May Day Is Coming!

Ahh . . . the season of long awaited flowers! May Day is traditionally celebrated with giving flowers. I remember as a kid leaving flowers on a neighbor’s doorstep, or giving a paper basket filled with flowers to my mom.

In Hawaii, May Day is Lei Day. Click on the date to check out my September 23, 2010 posting to learn more about this celebration. Also, to learn more about leis, click on this date and check out my posting on October 14, 2010.

I hope this May will be filled with flowers in the Pacific NW, as well as in your area of the world. But, I can’t help closing my eyes and picturing as well as smelling the colorful tropical flowers of Hawaii.

Don't forget--Monday is another great recipe!

Here’s to May flowers everywhere!

Mahalo for visiting!

Cheryl

www.cheryllinnmartin.com

Loco Moco!

It’s recipe time again—yay!!

I know, I know—I’ve been delinquent in this area, so I’m giving you one today and another next Monday, okay?

This recipe is a popular breakfast served in many restaurants in Hawaii. Loco Moco was created at a restaurant in Hilo, Hawaii in 1949 when a group of guys asked for a cheap morning meal. The name came from the fact the breakfast was so crazy (loco) . . . and moco turned it into a cool rhyme!

You can serve loco moco for lunch or dinner as well as breakfast, so I made it for dinner. My family loved it and it is very filling. You can serve it with a sausage patty, ham, or bacon if you prefer. My guys thought it would be even better with sausage, so next time that’s what we’ll try!

Serve loco moco in a bowl. Start with rice, then a hamburger patty (or another meat you might prefer--bacon, ham, sausage patty). Cover with gravy (I used a brown gravy mix to make mine) and add a fried egg on top. Green onions as a garnish is a great crown to the amazing meal, but I also added some chopped tomatoes. Yummy! Yummy!

Easy Peasy! Hope you enjoy. And don’t forget to come back on Thursday, and then again on Monday for a second easy recipe.

Mahalo for visiting!

Cheryl

www.cheryllinnmartin.com

Ka la I ala hou ai ka Haku!

Easter is coming this Sunday and I thought you might be interested in how to say Happy Easter in Hawaiian. The literal translation is “The day of the rising of the Lord.”

Easter is what Christianity is all about. Jesus rose from the dead—the ultimate fulfillment of every prophecy abut Jesus.

So, how do you celebrate the occasion? I go to church and have a big dinner with family. When my kids were little we’d color eggs, do Easter egg hunts, eat tons of great food at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, and enjoy all the treats the bunny would leave. Kids and families in Hawaii celebrate in the same way.

There are train rides, parades, and lots of egg hunts, from Honolulu (on Oahu) to Hilo (on the big island of Hawaii.)

If you’d like more information on Easter Events in Hawaii, check out this site:

http://www.easteregghuntsandevents.org/HI_Easter.php

Hope you will celebrate the risen Lord with family and friends this Easter.

Mahalo for visiting!

Cheryl

www.cheryllinnmartin.com

It’s a Girl???

A week ago I talked about my love of Hawaii Five-O, both the old TV show and the new one.

There are many differences between the old and new versions, but one of the most shocking was Kono. He (from the old show) was re-created as a girl in the new one! Now, that’s just crazy, right?

Take a look for yourself and see what you think. That Asian girl has some amazing spunk, not to mention smarts. And, wow, is she gutsy! I remember one episode where she flung her body through the air and nailed the bad guy smack on the ground. Ouch! Bet that hurt.

She also possesses great assertive qualities—like the time she got in someone’s face who threatened to report her. She explained that some people have a problem with spelling her last name. Then she spelled it out slow and strong, two letters at a time. That’s K A - L A - K A - U A. You go, girl!

Here’s a link to more info on Kono as well as the show.

http://www.tvfanatic.com/characters/kono-kalakaua/

See you on Thursday! Plus, if you've been waiting for recipes, join me on the next two Mondays for two new recipes--easy ones and yummy too!


Mahalo for visiting!

Cheryl

www.cheryllinnmartin.com

Who's Hawaiian??

A friend of mine shared with me the other day something about the history of Kalama, Washington.

Because so much of our state is named after Native American tribes, it’s natural to assume Kalama was also named after Native Americans. But the fur trader, John Kalama, who came to the area in the mid 1800’s was of Hawaiian descent and traveled from the islands.

He married a native local, and there were other Hawaiians who came for the fur trade and did the same as John Kalama. It has been said there are many people in the area and up and down the Pacific NW coast who are unaware of their Hawaiian heritage.

I found this information fascinating, and am going to research more about the Pacific Northwest connections to the islands. So, look for more interesting posts to come. I’d love to know if there are Hawaiian connections where you live. Leave a comment and I’ll do a future post!

To see a short video on John Kalama and his family, click on this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDVH-DVxukU

Mahalo for visiting!

Cheryl

www.cheryllinnmartin.com

Book ‘Em, Danno!

Sound familiar? The phrase was spoken by Steve McGarrett to Danny Williams on the 1970’s TV series, Hawaii Five-O. Anyone remember those days or the show?

When I lived in Honolulu, my friends and I used to wish we could somehow get on the show. I had one friend who would tell his family and friends, “Be sure to watch Hawaii Five-O this week—and pay attention!” How mean was that?

Guess what? Two people I knew actually were on the show (but not any of my UH friends.) I’ve seen them on re-runs, but I haven’t found any re-runs on TV in recent years. Maybe I should start a campaign to bring them back.

What I do watch now is the re-make of the show. It’s on tonight (Monday) and I would encourage you to watch it. At first I was a little disappointed the characters were not at all who and what they were in the original, even though they had the same names. But the show has grown on me. I’m loving the characters, (especially Danny,) the scenery, and the stories.

I plan to give you updates on my favorite (or not so favorite) things from the series in weeks to come. Watch and let me know your thoughts.


For more information and to see a list and re-cap of episodes, visit this site:


http://www.tvfanatic.com/shows/hawaii-five-0/episodes/


And you can see a full episode and many clips at Hulu (type in Hawaii Five-O into the search box.)


http://www.hulu.com/tv

Mahalo for visiting!

Cheryl

www.cheryllinnmartin.com

Ukuleles Undercover!

Finally!! I have posted the teaser for my third book in The Hawaiian Island Detective Club Series, Ukuleles Undercover.

Check out my Web Site and read a little about the new mystery facing Leilani, Maile, Sam, and Kimo.

Kimo is the big ukulele player in the Akamai family. The instrument he plays is called a Soprano Ukulele. It’s very small and pretty easy to learn.

There are four basic types of ukuleles: Soprano, Concert (also called Alto,) Tenor, and Baritone.

As a general description, the Concert Uke is larger than the Soprano with a fuller tone. The Tenor is larger yet and can have different numbers of strings (4, 6, or 8.) The Baritone is the largest and can be tuned like a guitar.

There are other unique ukuleles such as the Pineapple and Fluke Ukuleles.

For more detailed information and photos, check out this web site:

http://www.easyukulele.com/types-of-ukuleles.html

Don’t forget to read a snippet about Ukuleles Undercover by visiting my web site (link below.)

Mahalo for visiting!

Cheryl

www.cheryllinnmartin.com

April Showers

Ahh . . . the season of rain is upon us here in the Pacific Northwest before the arrival of the long awaited flowers.

I’m hoping this spring’s rain will be short-lived—unlike last spring. We actually had rain and cold well into June. Our summer consisted of two days of ninety-plus degree weather, then back to cool weather. Not the greatest summer and a really crummy spring!

Then there’s Hawaiian rain. I’ve mentioned this before, but it rains nearly every day in the islands. That’s how it stays so green and lush. But those rains are usually very short-lived and warm. Heavier, longer rains generally fall during the night.

I sure wish Washington and Oregon would learn a lesson about rainfall from Hawaii!

Here’s looking forward to May flowers.

Mahalo for visiting!

Cheryl

www.cheryllinnmartin.com