Folks and Fun.....

     We had guests over again on Saturday, and it was terrific! One of the families rented from us several years ago. They are a darling little group, with stairstep children, all full of life and joy. We served an identical menu for this group as we did last week, including steaks from the grill and many other Hawaiian favorites that I did not eat. I am still holding strong and not tempted by all the other menu items we offer our guests. My weight is going down by the ounce, but each adds up to pounds, so I continue to feel good about my progress. This week we are planning activities for our daughter's visit. As I said last week, we are very anxious to show her around, and as we do, we get to revisit our favorite places on Oahu. In the meantime, we will spend our week getting ready to entertain. I have found some really great recipes that sustain me, helping keep me on track. My new favorites include rosemary chicken, turnip and green chili stew, pork asada, and no crust vegetable quiche. I have also invented a cream gravy similar to my mom's southern white gravy but thickened with egg instead of flour. It makes everything that needs a kick much better. I plan to make breakfasts, including bacon, eggs, turnip hash browns, and southern gravy. I will also make huevos rancheros with some red chili I ordered from Amazon that claimed to originate in Hatch, New Mexico. However, I will not repurchase this item, as it did not taste right. I know the flavor of Hatch red chili, and the one I bought at Amazon is definitely not Hatch. Two other additions to my diet are desserts and include keto brownies and ice cream bars. These favorite things are available at Costco, my best food supplier. I plan to make as many items as possible ahead of time so when our daughter visits, we can warm things up when we get home and eat out as little as possible. We will only go to a few of our favorite restaurants because eating out gets very expensive. We leave Hawaii a week after our daughter departs, so we will wrap things up here as best we can following her visit. Then we begin our Birch Bay adventure interrupted early on with a trip to Tortola, BVI. Aloha until next week. ​​