Aloha! Tasty Luau Grub…

Hele Mei Hoohiwahiwa! (Come celebrate with us!)

May 2010 brought about two major milestones for my family. My dad, the funniest man I know, turned 60! And my husband, my best friend, turned 30! With 2 good reasons to celebrate, I invited all of our family and friends to “Lake Boudreau” (that would be our pool – LOL) for a Birthday Bash Luau. While the weather didn’t cooperate as best it could, we made the best of our day! There was plenty of pool volleyball, red wine spritzers & mai tais, yard games, and plenty of Luau Grub. In fact, there were 3 recipes that I just couldn’t resist sharing with you. They are a few more of my “Must-Trys”!

I started my day early with a trip to HyVee to pick up all of the groceries to prep this feast. By 845am, I was back home, food and liquor in hand! Fortunately, my friend Brandon Mandrell (who is also a Chef) was waiting in my driveway to help me!

Over the span of 5 hours, we put together Hawaiian Slaw, fresh Fruit Bowls, Baked Beans, Pomegranate Chipotle Pineapple Bites, Roasted Red Pepper Shrimp Skewers, and a couple big dispensers of Red Wine Sprizers and Mai Tais. Brandon, you were a tremendous help and a joy to have in the kitchen with me. Thank you!

The main dish however, was delivered to the house. We were hosting a Luau…so in true Luau fashion, we ordered up a Pig Roast. I’ll be honest, I had no idea what to expect, but it was a fabulous experience (once I got past the idea of a 100lb pig laying on the table).

Once we all took some pictures and got used to the idea of a hog roast, I let Brandon do the carving…and I followed with the shredding…

I could hardly believe how much meat there was to go around. I’m pretty sure we will be eating pork for weeks! Luckily, we still have lots o’Hawaiian Slaw to go with it.

I don’t know about you, but I am not generally a coleslaw kind-of girl. But for this party, I knew we needed slaw…slaw with a hawaiian twist. For your next BBQ, give it a whirl. I loved it!

HAWAIIAN SLAW

Serves 8

1 bag of Coleslaw
1 bag of shredded cabbage
1 (8 ounce) can Pineapple, drained and crushed
1 (8 ounce) can Mandrin Oranges, drained
1/4 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Pecans, chopped and toasted
1/4 cup Coconut, flaked and toasted
3/4 cup Marzetti® Slaw Dressing

In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except coconut and pecans. Mix well.

On one baking sheet, evenly distribute chopped pecans. On a second baking sheet, evenly distribute coconut. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pecans and coconut baking sheets in oven for ~5 minutes. Watch closely. When nuts and coconut start to brown, remove from oven and cool.

Add pecans & coconut to mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and chill until serving. YUM!

As our guests waited for the main meal to be served, Brandon and I whipped up a couple finger foods to tie everyone over. I had hosted a Tastefully Simple party just a few weeks back and with the help of Sharon Langenberg, the Tastefully Simple Representative, came up with a couple GREAT ideas! Sharon recommended Pomegranate Chipotle Pineapple Bacon Bites and Roasted Red Pepper Shrimp Skewers. Both of these apps were delicious…I swear…but the PCPB Bites were OUT OF THIS WORLD. Not kidding. Ask anyone at the party…they were TO DIE FOR. For your next gathering, these little bites of heaven are a MUST.

POMEGRANATE CHIPOTLE PINEAPPLE BACON BITES

Servings Vary (More = Better!)

1 Pineapple, cut into chunks
1 Package of Bacon (I chose Applewood Smoked Bacon)
1 Bottle of Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce from Tastefully Simple

Simply cut pineapple into bite-size chunks. Wrap each chunk of pineapple in a half slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick. Bake at 350 degrees until bacon is cooked to desired crispiness.

Remove PCPB Bites from oven and immediately brush with TS Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce. CHOW DOWN. There’s NO way you can eat just one!!

So you are probably wondering how you can get your hands on this heaven-sent sauce?! Let me help you. If you would like to order some of the Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce from Tastefully Simple, just shoot me an email (robinkattre@hotmail.com) or feel free to contact Sharon Langenberg directly. I have attached her information below.

Before I give you that information though, there is one more recipe that I found through Tastefully Simple….Roasted Red Pepper Shrimp Skewers. Check it out:

ROASTED RED PEPPER SHRIMP SKEWERS

Servings Vary

2 lb bag of shrimp, thawed and peeled
1 jar of Tastefully Simple’s Roasted Red Pepper Jam
Wooden Skewers, soaked in water prior to using.

Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Skewer shrimp (I did 3 shrimp per skewer). Place skewer on grill and cook for ~2 minutes per side. Watch closely as grilling time will vary based on the size of the shrimp. Remove from the grill and brush on Roasted Red Pepper Jam.

Again…delicious finger food…just ask these two crazy friends of mine…I believe Kendra’s response was, “Nummy in my Tummy!”

If you would like access to this sauce/jam as well, shoot me an email (robinkattre@hotmail.com) or feel free to contact Sharon Langenberg directly.

SHARON LANGENBERG

Tastefully Simple

319.846.9346

tsbylangenberg@gmail.com

And last but not least, I had a giant beverage dispenser of Red Wine Spritzers! It’s not a party without the Boodro Spritzers! 🙂

RED WINE SPRITZER

4 Bottles of Crane Lake Merlot (Substitute any cheap red wine of your liking – box of Franzia Merlot?)
2 – 2 Liter Bottles of Diet 7Up
Lots o’Lemon

This time, I made spritzers by the pitcher….well, dispenser really. Begin by filling your dispenser with ice. Squeeze 2 lemons into the container. Add 4 bottles of red wine and 2 – 2 liter bottles of diet 7Up. Float lemon slices on top!

All in all, I think the Luau was a success! Would we have appreciated more sun, of course. But I prayed for dry weather, and for the most part, that is what we had….along with lots of laughter, splashing in the pool, time with family and friends, and great grub! For those of you who traveled near and far to attend, thank you. Our house is not a home without you to share it with!

To my Dad…