Tongas Hummingbird Bundt

 

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup Alaska Flour Company barley flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 2 cups mashed bananas
• 1 1/2 cup diced mango
• 1 cup diced pineapple with juices
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut, sweetened
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon banana flavoring
• 1/2 cups chopped roasted macadamia nuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 to 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon DML Hawaiian Vanilla Pineapple Bitters
• 1/4 teaspoon Mister Bitters Sweet & Sour Tropical
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream to thin
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dry roasted macadamia nuts for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 14-cup Bundt pan generously with floured cooking spray; or grease and flour the pan. 
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and allspice; set aside.
3. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the mashed bananas, pineapple with juice, coconut, eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla. Beat on medium-high until incorporated.
4. Add the flour mixture; mix until just combined and fold in the nuts. Transfer the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. The batter should fill the pan 2/3 to 3/4 full.
5. Bake the cake for 75 min . Test with a long skewer until it comes out clean. Baking time varies so watch it carefully. If top is brown but interior is good turn oven down to 320 degrees for remainder of baking.  
6. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of milk together until combined. 
2. Add additional cream as necessary to achieve desired consistency. I like it thick but still slightly pourable. 
3. Garnish the top of the cake with crush macadamia nuts.  

 

Wasted Breathe, Relationship Advice from Dorene Lorenz

Q:  Wife and I have been married for over 20 years.  Problem is, soon as our kids were off to college, she left as well.  She packed her bags, moved out of state, and the only communications I have had from her in the last year and a half are courtesy of her divorce attorney.  

About six months ago I started dating a great lady who I really like a lot.  Things were been progressing well in our relationship, until last week, when we came home from dinner and found my wife in the living room, wanting to patch things up.  I love my wife, I love my girlfriend.  Feeling really conflicted, what do I do?

A:  Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but as I am certain that you love both women, I am also equally certain that you are not “in love” with either one – or your wouldn’t be writing me.

That said, it is a rare soul in this world who gets the blessing of spending their time here with one they are “in love with”, most  of us consider ourselves lucky to find someone we are compatible with that we are able to love and who loves us in return, so please don’t take it that I am knocking you here because I am not – it is a statement of fact, not a value judgement.

Since you are not “in love”, my advise is different than it would be if you were.  Far more straight forward an pragmatic.

First, you need to deal with the girlfriend.  Take her out, away from the house.  Tell her why you think she is amazing, tell her how much you have appreciated her time.  Tell her goodbye, for now.  It is the kindest thing you can do.  Make it very clear to her that you are not in a position to be her friend, and won’t be, until your relationship with your wife has resolved itself on its own accord.  In this case, in your heart and soul, she is direct competition for the wife.  She must suck it up, step aside, do the Alaskan thing, and wait her turn.

Then you need to deal with the wife.  Tell her that you have history with her, children with her, and remind both of youse why you got together in the first place.  Then tell her that you don’t trust her, and you cannot be emotionally intimate with someone you don’t trust.  But, she is your wife, so she gets first bite at the apple.

If she is willing to dismiss the complaint for divorce, you are willing to give it another try.  Give her one week for every year you have been married, and at that time, if your heart still isn’t into it, you need to file for divorce.  In the meantime, get some couples counseling, start dating your wife, and move forward as if you mean for this relationship to last forever.

If things don’t work out with the wife, and the girlfriend has respectfully disappeared from your life, seek her out and pursue her heavily. If the girlfriend has kept herself on the fringe, always reminding you that she is available, steer clear.  BUYER BEWARE:  She loves the drama more than she loves you.

Lorenz Marine Mammals

Mendenhall Valley Fruit Stuffing

This naturally sweet dressing makes a perfect side for turkey, chicken, duck, goose or pork.

1/2 c. sliced crabapples, seeds and cores removed
1 c. sliced sweet apple such as Fuji, Honeycrisp or Gala
2 c. 1/2-inch square dried crusty bread
1 c. large red seedless grapes
1/2 c. melted unsalted butter
1 c. duck or chicken broth
1/4 c. pomegranate seeds
1/4 c. pine nuts

Mix all crabapples, apples, grapes, bread, butter and broth together well in large bowl. Place in casserole pan, cover with tin foil, bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove foil and bake and additional 10 minutes. Fluff up with fork. Dress with pomegranate seeds and pine nuts on plate.

Alaska Raw

Adventure stories of the Greatland don't need the heavy shadows of a midnight campfire to add drama to their telling.

They are bold. They are brave. They regale feats of strength and agility. There's the fear of certain death by weather, predator, or foolishness.

Memorable on all these counts, Alaska Raw delivers the best hunting stories I have heard in my 50+ years of listening to Alaska hunting tales from some of the most talented storytellers in the business.

That is not why I like this book.  I found myself savoring each chapter instead of devouring it in one sitting. It was too rich for that, the tales too complex and delicate. The subtle nuances would have been missed that made for a much more pleasurable experience. Tantric-worthy novel.

For you see the author, Bob Lacher, is a keenly intelligent man who becomes self-aware through his hunting experiences. Taking that journey with someone so masterful is a privilege and not something one would zip through in one sitting. 

Much better as the last thing you read at night, with a full belly, and a tired and relaxed body that is poised to dream - for this is the stuff that dreams are made of.  Lacher's fairy dust takes you to faraway beautiful places filled with mystery and awe.

In Soiled Dreams, Lacher crafts a smile that creases around eyes so strongly that a year later the mere mention of the word "hipwaders" subconsciously pulls lips tight against your teeth. A few wing-and-a-prayer-landings later, on the Wrong Side of the Edge, your heart stops as cold as the unsettling silence an avalanche brings after rolling over a space previously filled with friends. 

Months after finishing this book, Alaska Raw is still in my reading stack. I find myself going back and revisiting a chapter when the rain gets longer than the days, finding a quiet escape to a lifestyle that has sadly mostly disappeared. 

It is the only gift that Tom Maloney has ever given me, and it is worthy.   Be kind to yourself, and get a copy now.  https://www.amazon.com/Alaska-Raw-Bob-Lacher/dp/1578337216

Twitter

https://mobile.twitter.com/aprn/status/497415669026013185/photo/1


Sent from my iPhone

Fearless Wellness Kale-Cabbage Slaw

5 cups shredded cabbage, green or red
5 cups shredded kale
2 carrots, shredded
½ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil (can use grape seed or walnut)
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Steam the kale for 2-3 minutes or until the leaves turn a bright green.
Steam cabbage for 3-4 minutes to soften slightly.
Combine the kale, cabbage, carrots, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.
Make the dressing by whisking together the fresh lemon juice, oil, mustard, and salt.
Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss to incorporate.