Luau help!

[KimKelly]

We are having a birthday luau for our kids (4 and 1)and have turned the thing into a major party! Now I'm cooking for about 45 people and need to increase my menu. Any ideas out there for good, tropical dishes? Or anything that would go along with this theme? I've got a main pork dish that can be done in the crock pot, and a wonderful tropic fruit salad. I'd love any and all ideas. Thanks!
Kim

[Gail]

Let's see... you want to be authentic? How about Lomi Lomi Salmon (a cold salmon salad)? I've got an easy recipe for crab puffs from the Hotel Hana on Maui (but you have to fry 'em...) a great recipe for mango bread from the Kaanapali Beach Hotel (also Maui), a macadamia nut bread (which I haven't tried), a macadamia cream pie (which I have tried.) Let me know if you want any of those. In the meantime I'm going to check out a few other sources.

You can also check out www2.hawaii.edu/recipes which has scads of recipes or http://www.hisurf.com/Recipes.html.

Good luck and happy cooking!

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 06-16-2000).]

[jan]

KimKelly:
There is a great site that we go to that reminds us of the islands where you can find great recipies.(we used to live in Hawaii and it makes me homesick) Go to alohajoe.com and you can find all kinds of things, food and recipies included. Look for the section for island recipies. They have a great site and there are ususally contests. My daughter even won some Hawaiin gold earings. We are having a luau next weekend and I'm going to get some of those inexpensive grass beach mats to cover the tables. You can even get poi mailed to your home at one site if you want. However, I don't think the kids would like it (not many adults do, either).

Good luck with your party!

[tammy/MN]

i make this pasta salad w/ pineapple to is great, & who could not have pineapple in hawaii? i remember eating so much that my lips hurt from the acidity, & that was in '83!

i don't have specific amounts, just kind of eyeball. it has been dubbed a bizarre name, so don't ask for its history.

"stinky" chicken salad

1 green pepper, diced
2 stocks of celery, diced
small/med onion, diced
1 can of tidbit pineapple, not fully drained
1 can of manderin oranges, not fully drained
shredded chicken, about 1 breast or so
maybe a pound of pasta shells
mayo, i use lite
1 small can of diced black olives
salt/seasoned salt & pepper to taste

i usually drain out about 1/2 of the juices & use the other half so i don't need to use as much mayo. leftover chicken works great, but please don't use the canned stuff, just not the same. hope you might give it a try, it is really yummy!

[KimKelly]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Gail:
[B] I've got an easy recipe for crab puffs from the Hotel Hana on Maui (but you have to fry 'em...) a great recipe for mango bread from the Kaanapali Beach Hotel (also Maui), a macadamia nut bread (which I haven't tried)

Gail - I would love the crab puff and mango bread recipes! (crab puffs for me... mango bread for the party!)
Aloha,
Kim

[Beth]

I've done the watermelon boat for fruit salad, but for young kids, fruit kabobs made with melon balls or chinks, strawberries, pineapple chunks, orange sections, etc. are fun and easy to serve.

Hawaii and the Pacific Islands all have an oriental influence, so you could do an oriental noodle dish or rice for a side...if it goes with the pork, or adding some chicken or shrimp for a second entree. I have a simple noodle dressing recipe I will try to find if that appeals. It works hot or cold.

Teriyaki meatballs possibly with some pineapple, chicken or beef sate skewers, kabobs of any sort are other appetizer or main course ideas that come to mind. If the kids would go for it, banana, pineapple or coconut cake.

[Gail]

Originally posted by KimKelly:
[Gail - I would love the crab puff and mango bread recipes!
[/B]

Here you go! (Oh, and I also remembered teriyaki chicken wings...)

CRAB PUFFS
Makes 36 puffs

1 package frozen Won Ton squares (defrosted
if frozen)
8 ounces cream cheese
1 7 1/2 ounce can crabmeat (if you find a
7 1/2 ounce can, let ME know. I've only
used 6 ounces and it works fine.)
2 tablespoons soft bread crumbs
2 drops sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon MSG

1. Combine all ingredients well.
2. In a skillet heat 1 inch oil (they use peanut oil. Canola or just about anything is fine.) to 370 degrees.
3. Put 1 teaspoon of the filling into the center of each Won Ton square. Fold over corner to corner. Moisten other corners and fold into center, one by one. Press edges of folds to seal. (You may find using water on all edges which meet is helpful. Be sure they're nicely sealed off and DON'T overstuff these puppies or they'll leak all over the oil while frying!)
4. Deep fry for about 3 minutes, or until ightly browned and puffed, turning about 1 1/2 minutes.
5. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with hot Chinese mustard.

(FYI: You can construct these slightly ahead of time and refrigerate them before cooking, BUT, be sure they're covered or the won ton gets hard. Also, be aware that the longer the filling sits uncooked, the
thinner the walls of the won ton become and the easier they will burst open while frying, spewing filling all over your pan. When I used to work, we had a lot of office parties. People liked these so much, I
was either giving out the recipe or being asked to make them again.)

(From: A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary and Vincent Price, contributed by the Hotel Hana, Maui)

MANGO BREAD

2 cups flour, sifted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup oil
2 1/2 cups chopped mangoes (ripe)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup raisins

Combine the flour, cinnamon, soda, salt, and sugar. Beat the eggs with the oil and add to the flour mixture. Blend in the mangoes, lemon juice and raisins. Turn into 2 greased 8 x 4-inch loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until wood pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 2 loaves.

(From: Best Recipes from the Los Angeles Times, submitted by the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, Maui)

This stuff is REALLY good! I make it often.

Enjoy your luau!

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 06-18-2000).]

[Mary Ann]

I have a couple recipes that might work. One is for Pineapple Salsa and the other is a Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa if you're interested.

[KimKelly]

First of all ... Thanks to you all for responding! My husband is amazed that I've had so many new ideas in just the last day. Gail... those recipes do indeed look wonderful. I think tomorrow will be my mango bread test run. I love anything mango! and Beth, the terraki (I know I destroyed the spelling on that one...) meatballs are so far my husbands favorite idea. I have seen a recipe that did include pineapple like you suggested. Now I just have to remember which one of those books I saw it in... :confused . Mary Ann... the pineapple salsa sounds wonderful. I feel a bit foolish, but what exactly do you do with it? I've seen a couple of recipes for things like that and I've always been too embarassed to ask what to do with them?
Thanks again everyone! You guys are great!
Aloha....
Kim

[Deanna]

Oh, Kim! You won't believe what I just ran across. In Martha Stewart Living, July/August 1995, she has a feature article on putting together a Hawaiian cocktail party. The article is named "A Polynesian Frame of Mind."

Of course she give many recipes for her party:

Tropical Salsa with Taro Chips
Oysters with Hawaiian Mignonette
Korean Beef with Pickled Maui Onions
Green Mango Chutney
Hacked Coconut Chicken
Green Papaya Salad
Seafood Summer Rolls
Skewered Island Seafood with Green Curry
Passion Fruit Custard
Coconut Cream Sandwiches
Baked Hawaii
Banana Dumplings
...and of course the beverages...
Guava Champagne Punch
Mango Melon Colada
Mai Tai
Blue Cloud
Lime Daiquirita

And being Martha Stewart, she gives plenty of advice for decorating your back yard in a Polynesian theme, including music suggestions!

Check your local library, if you have time, and thumb through the issue yourself.

P.S. Don't forget the Tiki torches!

[Gail]

Vanessa just pointed out I made a typo in my mango bread recipe. If you already copied it, please note the number of pans should match the number of loaves the recipe makes. I'll go back and correct it.

[Mary Ann]

* Exported from MasterCook *
This goes great over grilled fish, chicken or pork. I usually put a small amount on top of whatever I'm serving it with, then put the rest in a bowl on the table, in case anyone wants more.
Pineapple Salsa

Recipe By riginal author unknown, from Celia Kerr
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup very ripe peeled,coerd and diced pineapple
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
2 serrano peppers -- minced
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon finely minced cilantro

Mix all ingredients together. Taste and add more lime and chiles as needed.

Yield: "2 cups"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 122 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (5% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 31g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 7mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fruit; 0 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates

NOTES : This doesn't keep well uncooked. If making ahead of time, mix all ingredients together except the lime and cilantro. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes. Cool and add lime juice and cilantro. Serve at room temperature.

***2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce can be used in place of the serranos, if desired.***

Nutr. Assoc. : 3057 0 4735 0 26091 822 20128

[KimKelly]

Deanna... thanks for the tip! I tried the Martha Stewart site and didn't find what you mentioned, but boy did my printer get a work out printing all sorts of other recipes. The peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies look expecially nice! I'll have to see if I can make it down to the library in the next few days. Thanks for the tip.
And I've been after my husband to let me put up tiki torches since we moved in, now I have a perfectly good reason!

Mary Ann - Thanks also for the pineapple salsa recipe, it looks wonderful, and a lot easier than I thought.

Aloha!
Kim

[Michele]

This may not work en masse, but I like to serve mango or papaya boats -

* split either fruit in half
* discard pit/seeds,
* carefully cull flesh of fruit out, leaving skin in tact (to form two bowls/boats)
* chop up what you've just culled out and drop back in to the newly formed boats
* top with finely chopped strawberries, bananas, kiwi, lime juice, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of poppyseeds.

Looks beautiful, tastes great. Small papayas would be easier to cut than mangoes, just because getting the pit out of a mango can be a hassle. But if you have the time, I think mango boats taste better. In any case, enjoy.

Michele