COOKING UP A STORM AND KAUA'I

Since our house guests arrived, I have been cooking up a storm! Mostly favorites and comfort foods.

• Taco soup
• Meatloaf with mashed potatoes
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Sour cream chicken enchiladas with fire roasted tomato sauce (glutenfreegodess.com)
• Creamy chicken breasts (yep! the kind with a can of cream of chicken soup, cheese, bread crumbs, and butter)
• Creamy chicken soup with pasta and lemon (the best soup ever!)
• Southern corn bread (uses white cornmeal, so my southern friends say "not so much southern.")
• Peanut butter/chocolate chip/pecan cookies (Monster Cookies)

We've ordered out Nick's very thin crust pizza, and various combinations of our group have eaten at Portillos, Augustinos, Red Robin, Tommy's (the best burgers and gyros), and Front Street Cocina.

And, after CA and I return from Kaua'i and Austin we're looking forward to the sweet potato/black bean enchiladas w/green chili sauce (again glutenfreegodess.com), Mexican chopped salad (Two Hot Tamales), chili verde, stir fry, pork chops with apples and onions, Italian sausages w/potatoes-peppers-onions, beans and rice, taco salad... We've only just begun!

Two more wake-ups and we are on our way to Hawaii for some luscious banana/macadamia nut pancakes, Portuguese sausages, scoop of rice with our breakfast eggs, the endless cup of coffee at the Marriott Kalapaki Beach, Bubba Burgers for chili over rice, Brick Oven Pizza in Kalaheo (with the butter and garlic crust), the curbside taqueria in Koala Town (not the best you've ever had, but a divey adventure)... The list goes on...

It's not all about food... But, then again the food is memorable--from the Sunshine Markets which appear in different towns on different days, to the meals we prepare in our villa. Most of our food and adventure ideas originate in the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook--which has never been wrong except for the disastrous restaurant with the 3-legged dog greeter and the cat hairs over the tables and chairs... We forgive UKG that one disaster, but it was a disgusting experience and the not-so-expected preamble to MA's marriage proposal to our JE.

That stomach-turning meal followed our Sunday sunset visit to Polihale Beach and driving over the 5 miles of bumpy sugar cane field roads--our children have persisted since in calling that beach "Bobble-head Beach." MA said later that he contemplated proposing at Polihale Beach, but held off until they were seated under the moonlight on the sand on Kalapaki Beach. The rest of us knew the ring was coming and had champagne at the ready. Great family memories.

I think my most persistent and enduring memories focus on the early morning fitness walks and my first-ever Yoga classes--a life changing intro. The 3-mile walk each morning allows me to eat what I please the rest of the time, and the landscape and views are unbelievable!

Kaua'i is a very special place. The first night I arrived in August of 2000, CA took me to the poolside bar for a late night supper, and as we waited for the food and drinks I exclaimed (with no forethought), "Well, I'm coming back here!" And, we have. Many times. A Marriott timeshare purchase has allowed us to experience Kaua'i to the fullest and also opened a world of adventures--Vienna, Bratislava, Prague, London, Paris, the south of France, the coast of Spain, the Austrian Alps, Cabo San Lucas, Palm Desert, Hilton Head, Panama City, the Colorado mountains, and more.