Recipe for the Best Waffles

March 31, 2015

My Aunt Kristina is making a delicious waffle recipe she found online she modified it to make it better. After lots of begging, she allowed me to post it. 

2 eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 cup milk

1/2 vegetable oil

4 table spoons white sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla until smooth.
2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.
3. Enjoy! Makes 6 waffles.
   

Castle Wars

March 27, 2015

For a couple weeks, I am living in a beach house and I have not done one very important thing. Build a sandcastle. I slept in till 9 o'clock today and I am refreshed and ready to go. Kathryn, Riley and I are going to have a sandcastle building contest and Uncle Larry and Aunt Kristina will be the judges!

The sand on the beach is simply amazing. It is clean and a  pretty color; perfect building material.

For me, I like to go big or go home with my sandcastle.

I have a nifty little secret for the strongest castle. About a yard into the ocean is where tough sand is. This is because of all the waves crashing on them. It is moist and will guarantee you a blue ribbon! Just grab that sand, put it in a container and start building. I also keep a lot of water on hand to rinse my hand off and to make the castle look nicer while building.

I am starting off with a decent sized base, 3 feet high, to add extra beauty to the castle and lots of support. I now add 3 large towers, 2 medium towers and 1 small tower and of course accessories and different shapes and patterns. It may sound like not that much, but for 2.5 hours, it isn't bad!

Kathryn's castle was big, but plain. Riley's was small but detailed mine was medium sized and had a medium level of detail.

Turns out, Kathryn got first because of the size. But hey, that's fine because I had a lot of fun making it!

Riley's Big Day

March 26, 2015

Happy 13th Birthday Riley! She is now officially a teenager. I had to wake up at 5:00 am to go surfing. I was really scared because Uncle Larry wasn't going to surf with us. It was only 14 year old Kathryn, 13 year old Riley and 12 year old me. Kathryn was driving the speed boat out into the Pacific. I told her not to go out that far but she kept going.

Turns out, we had a great time, there was nothing to be scared about. We saw a few dolphins when the sun was rising, I even got to touch one! I was really happy for Riley because she had the guts to kiss the dolphin of the forehead.

At about 9:00, we went back to shore to head over to the Hawaiian Manor. Riley had no clue about what was coming. Uncle Larry rented us a limousine to ride in! It had soft leather seats and a delicious fruit platter! When we reached the manor, we ran inside to the green goodness. I was so happy that Riley was happy! The servants set up the treats we prepared, green macaroons, shamrock shakes, chocolate chip mint ice cream, chocolate mint cookies and lots more. It was time for cake. I am so nervous that she wont like the cake. Turns out, she loved it! I was so relieved.

Soon came bedtime. The bedrooms included California King size beds, chocolate fountains, walk in showers, bathtubs that you could swim in, chandeliers and a desert bar. I was freaking out! Riley, Kathryn and I all slept in our own California King beds in one room. She sheets were made of silk and there were waterbed mattresses. We all wished Riley a happy birthday and went to bed.

 

I am so glad that Riley had a great day!

Lucky Number 13

March 25, 2015

Hooray! Tomorrow is Riley's 13th birthday! I can't believe she is almost 13 old already. I feel like I am the baby of the group because I am still 12. Kathryn will turn 15 in June. To celebrate her birthday, Uncle Larry and Aunt Kristina set up a day to remember. They told Kathryn and I how the day was going to go.

1. Surf

2. Go shopping

3.  Sleep in the Hawaiian Manor

4.  Go out to eat for Riley's favorite meal: Sushi.

5. Have cake and ice cream in the Manor

This seems pretty basic to Riley. To me, I was thrilled at how the day was planned. I have never been to a manor before!
Since I am a certified baker, I helped Aunt Kristina make Riley's cake. Her favorite colors are green, green and more green. Aunt. Kristina and I decided to make a St. Patrick's theme cake. This is because the holiday is in her birth month and that is her favorite holiday.

While the cakes are cooking, Uncle Larry drove Kathryn and I to the manor to set up the decorations. After we were done, the house looked like a leprechaun's hideout. The place was super green. I made some homemade shamrock shakes, mint flavored cupcakes and cookies.

When we got home, I started to frost the cakes. After about 3 hours I was finished! I can't wait to see Riley's reaction tomorrow!

                  (I wanted to pre-slice the cake because I could use the picture for the post!)

Boating Adventure

March 23, 2015

It has been awhile since I have recorded into my online diary of the Hawaiian Life! My aunt, uncle, cousins and I decided to go a couple days without any electronics. You could imagine not having your favorite show on every night.

To celebrate this big accomplishment, my Uncle Larry took my cousins and I for a trip on a yacht that he rented. The boat is like a floating palace! There is a ballroom, private chefs and a spa room. Like any other teenager, I hit the spa right after swimming. After the spa, Riley, Kathryn and I had parmesan enchiladas. We had a little food fight because Riley "accidentally" ate Kathryn's last breadstick. I was covered in parmesan, chicken and sauce. I was a living enchilada!  Instead of showering like normal people would after a food fight, we danced in the ballroom. Uncle Larry opened up the ceiling so we could dance under the stars. It was beautiful!

While we were still covered in sauce, we all headed to the dessert bar to get the real yacht experience! I chose Chef Leone's signature sundae. The glass had 4 scoops of pure vanilla ice cream, 2 scoops of chocolate and 1 scoop of espresso flavor. It was all topped with coconut shavings, chocolate syrup, 15 cherries and 6 inches of whipped cream.

Obviously, I could not even finish 2 scoops! Riley, Kathryn and I shared it. Slowly but surly, we finished Chef Leone's masterpiece. He is a genius! It was about 2 a.m. when we headed back to the beach house. Walking up to the 2nd floor where my bedroom was, wasn't a picnic considering how tired I was. Actually, I had it easier. Riley's room was on the 3rd floor and Kathryn's was on the 4th floor. I would fall asleep! I can't wait for tomorrow's adventure.

Hawaii Blues

March 16, 2015

Today, we are going on a nature trail to see Hawaii's flora and fauna. We were at this gorgeous waterfall. There were so many flowers and beautiful greenery. However, Riley and I got in trouble so we had to go back to the car for the rest of the tour.

We were so upset, so we crept out of the car to go to another nature trail. Riley and I were joking around and running along the soft, mushy ground. We were in the forest for about 15 minutes when we saw a bright green snake. I screamed so loud. The snake kept wriggling and moving as if it was dying. I held a petrified face for seconds until Riley picked the snake up and said March fools! I got so mad I pushed her into the bushes.

Riley screamed so loud, I quickly regretted pushing her. I jumped into the bushes to get Riley but I could not find her. I walked for minutes until I found a jungle oasis. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. There was a small waterfall, birds on the perfect trees and Riley taking her shoes off to go swimming. I was so relived that I saw her. I took of my sandals and plunged into the warm, clear water. After a few minutes, we realized that we have to go back to the car.

We dried off by lying in the sun then we sprinted back to the car in fear that Riley's parents (my aunt and uncle) would find us missing. We hopped back into the car a little damp. Minutes later, Riley's parents returned. They said the nature trail was the worst. Riley and I smiled at each other and we rode home.

Surf Scare

March 13, 2014

It is so beautiful today.  I got to see the sunrise with dolphins jumping out of the water! We are going to start surfing at 8:30 a.m. My uncle and I went out together because Riley and Kathryn are sleeping! We went really far into the ocean, I saw huge fish when we were riding on the speedboat. They had blue and pink scales, they were gorgeous! I surfed the biggest wave I have ever surfed. It seemed like I rode it forever.

We surfed the whole day until my uncle got a call from my aunt that we were having dinner (the phone had a waterproof case of course.) My uncle and I hopped on the boat but it didn't turn on! I started to freak out. On top of all that stress, I saw a gray figure 10 feet away from the boat. I instantly knew that it was a shark. My uncle finally turned the boat on and we sped away. When we got back to the beach house, my surfboard had a huge chunk missing. I am so thankful the shark took my surfboard instead of me!