Continue reading »]]> Share the love

You can't leave Maui without a visit to Dan's Green House

Dan’s Green House is one of my favorite stores in Lahaina and is located on 626 Front Street.  If you are a tropical plant and animal enthusiast you will get lost here!  When I think of Maui I always think of Dan’s Green House.  One stop is all you need and you’ll be hooked for life. 

A legend on Maui for 33 years, Dan’s Green House is an experience you will never forget. When you enter, you step into a lush wonderland of fragrant tropical plants and flowers, beautiful exotic birds, and wise miniature piglets who greet you with cherubic little smiles.

My Fuku Bonsai purchased 9 years ago

If you are looking for the perfect memento or gift to take home with you I highly suggest a visit Dan’s Green House.  I always come home with an armload full of plants for gifts. 

Hawaiian plants such as hibiscus, ginger, anthurium, orchids and plumeria are available for purchase.  However, my favorite of all is their Fuku Bonsai Lava Rock plant.  Each plant is grown from seed in a lava rock five years before it is brought to market! They are very easy to take care of if you follow the specific directions on watering and fertilizing.  My first plant lasted 19 years and my second fuku bonsai in going on 10 years.  All plants come with certificates that guarantee they’ve been inspected and can be carried on the plane or can be shipped from the store.

Mahalo for reading!  For more information check out Dan’s Green House website www.dansgreenhouse.com You can order their plants online too!

Continue reading »]]> Share the love

Aloha!  My fellow blogger and tweep, Suzie Salmon, over at Urban Country Style just spent a 10-day vacation to Maui and she had me longing to return.  So much  that I reminisced by going through hundreds of photos I took on my recent trip.

After my first trip to Maui 20 years ago I was hooked.  Since then I’ve been back several times and during each visit I find new places to see, activities to do and new restaurants to eat at.  I admit I do experience sensory overload when first stepping off the plane  and it takes me a few days to actually chill out and focus.  I’m not a lay-around-the-beach-all-day kinda girl, I like to get out and explore! In future blog posts I will share my favorite parts of Maui with you and throw in some tropical recipes.

Located in Upcountry Maui amidst pineapple fields is one of my favorite restaurants called Hali’imaile General Store.  You’ll be sorry if you miss it!

Bev Gannon, owner and celebrity chef, is considered Maui’s favorite chef and has won NUMEROUS awards.  Cuisine is American with Asian overtones.  You’ll see these local and fresh ingredients on the menu… Manapua buns, ginger chili cream slaw,  Thai garlic, wasabi vinaigrette, Maui onions, pineapple chutney, blackened ahi, mango lilikoi butter, coconut seafood curry, Maui Cattle Company rib eye…you get the picture. 

Hali'imaile General Store's dining room

Let me introduce to you what I always order.  Readers, please meet Sashimi Napoleon.  I’m pretty sure if Bev Gannon ever took it off the menu there would be lots of sobbing!  The recipe below is from bev’s blog. If anything please make the dressing and serve it on a soba noodle salad or other Asian inspired dish, it’s crackalicious!

Recipe: Sashimi Napoleon

Ingredients:
¾ pound sashimi-grade tuna
1 bunch radish sprouts
8 shiso leaves
¼ pound smoked salmon, thinly sliced
½ cup sliced pickled ginger, for garnish
1 tablespoon tobiko (flying fish roe), for garnish

Tartare Base:
2 tablespoons good-quality mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Vietnamese garlic-chile sauce
2 tablespoon chopped green onion, white and green parts
2 teaspoons tobiko (flying fish roe)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Crispy Wontons:
18 (3-inch-square) wonton skins
Peanut oil, for frying

Dressing:
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons wasabi paste
2 teaspoons ground toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
Cut ¼ pound of the tuna against the grain into 12 thin slices. Finely chop the other ½ pound for the tartare.
To prepare the tartare base, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Add the chopped fish and stir lightly to combine.
To prepare the crispy wontons, in a saucepan, pour in the oil to a depth of 1 inch and heat to 375 degrees. Add the wonton skins and fry, turning once, for 8 to10 seconds on each side, until light golden brown. Keep the wontons flat by using tongs to uncurl them. Using a wire skimmer, transfer to paper towels to drain. Allow to cool.

To prepare the dressing, in a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.
To assemble, first roll the tuna slices up into rose-shaped bundles. Reserving 2 tablespoons of the radish sprouts, stack in the following order: wonton skin, one-sixth of the tartare mixture, shiso leaf, wonton skin, one-sixth of the smoked salmon, radish sprouts, wonton skin, 2 tuna rolls.
Sprinkle the top of the each napoleon with the reserved radish sprouts. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the dressing around each plate. Garnish with pickled ginger and tobiko.

To serve, cut through the entire stack with a knife, and smash the layers together with a fork to blend the flavors.

Serves 6 as an appetizer

This is what my sister ordered

Mahalo for reading!