Archives for 2018
Active Lava Flow at Hawaii Volcano
After our visit to Green Sand Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii, Mr. Handsome and I spent a few hours at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, located on the east side of the island. The five volcanoes on the Big Island are Kilauea, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kohala, and there are many others located on the other Hawaiian islands and in the ocean.
Of the volcanoes on the Big Island, only Kilauea is currently erupting and has been for more than 30 years. The current eruption has destroyed a significant number of rain forest, homes, and roads. The lava flow changes on a daily basis.
Sometimes it’s flowing in a location where folks can walk right up to it, which was the case when my family visited the island 15 years ago. See the red? That’s hot lava! Some of the black lava rock is fully hardened, while some is still soft.
Green Sand Beach
Mr. Handsome and I just returned home from a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. It was a long journey (two, five-hour flights each way) but we had a blast. We booked our trip months in advance and were able to find some fabulous deals. (Stay tuned for a post with all the details of how we saved money during our travels.)Our first full day on the island was our busiest. We rose early because of the five-hour time change, ate a quick breakfast, and threw together sandwiches for lunch. From where we were staying at Waikoloa Beach Resort on the west side of the island, we drove south, past the town of Kona and around the southern tip of the island, which is also the southernmost point in the United States. It is appropriately named South Point (or Ka Lae, meaning “the point” in Hawaiian).
Although the area is extremely windy (you can see windmills in the distance in the photo below) and secluded, there are a decent number of cattle ranches.
Located near South Point is a beach, but not just any old beach. This beach has green sand! The mineral responsible for the color is olivine. Apparently it is one of only four green sand beaches in the entire world….
Spicy Fried Fish Recipe
As a couple that enjoys fishing, Mr. Handsome and I are always looking for new ways to cook our catches. Nashville is famous for hot (spicy) friend chicken, so we created a similar recipe for fried fish. We use crappie or bass, but you can use any type of fish.
Spicy Fried Fish
Ingredients
- Oil I use canola
- 4-6 fish fillets
Breading:
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
Milk Mixture:
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3 Tbsp hot sauce
Glaze (optional):
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
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Rinse fish fillets, and remove all bones.
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Combine the breading ingredients in one shallow bowl, adjusting the amount of cayenne to fit your tastes. This recipe is only moderately spicy.
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Combine the milk mixture ingredients in another shallow bowl, adjusting the amount of hot sauce to fit your tastes.
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Fill a fry pan with just enough oil to cover the fillets. (Do not add the fillets yet.)
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Heat the oil over medium heat, keeping it covered with a splatter screen. Test it by flicking one TINY drop of water onto the surface of oil. If it crackles and pops, you know it's ready.
Warning: Do not flick more than one tiny drop of water onto the oil. Oil and water do not mix. If you add any significant amount of water, you will create an explosion.
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Dip each fish fillet in the milk mixture and then in the breading. Make sure fillets are fully coated with breading. Place fillets into hot oil. Cook until both sides are golden brown, flipping once if needed.
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To test if fish is fully cooked, remove a piece from the oil, and cut into it with a fork. If the white fish meat flakes, it is ready to eat.
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The glaze is optional, but if you wish to try it, mix all three ingredients in a separate, small fry pan, until combined.
Recipe Notes
We use Frank's Hot Sauce because, unlike most brands of hot sauce, it is free of artificial preservatives. We eat our fried fish with MSG-free ranch dressing.
Refinishing My Dining Table and Chairs
After nearly four months, I am nearing the end of my many furniture refinishing projects. So far, I have shared photos of my coffee table, the post for which doubles as a general tutorial, as well as the nightstand and bookshelf that Mr. Handsome built.Last week, I completed our dining table, and a few days ago, I finished the third chair, out of four.
1,000 Napkins…Oh My!
World Travel
New Orleans, 2016 |
In response to my most recent Ask Ellie post, one of my readers asked where I would most like to travel to. I am a homebody at heart, and I can honestly say that there’s no place like home. That being said, Mr. Handsome and I have done a decent amount of traveling during our first three years of marriage, and we have enjoyed experiencing new places.
Oregon Coast, 2016 |
We hope to start a family soon, so we have been taking advantage of our time as a couple, knowing that once we have kiddos, travel will be much more complicated.
If you could pick two places to visit, one within your country or continent and one further away, where would you go?
Closer to home, I would visit the Boston area. I love experiencing history, which is something Boston is very rich in. If I could travel to another country, I think I would pick the British Isles. From the photos I have seen, that part of the world looks absolutely gorgeous.
What about you?
Touring Memphis
Goat Yoga…No Joke!
Have you heard of goat yoga? I know you’re probably thinking, ‘You’ve goat to be kidding me!’ As odd as it sounds, though, goat yoga is a real thing, and it’s growing in popularity. I hadn’t heard of it until a friend of mine recommended it a few weeks ago. It’s a yoga class…with baby goats.
Now if you’re picturing a bunch of goats doing yoga poses, you’re a little off, but not by much. You do the yoga poses, and the goats frolic around you. While you exercise, you can pet them, and if you’re lucky, one might even jump on your back.
For my birthday this year, I couldn’t come up with a gift idea, so Mr. Handsome accompanied me to a goat yoga class put on by Shenanigoats, a Nashville company that specializes in goat yoga and goatscaping. The baby goats do the goat yoga classes, while the older goats work in the goatscaping business helping property owners clear their land. You can also hire the goats for private parties and events.
Now back to the goat yoga. Two of the goats (wearing pink and green fuzzy pajamas…my heart melted when I saw them) were only five weeks old, while the others were a little older but still under six months. There were a few different breeds, but the pygmy goats were by far the cutest.
The class was one hour long, and the yoga routine was at a beginner level. The yoga was great, but the goats were even better. You don’t have to be an animal lover to enjoy the class. As someone who has a decent fear of dogs, I had no problem being around the goats. They were very gentle, and they didn’t try to eat anyone’s fingers or toes.
Mr. Handsome pulled off a bridge with a goat on his stomach. I was highly impressed. Not only can I not do a bridge, but if I could, I certainly couldn’t do it while balancing a goat.
At the end of the class, we had 10 minutes to take additional photos with the goats. We goat some really cute ones!
Goat yoga truly was a unique experience, filled with loads of laughter and entertainment. And if you’re having a baaaaaad day, the goats are sure to make you smile! (Okay, no more goat puns.)
What do you think of the idea of goat yoga? Would you be up for trying it? For my readers in the Nashville area, be sure to check out the class schedule on the Shenanigoats website.
Giveaway: Piano CDs
Hope your Easter was lovely. How did you celebrate? Did you take part in any pranks for April Fool’s Day? Or maybe someone pranked you?
In celebration of spring, I am giving away 2 sets of 2 CDs from award-winning pianist Anna Ferraro. To enter, follow the prompts on the Rafflecopter widget below. I have embedded a YouTube video below, as well.
Photo courtesy of Anna Ferraro