We spent two magical, glorious, incredible, fun-filled weeks in Hawaii.
We swam…
We surfed…
We went paddle boarding…
We shopped…
And we shopped some more…
We toured Kualoa ranch on the east coast where Jurassic Park, Lost and Pearl Harbour and were filmed…
My husband loved it here on the east coast of Oahu the most…
Where the mountains met the coast…
We watched scenes being filmed for Hawaii 5-0 at our hotel… (can you tell my daughter loved this the most!)
And we ate…
Buffet breakfasts, freshly made omelettes filled with vegetables and plate after plate of the sweetest pineapple, papaya, cantaloupe and watermelon you can imagine. Duke’s on Waikiki beach was our favourite breakfast hangout! (pic is of buffet at Hilton Hawaiian Village where we stayed)
We ate Haupia pie on the North Shore at Ted’s Bakery…
Garlic Shrimp and grilled corn at Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck on the East coast…
And we discovered the Cheesecake Factory!
We looooved the Cheesecake Factory!!!!!
Between us all we snapped about 2000 pics on our iphones and ipods.
Flicking through all the photos to get to the pics of the gorgonzola apple quiche has been another bonus to this week’s French Fridays with Dorie!
Coming back was hard. We had such an amazing family holiday we didn’t want to return.
But I have to admit it was nice to get back to into the routine of normal life and I realised how much French Fridays with Dorie has become a part of my life! I hate blue cheese with a passion! But I missed the group and the baking and there was no way I was going to miss another week! I knew I could try a different filling but hey, when will I ever have the opportunity to try gorgonzola and apple quiche in my life! I knew this was the perfect time! Fresh from my adventures in Hawaii I made the quiche…
Along with a salad I found in a magazine for American Cobb Salad (I replaced the blue cheese with Haloumi though!)
My family ate the quiche and we loved the pastry and the filling (without the gorgonzola bits!) What can I say! We are not blue cheese people!
So thank you French Fridays with Dorie for again introducing me to a new taste and allowing me to reminisce over two of the best weeks in my life!!! Can’t wait to see what every one else thought of the gorgonzola apple quiche!
Kitchen Therapy 
February 4, 2012 at 11:44 am
Welcome back!
I love Oahu – especially the North Shore and the East Coast. And my girls love The Cheesecake Factory (especially the desserts) – its just one of those things 🙂
Sounds like an amazing vacation.
You quiche & salad look very appetizing.
February 4, 2012 at 11:58 am
Oh my, I remember the trip my children discovered the Cheesecake Factory. Now when we plan a trip they always ask if there is a Cheesecake Factory close by. Your pictures of Hawaii should be in a magazine. Your quiche and Cobb salad look delicious too.
February 4, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Sounds like a wonderful trip! Is there anything better than time away with our family? Glad you were able to make this work for you!
February 4, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Your trip looks like it was so much fun! And I don’t know which I like more, your quiche or your American cobb salad!
February 4, 2012 at 4:25 pm
Wow. Wow. Wow. What a fun post…loved every photo of your trip and of your food.You are blessed with a beautiful family. Loved seeing your kids who look so happy; they sparkle. My grandkiddies all choose to go to the Cheesecake Factory for their birthday treats…it is a favorite. Your quiche looks perfect and I love your salad. Glad you had this time with your family and that you had such a wonderful vacation.
February 5, 2012 at 1:09 am
Great vacation pics, Hawaii looks amazing. So happy to hear that your family had a nice time. And I’m very impressed that you made this week’s recipe as written considering that you don’t like blue cheese. Very brave of you. We loved this one, but then, we love blue cheese.
February 5, 2012 at 3:06 am
It’s good to have you back, Sanya. It looks like you had a fabulous trip! Your quiche looks delicious and is perfect with a Cobb salad.
February 5, 2012 at 5:22 am
Thanks for sharing the photos! Time away does make us appreciate the routines of daily life, no? Your quiche looks wonderful – sorry that blue is not a favorite. Cobb salads are one of our favorite salad dinners – but I must admit we usually stick to the blue cheese. I’ve just discovered grilled haloumi, so what a wonderful idea!
February 5, 2012 at 10:01 am
Welcome back, Sanya. Your trip to Hawaii looks fabulous. Thanks for sharing the photos!
Sorry you don’t like blue cheese, but your quiche and salad look like a great meal. I’m sure the quiche would be good with other kinds of cheese too, for next time.
February 6, 2012 at 12:51 am
What a dream vacation! Love the haloumi substitution for the Cobb salad. Glad to have you back, Sanya!
February 6, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Oh dear, two weeks in Hawaii! Paint me jealous! I was there briefly for a weekend last Oct and your photos brought back great memories. Welcome back and your quiche looks picture perfect! My mouth is watering over that cobb salad too!
February 6, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Welcome back from a dream vacation! What a terrific trip to Hawaii! The salad and the quiche look terrific! I used Cabrales cheese which I think was really great in the quiche – you might want to try it !
February 18, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Although I LOVE gorgonzola (we are a cheese lov’n family) I wasn’t really feeling it so I make the Bonne Idee instead. Quiche Loraine. YUM! Totally suggest you make it. You’ll LOVE it!
Your pictures of hawaii are amazing. I’ve never been all that interested in Hawaii, but your pictures make it look awfully fun. Oh and the Cheesecake Factory! The closest one to me is a three hour drive away in Seattle Washington USA. But we go whenever we’re down there. I’m so in love with their chopped salad for dinner and their Red Velvet Cheesecake for dessert. So enjoyed reading about your vacation!