This is her introduction to a series of tea party themes and recipes, one for each month. These range from a festive winter holiday "Twelfth Night" tea with a menu of Spiced Pears, Herb Scones, Stuffed Mushrooms and Raspberry Trifle, among other edibles, to a casual "Hiker's Tea" for the month of September, with turnovers of chuck steak, potatoes and onion, called Cornish Pasties, Pickled Green Beans and Hot Ginger/Fennel Tea.
The book is available at Honolulu Book Shops for $14.95, or to order by mail ($18.40 with postage), call (800)-441-5700.
For Christmas parties, mix up a batch of Wassail. Stuckey's recipe follows:
4 quarts waterBoil water. Add tea, sugar and cinnamon. Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain and add fruit juices.
20 teabags or 1/2 cup black tea leaves
1 cup sugar
4 sticks cinnamon
1 gallon apple juice or cider
1 quart cranberry juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
Chill and serve in punch bowl or serve hot in a dispensing urn. Makes 36 cups.
Note: You may substitute other fruit juices such as pineapple, orange or peach.
Approximate nutrition analysis per serving: 90 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 10 milligrams sodium.*
"Hawaii Cooks" redux: "Hawaii Cooks with Roy Yamaguchi" is starting its third season Jan. 21, with 13 programs set to air 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays on KHET. Episodes will feature dishes such as Kona Cold Lobster with a Spicy Mango Sauce and Kona Coffee Chocolate Bread Pudding.To follow along, or simply keep up with Yamaguchi, budding chefs may order a companion 36-page recipe booklet in advance.
The booklet is $5 (including shipping and handling) and is available by writing: "Hawaii Cooks": c/o Hawaii Public Television, 2350 Dole St., Honolulu, HI 96822. Make checks payable to "Hawaii Cooks."
Turkey to go: The follow-up to the Hyatt Regency Waikiki's successful Thanksgiving event is its Christmas Turkey to Go program. The dinner, which serves four to six, includes a 10- to 12-pound turkey, corn chowder, chestnut and sage dressing, mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, buttered corn, dinner rolls, cranberry relish, candied yams and a pumpkin pie, all ready to heat and serve.
The dinner runs $64.95 plus tax and the package also includes $65 worth of Hyatt restaurant coupons and recipes for leftover turkey. To order, call 921-6027.
Making history: The Historic Hawai'i Foundation has just published its first cookbook, a fund-raising project to help the nonprofit group continue preserving historic sites and buildings in Hawaii. "Island Flavors" is a comprehensive effort featuring everything from pupu to dessert. Among the more unusual offerings are a Chinese Paella featuring chicken and lup cheong, and Tongan "Lasagne" made with yams, coconut milk and lu'au leaf. There's even a contribution from Gov. Ben Cayetano for "The Governor's Pork Stew."
"Island Flavors" costs $12 (add $4 shipping and handling) and is available from the foundation. Call 523-2900, fax 523-0800 or write: P.O. Box 1658, Honolulu, HI 96806. Make checks payable to Historic Hawai'i Foundation.
Dining and dancing with Doc: Doc Severinsen will be the headliner for Honolulu magazine's 13th annual Hale 'Aina Awards, taking place from 6 p.m. Jan. 20 in the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Coral Ballroom. The event showcases Hawaii's top restaurants as voted by Honolulu's readers.
Overture tables of 10 are $1,500, Opus tables are $2,000, Concerto tables are $3.500, Maestro tables are $5,000 and include a dinner for 10 with Maestro Samuel Wong following the Honolulu Symphony performance of "The Fountains and Pines of Rome" May 11, for which benefactors would receive 10 VIP tickets.
For complete details, call 545-2588.
Kea Lani Hotel: "A Culinary Catalog" is a pamphlet featuring a taste of paradise in a bottle, from the eco-culinary world of Maui chef Tylan Pang. Offered are jams, jellies, syrups, honeys and marmalades, as well as the likes of Jalapeno Barbeque Sauce, Garlic Peppercorn Ketchup and Toasted Maui Onion Mustard at a cost ranging from $14.25 (plus $7.50 shipping) for any three jars/bottles to $53 (plus $22 shipping) for any 12 jars/bottles. For a copy of the catalog, call (800)-628-6828 between 3 and 10 a.m.
The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Collection: This charming, somewhat crude mini catalog, measuring only 4-by-5-1/2 inches, is the essential source for Southern food buffs, showcasing such specialties as Peach Leather, Stuckey's Pecan Divinity, homemade fig preserves and sorghum molasses. To receive a copy, for $1, call 1-(803)-720-8890.
For Pete's Sake: A stapled-together pamphlet lists additive-free foods. The expected bulk food items are there, and also spices, baking mixes, snack items, jams and jellies, beverages, candies, condiments and gourmet gift baskets. The company also carries toiletries and pharmaceuticals, also made without added preservatives, coloring and flavorings. Call 1-(800)-864-7383.