| For us northerners who about this time of year are getting sick and tired of the cold and the snow and having the windows locked up tight, take a break from the doldrums. Think tropics. Think Hawaiian. The best time to do this is when there is snow on the ground. Makes it even sweeter and appreciated.
Do what, you ask? Have a Hawaiian dinner complete with music and props. That's what I did this weekend and it was a treat. Here is a suggested menu; recipes follow: Sweet Potato Coconut Souffle Green Vegetable of Your Choice Steamed Rice Fruit Salad Banana Bread Pina Coladas and/or Margueritas For the Super Easy Crockpot Kalua Pig: Early in the day, put pork butt (or shoulder) in crockpot. Add apple cider and liquid smoke. Turn crockpot on Low and leave it to cook for 9-10 hours. Or jump start it by cooking on High for two hours then turning to Low for 5-6 hours. Take meat out of crockpot and shred. You'll be surprised at how tasty and succulent the pork butt will be cooked this way. For the Sweet Potato Coconut Souffle 4 large sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled (or use canned equivalent) Mix mashed sweet potatoes with coconut milk, brown sugar and egg. Bake @ 325 degrees for 1 hour. For the Fruit Salad, use your favorite combination of fruit. Here's what I like in mine: Sliced bananas, oranges, pineapple tidbits or fresh, red grapes, sliced kiwi, and halved maraschino cherries. Here's your chance to put as many cherries in it as you like. You know what I mean if you've had fruit cocktail from a can. Mix all gently. You can sprinkle coconut on it, too, if you like. Can also be served with whipped cream. For the rest of the meal, steam your rice in a steamer, or use the pan method if you don't have a steamer. Use long grain rice. It takes about 48 minutes to cook rice in a steamer so allow for plenty of time. Make your favorite banana bread recipe. Mix your drinks and serve before, during, and after the meal if you that's your style. Invite a friend over, they might bring wine. Then all that is left to do is to make a CD of Hawaiian music, or borrow a Don Ho CD from the library. I recommend that you include John Prine's "Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian" on your CD. And Leon Redbone and Ringo Starr do a great rendition of "Little Grass Shack" if you can find it. Tack up a couple of palm tree wall decorations. Serve your drinks in a wine glass that has a palm tree for the stem, if you have any (Meijer had them during the summer). Make some leis if you have time; instructions for making paper ones can be found on the Internet (which I forgot to do). Wear any outfit that has shells or wild flowers on it and get your hubby to put on his Hawaiian shirt. And that's it. Of course, if you can think of anything else to add to the theme, do so. Maybe some fresh tropical looking flowers from the flower shop if you want to go to that expense, and sometimes it is worth it. You could also make a centerpiece of a pineapple (if you don't mind the price of them), oranges and bananas. Anything Hawaiian goes. Sit back, eat hearty, drink till you're satisfied, and enjoy. Aloha. |