The Wedding of Brodie and Mackenzie, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The Hale Koa Hotel 2055 Kalia Road Honolulu, Hawaii 96815 1-800-367-6027 1-800-955-0555 https://www.halekoa.com/ ———————————————————————————– March, 2026 The Drive Up To The Entrance The Unloading Entrance Hale Koa’s 50 Year Anniversary The Lobby The Hotel’s Year Round Tennants ———————————————————————————— Inside The Lobby …
こんばんは
Konbanwa
(Good Evening)

Morimoto Asia Waikiki & Momosan Waikiki
@Alohilani Resort
2490 Kalakaua Ave.
Honolulu, HI. 96815
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Kurisumasu, 2025
(Christmas, 2025)

I knew that we would be visiting Morimoto’s Restaurant in Waikiki while we were there in March, 2026, which is why I did some shopping for myself in 2025 to get me in the mood.

The Saki Set I Bought For Myself, Along With The Purse, And Some Asian Store Japanese Treats


The Outfit I Bought For Myself, Left, And The Shirt I Bought For Gordon, Right.
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At Our Hotel, Me Ready To Go

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

























My Mother of the Groom Luau Muu-Muu —————————————————————————————– Brodie and Mackenzie Request The Pleasure Of Your Company At Their Luau Rehearsal Dinner in Waikiki Thursday, March 5, 2026 Starting at 5:00 p.m. and Ending at 8:00 p.m. (I’m Ready To …
March, 2026 Oahu, Hawai’i Shopping, Eating, and some Sight Seeing We had the pleasure of going back to Hawai’i for a few weeks and had a wonderful time. We stayed on Oahu, the island where we lived for 13 years. …

On February 13th., 2026 I Turned 65

Gordon and I ‘Out and About’ on My Birthday

65 Feels Pretty Good
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When I Turned 60 I Started this Website Page:
Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving?), We’ll See, Right?

(If you would like to read, just click on the link above.)
I didn’t know what 60 would be like? Which is why I started the above website page.
I assumed that I would be blogging about any changes in my body or lifestyle. Perhaps the ‘ups and downs’ of ageing? My intention was that we would explore it together.
I am a very open person. Sometimes to my detriment. But, that is who I am, and I am not going to fight against that.
Now that I am 65, I have been in my 60’s for 5 years now. I have been getting to know the ageing me and I am fine with it.
Yes, I have put on some weight in the middle. That is where my pounds accumulate anyway. They always have.
However, there is just something empowering that comes with ageing that I didn’t know in my 50’s, or 40’s, or 30’s, etc.
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Turning 65

As I like to say, Uglier on the outside, Happier on the inside.
I would not go back if I were given the chance. I feel as if I have reached milestones that are important. As in evolving into the person I am destined to be. I have earned the right to be 65! Ageing is a privilege.
If I could give my younger self a heads up, I would not!
I needed to go through all that I did to get to here. I would not have made it if I did warn my younger self. I have learned that the damage that was done to me by certain people in my life never had anything to do with me. It was their damage they were inflicting on me. I used to regret being nice or kind to certain people. I have however learned that I should never be upset about doing the right thing. They are the ones that should be upset that they took advantage of my kindness, and loyalty.
I don’t know how much time I have left? Oh, as far as I know I am fine where my health is concerned. I am just referring to life in general.
None of us really know the answers to that? I always figured that I would die young. No idea why? I just always thought so. But, before I am gone, I still have many things left that I want to do. I’ll go when I’m ready. I’m stubborn that way. 🙂 But for now, my granddaughter needs me. My daughter and son-in-law need me, my husband needs me, and I need me! 🙂
So, Here Is 65 and Beyond, Finger’s Crossed!
Julie
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BLOG ENTRIES START HERE
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

A co-worker of Gordon’s sent these to us right before we left for Hawaii. He made them. We thought they were funny and wanted to include them in our write up’s of our trip. 🙂 ————————————————————————————— Gordon and Julie, Honolulu, Hawaii, …
I Created A New Website:
Click Here For: VintageJulieBarefootArchives
I gave my Web Designers in India instructions on what I wanted, and they did the most remarkable job of bringing my vision to life.
I could not be happier with it!

My current website: (This one.)
..Was no longer working accurately.
Therefore, I decided to instruct my Web Designers in India, to create a “New” Website in order for me to house some of my “Old” content.
Initially, I didn’t figure in that it would be my Florida Website Pages, but it did evolve into just that.

My First Blog Posting On The New/Old Website

I Debuted This New Site On Brodie’s Birthday, November 29, 2025
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Welcome To VintageJulieBarefootArchives.com
(As Taken From Blog Posting from the new site.)

Brodie Keith Kanakaleo Whann
I decided to create this new website because our live site, www.BarefootInFloridaWithJulie.com, was getting a bit too big.
(Admittedly, I was hoping to get a place in The Guinness Book of World Records as the largest amateur website on the internet known to man. But alas, another dream squashed by reality, or human intervention.)
I thought that if I were to create a new website and move a lot of our old content over, that it would lighten the load to our current live site, and I could make this new website about our Florida Life. So, I specifically chose website pages that were of a Florida nature. We love Florida! My ties to Florida go back to when I was a baby in the 60’s, living in Rome, Georgia with my mother, grand-parents, and great-grandparents. Every summer was spent vacationing in Florida. Also, prior to me being born, it was where my mother and her friends, and their families vacationed as well. I have some really great old photos of my grand-parents, great-grandparents, and great-aunts and uncles wearing their old fashioned swimsuits with their old timey cars parked on the beach. Once upon a time you could do that. Drive onto the beach and park your car. Mostly on the East Coast of Florida, they had the longest stretches of beaches.

I’m the tall one with my cute petite friends. St. Pete left, Daytona right.
I can remember the Florida vacations very well. We would leave Rome in the evening, and drive all night down to Florida. I would be asleep in the backseat, wearing pajamas.. My grand-father would do the driving. If I had to use the bathroom on the way down my grandfather would pull over to the side of the highway, they would open both doors, the front door and the backdoor, and I would take my winky-tink between the two doors. Sometimes, cars would honk as they would drive by. I was always in a panic that someone could see me. My grandmother always assured me that no one can. (She was probably lying.)
St. Petersburg was usually our destination. My grand-father would look for Motels with a VACANCY sign flashing towards the street. He would just drive down what is now Gulf Blvd. looking for a Motel that he thought looked nice. He would then pull into those Motels and inquire within for something suitable for all of us. I can remember that we were always on the ocean side, most of the time there was a pool. I can even remember one place we stayed at where we walked out of our motel room door directly onto the beach. There was so much beach sand outside our door.
I have beautiful memories of many Florida vacations with my grand-parents. My grand-father was one to lay on his back in the ocean, floating, and falling asleep. He was a big man, very tall, with lots of cushion. He floated very easily. I can remember one time he fell asleep and was drifting out to sea, a lifeguard was blowing his whistle trying to wake him up to get him to swim back towards shore.
Most every night we would eat at a seafood restaurant. The restaurant was always located on an ocean front, or a canal front. I have so many great memories of finding little fishies trapped between the rocks by the ocean or canals. I would use a paper cup to capture them and take them back to the motel room with me. I loved having them with me in the motel room. I loved watching them. Sometimes I would set them loose the next day, if they even made it through the night. Upon reflection I wish I had known more about helping them. But I didn’t. I was just a child.
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Hello Rosy Cheeks
I remember this very well. It was at one restaurant that was busy that evening for dinner. There were many people waiting to get seated. My grand-parents and I were sitting at a table in the entryway when suddenly this cute boy sat down right beside my grandmother, he sat across from me, he then looked at me and said with all the confidence in the world, “Hello rosy cheeks.” I was in my early teens. My grandmother instantly adored him! I guess charmers must recognize each other because my grand-mother was a charmer. She then burst out laughing.
This cute, charming boy sat there flirting with me. I knew I could fall for him in a minute! But, I was just too shy to do anything about it. But, I have always remembered that cute boy that made this awkward girl feel special.
Oh, and the rosy cheeks were from my being sunburned that day from staying out too long in the sun, on the beach.
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Florida is not just a great state to vacation in, it holds so many happy memories for me and my family growing up. It makes sense that Gordon and I would settle here and live out our days until we are gone. Hopefully that won’t be for a very long time. But, until then we have a grand-daughter to help raise and make many happy Florida memories for her to take with her in life.
An old timey Motel, a Shuffleboard Court, Sun, Sand, Shells, Beach, Oranges, Orange Juice, Drawbridges, Souvenir Shops, Boat Rides, Seafood Restaurants, Summer Friendships with other Tourists, Salt Water Taffy, Vintage Beach Buckets, Sand Shovels, Flamingoes… and being Barefoot!
This is what I carry with me every day.
Happy Vintage Julie Barefoot Memories,
Julie Barefoot
(Julie Lancaster-Whann)
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Florida is Beautiful and Unique,

Located in the South, yet not Really Southern.

Although Florida is the East Coast, and Canada’s Destination

My Florida Favorites

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Some of Veronica’s Artwork
I asked her if she had some of her art that I could display on the new website. She sent over these. This was all she had in her possession. People do hire her to draw and paint for them. I would love to had seen those paintings, but she did contribute some nice things.

Busch Gardens

I told my guys in India that I wanted an Alligator on the bottom left, and Flamingoes on the bottom right.
I do think the landscaping you see in the graphic above looks like Africa, but then again we do have Busch Gardens here in Florida that is theme based on Africa.
So, I guess it all goes together nicely.
Web Design is a lot of fun but it isn’t really something tangible. I mean, the moment I quit paying the monthly fees, it can all just disappear. Or an experienced hacker can just come along and delete the whole thing forever. As much as I love my website’s they aren’t anything that I can hold in my hand, or place onto a shelf for display, or even own forever. My experience with having websites is that they are very vulnerable to those that know how to penetrate them, and abuse them without any conscious or authority whatsoever.
I guess what I am trying to say is that they are very temporary, so enjoy them while you can.
See You At The Beach!
Julie Barefoot
Currently Under Construction ———————————————————————————— Also Check Out My: Click Here For: Julie’s Jezebel Sauce AND, Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce AND, An Oriental Jezebel AND, An Old Florida Jezebel (Sauce) AND, One HOT Jezebel for …
Welcome to my Summer Italian I created this fun Italian dinner based on the Palms in my backyard. I also knew that I wanted to showcase this fun and delicious dinner on my Palm Leaf Platter. It just looked so Summer to …
Julie’s Lunchbox Take Out My theory is to always take food with you. You never know what you may encounter, and you shouldn’t be at the mercy of having to settle for something you don’t want, or need to eat, just because …
“Izzy, Breakfast! Izzy, Snack! Izzy, Juice! Izzy, Lunch!” Tutu Sometimes breakfast is as quick as fresh Blueberries, String Cheese, Banana Muffin, Celery with Peanut Butter, and Crinkle Cut Carrots ——————————————————— When Isabelle was born and I started becoming her main …
Welcome to Strawberry’s and All Things PINK!

Dried Hibiscus Flowers
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Pink Fudge with Dried Hibiscus Flowers

The Hibiscus Flowers are Sweet and Tangy, Almost like Gummy’s
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I have been eating lots of Strawberry’s this year, and loving all things PINK so I thought I would start a website page depicting those very things. Perhaps this is my hangover from the Barbie movie that came out a few years ago? I still haven’t seen it at this writing, May, 2025. I’m sure I’ll get to it eventually, but you don’t have to love Barbie to appreciate all things PINK!
Each season seems to have it’s favorite food colors. Pink seems to represent Spring and Summer to me.
Pink also tends to taste good! I hope you will think so too. 🙂
Welcome to the Pink Kitchen,
Julie
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Simple Pink Fudge Topped with the Hibiscus Flowers

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Hibiscus Flower Impressions

(Recipe Down Below)
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My Pink Pajama Cocktail

Garnished with Strawberry’s and Enjoyed with some Dried Hibiscus Flowers
(Recipe Down Below)

I LOVE My Pink Pajamas!
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Strawberry, Jalapeno and Tomato Salsa

Eaten and Enjoyed with a Cream Cheese and Jalapeno Salt Spread onto a Toasted Baguette
(Recipe Down Below)
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Recipes Start Here

My craft foam flowers, some special things, along with my vintage Hawaiian Hibiscus plate.
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Pink Fudge with Dried Hibiscus Flowers

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I found these Dried Pink Hibiscus Flowers at Sprouts and knew that I had to try them.
Turns out they are quite good. Almost tastes like a Gummy.

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It was last Christmas, 2024, that I made some really great and easy Fudge.
I came across the recipe in one of my cookbooks. It was so easy! Delicious too!
I grew up in the south and when we would go to the mountains we would always come across these old timey fudge shops. Whether we were in Dahlonega, Georgia, Cherokee, North Carolina, or Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We always bought the sugar-free Peanut Butter Fudge. We would keep in in our rooms in our lodge and snack on it most every night. It was a treat! That is how I view sweets. They are treats.
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Ready to Make My Pink Fudge

Ingredients:
4 Cups White Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/3 Cup La Lechera Dulce de Leche Milk Based Caramel
(I wanted to add this to this recipe. If you can’t find any then just use 1 and 1/3 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk)
2 t. Vanilla Extract
1/2 t. Salt
Drops of Pink Food Coloring
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All of our Ingredients

You will need a casserole dish. I will be doubling the recipe and placing it into this larger casserole dish.

You will need to place a piece of Parchment Paper down into the bottom of the casserole dish.
I used a pen to draw the dimensions and then cut with some scissors. You can see in the photo above that it is in place and ready.
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La Cechera, Dulce de Leche Milk Based Caramel

This is my addition to the recipe. I wanted to add a Caramel flavor to my Fudge.
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Into a Microwave safe dish you want to place the White Chocolate Chips and the Sweetened Condensed Milk, and the Dulce de Leche Caramel.

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Now place into the Microwave for 1 minute, 30 seconds at 70 percent power. (That is important.)
When done remove and stir well.

Now quickly stir in the Vanilla and Salt, along with a few drops of Pink Food Coloring.

Because I doubled the recipe, you can see the first batch in the very top of the photo above, while I repeat the process with this new batch in these photos.

Microwaving the Second Batch

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Both Batches of Fudge Have Been Placed Into This Large Casserole Dish to Cool

Ready To Add My Hibiscus Flowers

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The Fudge Sets Very Quickly
If you want to embed the Hibiscus Flowers into the Fudge you must do so fast.

Beautiful and Delicious!
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My Pink Pajama Cocktail

Garnished with Strawberry’s and Enjoyed with some Dried Hibiscus Flowers

Fresh, Clean Strawberry’s

Ingredients:
1 lb. Frozen Strawberry’s
8 Cups Pink Lemonade
2 Cups Vodka
4-5 Cups Lemon-Lime Soda
Fresh Strawberry’s as a Garnish
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Pretty Glasses, Strawberry’s and Hibiscus Flowers

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Ingredients Ready for the Blender
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The Frozen Strawberry’s

Adding The Frozen Strawberry’s to the Blender

I placed the Frozen Strawberry’s into the Blender, then added the Pink Lemonade, followed by the Vodka, and the Lemon-Lime Soda.

I did slit the Fresh Strawberry’s down the middle to place on each cocktail glass.

Time to Turn on the Blander Until Mixed

Blending Away…..
Pour Into Prepared Glasses

My Pink Pajama Cocktails

My Love of Pajamas
When I am around the house I tend to wear Pajamas even during a week day afternoon, and especially a weekend when I am staying home and not leaving the house. I have never been one to wear “sweats.” To me sweats are sloppy, unattractive and cumbersome. I like something that looks nice, fits my personality, feels comfortable, and looks pretty. I very happily incorporate Pajamas into my daily life whenever I can.
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Strawberry, Jalapeno and Tomato Salsa
Eaten and Enjoyed with a Cream Cheese and Jalapeno Salt Spread onto a Toasted Baguette

Strawberry’s, Grape Tomatoes, Red Onion, Lime Zest and Juice, Jalapeno’s, and Fresh Cilantro
Amounts are up to you!

You first want to wash everything…

On a cutting board you want to start chopping your Strawberry’s into diced sized bites.
Set aside.

As I was slicing the top off of each Strawberry I noticed that they looked like pretty flowers.
I decided to save a few to use as a garnish.
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Now chop the Grape Tomatoes, leaving behind a lot of the Juice and Seeds.
See photo top right. Set them aside.
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Chop the Red Onion into a small dice.
I didn’t use the entire Onion. I did weigh and gage how much I wanted to add to finished mixture.
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Time to chop the Jalapeno’s into a small dice as well. I know that I have a hard time with Jalapeno’s. The fumes really bother me, and whatever I touch on my body after touching the peppers, will make that area hot and uncomfortable. Therefore, it’s a good idea to wear cooking gloves. They help a lot!

Everything is Beautiful and Nicely Chopped

I LOVE all the Colors!
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Time To Combine Everything

You can see in the above photo how the tops of the Strawberry’s look like Flowers…

which is why I wanted to keep some of them as a Garnish.
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Place your chopped items into a medium sized bowl.

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Zest your Limes into the Salsa, then add the Lime Juice. Don’t make it too soggy.
You don’t have to use the Juice of both Limes if you don’t want to.

Mix Together…

Add a Pinch or Two of the Jalapeno Sea Salt
(This stuff is sooooo good! So glad I found it online!)
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Now For The Bread and Cheese

I wanted to have a few options to see which one would be best, the Italian Toasts or the Baguette.
Turns out they were both great and I used both of them.

In one bowl I placed some softened Cream Cheese, and in the other I placed Crumbled Goat Cheese.
I then sprinkled a pinch or two of the Jalapeno Sea Salt. That was all that was needed! So delicious on it’s own.
Set Those Aside

Now It’s Time To Slice and Toast the Baguette

Place onto a Baking Sheet and put into the Oven on Broil. You just want to brown your bread slices.
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This is my new FAVORITE Thing!
Spread some Cream Cheese onto a Toasted Baguette, and then sprinkle some Jalapeno Sea Salt over top.
God is it good!
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With the sliced Baguette toasted, time to add the Crumbled Goat Cheese overtop, sprinkled with some Jalapeno Sea Salt.

Place back into the Oven, 300F just for a few minutes to melt the Cheese a bit.

Ready for the Salsa!
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I think my little Strawberry “Flowers” look nice. 🙂
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I hope your day is filled with Strawberry’s.
Have a very PINK Day!
Julie
(See Down Below For New Content) Hello Happy Barefoot Spring, and Summer in my Backyard And Fall and Winter, but not so much. 🙂 Our Backyard Peach Tree We spend a lot of time outside in our backyard. Gardening, Landscaping, Grilling, …
“I don’t promise to forget the mystery, but I know I’ll have a marvelous time“ Nancy Drew ————————————————————————————– CURRENTLY ON A STAKE OUT, CHECK BACK LATER …
Coming The Year of the Snake ——————————————————————————- Kung Hei Fat Choy (Happy New Year) Channeling Mulan For Breakfast ———————————————————————————– ————————————————————————————————– If you would like to view our …
Dear Dairy… Olive Films (I just liked the logo.) Today I rearranged the cans in the pantry and dusted them off while wearing my new full skirt I sewed last week for the church picnic, and the pearls that my husband …

Let’s Flamingle!
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Busy Standing on one leg…. Currently
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Ambrosia, Pink Grapefruit Sake, and Toasted Coconut 🙂
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Julie’s Pink Flamingo Pasta Salad
(A Rough Draft)

Our Pink Backyard Bromeliad in Bloom
I got the idea that I wanted to make something very Florida, and very Palm Beach. A light lunch kind of thing. Flamingos kept popping into my head. But, not just the Flamingos themselves, but what kinds of foods that Flamingos eat. I knew they ate Shrimp, that is what keeps them nice and PINK. I wanted to know what else they ate so I did my research online and I’ve added some of those Flamingo tasty treats to my Pink Flamingo Pasta Salad.

I hope you will enjoy it, along with some other nice Florida Flamingo Summer Foods as I hope to update this as time goes by.
Barbie Isn’t The Only Thing That’s PINK!

Julie Barefoot
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Our Herb Garden Flamingo

Backyard PINK!
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My Pink Flamingo Pasta Salad

(Recipe Down Below)
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Ready for Delivery to my Loved Ones
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Waving My Magic Whisk 🙂

These Are The Best Crackers From The Asian Supermarket
I Like To Eat Some Sort Of Cracker With a Pasta Salad

It Tastes Better on a Flamingo Plate 🙂 (With Grapes)
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The Flamingo Photo’s I Took at Busch Gardens

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I’ve Always Been One To Stand On One Leg Myself,
Guess I’m Part Flamingo.

Flamingo Habitat at Busch Gardens, Florida
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PINK Hot Chili Pasta

Something HOT For The Florida HEAT

You Can Also Rearrange It Into A Nice Pasta Sandwich

(Recipe Down Below)
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Recipes Start Here
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Julie’s Pink Flamingo Pasta Salad
As with any kind of Pasta Salad, or Salad in general, you can always add as much or as little as you like. It’s all up to personal tastes. You can also omit ingredients that you don’t like, or want in your salads. What I am giving you is a guide in creating something nice for yourself and your family, or any nice Summer Gathering you may host, or be invited to.
I based this on my love of Flamingos and their diet. They eat Shrimp, Seeded Grass, Algae, Fly Larvae, Tiny Briny Crustaceans, and other Plants and Animals that live in shallow waters.
I didn’t add all of the Flamingo diet to my salad, obviously, but I did base it on the foods they do eat.
I Hope That You Will Be Inspired!

Gathering All of My Ingredients
I Did Double My Recipe To Give To Family

Ingredients:
Flamingo Pasta (Kind of a must.)
Red Onion, Chopped
Yellow Chives, Chopped
Flowering Chives, as Garnish
Celery, Chopped
Radishes, Sliced
Daikon Radish, Sliced
Fresh, or Frozen Peas, (Thawed, if frozen.)
Mayonnaise, To Taste
Hot Sauce, To Taste
Wasabi, To Taste
Cocktail Onions
Aji-Miren, To Taste
Shrimp, Already Cooked
Arugula
Pumpkin Seeds
Pink Pickled Ginger
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The Shrimp you see above right, I bought already cooked and ready to eat from the grocery store. It came frozen.
I just needed to thaw them out for my Salad.

The Enoki Mushrooms I didn’t use in this salad.
I did place some around my luncheon bowl to eat with my Pasta Salad though.
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Flowering Chives, Yellow Chives, Daikon Radish, and Radishes
As with any Salad you do need to clean the ingredients. In the photo top left, I have my Flowering Chives and Yellow Chives I purchased from The Asian Supermarket. They have some of the most exotic ingredients you will ever find. The green chives has a flower at the end, I’ll show you how I use those when I put the Salad together. The Yellow Chives add a nice pale color with a slight oniony taste to the Salad.

Vegetables Drying
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With my Vegetables drying, it’s time to boil my Pasta.
Just follow whatever the package directions say on your Pasta you will be using.
When done, drain into a Colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and to cool the Pasta down.

Place the Pasta into a large Mixing Bowl.
Now we start to add the ingredients to the Pasta.
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Eyeball and Taste
(This is what we do from now on.)

I purchased already chopped Red Onion from the grocery store to save a little time.
I’m adding as much as I like, no measurements.

Chopping Celery

Pasta, Red Onion, and Celery

Slicing the Radishes
They add a pepper taste and I love the texture and the pretty pink rings.

A Daikon Radish is ugly on the outside and beautiful on the inside.
Just use a Potato Peeler to remove the outside.
You can see the pretty flower when sliced. I’m saving these to be used as more of a Garnish.

The Peas were already washed and ready so I just added as many as I wanted.

Mixing Together To Judge the Ratios
At some point I also added the Yellow Chives by simply snipping them with a pair of scissors.
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Now Comes The Wet Stuff

I just want to use the Mayonnaise to combine the Salad.
I really don’t like that much as it is usually very rich.

It’s Coming Together Nicely
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This is something of an experiment in deciding which one I liked better.
I did add a few dashes of both.

The Cocktail Onions are to add that Briny Bite that I wanted.

The Wasabi Paste is also to Add Some great HEAT!

Add a Tablespoon or Two of Miren. It adds a Wonderful Sweetness.
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Thawing The Shrimp

This was another shortcut that I took in making this Salad. I bought the Shrimp already prepared, and frozen to be eaten as a Shrimp Cocktail. All I had to do was to thaw them out and drain any excess water. I did have to pat them dry as they were a bit wet from the thawing, and I didn’t want any extra water in my Salad. I did remove their Tails.

Adding The Shrimp
(Be sure to place into the refrigerator to chill before serving, at least a few hours.)
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Ready to Plate My Pasta Salad

A Bed of Arugula

Chilled Overnight

The Pumpkin Seeds are to be Scattered About,
and a Dollop of the Pink Pickled Ginger on Top

I do admit that my Pasta Salad presentation is a bit ‘over the top.’ In my defense, I was feeling very creative and having lots of fun. I guess I’d rather have it be that way, than have it be more presentable to a sophisticated crowd. 🙂

You Can See The Flowering Chives in my Bowl Above,
Kind of Looks Like a Plant
I Hope You Have As Much Fun As I Did!
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PINK Hot Chili Pasta
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It was when I was shopping for my Flamingo Pasta that I came across this online.
Tagliatelle Peperoncino.
It is some Pasta with some HEAT! And I love it!
Also, that little jar of Spicy Chili Onion Crisp is wonderful drizzled on top!

I do admit that I kind of threw this together using what I already had in the Pantry, and the Refrigerator.
I combined the sauces that you see above. I used about a jar, and a half a jar of the other.
I place the sauces into a pot on the stove top and put it on a medium-heat.

That black blob on my sauce is Freshly Ground Black Pepper, I also snipped some Yellow Chives into the sauce as well.

I had some Roasted Garlic in the fridge as well and smooshed about 6 -8 Cloves into my sauce. I want it to simmer away for awhile, until it thickens up. When it starts to boil then I turn the heat down a notch or two. When that setting starts to boil, then I turn it down another notch or two, until finally it is all nice and thick on a low setting. Sometimes this can take up to an hour or longer. Be sure to keep an eye on it, stirring periodically so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.
——————————————————————————

Boiling My Pasta

Just Cook According to Package Directions

Then Drain Pasta into a Colander
Eat Immediately!
——————————————————————————-

The Tagliatelle is Perfect with the Sauce and….

a Drizzle or Two of the Hot Chili Onion Crisp.
——————————————————————————

I also wanted to use the leftovers to make a Pasta Sandwich the next day.

I also had some leftover Bread for this.

I simply sliced it in half and placed it on a baking sheet in the oven to broil until a nice brown….

Like So…

I Heated Up Some of the Pasta in the Sauce until Warm

I Then Started to Assemble My Sandwich

Layering Bread, Arugula, Pasta, Yellow Chives, Green Chives, Basil, and some Leftover Sauce from the Remaining Jar.

It’s O.K. if Some Spills Out! Yum!!!
————————————————————————————-

Be A Flamingo In A Flock of Pigeon’s 🙂
Have a PINK Day!
Julie Barefoot
(Because Nothing Rhymes With Oranges) 🙂 Orange is the New Muffin ——————————————————————————- (I added a few Banana Chips as an accent, above.) I Have Discovered Indian River Citrus, and There is NO Going Back! My Florida Orange Muffins w/ Lemon Citrus Glaze (Recipe …
I Heart Jezebel (Sauce) —————————————————— Julie’s Southern Jeze-Bells Pizza Made With My: Julie’s Georgia Peach Jeze-Bells Sauce Click Here For: Julie’s Jezebel Sauce I have 4 Jezebel’s on the webpage link above. We also have many recipes that you can …

I Love Simple Flowers,
Nothing Stunningly Beautiful, Just Very Pretty and Charming, With Personality

Welcome Summer,
Come On In!
I’ve Missed You, Just Try Not To Be So HOT This Year 🙂
But, If You Do Insist Upon It….
I Have a Few Suggestions For Us All

I have created a nice area here in our backyard. The Shelving Cabinet is anchored to the wall, and has some protection underneath the house eaves. Our son Brodie put it together for us.
I purchased the white shelving unit to use for my gardening as well as an area of the backyard to entertain. I thought it could also make a great Buffet for food.
In Florida, any kind of wooden furniture only has a shelf life here of about 3 – 5 years. Wood always eventually rots here and there is nothing we can do about it. Even Teak will only last so long. What with our heat, humidity, mold, and storms, there is constant cleaning, bleaching and pressure washing. So, we do try and make the best of it while we have it looking good.
I have however, enjoyed the different ideas that we have had for this area over the years. And, I’m sure that in a few years we will be doing something totally different. For example, I think removing that window you see behind me, and replacing it with a door, would be really nice. Then, we could turn the area you see into some sort of nice patio. Well, perhaps someday. But for now, let’s just enjoy what we have.
So, for now, Let The Summer In,
Julie
(I do hope to update as time goes by with new summer entries.)
———————————————————————————–
Julie’s Fruit Cocktails

I had this idea in my head that I wanted to fill our cooler with ice to the very top, and place a few bottles of Bubbly along side a platter of Fruit surrounded by Colorful Flavored Ice Cubes with tongs to fill pretty Pink Wine Glasses with the Ice, Fruit, and Mint Leaves.

The Bubbly is Mango, Peach and Strawberry Moscato
I also have a few other juices, along with some nice round plump juicy grapes.

My idea was to pour the Moscato of your choice into a glass, then add the flavored Ice Cubes, along with some Fruit and Mint. To me, they are now “Fruit Cocktails.”


The Umbrella Offers Some Shade and Cool
I also had a fan blowing on me, which you cannot see.

I have my special plants and flowers around me.
I also wanted some of my pretty flowers in the cooler as well with my Fruit Cocktails.

A Toast To Summer
——————————————————————————-
My Strawberry Moscato,

..with My Tea Sandwiches
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I wanted just a few goodies to eat with the Fruit Cocktails.
A favorite tea sandwich of mine is Pimiento Cheese, and I did use a Carrot Hummus to create another tea sandwich topped with Pimientos.

—————————————————————————————

My Fruits:
Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, and Pomegranate Seeds
Although not pictured above, I do have slices of Limes and Lemons

I Love Adding Flowers to Food in the Summer

I Also Added Some Parsley to my Carrot Hummus Sandwiches
—————————————————————————
I LOVE This Lighting…

It’s just what the camera picked up.
I didn’t do anything but point and shoot.

My Simple Flowers With My Simple Sandwiches

Now You Can See The Lemons and Lime Slices Around The Colorful Ice
———————————————————————————-

———————————————————————————–

Just a Few of the Cooling Cocktail with Fruit

I Do So Love My Beautiful Orchids Here
—————————————————————————

This is How I Want it to Look Year Round

Pretty Plants and Flowers

Strawberry Moscato Shelfie
————————————————————————————
Chinese On The Outside Buffet

Our Pickled Thai Eggplant

I Opened a Jar of My Oriental Jezebel Sauce to Eat With My Egg Rolls, and Potstickers


Also, With My Tea with Limes

Thai Rice With Lime and Herbs

————————————————————————–

I was actually quite proud of my Potstickers.
Usually Gordon is the one that makes them to perfection but I thought mine were pretty good!
——————————————————————————–
Making My Colorful Flavored Ice Cubes

These Flavored Waters are so Delicious! Gordon used to drink them all the time to take with him to work with his lunches, or even when he would be running errands he would grab one from the fridge in the garage to take with him. Which is why I thought of these when I wanted to create some nice flavorful and colorful ice cubes for my drinks, above.

I just poured the many flavorful drinks into the ice cube trays you see above…

I then placed them into the freezer to freeze…

And then I placed them into this refrigerator tray when they were ready.

I kept making them as long as I had the flavored water to add to the ice cube trays.
When Done, I Added Them To The Platter On My Cooler For The Fruit Cocktails.
————————————————————————–

Luckily, this is a Florida Summer, which means we will be around for awhile. 🙂
Julie
————————————————————————————-
Be Sure To Check Out:
Julie Barefoot In The Backyard

————————————————————————————-
Julie In The Kitchen Aloha In Florida (As Always) You can take the family out of Hawaii, but you can’t take the Hawaii out of the family. 🙂 Gordon Making Our Macadamia Nut Mahi-Mahi on Asian Sesame Hash Brown Patties, with …

Aloha, Hawaii

The Haku Lei I Bought For Veronica From Hawaii
(Haku Means Head Lei)

The Beautiful Blossoms of Plumeria and Hibiscus I Purchased Online

The Reed Like Thing You See Above, I Found on Our Ewa Beach and Painted it, It Houses My Lei Needles

1988
Although you can’t see her, Veronica is on my back! 🙂

Macadamia Nut Goodies are Always Loved Here
—————————————————————————–
My Skulpy Ornaments/Tie On’s

I did a lot of craft projects while we were living in Hawaii and working with Skulpy was a favorite of mine. I loved the clay that you could create and mold into anything, then bake into an oven to set. Here are some tie on’s/ornaments that I made. I used rubber stamps on many of them to create the indentations. Then, once baked I would color them in with colorful pens or markers. Always remember to create a hole at the top before baking for a hook or a ribbon to thread through.
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The Kodak Hula Show
Waikiki, Hawaii

The Aunties With Their Ukulele’s

This is Tahitian, not Hawaiian
The very fast dancing that you see here is not native to Hawaii. It is from Tahiti. But, because there are many Polynesians on the islands of Hawaii, you will always see this dancing at Luau’s and other events.
————————————————————-

The Hula Tells a Story
The dancers use their arms and legs to tell a story in a dance. The grass skirts are traditional, but when the missionaries came over to Hawaii they encouraged the people to wear clothing. And, the only clothing they could get the Hawaiian women to wear were big and roomy with very loud prints. Hence, the Muu-muu is born. (My Grammaw’s favorite attire while in Hawaii.) 🙂

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I wanted us to make some special foods for Lei Day, but I wanted to keep the foods with Lei’s in mind.

Macadamia Nut Hummus with Taro Fries

Topped with Toasted Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia Nut Hummus with Chips

Our Hawaiian Haku Lei Muffuletta Sandwich

Looks a Bit Like a Haku Lei, Doesn’t It?

Bok Choy Works Great Here

Sliced and Ready to Eat

Doesn’t It Look Great?
(Recipes Down Below)
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Click Here For: Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce

My Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce Plays an Important Roll in our Sandwich
For the recipe, click on the above link.
—————————————————————————-

Black Lava Salt
————————————————————————–

These are Actually, Pretty Good!
(These pickled items are really delicious and added to our meal.)
——————————————————————————–

Julie and Veronica, our Backyard in Honolulu, Hawaii, 1988
———————————————————————-
February 13, 2024
My 63rd. Birthday


Peanuku and Myself Wearing Our Lilly Pulitzer’s
(The closest thing to Hawaiian attire I can find in Florida.)

Our Hawaii Living Room

Isabelle’s First Taste of Sugar, My Birthday Cake, 2024

Back Home and Enjoying some Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts
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When we were living in Hawaii from 1986-1999, Lei Day was always a fun day. You would see people wearing lei’s all over the islands whether they were at work, school, or just going about their daily lives.
One year, my friend Kathy bought me a lei and presented it to me. We were running errands for our Girl Scout Troop. I was so proud of it. No one had ever given me anything like it before and I loved the gesture! I did have a really hard time with Tuberose. It is extremely pungent and perfumy. It was actually making me a bit sick to have that around my neck but I kept it on all day long. I was not about to hurt the feelings of my friend. Kathy was born and grew up on the Big Island in Kona. She was what the locals called, Hapa-Haole. That meant that she was half Japanese and half Caucasian. Going around the island with her was a different kind of experience. My interaction with the local people was always a bit guarded on their part. But, when I was with Kathy, their guards were dropped and they were so much more accepting of me because I was with her.
I miss Hawaii, I miss Kathy, and I miss Lei Day,
Julie (Kulii)
————————————————————————

Haupia
(Eaten at Most Every Luau)

Usually White in Color Except I Used Coconut Sugar, and not Granulated Sugar
(Recipe Down Below)
————————————————————————–
Giving The Gift of Hawaii For My Birthday
(Gifts for my Children and their Partners from Me.)

Bags of Hawaiian Sea Salt

Plenty of Candied Macadamia Nuts, Various Short Bread Cookies, Many Pancake Mixes, Sea Life Crackers, Hawaiian Mugs, Tropical Stuffed Fish, Macadamia Nut Brittle, Spice Mixes, Hawaiian Coffees, Hawaiian Coffee Candies, and plenty of Hawaiian Tea Towels.

Toffee Macadamia, Chocolate Macadamia, and Sea Life Crackers

More Close Up Pictures of the Goodies

Various Pancake Mixes

Gordon Cooked Ours and They Were Delicious!
(Had we eaten them with a Coconut or Pineapple Syrup, they would have been perfect!)

My Favorite Were The Taro Pancakes

Da Kine! Spice Mix Seasoning
(The purple box behind these spices was a Taro Shortbread Cookie. The best I have ever eaten!)

Love The Tea Towels!
So, exactly why am I giving gifts to others on my birthday? Because I want to!
——————————————————————————
Putting Together the Gift Leis

Veronica and I were Assembling These While Isabelle was in the Chair, above right.

Although what you see above is a jumbled mess, the mess does become more organized as we work on these lei’s.
Gift Lei’s are given in Hawaii at various celebrations. They are perfect for Children’s Birthday’s, or even Graduations, etc.
——————————————————————————–
Gift Lei’s

This is a Macadamia Nut Gift Lei

This is a Candied Chocolate Macadamia Nut Gift Lei

These Gift Lei’s are for Veronica, Brian, Brodie and Mackenzie, to get them into the mood for a trip to HAWAII!!!! 🙂
Snacks, Toys, Masks for the Airplane, Sunscreens, Key Chains, Candy, etc.

The ZERO Bars are for Brian and Gordon. It’s their favorite candy bar.
You can see the Blue/Green colorful face masks for us to wear on the airplane.

You Always Add a Flower to any Gift Lei
———————————————————————

Me, With Baby Veronica at the Waikiki Aquarium
——————————————————————–
Items For Gift Leis, And How To Make Them

Gift Lei’s are fun to assemble. You just need to decide on a theme, or an array of items you wish to use. Here, what I wanted to do was assemble some fun things for a trip to Hawaii! 🙂
The first thing you need is the nylon netting used to create a nice gift lei. You can see the colors in the photo above. Green, Orange, and Red. and Blue. Whether for a child or an adult, you do need to make sure you have enough of the nylon cut to allow for the size of the person, and the items you will be using in the lei’s.

Here I chose Honu’s (Sea Turtles), Candy, Sunscreen, Macadamia Nuts, and various little trinkets.

Here Are The Sunscreens

Here are Some Heart Pins to Add

You Also Need Some Thin Ribbon to Use to Tie Between Each Gift

When you have your lei just as you like it, you will need to tie the nylon together into some sort of square knot. This is difficult because the nylon will then sort of unravel. I use hot glue to make sure it doesn’t unravel, BUT, the hot glue can melt the nylon so I just use enough of it to seal it, and not melt it. I then adhere a nice artificial flower to “hide” the knot.

The Nylon that I used above on these leis was recently purchased by me from online. But, what you see above is the nylon from the lei’s I saved from our time in Hawaii. Ah, memories. 🙂
——————————————————————–
A Honu Lei For Peanuku

I put this gift lei together for my Grand-Daughter.
Veronica has it hanging in her bedroom. It is a lei of many colorful Honu’s, (Sea Turtles).

Peanuku With Her Honu Lei

————————————————————————————-
RECIPES START HERE
———————————————————————
Macadamia Nut Hummus

w/ Roasted Macadamia Nuts and….

Veggie Hawaiian Chips
————————————————————————-

Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts
————————————————————————-
Ingredients:
2 – 6 oz. Jars of Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts – Roast a little more in the oven
4 – 10.5 oz. Cans Chick Peas/Garbanzo Beans – drained and rinsed
~3 Tbsp. Tahini
2 – Garlic Cloves
~2 Tbsp. Pineapple Juice
1 tsp. Hawaiian Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
1 Pineapple Ring
~1/2 to 3/4 Cup Olive Oil
~1/4 Cup Water
The Juice of 1 Lemon
—————————————————————-
Into The Oven

Here I placed the Macadamia Nuts onto a sheet pan and in a 300’F oven for about 10
min. or until they got a little color to them, and/ or I could smell them. Doing this will bring
out their oils and make them just taste a little better.

Here you can see the roasted Macadamia Nuts.
————————————————————————————-

The Chick Peas

I drained them in a colander first…

Then rinse them with cold water to remove that canned taste to them.

Here are the Tahini, and Garlic Cloves

Now, place your Macadamia Nuts into the blender and blend them until most of the
large pieces are gone.

Put some of the Macadamia Nuts aside for the Hummus Topping

Add your rinsed Chick Peas to the blender along with the Tahini.

————————————————————————————-

Now add your Garlic Cloves, Hawaiian Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to
the other ingredients in the blender.

I then added some Pineapple Juice to give it that extra Hawaiian taste.

Here is a great picture of all the ingredients so far.

Now add a Pineapple ring from the can.

Here I am pouring in some nice Olive Oil.

Use a rubber spatula to move the ingredients around and up off the bottom.
I also poured in a little bit of water to make the Hummus creamy.

Blend the ingredients well…

Then blend them some more. It looks good, but how does it taste? Here I felt it needed
the acid of lemon, which is in the original hummus recipe.

Blend in the Lemon Juice well then taste again… I thought it was perfect!
Hope you enjoy this amazing Hawaiian inspired Hummus!

Be Sure to Decant into a Nice Bowl

———————————————————————————

Our Hawaiian Hummus and Taro Fries

Topped With Black Sesame Seeds on the Hummus,
and Black Lava Sea Salt on the Taro Fries
——————————————————————————

Served With Our Hawaiian Muffuletta

Taro Fries

If you go to your local Asian Supermarket, they do sell Taro.
It usually comes in a block which you then cut into, creating the French Fries.

Fill a Cast Iron Pot with Peanut Oil, and when it comes to temperature, add your Taro Fries.

Cook them as you would French Fried Potatoes,

then place onto paper towels to drain, with a sprinkling of Black Lava Sea Salt
————————————————————————————-
Our Hawaiian Haku Lei Muffuletta

Here is the Round Hawaiian Sweet Bread we used to make this great sandwich.

In preparation to make the sandwich, slice the bread by taking off the main part of the
cap as shown. This will allow the sandwich to be thick.

Now remove the inside of the bread leaving about 1 inch around the sides as shown.
This bread is very good so keep it to use for a cheesy dip or quick snack.
——————————————————————————-

Prep your Bok Choy and lettuce by washing them under cold water and setting them on
paper towels to dry.
——————————————————————

Pineapple Rings

Using a large non-stick sauté pan, cook them over medium high heat until slightly browned
on both sides.

We thought a nice Hot Asian styled mustard would go well with this sandwich. Mix the
dry mustard as directed. Taste it so you understand just how hot this mustard is.

We would have loved to have had some sweet Maui Onions, but these Vidalia Onions
will be just as good. Slice them into ¼ inch slices then saute them in a large saute pan
over medium heat.

Add some Olive Oil

Macadamia Nut Oil
Macadamia Nut Oil to keep with the Hawaiian theme.
(We used two different Olive Oil’s here to saute the onions.)

Use a lid to help keep the heat in…

Then to brown them, take the lid off which will evaporate the moisture.
Continue to cook them until they are softened and browned.
—————————————————————————–
Now It’s Time To Build The Sandwich

We also decided to use some of Julie’s Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce as well as some
Eckrich Spicy Pineapple Ham, and Provolone Cheese.

Here you can see all the ingredients are prepped and ready to be made into this great
sandwich. This is called mis en place in culinary terms.

In the front you can see our previously made Macadamia Nut Hummus, which works
great with this sandwich.

————————————————————————-

Start by placing some Hawaiian Jezebel Sauce on the bottom and sides of the bread as
shown.

Then add your Romain Lettuce leaves to the sandwich. These will provide a nice
crunch.

Now lets add some of the Spicy Pineapple Ham slices.

On top of the Ham, add some of the Hot Asian Mustard, then some Provolone Cheese
slices.

Then fill the cavity with your sauteed Pineapple slices…

And top that off with your sauteed Sweet Onions.


Then place some of your Bok Choy leaves around the sandwich basically giving each
slice one Bok Choy.

Looks nice, and we are almost done.

I felt the sandwich needed a little acid, so we found some Enoki Mushroom Pickles.

Add a few dollops of them around the top of the sandwich ensuring each slice will have
some.

Lastly, I spread some on the Macadamia Nut Hummus on the underside of the bread
cap.


Our Hawaiian Muffuletta Sandwich

Looks a Bit Like a Haku Lei, Doesn’t It?

Place the cap on top of the sandwich as shown and slice it into equal portions.
We hope you enjoy this Hawaiian take on the classic Muffuletta sandwich.

Our Hawaiian Muffuletta Sandwich

ONO!!!!

Brok’ Da Mouth!
—————————————————————————-

Haupia
Haupia is a standard at every Luau. It is a classic Hawaiian dessert. It is a coconut pudding.
Most Haupia is White, because of the White Granulated Sugar used to make this dessert.
However, mine is a lovely tan, because I used Coconut Sugar in place of White Granulated Sugar.
I, Julie, am using a classic recipe. The only area where I differed was in using the Coconut Sugar, and topping it with a Chocolate Coconut Candy. I also used a Hawaiian Sea Salt in place of Kosher Salt.
———————————————————————–

Ingredients:
2/3 Cup Sugar (I used Coconut Sugar)
1/4 t. Hawaiian Sea Salt
1/2 Cup Corn Starch
3 Cups Coconut Milk
1 1/3 Cups Whole Milk
——————————————————————-

Golden Coconut Sugar, Hawaiian Sea Salt, and Corn Starch
(Just a few of the ingredients.)

In a Medium Sauce Pan combine the Coconut Sugar, Hawaiian Sea Salt, and Corn Starch.

Next, add the Coconut Milk to the Sauce Pan…

Whisking It In..

On Medium High Heat

You need to continuously whisk the ingredients in the Sauce Pan until they start to simmer.
Once everything starts to simmer you want to turn the heat down to Medium-Low, but continue to whisk, as the mixture starts to thicken, 4-6 minutes.
The mixture will go from liquid to very liquid, before it starts to thicken.
——————————————————————

Pour in the Whole Milk while continuing to whisk. Bring the heat back to Medium and continue to whisk. You want the mixture to the consistency of Glue, and can coat the back of a spoon. Yet another 4-6 minutes.

When thickened, remove from the heat and pour into an 8 or 9 inch Baking Pan.

Let Cool for About 10 – 15 Minutes

Once Cooled, Cover with Saran Wrap and Place into the Refrigerator for About 2 Hours to Set

Veronica With Isabelle

After the Haupia has set, cut into squares and serve.

Here I placed each serving into a cupcake cup, topped with half of a Chocolate Coconut Bar.

This was Isabelle’s first taste of Coconut, and she loved it! 🙂
——————————————————————————————–
Mini Quickie Hawaiian Sliders


This was just a quick sandwich that I, Julie, put together.
The Hawaiian Bread, The Hawaiian Habanero Chips, Salsa, Meat, Mustard, and Cheese…

Simple But Tasty Ingredients, And Just A Nice Lunch

On a Baking Sheet I placed the Hawaiian Bread sliced in Half
I Then Spread Some Mustard Over Both Halves


Next Comes The Meat and Cheese
Bake in a 350F Oven Until Cheese Is Melted and Meat is Warmed

Add Some Pickles and Lettuce…


Enclose and Enjoy!
———————————————————————-
Check Out Our Other Hawaiian Pages:
Click Here For: Whann Way Aloha

AND,
Click Here For: Whann Way Aloha, Hapa Elua (Part 2)

AND,
Click Here For: Blue Hawaiians and Huli Huli Chicken

AND,

AND,

AND,
Click Here For: Weekend Spamin’ Spam Musubi

AND,
Click Here For: Julie’s Lunchbox

AND,
Click Here For: Gordon’s Hawaiian Potatoes and Huli Huli Pork Chops

AND,
Click Here For: Whann’s In Not Always Paradise

AND,
Click Here For: Julie Barefoot Cookies and Beachy Edible Gifts

AND,
Click Here For: Grillin’ With Aloha

AND,
Click Here For: Julie’s Vintage Hawaiian Mango-Mac Nut Bread Cake w/ Pasta Flowers

AND,
Click Here For: Gordon’s Dole Pineapple Outrigger Canoe and Cocktail

AND,
Click Here For: Hawaiian Hum Lum Sun Prunes

AND,

AND,

AND,
Click Here For: A Mother’s Day Aloha

AND,
Click Here For: Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce

AND,
Click Here For: Whann Way Hawaiian Luau

AND,
Click Here For: Hawaiian Popcorn and Moana Maika I’ Loa

AND,
Click Here For: Beachy Hawaiian Thanksgiving Pu Pu’s

AND,
Click Here For: Barefoot Beach Teas

AND,

AND,
Click Here For: Hawaiian Kalikimaka

AND,
Click Here For: Christmas/Kalikimaka Oysters on the Grill

AND,
Click Here For: Tropical Hawaiian Cranberries and our Mele Kalikimaka Me Ka Hauoli Makahiki Hou

—————————————————————————-
The Taco Bell Dogs (They were once gifts with purchase from Taco Bell many years ago. Did I mention I am a hoarder and don’t throw things away?) 🙂 Sometimes Delicious Salsa Comes in Ready Made Sauce Packets. Just Provide the Fresh Tomatoes and …
Kon’nichiwa (Hello) Yokoso Chisana Atsukau (Welcome to Small Treats.) Watashitachi Wa Anata Ni Motarashimasu Oishi Shokumotsu Atsukau (We will bring to you delicious food treats.) To Do Yatte Ni Tsukuru Karera (And, how to make them.) I’m sure that a lot …
———————————————————————— Vintage Cakes From My Vintage Childhood At this writing, 2022, I am 61 and longing for my past childhood of cakes being made from scratch by the loveliest women I have ever known in my life. My Great-Grandmother’s and …
(I love to garden in swim dresses and flip flops.) ————————————————————- So Excited For This Redo ————————————————————— I LOVE MY Herb Garden Previous Version of My Herb Garden (Notice the Air Plants on the Trellis? When I decided to redo …
Pizza: Latin for “to pound, or stamp.”
The Lombardic word bizzo, or pizzo, meaning mouthful. Was brought to Italy by the Lombards in the middle of the 6th. century A.D.
A Pizza consists of a base of dough with a selection of ingredients that vary from taste to taste but mostly include tomatoes, cheese, and meat.

Who doesn’t love pizza?
(Homemade Tomato Sauce, Italian Cheeses, Pepperoni, Artichoke, Mushrooms…)
Actually, I have to admit that the first pizza I ever ate was at the age of 6. I was with my mother and some other people at a restaurant in Rome, Georgia. I didn’t want it. My mother made me eat it. I then went home and threw it up because it made me sick. So, pizza and I hardly have a’ Love at First Bite’ relationship. However, that changed as I grew up and my tastes changed. Now we love each other dearly and will always be a part of each other’s lives.

Pizza is my love story, 🙂
Julie

Sometimes the best dinners are Pizza and a Salad
—————————————————————-
Here are just a few of our favorite Pizza’s and how we make them. We eat these flatbread pizza’s so often that to me it’s not really cooking. It’s more of a creation born out of tasteful cravings that we have every now and then.

Mini Pizza Bites?
Perhaps.
They are grilled Bell Peppers with Mozzarella Cheese, Pesto, and Basil.
Delicious bite sized goodness. 🙂
———————————————————————

To me, Pizza’s are a lot like fingerprints.
They are all the same, yet each one is different.
The above flatbread Naan has Hummus, Mozzarella Cheese, Green Gouda Pesto Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Grape Tomatoes.
————————————————————–
If you would like to check out our more traditional pizza recipes then click right here:

Grab the napkins and dig in!
We will be adding to this page over time.

Julie and Gordon

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My high school homage to my favorite then pizza, Stouffer’s French Bread Pepperoni Pizza.
Actually, still a favorite. And yes, I do eat it with a fork.
——————————————————-
Julie’s Easy Pizza Salad

This was something very easy and delicious that I threw together one night for dinner.
I started out with a frozen pizza and topped it with some Sundried Tomatoes marinated in olive oil, some cheeses that I had in the refrigerator such as Manchego, and a Red Pepper stuffed with Cream Cheese marinated in olive oil. I also put a few spoonfuls of Pesto over the pizza, and as always, a good sprinkling of Garlic Salt.
I then baked it according to the package instructions.

While the pizza was baking I placed some of my artisan lettuce all around a large plate.
When the pizza was done I placed it on top of the circle of lettuce, then strewed it with some Onions and Fresh Basil. Then a drizzle of salad dressing all around. I think this was either a French or Catalina Dressing.
It was DELICIOUS!!!
One of the best things I’ve ever eaten!

Just Another Version
——————————————————————-


One of my favorite store bought pizza’s is from Sprout’s.
This Italian sausage can hit the spot when necessary. 🙂
———————————————————————
Never Underestimate Fresh Herbs Ability to Enhance a Pizza

Even on Those Store Bought

—————————————————————-

You Can Always Try A Fried Egg On A Pizza
———————————————————————-
It is Rare When the Photo of the Pizza on the box…

..Actually Matches the Pizza!
————————————————–
Recipes Start Right Here
————————————————————————–
I don’t know that this is as much of a Grilled Cheese Sandwich as it is a Pizza.

Either way, it is a grouping of various cheeses inserted between two Naan’s and baked in the oven, melting the cheese’s.

It Was Delicious, None The Less 🙂
—————————————————————————

English Muffin Pizzas
Easy: English Muffins, Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Turkey Pepperoni
Bake in a 350F Oven for about 15 minutes.
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OUR PIZZA SANDWICHES

Everything You Want On Top of a Pizza, Except in a Sandwich

(Recipe Down Below)


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Naan and Flatbread

Ideas and Suggestions

To me, Julie, there really aren’t recipes associated with pizzas anymore.
They are more suggestions and ideas.
At this writing in 2022, I am 61 years old and I grew up eating frozen pizzas from the grocery stores that just weren’t that good when I was growing up. It never really occurred to us to add a multitude of toppings or sauces, or even cheeses. I pretty much just added a bit of Garlic Powder to my frozen Cheese Pizza. Sometimes I would add some mushrooms in water from a jar.
The only good pizzas when I was growing up were purchased at a Pizza Hut and then a bit later on, at Dominoes Pizza.
But now things are different. You can buy a delicious frozen pizza at the grocery store and add your own updated toppings to suit your tastes. Or, you can buy some flatbreads or Naan and create your very own unique pizzas for lunch or dinner.

The pizza’s that you see here are mine and Gordon’s.
We used Naan (Bread), Hummus, Various Cheeses, Sundried Tomatoes in Olive Oil, Pesto, and my favorite Pepperoncini stuffed with Cream Cheese in a Spicy Hot Olive Oil.

These are a Favorite of Mine Whether on Pizzas or anywhere!

Our Naan’s! Gordon’s to the left, mine to the right.
Don’t just limit yourselves to Mozzarella. I used a Red Wine Cheddar on mine that I adore! That and some Pesto, and those great stuffed Pepperoncini.
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More of those Excellent Cream Cheese Stuffed Pepperoncini’s Topping my Pizza

I simply took a frozen pizza and added some of my Manchego Cheese, some Pesto, some Cream Cheese Pepperoncini, and then baked it in the oven following the package instructions.

You can see all the lovely olive oil on top of the pizza.
That is wonderful flavor!
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More Naan’s

The secret to making the Naan nice and crusty is to first turn the oven on 400F and when it comes to temperature, place the bottom side up in the oven. Cook for 5 minutes. Then remove from the oven and flip it to the top side and start loading up your toppings.

Before, After
Once you have loaded all of your toppings on to the top, place into the oven for 8 minutes to cook.
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Salad/Herb Pizzas

I love these because they are crunchy, and I love crunchy!
Once cooked, I place my lettuce/herbs on top of my pizzas.
They are just as crunchy the next day for lunch. I don’t even have to heat them up.
I can just eat them right out of the refrigerator.
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Shredded Green Gouda Pesto Cheese

I find that my most favorite of all pizza’s seems to be GREEN!
Green Pesto Gouda Cheese, Green Pesto, and Green Lettuce
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Flatbread Artichoke Pizza

These pizzas we made by using the elongated Flatbreads, Hummus, Cheeses, Marinated Artichokes, Sundried Tomatoes, etc. They were delicious! A sprinkling of Garlic Salt to top it off!
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Our Naan Pesto Pizza’s

I adore a Green Gouda Cheese and Mushroom Pizza with Pesto.
Don’t limit yourself to Mozzarella.
There are so many cheeses that you can use to suit your tastes.

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Also, Toppings are Endless Suggestions!
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NAAN

I told Gordon that I wanted the larger Naan and the medium sized Naan so that we can make pizza’s with them. The larger Naan is great for dinner, but the medium sized Naan is great for lunch.

I wanted to use up the cheeses that we already had, along with some pesto.

The first thing that Gordon did was to turn the oven on 400F and place the Naan in the oven to cook for 5 minutes on the bottom side of the Naan. Now, it is ready for the toppings.

I told Gordon that I wanted a thin layer of my Red Pepper Hummus on the Naan. I then wanted some mozzarella and some grated Pesto Gouda on top.


Followed by a few blobs of Pesto.

Next, some sliced Mushrooms with a drizzle of the Olive Oil from the marinated Sundried Tomatoes.

As well as a few Sundried Tomatoes on my pizza.
Now, it’s time for a sprinkling of Garlic Salt and then placed into the oven for about 8 minutes until done.
Perfection at it’s best!
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Making Naan With Leftovers

Here We Topped the Naan with some Stuffed Peppers and Stuffed Mushrooms.

Always start with the Naan having been baked in a 400F oven for 5 minutes, and then place the Hummus on the top portion of the Naan. This is a Red Pepper Hummus.

Now some Cheeses and Colorful Bell Peppers are Topped, Along with a Cheesy Stuffed Mushroom.
Now Baked. Always use your refrigerator as an inspiration.
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A Cornmeal Pizza

We used two Corn Meal Pizza Crusts here.

They were ready made.
We then added some Pizza Sauce, some Artichoke Piccata Sauce, some Mozzarella Slices…

The Artichoke Piccata Sauce

Getting Ready for the Oven

A 400F Oven to Melt and Cheeses

Some Turkey Pepperoni and Some of our Garden Basil

Perfect! Enjoy!

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Italian Basil Left, Thai Basil Right

And Lots of Pesto!

More Beautiful and Delicious Pizzas
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Italian Grilled Squash Alfredo Sauce Artisan Pizza

Makes 2 Artisan Pizzas
Ingredients:
2 Zucchini – sliced into triangular wedges
2 Yellow Squash – sliced into triangular wedges
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Artisan Flatbread – (Stonefire brand)
1 Cup Creamy Basil Alfredo sauce – (Bertolli brand)
1/2 Cup Red Pepper sauce plus 4 Tbsp. to top the pizza – recipe is found below
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
18 Fresh Mozzarella Balls – (Bel Gioioso brand)
10 Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes – sliced in half
1/4 Cup Sweet Onion – half circle slices
Garlic Salt to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh Herbs to Garnish
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Slice your Zucchini into 2 inch rounds, then slice those on a bias as shown to make triangles. Do the same with the Yellow Squash.

Julie wanted the pizza to look 3-D. 🙂

Pictured are the Artisan Naan, Heirloom tomatoes, and Mozzarella Cheese we used for this recipe.

In a mixing bowl toss the cut squash with salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Grill the Zucchini and Yellow Squash on your grill. Here I used a wire rack used to cool bread and cookies, so the squash wouldn’t fall through the grill grates. Grill them for about 8 min. on each side over medium high heat.

Place your Naan into a 400’F oven bubble side (Top) down for 5 min.

When done, place them top side up on a baking sheet.

Place some foil under the Naan slices as shown.

Using a large spoon, spread the Creamy Basil Alfredo in a thin layer over both Naan up to the edges.

With another spoon, spread the Red Pepper sauce in a zig-zag pattern.
(This Roasted Red Pepper Sauce recipe is listed below this one.)

Top the Alfredo Sauce and Red Pepper Dip with a thin layer of shredded Mozzarella.

Now, evenly disperse your Zucchini and Yellow Squash over the Naan, about 8 slices per Naan.

Now, evenly distribute the heirloom tomatoes and Mozzarella balls.

Place some of your onion slices evenly over the toppings then top with some more of the Red Pepper sauce.

Lastly, top with a sprinkling of garlic salt. Bake in a 400’F oven for 8 min. or more you melt the cheese. If you like, you could broil the Naan pizza after it has baked to get a little char on the onions.

DELIZIOSA!
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Sausage, the Afterthought

I knew we forgot a main ingredient when we were making the pizzas from above, and here it is….

….better late than never. It made it to the leftovers.
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Roasted Red Pepper Spread/Dip/Sauce
This is an excellent dip for pita chips, or a spread for crackers, or as a dipping sauce for shrimp. Also great eaten with our fresh veggie bar.
This recipe makes a little over 2 cups.
Ingredients:
15 oz. jar of Roasted Red Bell Peppers, drained
¾ Tbsp Cumin
½ Tbsp Turmeric (To help fight off Cancer)
½ Tbsp Smoked or Regular Paprika
½ Med. Onion chopped, (Red Onion would also add to the color)
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
3 to 4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
3 Tbsp Plain Greek Yogurt
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 packages 8 oz. light or reg. Cream Cheese (softened)
In a blender first mix all the ingredients except the cream cheese until just combined. Then add the cream cheese and blend until smooth.
When done top with a sprinkling of paprika or chopped scallions!
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Getting out all of my ingredients and allowing my Cream Cheese to come to room temperature.

Placing My Ingredients Into a Blender

Onion, and Lemon

Everything Into the Blender, Now Puree Until Smooth

Place Into Dipping Containers and Refrigerate

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OUR PIZZA SANDWICHES

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I, Julie, am the one that came up with this idea. I just wanted a pizza in the form of a sandwich so we set about creating these. They are delicious! Especially with the cheesy crusty bread and our fresh herbs from our garden. In doing the write-up both Gordon and myself are wanting this again very soon.
Hope you enjoy!
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Write up by Gordon:

Ingredients:
1 Loaf English Muffin Bread – Garlic Bread is also a good choice, Sliced
12 Slices Capicola Ham
12 Slices Pepperoni
1 Jar (Classico) Pizza Sauce
1 1/2 Cups Grated Mozzarella Cheese
Butter as needed
1 Lb. Pre-sliced Mozzarella Cheese Log
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
4 Basil Leaves – 2 per sandwich
Garlic Salt to taste
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Slice your bread to ~3/4 inch thickness using a bread knife.

Using a large pan, cook your Capicola Ham slices over medium heat. No oil is necessary to cook them.

When browned on one side, flip and cook until browned on the other side. Place them on a paper towel when done to absorb any excess fat.

Do the same with the Pepperoni slices as shown.

Place them on a paper towel when done. Here you can see all the fat the paper towels absorb.

Pour your Pizza Sauce into a small pot…

and turn to medium heat.

Using a clean large pan that has been heated to medium heat, place 1 Tbsp. of butter and 1/4 Cup grated Mozzarella Cheese into the pan, then place a slice of bread on top of the cheese

Cook the cheese for a minute or so until the cheese browns as shown. When done add some more butter to the pan and turn the bread over and brown the other side for about 3 minutes.

For the middle section of bread of the sandwich, simply add some butter and cook on both sides until browned.

For the bottom section of the sandwich, add more butter to the pan, then add your grated Mozzarella Cheese as before.

Then top with a slice of bread and cook until browned as shown.

Place your bread slices on a sheet pan lined with non-stick foil, with first slice having the cheese side down.

To assemble the sandwiches, place a dollop of Pizza Sauce on the non-cheese side of the top piece of bread, then top some sauce on the middle slice. Spread the Pizza Sauce evenly over the bread as shown.

Add a few slices of the Mozzarella over the first slice of bread.

Then add 4 slices of your Pepperoni on top of the sliced Mozzarella.

Now place your middle slice of bread on top of the Pepperoni, then add some more sliced Mozzarella and 4 slices of Capicola Ham as shown.

Add more sauce to the top of the Capicola slices then add some dried Oregano to taste. Now add your fresh Basil leaves to the Pizza Sauce.

Place the top slice of bread with the melted Mozzarella Cheese on top of sandwich. Add some Garlic Salt to taste, to the top of the sandwich.

Bake the sandwiches at 350’F for about 10 minutes or until the sliced Mozzarella inside the sandwich melts.

We hope you enjoy these Pizza inspired sandwiches as much as we did!
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Next Day Leftovers….

…With Some Potato Sticks
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The Leftovers Pizza Naan

We Created This Simply By Using Up Our Leftovers
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Ingredients We Used:
Naan
Leftover Shrimp
Roasted Garlic
Goat Cheese
Purple Moon Cheese (A Favorite!)
Pesto
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Some of This was Take-Out

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Gordon Toasting the Naan

This is a step that we do that most people don’t. We will toast our Naan on both sides for just a few minutes in a 350F oven.
It will just crisp it up a bit before you place your toppings.

Now that the Naan is nice and warm, Gordon is grating our Purple Moon Cheese on top.

In the back above, Gordon has smooshed some of the Roasted Garlic and is spreading it on the Naan.

He is now placing Goat Cheese on the Naan in the back, top.
Naan in the front have dollops of Pesto.

Place the Naan back into the oven with the Shrimp Toppings, just to warm them through and melt the Cheeses.

I Always Top Mine With Some Sort of Lettuce
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An Easy Tandoori Flatbread Pizza

My Very Simple Ingredients:
Tandoori Flatbread
Jarred Pizza Sauce
Marinated Pearl Mozzarella Balls
Red Grape Tomatoes
Garlic Salt
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Tandoori also makes an excellent Pizza. We do like to toast our bread before we add the toppings.
Just a few minutes on each side in a 350F oven.

Slicing My Tomatoes in Half

I LOVE these Marinated Mozzarella Balls!
They are marinated in Olive Oil with some lovely Herbs and Spices, adding more flavor to your Pizza.

With My Tandoori Ready….

I’ve Added Them to a Foil Lined Baking Sheet
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We love this Garlic Salt and add it to many of our Pizza creations.
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With My Pizza Sauce, Marinated Mozzarella Balls, Grape Tomatoes and Garlic Salt…
I Baked it in the 350F oven for about 10 minutes. But, it is up to you to decide how well done you prefer yours.

Don’t forget the Lettuce!
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We hope that you enjoy some of our Pizza recipes and ideas. Some of them are very easy and simple. But, it may not be something that you had thought of previously, that perhaps just might make you think of creating something similar that you hadn’t considered before.
Pizza, Pizza,
Julie and Gordon
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