July 2, 2009

Caramelized Maui Onion Dip

I found this Carmelized Maui Onion Dip recipe in the June issue of Sunset and I can’t wait to share it with all our “grass skirt wearing” friends on Saturday.

I love Maui. I love everything about Maui; the peacefulness, the beaches, the rainbows, the whales, the pineapples, the Maui onions and the Maui onion chips.

While in the midst of a little meltdown yesterday, I had to have a talk with myself about trying to think happy thoughts when all I felt like doing is sitting down and crying.  And when I think happy thoughts, I always think of Maui.

I had intended on taking photos of our entire spread at the Luau Party this Saturday, but because of circumstances beyond my control, that’s just not going to happen. (I promise I’ll try to keep this short.)

While at our family reunion in Chicago, my camera stopped working at the end of the evening. I just thought that the battery had died, so the next day I charged the battery and still nothing. When we got home, I tried connecting the camera to my laptop and it didn’t recognize the camera.

Yesterday, I broke down and took my memory card to CVS to check and see if their machine could find my pictures. Nope. Nada. Nunca. Nothin. They are ALL GONE!! Not just all the pictures of the family reunion, and the kids and grandkids, but hundreds of others that I had not backed up.

Seriously! I’ve got I had so many irreplaceable pictures on that disk. And, it’s all my fault for not backing them up.

So, that’s all I’ve gotta say about that. (Did I just quote Forrest Gump?) I just wish I was in Maui eating some of this dip with some of these Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Chips.

Don't even try to eat just one!

When in Maui together, BigSis and I have been known to make a run to the nearest ABC Store to stock up on a few bags of these amazing chips. And, yes, a tummy ache is sure to follow, but it’s worth it.

I think all this talk about Maui and Maui Onion Dip and Chips has already made me feel better. What about you? What thoughts make you happy?

~LilSis

July 1, 2009

I like to always carry plane snacks with me so that I’m not tempted to gobble up the free honey-roasted peanuts that I don’t like that much anyway, or buy one of those uber-expensive snack packs that are full of fat, sodium and sugar.  This is my criteria for travel snacks:

• They aren’t too messy.

• They don’t spoil if they’re in your carry-on bag for a while.

• They don’t have too much sodium.  I get puffy enough already from flying!

• They keep you going until you get your next proper meal.

These are my top 5 picks for best airplane travel snacks:

• Raw unsalted walnuts or almonds: they give you protein which keeps you satisfied longer.  Chips or crackers just make you crave more chips or crackers!

• Trail mix: make your own with raw nuts and your favorite dried fruit.  I like blueberries, cranberries and cherries with raw nuts and sunflower seeds.  Scoop 1/3 cup of your mix into a snack size plastic baggie.  Be sure to measure, otherwise it’s really easy to eat way too many calories from this snack.

• Low fat string cheese: great protein, plus satisfaction from the flavor and the bit of fat you get.

• Half a whole grain bagel: either plain or spread with a little nut butter.  I like almond butter but you can use peanut butter.  The whole grains will give you steady energy and fill you up without cravings.

• Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms: I know these have sugar, and caffeine and fat!  I know, I know!  But just a few are a delicious treat and a great pick-me-up at 33,000 feet!  Plus they melt in your mouth and not in your hands!  And they come in fun colors!

Whatever your snacking preference, make sure to pack a few individually-packaged antibacterial wipes in your bag so you can clean up your hands and fold down tray before having your snack.  Who knows what kind of germs are lurking on your plane, right?

~BigSis

June 30, 2009

Tomorrow is already July 1st! Wow! Another month has flown by. And Summer has definitely arrived. It was hot, hot, hot and humid on our vacation in Chicago this past week. Any cooking that we did was outside on the grill to avoid turning on the oven. But one night, after a long day at the family reunion, we broke down and ordered some pizza. And, of course, it was awesome pizza so now I have pizza on the brain.

In the summer, I rarely turn on the oven. We make almost everything on the grill. But, for some crazy reason, I’ve never made pizza on the grill so I’ve decided that it’s time for me to give it a try. Here are a couple of pretty basic recipes.

Tyler Florence’s Pizza on the Grill with Sausage and Mozzarella may not be Chicago Pizza, but it looks incredible to me and I can’t wait to try it.

Tyler Florence Pizza on the Grill with Sausage and Mozzarella

I just recently saw a good step by step instruction on Amanda’s Kitchen for Making Pizza on the Grill. These are a couple of examples of her awesome pizzas.

Pizza on the Grill

While surfing the net for a few more ideas, I stumbled across this Pizza on the Grill: 100 Fiesty Fire-Roasted Recipes for Pizza by Elizabeth Karmel and Bob Blumer.  I think I’m going to have to put this in my Amazon shopping cart!

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to fire up the grill! Once I perfect the basics of making the pizza on the grill, I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun experimenting with different varieties. But, I can guarantee you that I won’t ever try to compete with a real Chicago pizza. Never!

~LilSis

June 29, 2009

Happy Monday, all!  I hope you had a good weekend.  I was in a WordPress blogging conference all weekend, and oddly enough, my feline roommates didn’t get one bit of housework done while I was gone!  Not one load of laundry was done, the dishwasher still needs to be unloaded and reloaded, the bills aren’t paid, and there are hordes of dust bunnies scurrying around the wood floors.  WTF did they do all weekend?  Sleep?  Lazy buggers.

So, I spent the last two days soaking up knowledge from folks who are lots smarter than me, and very kind and generous to spend their weekend sharing what they know.  LilSis was in Chicago with the family while I was hibernating indoors with brilliant minds, and now next weekend is already July 4th.  I’m wondering…what did you do this weekend?  Do you have big plans for the summer?  Has the economy changed your plans?

I don’t have my dream trips planned for Italy or Hawaii, although I wish I did, so I’d love to live vicariously through you.  Please share your fabulous plans with me!  I know (or I think I know) that all the regular school years have ended, so your summer must be getting into full swing.

Envy by Bright_Star on Flickr

BigSis wants to know!  What are you up to this summer?  Turn me green with envy!

~BigSis

June 28, 2009

Not that we really need a reason to host a party or a cookout, but we love getting a group together to celebrate Independence Day. I’m so happy that July 4th falls on a Saturday this year. Even if you’re not having a party, maybe you’ll be getting together with friends or family to watch fireworks. Either way, any of these red, white, and blue sweet treats would be fun to share.

These Red, White, and Blue Ice Cream Cupcakes from Annie’s Eats are adorable!

Red, White, and Blue Ice Cream Cupcakes

This Four Layer Meringue Berry Dessert from Cookie Madness is a cool, light and fluffy dessert for the 4th.

Four Layer Meringue Berry Dessert

Of course, you can’t go wrong with this Flag Cake from Martha Stewart.

Flag Cake

And for the kids, I love this Red, White, and Blue Finger Jello from The Recipe Girl.

Red, White, and Blue Finger Jello

This will be our first year celebrating Independence Day on our boat dock at the Harbor. It’s a big tradition to decorate the boats and dingys and have a big parade of boats right before the fireworks. We’re really looking forward to it.

The theme for the party this year is Hawaiian Luau. I love everything about Hawaii, so I’m thrilled that we’re having a Luau. Be sure to check back here in a couple of days as I’ll be sharing our festive Hawaiian menu for the party.

~LilSis

June 27, 2009

Hey, LilSis, thanks for bringing up the most important subject of sunscreen!  That was great information.  My philosophy concerning the sun is to always use a sunscreen, and wear a hat or visor and sunglasses, but still enjoy the fresh air and get a little Vitamin D from the sun.

I try to use a sunscreen on my face every day under my foundation, even if I don’t think I’ll get any sun exposure beyond what comes through my car windows.  I rotate between these two, and really like them both.  They aren’t sticky or greasy, and don’t clog my pores.

Face:

• SkinCeuticals Ultimate UV Defense SPF 30 with transparent zinc oxide ($37).  This one was recommended by my dermatologist, and contains 7% transparent zinc oxide.

• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 55 with helioplex ($16.99 for a 2-pack)

I really enjoy walking outdoors – when it isn’t 105 degrees – and occasionally sitting by the pool for a little while.  When I do, I always use a sunscreen.  I use SPF 15 on my arms and legs, and SPF 55 on my chest and any other delicate areas, reapplying often.  Like LilSis, I LOVE the Hawaiian tropic scent, so that’s why I choose this brand.  It’s a great bonus that they now have a high SPF in a spray.

Hawaiian Tropic SPF 55 Spray

Body:

• Hawaiian Tropic 15 SPF Plus All Day Waterproof Sunblock with UVB/UVA Protection (also in 45 SPF for chest)

• Hawaiian Tropic SPF 55 Ultimate Ozone Sunscreen Spray with UVB/UVA Protection

Whatever your preference, make sure to use a sunscreen – use it often – and choose one with UVA and UVB protection.  UVA rays are the ones that cause aging, and UVB rays cause burning.  You need protection from both!  So cover yourself in sunscreen, and then go out and enjoy your summer!

~BigSis

June 26, 2009

Those who know me, know that I don’t ever shut up about sunscreen. And, I talk a lot about skin cancer. But, I do have a good reason. We found out four years ago that SirHoney had melanoma.

He went in to have an area on his temple looked at so I asked him to have the Dr. look at a new spot on his neck. They did biopsy it but the doctor didn’t seem to be too concerned.

We received the phone call from the dermatologists’ office on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which also happened to be the day of Meems’ wedding. SirHoney didn’t answer the phone. I think he knew that it was bad news if the office was calling on a holiday. He went in for surgery immediately after we got back in town.

It was the scariest thing that has happened to us in 18 years of marriage.  After chest x-rays, a PET scan, and a visit to the oncologist, we were told that it had not spread to any other part of his body. Now, he just sees his dermatologist once every six months for a full body check up.

He’s also had six or seven surgeries to remove basal cell skin cancer. Basal cell can be VERY invasive and can leave some pretty intense scars, but it doesn’t metastasize to other organs.

Melanoma does metastasize and if not caught early, it is extremely hard to treat and can be fatal.

Studies show that most common signs of melanoma are in the ABCDE rule. And the ABCDE rule is as follows:

• Asymmetrical – this refers to the shape; if one half of the mole does not match the other half in size, shape, color, or thickness;
• Borders – it may be ragged or otherwise irregular; the edges are scalloped, blurred, or poorly defined;
• Color – it may be uneven, with shades of black and brown; the color of the mole is not the same throughout or it has shades of tan, brown, black, red, white, or blue;
• Diameter – it may change in size; melanomas are usually greater than 6mm in diameter, but they can be smaller; if the diameter of a mole is larger than the eraser of a pencil
• Elevation – a portion of the mole appears elevated, or raised from the skin.

These few rules can be very helpful in determining the difference between just a regular freckle or mole and a possible melanoma.

A few weeks ago when we went to the desert for a Father/Son golf tournament, my friend and I hung out by the pool while the guys golfed. I noticed a mole on my friend’s back that I thought looked a little suspicious so I asked her if she had ever had it looked at. She said no. She didn’t seem very concerned and I didn’t want to be overly pushy but I did tell her that it looked very similar to the one SirHoney had on his neck and asked her to please get it checked. She went the dermatologist the following week and they did biopsy it. She since found out that it was melanoma. Luckily, it was in a very early stage and she will be fine.

SirHoney has a family history of melanoma but we didn’t know it. If your mother, father, siblings, or children (first-degree relatives) have had a melanoma, you are part of a melanoma-prone family. Each person with a first-degree relative diagnosed with melanoma has a 50 percent greater chance of developing the disease than members of the general public who do not have a family history of the disease.

My friend didn’t have anyone in her family that has had the disease.  I know it’s very controversial, but her doctor did tell her that she probably got the skin cancer from years of using the tanning beds. She was told to stop going to the tanning salon and to start using a good sunscreen.

I’m bringing this up because now that it’s Summer, more people will be out in the sun that aren’t normally exposed.  We’re in the sun just about every day for some period of time. When we lived in Texas, I would use sunscreen if out by the pool for the day but now that we live in California, we use sunscreen every single day! Every. Single. Day.

SirHoney still hates the fact that he has to cover himself in sunscreen, especially when golfing. We have done a lot of experimenting with different sunscreens to find one that doesn’t run and get into his eyes when he sweats. We’ve found the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch with 70 SPF to be the very best.

It goes on easily and doesn’t leave any unwanted residue. Even though this one doesn’t state that it is specifically ‘sweatproof’, it doesn’t run and sting his eyes. I’ve started using this one myself.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch 70 SPF

Now that we know SirHoney’s family is melanoma-prone, I’m very adamant about making sure that HayHay uses sunscreen every day. And I’m always on the lookout for a good long lasting sunscreen for him to use when he surfs.  Right now, on his face, he’s using the  Neutrogena Sport Face. It also doesn’t leave a residue and seems to stay on longer than some of the others.

Neutrogena Sport Face 70 SPF

I don’t have the same skin type as the guys so I don’t always use a 70 SPF. I’ll use the 70 SPF on my face, but my absolute favorite is the Neutrogena Cooling Mist SPF 45 . This spray is not only refreshing, but it stays on for several hours, even at the beach. I always have a can of this with me.

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist 45 SPF

Can you tell we like Neutrogena?  I don’t care for the smell of Coppertone for some reason, but HayHay does like this Coppertone Sport Continuous Spray. So, since he likes it, I still buy this one for him. He sprays this one all over his body before surfing and it does seem to work well.

Coppertone Sport Continuous Spray 50 SPF

There’s one more spray that I really like because I LOVE the smell of Hawaiian Tropic. It reminds me of being out by the pool with friends as a teenager. Of course, we used the original brown label oil, but I was so happy when I found this Hawaiian Tropic Dry Tanning Oil Spray.

Since this is only a 12 SPF, I only use it on my legs and do reapply more often than I would if it were a higher SPF. I just can’t resist the scent. I can close my eyes and pretend that I’m in Hawaii!

Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Dry Oil 12 SPF

We’ve tested a lot of sunscreens over the past several years and have found these to work the best.

Lastly, please find out if you have a family history of melanoma. Use sunscreen and visit your dermatologist every year. It could save your life.

~LilSis

June 25, 2009

I have the curliest hair in my family.  My 3 sibs all have some wave or curl to their hair, but I got the most by far from our dad, and let me tell you that my school photos revealed what a challenge that was for me! It was brutal!  It literally makes me cringe to remember how I struggled with my hair.  I could show you photos that would scare the daylights out of you, but I’m too vain to do that.  It’s bad enough that my family has seen them.  😀

FrizzyHair by Joseph Robertson on Flickr

When the Chi flat iron came out several years ago, it literally changed my life.  I am SO not exaggerating!  Before that, blow drying my curly thick hair could take close to an hour, and then it was still too poofy!  The Chi gave me smooth, shiny, soft hair, and I’ve never gone back to the curly look.  Curls look good if you have pretty spirally curls without my frizz-o-rama.  My coworker SA has that kind of pretty curl.  Me?  Not so much.

Now I’ve found another product that makes dealing with curly hair a little bit easier.  It’s called No Frizz and comes from a company called Living Proof.  I first saw it on a TV shopping channel…I know, random.  I don’t watch those but landed on this demo while channel-surfing one time, and had to watch the whole thing to see how it came out.  They had a woman with curly hair, and applied No Frizz to half her head, and blow dried each side smooth.  Then, here’s where it gets interesting.  They took a clothes steamer and held it close to her head for several minutes!  The side without product, of course, got frizzy and big and fuzzy.  The side with the No Frizz stayed smooth!  Really?  I had to see for myself.

I ordered the No Frizz from their web site since I wouldn’t have saved any money going through the shopping channel and I got free shipping at the time (shipping is free now on orders of $48 or more).  You towel dry your hair a little, apply a quarter-size dollop and work it through well.  Then style as usual.  I follow the No Frizz with a tiny bit of the Biosilk Smoothing Balm that I usually use before drying.

Living Proof's No Frizz

I found that my hair seemed to resist frizzing even on a really humid day, but the big test was our recent trip to California for LilSis’ birthday.  We went out on the boat, and drove around in the damp wind.  Guess what?  No frizz!  After close to an hour, I got a tiny bit of poof at my front hairline, but it was very minimal.  Ordinarily, in windy sea air, I’d have a giant puffball on top of my head.  If you have curly hair, you know what I mean!

No Frizz is also available at Sephora, I’ve since discovered, which would save the shipping costs but you’d have to pay tax.  There are several different formulas, but the Living Proof web site’s diagnostic tool will help you choose the one that is right for you.  I will tell you that this product is fairly pricey; at least to me.  The 4 ounce bottle I bought was $24, but it has lasted me about 3 months already and I still have some product left.  I shampoo at least every other day.

I would definitely recommend that you curly or frizzy haired girls give this a try!  I use it every shampoo and will repurchase it for sure!

~BigSis

June 24, 2009

After yesterday’s post by BigSis, today I’m finding it hard to talk about eyeshadow, a new skin care product, a new recipe, or even a funny ‘kitty’ photo. And, I’m certainly not going to complain about gaining five (or so) pounds from not being able to exercise. In the big scheme of things, none of that really matters.

The most important thing to me is spending as much time as possible with family and close friends. Isn’t that really what it’s all about? I’m on vacation in Chicago right now visiting the kids, grandkids, and all of SirHoney’s family.

We’ve already had so much fun since we’ve been here. We had the entire extended family together for Father’s Day, spent a great day at the lake on Monday, and then a full day at the pool with Meem and all three little guys yesterday. We are going to take as many pictures as possible to remember this vacation, I wish we have bought a drone to take some sky-high photos of the landscape, it would make our photo albums look amazing! I’ll have to Learn More about what is out there for our next trip.

I don’t think we’ve had a vacation this successful since we went to Lake Travis a few years ago! That was a fantastic holiday with a long list of things to do in Lake Travis such as going out on the boat, ziplining, and many other things the fun never seemed to stop.

Therefore, on this vacation we still have lots of fun stuff planned for the next several days. We’re going to head downtown on Thursday, we have a big family reunion and Bo’s and BigGuy’s birthdays to celebrate on Saturday, a cookout on Sunday, and will head back to California on Monday.

I hope every one’s Summer is off to a great start and that you’re able to spend some time with family over your Summer vacation!

~LilSis

June 23, 2009

The world lost a sweet young woman on Friday.  I don’t really know what to say, other than the fact that I’m so shell-shocked and stunned that I can’t think about anything else.

Since I haven’t asked her family’s permission to talk about this, I’ll call this precious young woman “Joy” because that’s what she was.  Joy wasn’t just a kind, caring, Christian woman.  She was truly leveraging her life for God.  She had an impactful ministry with a few other incredible women, and she had just released her first book.  Joy was speaking to and reaching and touching tens of thousands of people at a time with her story.  In the face of devastating personal loss, she had not crumbled and allowed it to destroy her life, but had clung to her faith and allowed God to use that loss for good.  Joy was making a difference.  In so many ways.  Even though she was so young.

I met Joy through my church at a women’s bible study.  She was one of those people who win you over immediately.  She had a huge smile that seemed to come from her heart, and not just from her teeth; you know what I mean?  She had a warmth about her that drew people to her.  She drew other women to her, and you know how big of a deal that is.

After that bible study ended, I didn’t see Joy again until a few months ago when I saw her in a short segment on the weekend news.  I recognized her right away, since there aren’t too many people around with that smile and that kind of enthusiasm.

I didn’t see Joy or hear of her again until I was flipping through the Sunday paper last weekend, and saw her obituary.  I must have read it a dozen times.  What happened?  How could this be?

I’m just so confused about this.  Like I was last year when one of the worship leaders at my church died suddenly; also a very young woman.  I know that I do not have the capacity to understand God’s ways.  I know that.  But still I try to make sense of things in my own head when heartbreaking losses occur.

What I don’t comprehend is why God would allow someone to get a horrible painful illness when they are living their lives for Him, and are reaching so many other people for Him.  But yet, He lets evil people go on their merry way, la dee dah.   He lets me go on my merry way, for cryin out loud, with all of my sins and shortcomings.  I’m still dealing with some of the same old crap and sin that I’ve been dealing with my whole life.  Why not take me and leave Joy to do His work?  She was doing it, and doing it marvelously.  With passion and spirit.  But she was sidetracked with this illness out of the blue in March, and now she’s gone.  And it’s only June.

I know that Joy is with God now and she isn’t asking questions.  I’m the one with questions.  I’m the one who is so sad for all of Joy’s family and friends, and all of the people who won’t get to hear her speak again.  All of the young women who won’t benefit from her encouragement and her example.

I’m not mad at God, and I honestly don’t question God.  I trust Him and I know that His ways are perfect.  And He knows I don’t mean to be disrespectful; sometimes I’d just like to understand a tiny little bit.  Maybe I’ll ask Him about this when I see Him, or maybe I won’t even think about it because I’ll be too busy worshipping.  Like Joy is right now.

~BigSis