Surf Shack Puzzles

I've always loved doing puzzles, so I didn't hesitate to take advantage of Surf Shack Puzzles' Black Friday sale to get some puzzles for our family as well as for gifts.  

The puzzles are Hawaii-focused and feature art by women artists.  The puzzles are made from recycled materials and a portion of proceeds go towards ocean conservation programs.

The pieces are sturdy and once completed, you could definitely frame the finished puzzle.

It really is true art!  I also love that you get to learn more about Hawaii through the puzzles.  

The puzzles are not only beautiful, but offer a great way to de-stress and have family bonding time.  

We look forward to trying the next puzzle!

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Maui Cookie Lady's "Christmas In July" Cookie Box

We would like to thank The Maui Cookie Lady for gifting us this Cookie Box for review purposes.

 

The Maui Cookie Lady, known for massively sized cookies that are also massive in taste, generously gifted us a box of their "Christmas In July" cookie box, which is currently on sale for $20, which comes out to only $5 per cookie. At first you may be thinking "only", but when you pick up one of these cookies, you'll see why $5 is a great per-cookie price.

The Christmas in July sampler box comes with four GIANT 6 ounce cookies, all individually wrapped.

Cinnamon Roll - White Chocolate Drops, Raw Sugar, Notes of Caramelized Sugar and Rolled in Cinnamon Sugar

It's a Wonderful Whiskey Life - Scratch Made Baileys Truffle inside a velvet “Hot Cocoa” cookie with Jameson Whiskey, Hawaiian Sea Salt and topped with crushed candy canes

Butter Rum Triple Chunker - stuffed with three types of chocolate (White, Dark and Milk) and has creamy smooth buttery richness of Buttered Rum flavor

Butter Rum Triple Chunker (The Original)

Butter Rum Triple Chunker (The Original)

Scrooged -Stuck at Home - Kahlua, Candied Pecan, Browned Butter Pecan Truffle, Butterscotch, Semi Sweet Drops, Hawaiian Sea Salt and Topped with Kahlua Chocolate Drizzle

These cookies are seriously rich and loaded with flavor!

The most festive cookie is the "It's a Wonderful Whiskey Life" - if you like peppermint flavor, this is the cookie for you. You can also definitely smell and  taste the whiskey!

The Butter Rum Triple Chunker is one of their best sellers and more traditional in flavor. It comes closest to a regular chocolate chip cookie.

My favorite cookie of the four was the Cinnamon Roll, because, well, I love everything cinnamon! 

But don't get me wrong, all of the cookies were amazing and decadent! 

What I like most about these cookies is that they are handmade in Maui, in small batches, incorporating local ingredients and flavors as much as possible. They also have a 2-3 week shelf life (unopened), which can be prolonged if you put the unopened cookies in the freezer right away.

All products offered by The Maui Cookie Lady are carefully designed and crafted by the owner, every detail is well thought out. 

And if cookies aren't your thing, try their Tropical Melt-A-Ways. These great tasting butter-based mints melt in your mouth, and come in a variety of tropical flavors such as Mango, P.O.G., Lilikoi, and Mac Nut Coconut.

The Maui Cookie Lady's storefront is located in the heart of historic Makawao, so be sure to add this to your list of places to visit the next time you're on Maui. Can't get to Maui? They ship! 

Visit themauicookielady.com for more information!

_____________________________________

THE MAUI COOKIE LADY

3643 Baldwin Avenue

808-793-3172

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HI Spice

Last year, I met a lot of local entrepreneurs at a Mana Up event, including the founders of HI Spice.  Crafted in Maui, HI Spice delivers hot sauces in flavor combinations that incorporate various types of chilies with local ingredients, such as liliko`i, pineapple, papaya, and guava.  

The hot sauces run the spectrum of the heat scale, so it's easy to find a hot sauce no matter what your spice level tolerance.

I ended up buying a 4-pack of hot sauce with the Build-Your-Own 4-Pack option.  I chose:

Jalpeno Lime, Dragon Fruit, Pineapple, Smoked Habanero.

They all had nice flavor profiles, but if I had to choose a fave, it would be the Dragon Fruit (seasonal).  It's low on the heat scale, but the mild sweetness of the dragon fruit went well with the Thai chilies. 

They were all really good, however, and I would order them all again (I love spicy!). 

Check out the HI Spice flavors at https://www.hispice.com/.

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Tiny Isle Truffles

I love finding small, local businesses that produce sweets (everyone who knows me knows just how huge my sweet tooth is).  An online search brought me to Kauai's Tiny Isle website, and when I saw they crafted truffles, I was sold! 

They craft truffles with premium grade organic cacao powder and cacao butter, along with Kauai vanilla and Kona sea salt. 

They come in four flavors, along with a seasonal fifth flavor: 

• Salted Coconut Caramel
• Macadamia Nut
• Kona Sea Salt
• Cosmic Coconut
• Strawberry Creme (seasonal)

They are $2.95 a piece, or you can order them in multi-packs.  They even have a Truffle Case of 30 pieces at a 15% discount!  

I ended up getting the Truffle Case so I could share with some friends.  

The Salted Coconut Caramel was my fave.  I loved the saltiness of the salted caramel, along with the sweetness of the coconut.  It was such a pleasant combo.  

The truffles are decadent and rich.  A single piece is pretty huge, and it can last you a while if you nibble on it whenever the craving strikes, like I did.  

You can also chop or grate them to add to smoothie bowls or ice cream!  YUM!

For more information on Tiny Isle truffles or other products, visit their website https://tinyislekauai.com/.

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March Specials at Choco le`a

Choco le`a crafts the loveliest, most delicious confections you'll find anywhere, and I was thrilled to have been gifted some of the March specials!

The 4-piece Girl's Day Fresh Nisshodo Mochi Truffle Box includes one each of the following flavors: Strawberry, Orange, Blueberry, Original (strawberry is my fave!).

The 9-piece Girl's Day Truffle Box includes three each of the following flavors: Black Sesame Crunch, Hojicha, Yuzu.

The Black Sesame Crunch was my fave of the three, but they were all so delightful.

Dark Chocolate-Dipped Mango

When I visited the Choco le`a shop, it was too hard to resist getting some chocolate treats for myself and the kids!

I got some Chocolate Dipped OREOs for the kids, and a PB Crunch for myself.

Chocolate Dipped OREO

PB Crunch

I may or may not have eaten the entire PB Crunch bar in one sitting.

Each confection is expertly crafted, and I just love how even the packaging itself just evokes excitement - you know something spectacular is inside!  

There are so many reasons to celebrate in March - Girl's Day, International National Women's Day, Women's History Month, National OREO Day - so many excuses to indulge!

Choco le`a always has the most special treats that are perfect for all occasions, and don't forget to gift the most important person of all - yourself!

Visit Choco le`a online or in person to shop their selection!

Choco le`a

2909 Lowrey Avenue

(808) 371-2234

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Makua Banana Bread Co.

I love to bake and eat banana bread, so when Makua Banana Bread Co. reached out to send me some of their homemade banana breads, I was eager to try!

Available for pick-up, nationwide delivery, or at special events, Makua Banana Bread is offered in Original and Chocolate Chip flavors.

Each 12-13oz loaf is $10 each, and comes simplistically, yet prettily wrapped.

The Makua Banana Breads are some of the best I've ever tried (and I have tried the very popular one in Hana!).

The breads are moist, with nice texture, and a great banana flavor.  I've tasted my share of dry breads with minimal banana flavor, and Makua Banana Bread has just the right amount of banana flavor.  Of course, I was partial to the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, since I love chocolate (and think chocolate makes everything better)!  I do wish the chocolate chips were more evenly distributed throughout the bread (they looked like they all sank towards the bottom), because the chocolate chip + banana bread combo is just so yummy!

They are perfect for gift-giving, and you can even freeze them for unexpected occasions (or when the craving for banana bread strikes!).

I saw on their website they make Chocolate Chip Cookies, so I hope to give that a try one day too!

Visit Makua Banana Bread Co to order!

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Hawaiian Chip Company + Menehune Mac Chocolate Dipping Kit

This month, Hawaiian Chip Company will release a new chocolate dipping sauce to celebrate its acquisition of another well-known local brand, Menehune Mac!

I was fortunate to receive a kit, which included a container of the new chocolate dipping sauce made just for chips, as well as Hawaiian Chip Company taro and sweet potato chips.

The chips are great on their own, but dipping them in chocolate takes them to the next level!

It's the perfect combination of sweet & salty, and the kids can get it on the fun and dip and decorate to their hearts' desire (we added some salt, spicy kiawe salt, and sprinkles that were included in the kit).

The acquition of the brand will also result in a bigger retail space for Hawaiian Chip Company, as well as a chocolate factory and bakery!

Visit Hawaiian Chip Company to find out more on their product offerings.

Hawaiian Chip Company
1928 Republican St

Honolulu, HI 96819

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House of Mana Up 6-Month Accelerator Program

Not too long ago I had received a House of Mana Up Subscription Box (the subscription makes a great gifts, and is such a fun way to discover new and exclusive products made by Hawai`i makers and crafters).  House of Mana Up not only offers products through their website, retail store, and subscription boxes, but they also offer a 6-month accelerator program to assist entrepreneurs with everything from sourcing funding to social media.

Just recently I was fortunate to have been invited to the House of Mana Up headquarters to meet some of Cohort 6.  

I had a chance to chat with some of them about their products, as well as about what they've learned through the House of Mana Up Accelerator Program.  

Owners of `Ohana Nui, Pono Potions, and HI Spice showcased their products, and I was able to briefly speak to the owners of Aloha de Mele, Island Harvest, and Paniolo Pets about their specialties.  

It didn't matter if you were a brand new start-up or an established name - it was evident that everyone there benefitted from the program.

Almost everyone I spoke to said that they appreciated how businesses were in various stages of development, and didn't hesitate to reveal their strengths and weaknesses in order to get assistance in areas that needed the most improvement.  They were all there to learn, and to develop and implement new strategies to bring more awareness to their products and increase sales. 

I was very familiar with Kahuku Farms - I've taken their farm tours and enjoyed products in their cafe.  It was neat to hear about how they are now working on expanding sales of their value-added products.  

`Ohana Nui not only makes great cookies, but they are on a mission to help our marine life - a portion of sales goes to Hawaiian Marine Animal Response.  

One of my favorite finds was Kākou Collective, which offers washi tape and stationery with designs of native Hawaiian plants and birds. I've never seen anything like it, and I love this very strong connection to Hawai`i.  

Every business owner who goes through the program has access to a wide array of resources that will help them in marketing, financing, sales, public relations, branding, and more.  The support within the Cohort and from outside sources was abundant, and it was great to discover so many new businesses.

For more information, visit House of Mana Up. 

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House of Mana Up Subscription Boxes

 Disclosure: Complimentary product was received.  

Last year, in the midst of the pandemic, I ordered locally-made products from House of Mana Up to gift to someone on the East Coast. 

I loved the broad selection of products handmade right here in the islands.  From coffee to candles, soaps to sauces, you can find all sorts of wonderful gifts for friends and family (or even yourself!).  

I just discovered that they now offer a Subscription Box!  For $50 a month, you can get a thoughtfully-curated box of goodies featuring exclusive, limited-edition, or never-before-seen local products.  Each box comes with notecards detailing some of the stories behind the businesses, and shipping is free within the US!

I was fortunate to receive a box themed around "Ono food."  In the box was Salmon Jerky from Kaimana Jerky, Baker's Brew Coffee from Hawaiian Pie Company, and a Cook Real Hawai`i cookbook by Chef Sheldon Simeon.

Subscriptions auto-renew and you can cancel at any time.  

What a great way to support local!  This would be such a great gift to new college students, relatives who moved from the islands, or friends you've haven't been able to see in years.  Even if they're not from Hawai`i, just about everyone would feel special with surprises from Hawai`i.

House of Mana Up does more than just offer goods online (or in their shop at Royal Hawaiian Center).  They also offer tools and resources to Hawai`i-based entrepreneurs, supporting them in all facets of product development, marketing, financing, community and cultural relations, and more.  

It's such a great initiative, and such a wonderful way to support local.  

For more information on House of Mana Up's Subscription Boxes, click here.  

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Chef Noah Hester's Hawaiian Chili Water

Chef Noah Hester helped us at our very first public Na`au pop-up.  In fact, he gave us some great advice on a venue and its logistics, as he, himself, did dinners at the same venue.  

Chef Noah, who can be seen on E!'s The Bradshaw Bunch, still does private dinners and catering on the Big Island when not filming the show, and he recently launched his Hawaiian Chili Water.

Chili Pepper Water is a mainstay in most Hawaii kitchens.  You can use it on just about anything - meats, salads, snacks, dips, soups, musubis, eggs - the possibilities are endless!  Some people just take shots of it too (try it - it's delish!).

Chef Noah's Hawaiian Chili Water is made up of just five simple ingredients: Hawaiian chilis, garlic, ogo, rice vinegar, and water.  

I felt the spice was just enough to offer a nice kick to your favorite foods or drink.  

You can purchase Chef Noah's Hawaiian Chili Water here: https://chefnoahhester.com/shop/.

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The Maui Cookie Lady

Last year, I was fortunate to have met Mitzi, The Maui Cookie Lady, while on a day trip to Maui.   The Maui Cookie Lady is known for her huge cookies, made with all sorts ingredients and in fun flavor combos.

She has garnered worldwide attention and celebrity cookie-maker status, and was featured in O Magazine over the holidays.

From the day that I met her, she proved to be extremely generous, and she bestowed that generosity once again with a delicious gift!

I received a delivery the other day - a box of The Maui Cookie Lady cookies in 9 varieties:

Grown-Up Samoa’s w/ Maui Brewing Companies Coconut Porter (Seasonal) Red Velvet (Seasonal) Birthday Cake Batter Cookie Butterscotch Kisses When Brownie Met Strawberry Tropical Monkey (Seasonal) Da Half Baked Peanut Butter Perfection ButterRum Triple Chunker (The Original)

The cookies are enormous, and definitely sharable.

Da Half Baked is my favorite.  This best-selling cookie is basically a huge chocolate chip cookie stuffed with Snickers, Reese's, and OREO, and dabbed with Malt.

This cookie is so enormous - I cut it into fourths!

The kids loved the cookies, and their faves included the Birthday Cake Batter (who can resist all the sprinkles!), and when Brownie Met Strawberry.

The Maui Cookie Lady recently opened up her very own retail shop, and I can't wait to visit!

Thank you, Mitzi!

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