The presentation helped my taste buds. I made a yogurt and lemon/orange juice blend dressing to pour over the top and the weird ingredient as garnish---black olives. I've never heard or even thought of this combination of ingredients---which was only three (celery, apples, and olives). It was light, crunchy, springy, crisp, tasty. I paired it with spinach pancakes (also sounds weird) but these are a broiled delight. The base is potato and spinach and it looks like an overgrown green sausage patty, but I promise it is appetizing. I had intended to go for

I'm hesitant to have this post under the label " restauranting ". This seems like a huge stretch...even for me. Last night, in a continuation of the laziest person alive theme, I ended up not cooking dinner. In the mail I found coupons for Jack In The Box, so when Isom got home I convinced him this would be a good choice for dinner. He agreed, but only if we rode our bikes there. Fair enough...although does it really count as a "work-out" if you are riding to Jack In The Box ? When we arrived, there was no place to park the bikes...shocking. We rigged all three up to the gigantic light post right outside. A foul odor almost knocked me out when we walked through the doors of the restaurant. I think they call it meat. Mass confusion ensued at the register when I presented not one coupon, but two coupons to the manager . How people with zero customer service skills or even a spark of interest in fellow man continually become the person in charge, baffle

There was something delicious to be had at every place, no matter how big or small, chain or non-chain restaurant, hotel affiliated or not, cheap or expensive. My taste buds had the best vacation. Vegetarians and pescatarians , Kauai is the place to eat... unless you are at the Lihue Airport. There were no munchies to be had...not even a vending machine with chips (apparently I picked the one travel time when they were all empty). It worked out better for my stomach this way, I was able to save room for the veggie wrap I sank my teeth into at the Grand Hyatt poolside restaurant The Dock. If you can't afford to stay here, save up twelve dollars for this amazing lunch. Tofu, eggplant, peppers, and portabello mushroom sauteed to perfection. Even the meat eaters were envious of this. No breakfast (or chips from the vending machine) meant two lunches on Friday instead. Exploration of the hotel and the five mile hike to our room and back to the lobby again, earned us a trip to t