Hawaii Food and Recipe Blog

Let’s be honest, if you are gonna pick up some local food in Hawaii, then you’re going to have two things on that plate with your meal: Rice and mac salad. And sure, you could go out and buy a big tub of all that mayonnaise-covered goodness, but why not make your own?

Mac Salad Recipe

• About 2 cups cooked macaroni, drained, rinsed, and cooled
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
• pepper and Mrs. Dash, to taste

Oh come on , this couldn’t be easier! Combine the mayonnaise and veggies, then fold in the noodles. Add the seasonings, then sprinkle a thin layer of Mrs Dash over the top, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours to get the flavors to blend.

In honor of spring, I’ve been in a very milkshake frame of mind. So today I give you the tropical pineapple/coconut shake! Tastes yummy even if you don’t have coconut syrup on hand (but it’s not hard to find)

• 1/4 cup cold milk
• 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 1 5 1/4 oz can of pineapple chunks, and don’t drain it!
• 1 TBSP coconut syrup

Place them all in a blender, then mix until nice and smooth. Pour into a tall glass (with a little paper umbrella if you have one) and enjoy! Makes a very nice change from chocolate. Also works great with coconut sorbet (if you can find it) in which case drop the coconut syrup… although it isn’t quite as creamy.

Is there anything better than ice cream? Well I can think of one thing - ice cream with this sweet sauce of mac nuts. If you really want to go overboard then also top your favorite vanilla ice cream with some hot fudge and wait for the sugar coma to kick in…

Macadamia Nut Sauce

1 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 cup unsalted chopped mac nuts
1/2 cup powdered sugar (don’t sift it!)
1/2 cup heavy cream. NOT HALF AND HALF!
nice dash of salt

Melt the butter, and add the mac nuts, stirring until lightly toasted. They’ll release that "nutty" smell when they’re ready. Blend in the powdered sugar, then add the cream and salt stirring constantly. Once the sauce is smooth and shiny you’re good to go - serve it warm or cool and it will be fine. It keeps well in the fridge too! If you’re like me, add a bit extra salt - I love things both sweet and salty