Where Have the Days Gone?

Wow... I just looked back and saw it's been over 10 days since I last published a post and it seems like only yesterday. I leave to go back to the east coast three weeks from Tuesday and a lot of my attention has been focused on preparations for my trip: getting a new collection out the door (the group is called Beadwork), settling a few outstanding pieces of business (the sorbet being one of them), making sure bills are paid and/or are on auto pay, trying hard to remember what the weather is like back there this time of year, making sure the plants will be watered and the house looked after in my absence... you know, all the minutia associated with taking a trip.

I haven't blogged about design in a while... that's because most of what I have is in the developmental stages (new art completed and submitted to Michael Miller Fabrics this past Monday (Beadwork), awaiting strike offs for the group submitted about a month ago (called Generation Hex), recoloring some designs on fabric for the next release in early Fall) and it isn't a good idea to reveal the unfinished designs too prematurely, so there hasn't been much to show. I am working on samples for a class I'll be teaching in PA at The Airport Sewing Center the weekend of June 30th... it's my friend Sue's new shop (Sue of the amazing digitized machine embroideries I have shown previously.) Some samples are completed, most are works in progress, and as it has been raining pretty much constantly over the past few days (go figure... and we started the dry season on the 21st) I haven't had the opportunity to go outside and photograph the samples amongst the natural surroundings of the property. Also, I'm waiting for the dust to settle in the aftermath of Quilt Market in Kansas City, so I don't have any info regarding the trends and successes of what happened at the show (I'm crossing my fingers the reintroduction of Mirror Ball Dot was one of them!)

Now, as I am sure you have become accustomed to, there are quite a few "entries" in the cooking category...

Fresh New Zealand Clams in Shock Top Lemon Shady Beer with Maui Onions, Scallions, Cherry Tomatoes, fresh Ginger and Butter;
Focaccia Garlic Toasts; Lemon Wedge and Buddha's Hand Flower

Grilled Top Sirloin Steak, Baby Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms in Ginger-Lemon-Soy Butter with Charred Cherry Tomatoes

Oven Fries with Sour Cream and Scallion Mayo

Hawai'ian Kiawe Smoked Sea Salt, Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Roasted Beets with Fresh Lemongrass and Tangerine Peel

Tuna Hoagie: Grilled Tuna, Cole Slaw, Roasted Red Pepper, 

Kalamata Olive Mayonnaise, Toasted Komoda's Bakery Roll 

 Live Abalone as seen from the under side (above) and from the top (below)

 Fresh Ehu (Short-Tail Red Snapped) caught that morning off the shores of Maui. The fishmonger was filleting the fish as I stood there and waited at Whole Foods.

 The completed meal:
Grilled Ehu Fillet with Ginger-Soy-Lemon Butter on a bed of Steamed Beet Greens, Grilled Abalone; Scallion, Hayden Mango and Black Sesame Seed Finish, Fresh Lychee Garnish

Coconut Sushi Rice, Hayden Mango, Black Sesame Seeds; Lychee and (peeled) Mangosteen 

The cleaned shell of the abalone after the mollusk had been removed, cleaned, rinsed and prepared for grilling 

A bowl of fresh Lychees and Mangosteen 

Wild Tomatoes in my garden ripening on the vine

* And just a note on my cooking: Some have said that what I do is extremely decadent... in a sense it is, at least in the preparation, creativity and presentation. But I do "cut corners" when I cook... meaning, for example, the oven fries. This was an Idaho potato that had been parboiled, cut in batons, misted with olive oil and baked in the toaster oven. The sauce is reduced-fat (Whole Foods) mayo, fat-free sour cream, scallions and seasonings. The butter in the Ginger-Soy-Lemon Butter is actually I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. The beets again misted with olive oil and tossed with the lemongrass and tangerine peel and roasted in the toaster oven, garnished with more lemongrass and tangerine peel. So enjoy the pics because looks can be very deceiving!

Aloha!

Has it been THAT long?

And the answer is? Yes, no, and maybe.


So, what's been happening? More pictures than words, anyway...


Making samples for a class I am teaching at the Airpot Sewing Center on June 30th. Finishing up four-dozen bucket hats for Designing Wahine in Makawao. Revised SHAG (yet again!) Coming to conclusions regarding the manufacture and distribution of my sorbet(s). Answered an email that I didn't read properly, and I am sure the reply was viewed as being quite bizarre. Hopefully going to finish the new group I am designing for Fall quilt market in Houston. Getting ready for my trip east mid-June... hopefully going to go and see DARK SHADOWS this week... and the list goes on. 


I'm not attending Spring market in KC this weekend - staying here and holding down the fort, so to speak, but I'll relay anything interesting as it happens - specifically the reaction to the next group of colors for Mirror Ball Dot!


Best,


Mark

 You looking at me? Are YOU looking at me?

 You lift your right leg up...

 Chocolate-Kona Coffee Ice Cream, Burnt Sugar and Cinnamon Ice Cream

Homemade Chocolate Sauce

Small Apple Bananas

A squash gifted to my by my friends Megan and Mikel - I wonder what it will end up cooking up as...

A lovely evening about a week ago - these photo do NOT do it justice!

 The first pineapple from the property - wasn't the sweetest but it was the best as it was our own!

 The four-dozen children's bucket hats tagged and ready to be delivered 

to Designing Wahine, Makawao, Maui, HI.

 Buddha's Hand update - the flowers - all almost ready to burst and again, the fruit is the center of the flower - as they say here in Hawai'ian pigeon - the flowers are choke (many)

My Week

How do you define wonderful, extraordinary and incredible? I'm sure for each of us there are a multitude of words one would use to describe these individual ideas... or are they simply defined by the experience themselves?

For me, as far as my week was concerned, it would be the latter. I cannot put into words what would properly express that which I would like to convey...

Okay, I lied. I could. But I think as much as I shall convey the meaning of my week, it most certainly will be something that is going to be a part of me for a lifetime, in memory and experience.

To recap (and put into words):

The anticipation of my meeting with the Maui Food Tech Center at first filled me with trepidation and then ended with being incredibly refreshing. It's been a while since I ventured into new territory and this time it wasn't and new hobby, or an off shoot of something I was currently pursuing, but this is something that could possibly alter my life, and for that reason I was a bit anxious and, prior to the meeting, couldn't focus on anything more than cleaning and doing a bit of filing.

So, you think you want to get into the food business, eh? Do ya? YEAH I DO! A lot to consider, but if taken in stride, with the focus and attention it requires to get all the information and necessary licenses, permits, approvals, contacts, batches of sorbet and gumption it takes to make the prospect of marketing and selling my product to retail establishments and venues on the island   happen - I sure as hell will try my hardest to give it everything needed to, at the very least, try and make it concrete. With the added dose of reality check to make sure I don't run pell mell into it, of course.

The sample sale / garage sale was a success on all levels. Connecting with friends and securing relationships, check! New direction and approval on a new design collection, check! Making the proper contacts by being in the right place at the right time check! That week, a few weeks ago, where nothing seemed to go right is just a (laughable) memory now. Am I ready to rumble? CHECK!

Am I rambling? Check! So now, I'll allow images so hopefully express the unspoken portion of my life:

Three images from the jewelry and fabric sale this past weekend:

Keri's beautiful batiks and hand-dyed embroidery floss (with Keri's arm on the left)

Penny's display of miniature Hawaiian Shirts and hangings with her elaborate wire trees and earrings

My new bestest friend Dina having her coffee before the rush of shoppers at the sale (she had earrings and braided bracelets - like the ones on her wrist - and necklaces)

Progress Report

Pineapple

Buddha's Hand: Look at all the the blossoms!

Nasturtium Flowers from the garden which usually end up as garnish on my plates

Cherry tomatoes from wild tomato seeds

FOOD

Braised Baby Bok Choy

Dry Fried Noodles with Sizzled Garlic

Raw, Unhulled Sesame Seed Crusted Steelhead Salmon Fillet, Spicy Mayo

Grilled Artichoke with Shrimp Butter-Whole Grain Breadcrumbs

 Grilled Rosemary-and-Mint marinated Lamb Chops

Spice Rubbed Wild Marlin Fillet, Roasted Tomato Bread-and-Butter Pickle Tartar Sauce

Ratatouille

Cornbread Stuffing 

Previous Post 11 Days Thence

It's been a week and a half since I last posted, and I dislike it when I know I have done much since that time yet cannot seem to break it down into individual moments. It's all a great big blur.

The sun has just set behind a low-lying layer of clouds and the West Maui mountains. The sky is turning shades of coral, purple, lavender and steel blue-grey. It's the prefect time to write on the computer as it's just dark enough that there's no glare, yet still light enough to move about without any lights on.

Follow up to the Maui Ag Fest food competition is that I get two hours of consultation with a food specialist who'll go over the basics of what it takes to bring my sorbet to the marketplace. We're already planning on a couple of tastings at local retail establishments, with the hopes that the buyers might pick up my product and carry it in the frozen food section of their stores. I'm also coming up with a few flavors to introduce with the Mai Tai sorbet, and those fortunate enough to be coerced into being my guinea pigs will be eating a lot of ice cream and sorbet over the next few weeks. 

A new collection for Michael Miller has been approved, so there's new fabric in work, and I hope to soon be approving and merchandising the collections "Tiki-tini Lounge" and "North Shore" for the July release. As soon as I can, I'll be previewing them!

 A few images taken over the last week and a half, starting with the full moon Easter Sunday

 Free-range brown eggs; too nice in their natural shades not to show them hard-boiled before becoming an appetizer...

The lovely eggs turned into a tray of deviled eggs topped with furikake (dried seaweed, sesame seeds, bonito flakes and seasonings) with heirloom cherry tomatoes from Hana

 Wild raspberries from the garden; they have very tiny seeds and are fragrant - almost like jasmine - in flavor as opposed to berry-tart

 Pineapple up-date: about 8" from stem to top of the crown

Buddah's Hand: obviously loving it outside in the back where it's going to get full sun for most of the day now that the sun is tilting for the summer months

Aloha!

This week was a bit less demanding design-wise. I finally completed the "Never-Ending" pattern, and started and completed a second by the end of Friday evening. Two designs in under three weeks... I supposed that's a good average... Right? I would have to say yes... ONLY because with each new design I start and complete, it is accomplished with more learning and less trial and error of how to use, manipulate and design in Photoshop.

Other than that, it was a quiet week - and most certainly a quick one (you know what they say: Time flies when we're having fun, and I'm certainly having fun!)

I saw the hen and her chicks foraging in the back yard a couple of days ago - cute as can be except that I only counted five scuttling behind here and I know the first time I spotted the clan, there were a lot more peepers behind her... :(   There are two cats that patrol the property and keep it pest and rodent free - I'm not saying it was Sebastian or Ariel but anything is possible I suppose. I hope not but I guess it's all just part of life and natural selection.

A few weeks ago I put the Buddah's Hand out back on the patio with the Kaffir Lime, Starfruit and Banana trees, and yesterday I noticed it's getting some new buds... hopefully after almost two months in Haiku it has climatized itself to my location and the new flowers will produce fruits that will hang on and mature.

Pineapple week #5 - Is it ready yet? 

~  ~  ~

A cute little guy (miniature horse) at the Haiku Ho'olaule'a & Flower Festival 03/31/12

~  ~  ~

"Pencil Grass" Asparagus grown in Makawao, washed, trimmed and oiled for the grill 

Hibachi Grilled Lobster Tail with Dried Black Mission Fig Bar-B-Que Sauce

Grilled Upcountry Asparagus

Red Winter Wheat Berries, Caramelized Maui Onions, Baby Shiitake Mushroom Caps, Toasted Walnuts

Grilled Steelhead Salmon, Hawaiian Honey Teriyaki Glaze, Slivered Scallion FInish

Japanese Eggplant in Sweet-and-Spicy Garlic Sauce, Unhulled and Black Sesame Seeds, Red Pepper Flakes

Fried Rice of Wild and Brown Rice and Mixed Legumes, Fresh Garden Veggies

Hope you had a great weekend! 

Mark

First Day of Spring

Happy First Day of Spring!


So, one advantage to living in Hawai'i is that I am 6 hours behind the East coast and 3 hours behind the West, so technically although most of you won't read this until tomorrow, I did post this to make it on the First Day of Spring.


As I mentioned in a previous post, I am working on a new design, and it's just one of those things that one can never anticipate the amount of time it will take to complete a project. I started designing the essential parts in Photoshop a week ago Monday, and although I've really only worked diligently on it during "working hours", I did put in some time this weekend. And even before I could dare to consider proceeding too far, I had to check the design with the printing mill engraving technician to make sure that would be able to print the design on fabric... (and I was told yes!) Hmmm... why do I complicate my life so? It's so I can bring fresh and exciting fabric for your to work with! ;)


I started tomatoes from fruits I picked from wild plants along the roadside and they're doing incredibly well... the Buddah's Hand unfortunately lost all of the fruit which started to develop mainly because, as I am told, it's going through an acclimation period of adjusting to the new environment of Haiku. 


As you can see, the pineapple is looking more pineapple-y... and unless this plant is perhaps going to go to seed or something, I never knew pineapples bloomed before the fruit matured and ripened... Live and Learn!!!

And as it has become customary, here are some new culinary creations from this past week, complete with home-brined corned beef for St. Patrick's Day! 

 Shellfish Pasta

(Clams, Mussels, Shrimp, Top Shell Snail)

Miso-Lemon-Soy-Olive Oil Sauce with Garlic and Anchovy

Grilled Line Caught Hawai'ian Blue Marlin with Nasturtium Flower-Lemon Butter

Grilled Corn-on-the-cob, Japanese Eggplant with Miso and Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes

Home-brined St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef

Spices measured out for the brine, including Organic Raw Maui Sugar, Kosher salt, garlic, Blood Orange-rind rose, "pickling spices" of cardamon, bay leaf, black pepper, mustard seed, allspice berries, cinnamon stick, fennel and other spices

 The spices are toasted in a dry pan to release the fragrant oils

 Along with filtered water, the brine had a can of Maui Brewing Company "Big Swell IPA"

 The organic grass-fed beef brisket from Whole Foods

 The brisket immersed in the brining liquid

 The cured brisket after brining for 4 days and after rinsing

 A side dish: Russian Kale in a Roasted Garlic-Cocoanut Stout Cream Sauce with

Toasted Macadamia Nuts, Kiawe Smoked Hawai'an Salt, Cracked Black Pepper

Sliced Corned Beef, Purple Carrots, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Local Green Cabbage

Side of Mark's Cole Slaw, Stone Ground Horseradish Mustard (prepared) and Whole Grain Wasabi-Miso Mustard (home-made)

A hui hou! (Until we met again!)