OHANA
Over the course of the last year, my family and I have put together Destination Dinners. We randomly pick a place on a map to experience a "food voyage". Part of the fun in doing these is the research of authentic food and drinks indigenous to that place, along with music and decor. It takes a bit of planning but the end result is awesome as you get to visit somewhere you've never been to--at least through a meal.
We have visited several places which I will eventually show you, but for today, I'm taking you to Hawaii because the Snow Miser has paid us a visit, and I am craving something tropical.
In the spirit of Hawaii, and our family being complete Disney fanatics, we took a page out of the Lilo and Stitch movie where the word "Ohana" is used. This word simply means "family" (very apropos). The room was decorated with pictures of the Hawaiian islands and beautiful quotes. As we all recently saw Moana (a particularly great new Disney movie, which I highly recommend), we had the soundtrack playing in the background.
Our menu:
We started out with a delicious pineapple rum punch that my niece, Fran whipped up from Pinterest. It contained ginger ale, pineapple juice, and Malibu Rum. Now, the rum might not be technically Hawaiian, but it contains coconut, which is found in Hawaii, so there's the justification. And did I mention it's rum? This drink instantly transported you to the turquoise blue waters and green hills of these beautiful islands.
Next were the appetizers, which were nothing short of amazing. We had these Hawaiian ham sliders which were King's Hawaiian rolls filled with ham, swiss cheese, and topped with a poppy seed mustard. You just bake these in the oven for 20 minutes. They were a hit and went fast!
Next up were Chicken Pineapple Kebobs and Coconut Shrimp
I found a lot of different recipes for Hawaiian Cole Slaw but decided on this one from www.lemontreedwelling.com and I'm so glad I did. The combination of pineapple and red pepper to the slaw were really delicious and the chopped macadamia nuts brought it to the next level. It's even better the next day.
Dinner was a Poke Bowl - pronounced "POH-keh". It is normally made with cubed tuna, but since the kids gave us the thumbs down on that, we opted for a slow cooked Kalua Pork, which was great. You then make a base of rice and add toppings to your liking.
We ended our voyage with these incredible fried doughnuts called Malasadas. They originated in Portugal, but somehow have become a Hawaiian icon. They are usually just served with a cinnamon / sugar topping, but my niece, Lauren filled these little gems with coconut Haupia pudding and others with raspberry jam. I cannot begin to explain the insane fried goodness that these are. I had to have both - life is too short NOT to enjoy certain things, right?
And so ends our Hawaiian palate adventure. If you'd like any of these recipes, just email me and I'd be happy to send them to you. If you are ever in the mood to travel but don't have the time, I suggest doing a Destination Dinner. It's a really great way to try something new and spend time with your....Ohana! Till next time...