"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." ~ Burton Hillis
"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." ~ Burton Hillis
Last fall, we blogged about Wasara products, the beautiful, functional and fully biodegradable alternatives to paper plates and disposable tableware. We are excited to announce that our friends at BranchHome.com have just made these tree-free lovelies available in the United States! Wasara products will start shipping just in time for the holidays (December 15).
Branch is a San Francisco-based online store offering a unique mix of housewares, furniture, gift items, and biodegradable tableware. Click here to check it out!
Who doesn’t like Thanksgiving? Everyone has at least one favorite dish! Me? of course, I love them all!! In fact, I think we should change the holiday to more of a week of feasting so that we don’t have to try and eat so many different favorites at one time, but could spread them out and enjoy each dish one by one savoring the flavors and memories that come with them. And it’s not just the food that’s to love about Thanksgiving. It’s the family time, the Macy’s Day Parade, the nap (induced by tryptophan in the turkey and over-eating), the coolness of a fall day, and best of all the traditions and time well spent the people you love.
As a chef, I’ve had the opportunity to try out new twists on the classics of Thanksgiving recipes and finally feel I have created my own “classics” that I will give to my family as tradition. But along with these flavors I want to make sure I pass on more memory making events in case my recipes fall by the way side to other new menu ideas. So this year I’ve decided on two family projects I can do with my kids. First I’m going to start a family tree using paper leaves to fill in the names of family members going back at least 5 generations. The second is having each of my children create a laminated placemat that I can use to collect until they are grown up and can take these place mats to their family to pass on.
Still Thanksgiving is largely about the feast, so I have a few ideas to pass along:
1. Start a Thanksgiving section in your personal cookbook. Savor a glass of wine while thumbing through some cooking magazines, choose a few recipes that catch your palate and don’t forget the pictures to accompany the recipes as they provide inspiration as well.
2. Try Something New! This year I decided to stroll my Farmer’s Market and use the seasonal local produce for inspiration. In Hawaii we are lucky to have many varieties of produce that are unique to the Pacific which hold
Fall flavors and yet aren’t often thought about as a standard in the Thanksgiving dinner. Here are a few new ideas for some side dishes:
Kobacha with pine nuts, sage & pancetta
Breadfruit with Rosemary (this is sooooooo good)
Okinawan Sweet Potato Mash
Wing Beans & Shiitake Mushrooms with ginger, garlic & oyster sauce
Bok Choy with Proscuitto
Green Beans with Macadamia Nuts
Hamakua & Shiitake Mushroom Bread Pudding (don't forget the truffle oil)
3. Plan Ahead! As a caterer I cannot express the ease you will feel with the implementation of good list making. Make your shopping list and your prep list prioritizing the items after you have the big picture in place. Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy and stuffing can all be made ahead of time and just ready to reheat. You really don’t loose quality on these items in fact, as my mom used to say, “your just giving the flavors time to visit each other”!
I’m so thankful for my family and the friends I have made here in Hawaii that have become my “family away from my family, or as we say in Hawaii, “Ohana”. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and may there be many more savory flavors to bless you throughout the holiday season…..Cheers!
I have found my new favorite children's accessory! These adorable hats are lovingly crocheted here in Honolulu by a stay-at-home mother of two. Cutesie Patootsie offers more than 30 styles of baby and children's hats and headbands at her etsy shop or endless combinations of colors and styles if you choose to order a custom creation. These little hats would make perfect stocking stuffers! I just placed an order for a custom rock star brimmed hat!
Cutesie Patootsie is offering 15% off for it's Facebook Fans until the end of this month! Become a Facebook Fan here or visit their etsy shop here.
I love a good photo booth at a wedding! It is such a fun way to get the guests involved and a great opportunity for you to get pictures of them all! The old school variety with the actual booth and film strips is being pushed aside! Now it’s all about being creative and setting up your own photo area in your own style.
Great fabric goes a long way as shown in these images from Green Wedding Shoes (love the sweet, vintage feel) and Martha Stewart Weddings (a great fun, bold statement). Add a few props for a little silliness like Haley and Wes.
Better yet, add a chalkboard and have it double as your guest book! I LOVE how the guests had some real fun with this photo booth setup by Brian Wedge Photography.
Soft, bold, silly, crazy. Have fun and make it your own!
King Protea: Green/Chrissy Lambert, Small Pumpkins: inimagine.com, Bouquet: florifloral.com
Sometimes the change of seasons is harder to notice in Hawaii. The more common signs of approaching autumn; shorter days, change of foliage and the cooler air are replaced with the absence of trade winds, voggy days, and blooming tropical flowers. However fall is more of a mood that can be created anywhere in any climate. There are ways to conjure up feelings of fall especially through thoughtful decor that marries traditional harvest decor with tropical touches.
Bell Jar Pumpkins: brides.com, Shells: katie-d-i-d.blogspot.com, Lanterns: Jamali Garden Supply, Lei Centerpiece: Green/Chrissy Lambert, White Pumpkins: Sunset Magazine
To create a fall feel in our home I usually try to put together something that will last through Thanksgiving. The white pumpkins at the local grocery store provide the perfect amount of autumn. Also they are usually readily available because the orange pumpkins seem to go first. Keeping the decor simple makes it more appealing and easier to complement different interiors. The small white pumpkins look perfect on a long wood tray, piled in glass bowl, or just placed down the center of the table. I usually add some local touches to the pumpkins with white shells that I picked up at the beach and sometimes pieces of driftwood. If I am having a dinner party I will add some loose white orchids and small glass votives. It always looks festive and is easy to maintain. Below is a list of fall decor items that can help incorporate the feeling of fall with a island feel.
Elements: white pumpkins, driftwood/branches, shells, coral
Candle Holders: hurricane with sand, mason jar votives, coconut husk wrapped votives, white corn husk wrapped votives
Flowers: white orchids, white torch ginger, white anthuriums, white king protea
The Summer/Fall '09 issue of Pacific Weddings magazine has hit newsstands! Here's a sneak peak at B&L's Palace letterpress invitation suite featured in the Natural Wonder article with Yvonne Floral's always gorgeous creations and lovely nature-inspired packaging by Clara Confectioners. To add a little opulence, we hand-edged the ultra luxe cotton rag invitations in 22kt gold leaf. The response card mirrors the envelope's wrap-around label and lotus flower lining while the menu's classic simplicity would fit right in with even the most extravagant table decor.
Thank you Visionari & Pacific Weddings!
For the fishermen fathers who appreciate the finer things in life, behold MacDaddy Fishing Lures. Made from solid gold, platinum, diamonds and precious gems, these flies and lures are as functional as they are beautiful.
The outrageous Million Dollar Lure is encrusted with over 100 carats of diamonds and rubies and weighs over three pounds. If that’s too much “bling for your string”, the lures are also available in silver or gold plate.
From Japan (via the mid-western U.S.) comes designer masking tape. Made from Japanese washi paper, these rolls are offered in the most delectable colors and patterns. Lavender, silver leaf, pastel stripes… Just imagine the possibilities…
Visit happytape at Big Cartel or Etsy.
Bradley & Lily Fine Stationery was featured on Lei Chic today:
Your sister's method of showing appreciation is texting Thank U 4 dinner. It was GR8. Luv U!
Your boyfriend opts for flirty Facebook posts instead of romantic love letters.
And that birthday e-card of the dancing monkey your mom sent was hilarious. But you kinda miss the old fashioned paper card with a $20 bill and a hand-written "I'm proud of you" note.
The point is, paperless thoughts somehow count only half as much.
So give your digitally-addicted friends a hint, and send them a card or invitation from Bradley & Lily Fine Stationery.
The luxurious, letterpress-printed stationery and hand-lined envelopes are created by local designer Stacey Nomura, who starts with 100 percent cotton paper, then uses a 3,500-pound, antique Heidelberg Windmill press to stamp out her original designs.
Her invitations and stationery elevate traditional Hawaiian motifs into sleek, modern graphics with artsy twists on natural elements, such as the noble laua'e fern and ti leaves, or the stunning cymbidium orchid. She'll also do custom designs for anything from baby announcements to business cards.
And for those just because occasions, pick up a boxed set of Nomura's newest note cards and envelopes in "Aloha" or "Mahalo" prints.
All your messages will be truly noteworthy now.
Bradley & Lily boxed notecards are available at SoHa Living at Kahala Mall. For more info on invitations and custom designs, call 888.237.4240 or visit http://bradleyandlily.com
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