mauna loa kisses

my bff sent up a bag of mauna loa macadamia nut hershey kisses for xmas which i have been patiently hoarding until valentine's day. the kisses are wrapped in mauna loa's signature blue foil with "aloha" printed on the paper plume. too cute and oh so yummy.

milk chocolate kisses are exclusive to the islands however there is one entrepreneurial soul selling them on ebay (with a markup, of course). if you are not in hawaii, your best bet is to add them to your wish list for the next care package or start hunting for the special dark chocolate kisses (a double whammy of omega 3's) which are only sold on the mainland.

mauna loa also has a limited edition gift tin on their website which seems to be the only way to buy them online.

liko lehua gourmet butter

guava jelly has been my toasty spread of choice since little kid time but the gourmet fruit butters from liko lehua sound like a yummy replacement. the all natural butters are whipped up on the big island in tropical flavors like coconut, guava, lilikoi, mango, pineapple and tahitian lime with no additives and are preservative-free.

click over to the recipes page for inspiration beyond the typical bread & butter combo and delight your tastebuds with lilikoi crepes or a mango cheesecake. you may want to pick up a sampler and do a taste test to find your favorite or stock up and save with liko lehua's promotion to receive a complimentary flavor when you order 5 flavors.

bubbies ice cream

 mochi ice cream + smud pie

years ago, my cousin scooped ice cream at the varsity bubbies and after hearing all the raves from the foodies in my family we made sure to hit it on our next visit home. bubbies has set up shop online at the gourmet food mall which means you don't have to wait until your next trip to hawaii to get your fix of their much beloved (and o list favorite) mochi ice cream. 

there are 19 flavors in all ranging from asian tropical standards like lychee, green tea & azuki bean to bite sized tastes of tiramisu, pistachio & chocolate/peanut butter. and, if you really want to surprise a friend going through bubbies withdrawal have an ice cream cake sent to their door.

you may get sticker shock when you see the prices online but it does include the cost of next day shipping. bubbies only ships on tue, wed & thu so double check your calendar and remember to place your order with enough lead time.

no. 5 - mala'ai'opio

as often as we have driven out to the west side for my fella's dawn patrol surf sessions when we go home, i never realized that there were as many as 200 mom & pop farms hidden throughout the valley. one of them is the grassroots effort at mala'ai'opio (aka ma'o) which was established a few years ago as an organic farm where the 15 to 25 demo on the waianae coast could simultaneously receive vocational training while learning to care for the 'aina.

many island foodies have enjoyed ma'o's organic produce which is dished up at alan wong's, town restaurant, and aloha 'aina cafe. with the popularity of its produce growing, ma'o is working to expand its programs at waianae h.s. and turn the current 10 month internship into an associates degree at lcc. the good work they are doing to make the waianae coast more self-sufficient is as cool as their mantra:

no panic . . . go organic!

click here to learn how you can make a difference!

big island delights

 

thanks to the melting point of chocolate, fedex is the go to man for big island delights which means you still have time to stuff yourself or someone you love silly with ono snacks this holiday. the family run business whips up everything from furikake party mix to chocolate dipped biscotti (yum!) using ingredients like fresh island eggs and maui sugar.

check out the online shop for the full line of preservative-free goodies.