Recipes that will add a new twist to your Thanksgiving dinner

Everyone has their favorites at the Thanksgiving table, and heaven help the cook who takes one of them away. A colleague summed it up perfectly: “You can always add, but you can never subtract.” That creates a conundrum for ambitious cooks tired of making the same things over and over — and over again.

Let’s Talk Food: KTA Super Stores Recipe Contest winners

Winners of the 2024 KTA Super Stores Recipe Contest were announced in professional, amateur, culinary students and keiki division. Kona coffee was the inspiration to create unforgettable dishes and desserts, showcasing the versatility and unique flavor of Hawaii’s most iconic coffee.

Pompeii: Italy’s frozen-in-time Roman city

I love exploring the world of ancient Rome, with its grand architecture, fascinating culture, and stories of larger-than-life leaders. But since many of the 2,000-year-old empire’s landmarks are reduced to ruins, it can be hard to make sense of the stones and rubble left behind.

Hawaii without palms is like Egypt without dates

We just returned from two months of adventures from Italy to Tunisia and Egypt. It was exploration into the past from the Egyptian Empire to the Roman Empire and everything in between. Many experiences altered the stereotypes we had and others reinforced concerns of how challenges farmers there and Hawaii have in common. For example, the accidental introduction of the Red Palm Weevil from southern Asia to the Middle East including Egypt, the rest of North Africa and as far west as Spain is killing millions of Date Palms. This is not just an ornamental palm, it is the main crop on which many farmers depend. In some regions it is one of the few trees that thrive under severe desert conditions. This weevil has now been found in Florida and California.

Let’s Talk Food: Immunity health

With the coming of cooler and wetter weather, keeping our immune system in check with the right foods could mean the difference between getting sick or not.

Volcano Watch: The art and science of geologic mapping

Geologic mapping has been one of the most fundamental mandates of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since its establishment in 1879. Congress created the USGS to “classify the public lands and examine the geological structure, mineral resources, and products within and outside the national domain.”

The Plant People Road Show returns

A free event on Saturday, Nov. -23 offers a wonderful opportunity for gardeners to meet local growers and talk plants. The Plant People Road Show returns to the Makaeo Pavillion at the Old Kona Airport with five different growers offering a wide variety of plants and lots of information. The event runs from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Volterra and San Gimignano: Two sides of northern Tuscany

I’m in Volterra, my favorite hill town in Tuscany, sitting under rustic, noble stones at the base of a palace that made commoners feel small six centuries ago. Bats burst through the floodlights amid ghostly towers held together with rusted iron corsets.

Plant of the Month: Hala

Arbor Day is being celebrated at several Big Island locations today, Nov. 2. Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook will be participating by giving away free native Hawaiian trees and shrubs starting at 9 a.m. Lots of different plants will be offered including milo, kou, kamani, ulu, ohia, koai’a and hala.

Volcano Watch: The East Rift Zone of Kilauea was a busy place in the 1960s

The recent eruption at Napau Crater was the first on Kilauea’s middle East Rift Zone (ERZ) in six years. We often remember the Pu‘u‘o‘o and Maunaulu eruptions when thinking about the middle East Rift Zone, but many lesser-known eruptions occurred on the rift zone in the past 200 years, including 11 during the 1960s!

Design Recipes: Big art

Art helps infuse color and energy -into a space while also serving to anchor a space. Big art can also make a bold statement. From graphic abstracts to black and white photographs, overscale artwork can add pizzazz, interest and color into nearly any space of the home.

What should I do about spooky home sounds?

During the spooky season, it’s fun to imagine things that go bump in the night. But literal bumps in the night — or any other unexplained sounds in your home — bring a lot more spooky tricks than sweet treats to your life. Spooky noises can give away the presence of a burst pipe, rodent invasion, or other troublesome home problem.