Hawaiian Influence

Some fun and wonderfully simple foods for the summer 
- prepared indoors and finished on the BBQ

Kalua Pork Nachos

Slow roasted Kalua pork with Australian cheddar and Asiago cheeses before being baked on the BBQ. Below, garnished with scallion curls and chive flowers. This was served with freshly made Roasted Pineapple and Mango salsa with cilantro, mint and lime juice.

Mango-Balsamic Wings 

marinated for days and then baked to a gooey perfection!

Mango-Balsamic Marinade

For every 2 pounds of chicken: 

1 C mango nectar (I used frozen chunks from Trader Joe's, thawed, to measure 1 C)

1/3 C balsamic vinegar

2T olive oil

1-1/2 T fresh thyme, minced

S&P to taste 

If using chunks, puree in blender with remaining ingredients. If using nectar, combine all ingredients.

In my version of the recipe pictured, the wings were marinated for approximately 3 days and then cooked in a 400 degree oven (or BBQ) for 45 minutes, until the wing meat pulls easily from bone, falls apart or, they can be grilled until cooked through.

Birthday Quilt for Dad

My dad celebrated his 80th birthday on the 12th of April. Many conflicting schedules prevented us from celebrating the event on the actual day so we planned a party for him a month later. 

Aside from throwing the party, we couldn't decide upon an appropriate gift until Mom, my sister Dana and I thought it would be nice for me to piece together a quilt top using fabrics that were reminiscences of many of his favorite things. 

I used my signature triangle black and chose fabrics mostly of my own design, or some that I had worked on as a production manager or were the precise image we were seeking. They include puppy portraits of three of the family dogs, goldfish, wickerwork and dragonflies for his koi pond, tropical drinks, roses and veggies for his garden, and of course BBQ!

Included too are blocks of pieced and tie dyed GRAPHYX prints, BEADWORK, strike offs from my new collection CHROMA, DISCO DOT from the TANGRAM collection, SIREN SONG and up cycled shirts. The colors are warm and rich, accented by light and dark grounds, and the pointed corners of the triangles are softened by the linear blockiness of the grid-like quilting.

Most of the quilt framed in a shot taken in the back garden.

Koi, drinks, roses and Kali.

Tasha, BBQ, veggies and more koi.

Suki

 Kali

Tasha (and a woven strip shirt block) and a good example of the quilting.

I use the simple shape of the 12" x 13" triangle so I can concentrate on color and moving it around the surface of the quilt.

How the blues move and the brown and reds jump diagonally