For those of who don’t know what “hapa” means it is a term that refers to a person of partially Asian or Pacific Islander descent. The origin of the word is actually from the native Hawaiian language in which hapa translates into half. Technically because I am half Filipino and half Irish, I am usually referred to…
Kalua Pork
I gave birth to my daughter in Hawaii and I was so grateful for the friends, family, and co-workers that brought us meals over the next few days. One, I did not realize how tired I would be with a new born baby and two, I realized I would have less time and energy to…
Summer, Summer Time…
I cannot believe that it is already May! Although the past few months have mostly been spent at home I am still excited and ready to start some summer cooking. In addition to our traditional meals of lumpia and grilled burgers, our family loves Mediterranean style meals, Pulled Pork (Island Style), Korean BBQ, and of…
Oven Baked Pancakes
My favorite meal of the day is breakfast, especially on the weekends when I can create a special treat for me and my family. Even with the extra hours during the weekend, I still want something that doesn’t take a lot of time. Luckily, I discovered that you could bake pancakes! Who knew?! The recipe…
Delicious Gooey Super Chocolate Brownies
When it comes to cooking I think I do a pretty decent job of creating of tasty edible meals. With cooking you can improvise with different spices, substitute ingredients, and tweak things and still have something that tastes delicious. When it comes to baking, I have learned by many trial and errors that it’s more…
Feta and Beef…need I say more?
An easy mediterranean style dish the whole family will love!
Hello…it’s me
Wow! I can’t believe it has been 4 years since I last wrote on this blog! Well let me catch you up on all the latest and greatest moments. First, we no longer live in Hawaii (big tears and sigh), and we are now a family of four (plus two dogs…so is that really 6?). …
Healthy Breakfast Shake 1
I love having shakes for a meal sometimes, especially for breakfast. Shakes help me keep a balanced diet and from over eating. For those who have busy mornings or just don’t like to eat a heavy breakfast a shake is a great choice. You can even make your shake the night before to save time. Now,…
The Secret to Brussel Sprouts: Bacon, Butter, and Sugar
I have found in cooking, there has to be a balance of eating healthy and indulging. I have noticed this more so when it comes to cooking vegetables or side dishes. For instance, now that I am older one of my favorites things to eat are brussel sprouts, which is funny because as a kid I…
Pumpkin+Muffin= Breakfast
Math equations and pumpkin pie always remind me of my dad. First, my dad is a math genius and second, my dad always makes the best pumpkin pie during Thanksgiving. During the holidays I wasn’t able to go home and visit my family, which of course made me sad because I missed out on the…
Lumpia
I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted on this blog. The holidays were so busy with guests, travel, and events. Now that things have finally settled down I figured that it would be a good time to post something. A popular dish in Filipino culture is lumpia. Traditionally, lumpia is a fried delicacy, but for…
Shredded Beef Salad
As I said in an earlier post we’re trying to eat healthier and make smart decisions in our diet. Which basically means that were looking at healthy portions of protein/fats/carbs (or MACROS in the fitness world) in each meal. For me, one of the easiest ways to get a balanced diet each day is to…
Ma! More Shepherd’s Pie
I can’t claim that I’m half Irish without sharing a Shepherd’s pie recipe. This is by far one of my favorite Irish meals. My mom used to make it a lot when I was younger and haven’t had it in some time. This a comfort meal and with all the rain we’ve been having, it…
A DASH OF HAPA 