Life of Larisa or LOL

Marriage and babies. I guess it's the stage of life me and my friends are all in. It's a happy stage. There is always something to celebrate...and take bad pictures of. I know you are all secretly hoping I'll finally sign up for a photography class so you won't have to endure anymore of these iPhone pictures. Eventually. Due to the faux tsunami last Saturday, I was unable to pay a proper visit to the hospital to meet Lena's newest arrival. I had to wait almost an entire week! Yesterday, I was able to meet baby Ali for the first time. Welcome to the world little guy! He is just as sweet as a baby can be, and big sister Danya is tickled pink (literally) to be around this big bundle of joy (way to go on eight plus pounds of baby!). Mom is doing well and even enjoyed chocolate pudding filled cupcakes I brought. Congratulations...he's a keeper.

Spicy tuna, Rogue stout, an Arwen cupcake, Alpha Gams , and the cutest little bachlorette ---a complete evening at the Yard House in Waikiki. We sorority girls really know how to celebrate. Laura is getting married to her sweetie on Saturday and we had to commemorate the occasion with an evening of giggles and...food. It's the Hawaii way. No big event goes by without some sort of succulent treat to go along with it. Thankfully today is Furlough Friday, so a night on the town with the girls worked out...no early rising necessary (although I found myself up before seven anyway). We scored the corner booth and caught up with everyone over mojitos and beer. We weren't wild and crazy, but it was nice to enjoy an evening out with sisters. If you are looking for a fun location for your next large party event, check out the Yard House . Their menu has a wide variety of selections (without being overly large like Cheese Cake Factory). And of course they have almost every beer...

Ok . We've already established I'm not Australian. But I still made Lamingtons . I'm not Japanese either, but an excuse to bake and celebrate girls (I'm still a girl at heart) sounds good to me. Wednesdays are my day to volunteer in Gabe's classroom. A half day of first graders...every week. You see why I bake? It's escapism. I decided to honor the Hawaii adopted and Japanese Girls Day tradition by baking mini pink cupcakes. The frosting and sprinkles are crazy looking---it was a pink explosion on top of the vanilla cupcakes (I've learned not to waste my time with anything fancier than that for the kids). All of the kids (Japanese or not...boys included) were very happy to receive the pink treat. There was no celebration of the day other than that, but I guess the new book Isom picked up for me at Borders can count as my Girls Day treat. Next year, I'll have to plan a big girls party (manicures and lunch?!) for Girls Day.

Yesterday I suffered from food envy. Isom was stuck in traffic...again. This is our life. The upside is I get out of preparing (yes, preparing...it is definitely not fair to call it cooking) dinner, and I get blog material out of it...I guess. Last night we met at Verbano's across from Pearlridge. It is a small Italian restaurant that at five o'clock is completely empty. We had the manager as server, all to ourselves. Gabe ordered the cheese ravioli with red sauce---the adult portion and devoured it all...even sopping up the sauce with his bread. He was kind enough to share a bite with me. But that's it. One bite was all I got. Isom ordered the special. It consisted of eggplant, shrimp, and pasta with green olives, sauteed mushrooms, asparagus...mmm, why can't they have this on the regular menu?! I ordered the eggplant parmagiana. I have attempted to make this at home and failed miserably, so if the opportunity arises to eat it out, I go for it. It was ve...

I saw each of these movies recently. First "Percy Jackson"---which explains why I am now reading the book. Then "When In Rome" ---in lieu of book club, thanks Tsunami. And yesterday "The Hurt Locker"---because I heard it was so good and I really needed to see something good after the disaster called "When in Rome". And now a few lines on each. PJ : Great movie. However, I did not feel it was appropriate for my six year old. Snakes for hair on Uma Thurma playing Medusa...not what I want as the last image in Gabe's head before resting his head on the pillow. And I'm not sure what was more disturbing...the snakes or Uma . WIR : This is why guys don't like going to movies with girls. They are worried they may have to suffer through a "chick flick". This was a dumbed down, poorly scripted, edited, and casted chick flick which made it the worst movie I've seen this year...possibly in a couple years. Don't go see...

...again. Always. Forever. Can never get enough...pizza. Thank goodness there is not a lack of it here. In the land of Asian cuisine on every corner, I feel very lucky that I can still eat good pizza. I knew today was going to be a good day. After dropping Gabe (and the neighbor) off at school, I hopped in the car and Red Hot Chili Peppers were on. Great way to start the morning. I was headed to Kailua to meet Lehua for pancakes! When Isom got back a few weeks ago, we drove directly from the airport to Boots n Kimos . I wrote about it. For some reason I neglected to order the thing they are most known for. Never make the same food mistake twice. Today, Lehua and I both ordered the macadamia nut pancakes smothered with mac sauce. It's not syrup. It's buttery, creamy, mac nutty. It covers the entire short stack of pancakes and is sprinkled with macadamia nuts on top (isn't this picture funny?! the lighting was so crazy...coupled with my lack of food photo skills...it'...

As much as I HEART Starbucks, I must say that CPK (California Pizza Kitchen), does it for me every time . I don't think I can say this about any other restaurant. I hate to jinx any future dining experiences there, but I can't recall a bad tasting item, slow moving waiter, wrong bill, or dirty counter there...ever. Maybe it's like your child...you can see no wrong when it comes to them. They are perfect in every way...until they aren't. CPK is still my perfect child. I was fully prepared to make halibut and baked potatoes last night (ended up having it tonight instead and it's pictured below), but then Isom called. "Stuck in traffic. Meet me at CPK?" Couldn't hang up and put my shoes on fast enough. Gabe and I were out the door. We decided to try the new mediterranean mini appetizer plate. I have decided I must replicate this at home...look out for that in the coming days. I strayed from my usual items (grilled veggie panini and soup; wild mushroom piz...

Apparently I'm not the only one using the "Cupcakes Galore" recipe book. I usually go back and forth between this one and my "500 Cupcakes" book. When I was making this no bake cupcake yesterday, I was confused by the name. I still don't know what the author is talking about. I took a moment to "Google" it and came up with another lovely blog. The author of this blog and I are on a similar cupcake journey it seems. So much for originality. I think she might be a better food photographer too. But, check out her rendition of this treat by clicking here . Anyway, as much as I enjoy baking daily, it was nice to have a recipe that didn't require the use of my oven. The ingredients were minimal. Children can execute this treat...which is probably why I was able to accomplish it. The chocolate and corn flake combination gives those who indulge, a crunch and sweet taste sensation (much like the popular salt and sweet combination). I chose to...

It's supposed to resemble a pineapple. I don't think it does. But it's still cute. These towers of sweetness are pineapple and coconut. The mini cupcake on top has a maraschino cherry in the center. The two cupcakes are held together with a honey glaze---a substitution for fondant (not a fan). And for once, a reasonable substitution. After three hours of working with the first graders at Gabe's school, it was a welcome respite to come home and get in the kitchen to bake. Gabe is now used to the routine of homework at the counter with the sounds of mom baking in the background. I'm hoping he is picking up a thing or two by osmosis. It's nice to have his company since he no longer is interested in taste testing the goodies. Today's cupcake is perfect for Hawaiian occasions---luau, potluck, picnic at the beach. The pineapple and coconut work well together. And the surprise cherry on top takes an ordinary cupcake and turns it into something festive ...

...are an Australian treat . I'm not Australian. I'm not a food photographer (thus the photos above). I can follow (only now, after seven months or so of baking) a recipe. Yesterday, while Gabe was busy figuring out what 20-5-7 was, I was baking these mini cupcakes. I made chocolate to dip the cupcakes in and the final step was rolling the chocolate covered mini cupcake in flaked coconut. The three C's! Cupcake, chocolate, coconut. The bite sized treats tasted like donuts. The cake was soft and spongy and the chocolate and coconut added the perfect amount of sweetness. This could easily take the place of the holiday rum ball. Add a stick to it (as suggested by Julie) and it's the perfect mini treat for the kids. Is it a cupcake? Is it a lollipop? Is it a donut on a stick? Who knows. But those Australians sure do know how to create a delicious mini treat.

And now a moment to wish a very sweet two year old a very happy birthday! Her momma is a lovely blogstress . And although this is not a recent photo (you can check out more recent pics on Danielle's blog ), it's a cute one nonetheless. I hope your day was awesome---HAPPY BIRTHDAY munchkin.

Originally, I planned for this week to be devoted to making a decision on the invites for our anniversary party and making some sort of progress on catering options. But then I got a text...a request to have Dim Sum . Uh, sure. I'm not one to pass up invitations to eat. I walked (2.2 miles) this morning and after breaking a sweat, headed home to check email and watch "thirty-something" before heading to Kaneohe for Chinese. Malia and Mai Ly ordered all the dishes. I still don't know what anything is called. I know it all tasted great and most dishes had shrimp. There was scallop, nori , and spinach thrown in there somewhere too---along with a small, strange side of flavored mayonnaise (I like mayo, but this seems an unusual dipping sauce for shrimp to me). If pointing and saying "that one over there" is an acceptable Dim Sum practice, then I guess I feel ready to brave it in the future without them. I didn't take any iPhone food photos today......

...LOOP. Not too long ago, Gabe and I hiked a portion of this trail that starts in the back of Pearl City. We were leisurely. We were with friends. We barely broke a sweat. The kids climbed trees and explored. We were in and out in under an hour. Today was a different story...we went with Isom . I should have known when he was packing the back pack full of "extra" water bottles and even asked to stop by the grocery store for more water reserves...we weren't going to be doing the simple hike Gabe and I did weeks ago. It was a gorgeous day today and perfect weather for a late morning hike. Gabe and I were excited to share this new hiking trail with Isom and enjoy the midday sun. Family hiking is a typical weekend activity for us. Gabe is a trooper and rarely complains...that's my job. We followed along the tree covered path lined with red dirt at a good pace...Gabe was in the lead, followed by Isom, and several yards back---me. We stopped at the same trees...

It's nice having an obsession that other people will help contribute to. Thanks Julie and Isom for this cool new Starbucks stuff. The necklace has three charms---a Starbucks logo, a mini coffee cup, and a coffee definition. The wallet is a recycled Starbucks coffee bag put to another fun use---storing my Starbucks gift cards. The mugs are the latest addition to the growing Starbucks mug collection...which at last count was hovering around seventy...yikes! Everyone collects something. Look around your house. I'm sure you have a collection too...even if it's dust. Currently, I collect Starbucks mugs...books...CDs...Twilight stuff. It's all in good fun. Someday when I get tired of it, or Isom gets tired of it ( hmm , wonder which will happen first?!), I'll sell it all on EBay and voila, we will have Gabe's college tuition paid for. Either that or I'll have to come up with a creative craft to make out of coffee mugs that I can peddle. For now howeve...

Leonardo DiCaprio. Martin Scorsese. Ben Kinglsey . Mark Ruffalo . Just four of the things that make this a great movie. "Shutter Island" is a psychological thriller set in the fifties. Maybe Leo will finally get acknowledged for his great work with this film. Other than "Titanic", Leo has pleased me with his performances in everything...including his stint on "Growing Pains". The movies that DiCaprio are best in, coincidentally are the movies directed by Scorsese: "Gangs of New York", "The Aviator", "The Departed", and now "Shutter Island". Although I found parts of the plot predictable, the movie told a complete story...much like books usually do and movies can't usually capture. The suspense was captivating. This film is edgy, sad, and graphic...but very entertaining. I loved the characters and how the story traveled back and forth between Nazi Germany and the Boston mental hospital/prison known as ...

... home of the whispering waiter . Tonight we had an amusing server. At least I think he was funny. I only had one beer ( Schwarzbier : "black beer"), so my judgement wasn't clouded. When we first sat down he came up and pointed to me, Isom , and Gabe and said "Margarita, margarita, milk." To which I responded "Close. Beer, beer, milk." We were off to a good start. A waiter with personality. He took our orders with lightning speed, put our orders in just as fast, and our food arrived in a blink. Apparently 5:30 on a Friday is the time to go. We were seated by the water (even harbor water is nice to view at sunset) and we could hear the live house band playing covers of The Police and John Mayer. It was a great setting...for a date...but we had Gabe with us. After a few sips of our beeritas , I decided that I was lucky to be out with not one, but two fun guys. We enjoyed seared ahi for our appetizer, garnished with a fresh salad. Mmm . Isom ...

Hawaii has a lot of the same chains that the mainland has. Recently, we have even been lucky enough to have Target and Whole Foods arrive in town. Another chain that has recently arrived is Rascal's--Food and Fun . As if Dave and Busters, Tilt, Chuck E. Cheese, and Fun Factory were not enough...there is now another place to spend your money and earn tickets for overpriced cheaply made toys, all while eating junk food. Yay . Today was Isom's last day off before returning to work next week. I felt that I wasted yesterday being sick, coughing, complaining, and sniffling. Today, I was determined to get out and do some fun stuff. After we picked up Gabe from school we headed to town to check out Rascal's. Family date night. The parking (with validation) is only $2. We stayed for a couple of hours playing air hockey (I beat both Gabe and Isom ), glow putt (I came in last), and mini bowling (played the worst game of my life). It was fun...and empty. I'm worried the...

Isom's favorite cookie (and cupcake) is ginger. I guess most folks call them gingersnaps. The recipe that we have (and that I royally screwed up once before) is from Isom's mom. The trouble I find with recipes I receive from both Isom and his mom, is that sometimes a crucial element gets left out of the instructions. The crucial step is usually in their head and obvious to them (not so obvious to me), so they don't think to write it down. This has led to botched homemade applesauce and the previously mentioned gingersnaps. I wanted to bake something yummy for Isom's return from Thailand and use my new baking sheet at the same time---cookies it is! My plan was thwarted with the awful sore throat and congestion I seem to be suffering from now. I can't complain too much...I don't have any broken bones, I'm not a million years pregnant, I don't even have the flu. I just can't breathe when I eat. I can't swallow without feeling like I ingest...

Country. Lush. Green. Mountains. Cheap. Mosquitoes . Senator Fongs is where it's at. This will be the backdrop for the big anniversary party in June. If I haven't texted , emailed, Facebooked you...it's the first Saturday in June at this tranquil, peaceful garden and plantation. We're gonna throw a little noise, color, and jubilee into the serenity that is Kahaluu...but just for an evening...wouldn't want to permanently wreck anything. It should be a really good time. Memory making. Vows. Wine. Cake. Friends. Laughs. Senator Fongs is where it's at.

Isom is home! I was excited to take him to one of the many restaurants I tried while he was away. After picking him up from the airport we drove over the hill to Kailua to indulge in breakfast crepes from Crepes No Ka Oi...only to find that they were No Ka Open. Of course Tuesday is the one day they are closed. Good thing the new location of Boots and Kimo's is a stones throw away. I'd been wanting to try this breakfast place out, so the plan change didn't put a damper on the morning. I know Boots and Kimo's is known for their Macadamia Syrup Pancakes, but I decided to keep with the crepe theme and ordered the Guava Jelly Pancake Crepes (as pictured above Isom's spam and egg breakfast). I'm not sure why the restaurant is bright yellow and adorned with ridiculous abouts of Football paraphernalia and Wheaties Cereal boxes, but the ghastly decor didn't matter. My breakfast treat was delicious. The service is local style---in a good way. We wer...