DINNER CLUB: HAWAII

Inspired by our trip to Hawaii, we planned a Sheldon Simeon "Cook Real Hawai'i" inspired night. Some of these items are decidedly non-gourmet, even though we call ourselves the "Gourmet Club" — but that is the Maui vibe. Delicious, not pretentious, fresh and simple. Casual dress: Hawaiian shirts, muu muus and flip flops were encouraged!

Below is what is looks like when we send out our recipe choices to our club. There are several choices offered for all of the courses except for the main/entree and the welcome cocktail, which is prepared by the hosts (me and hubby).

The pink highlighted recipes are the ones we chose and served.

WELCOME COCKTAIL

• Lava Flow

  • The picture below does not do justice for this easy to gulp drink...it's like a Piña Colada with a fabulously boozy strawberry rum syrup—the lava—running through. We served mini drinks to welcome our guests.

APPETIZER RECIPES

• Tropical Island Shrimp Kabobs

• Kamaboko Dip

• Spam Musubi

• Pan Sushi Dynamite

• Kim Chee Dip (Cooking Real Hawai'i cookbook) - super delish with fried wontons and Doritos

• Furikake Snack Mix

left: Kim Chee Dip, middle: Lava Flow; right: Portuguese Sweet Rolls

MAIN: HAWAIIAN PORK SLIDERS

• Kalua Pork (we took the easy route and did not dig a pit in the yard)

• Portuguese Sweet Rolls

SLAW (for the sliders)

• Crunchy Kale & Cabbage Slaw (Sheldon Simeon recipe)

• Hawaiian Slaw

• Hawaiian Cole Slaw

SIDES

• Charred Carrots with Mac Nut Dukkah and Limu Verde (Cooking Real Hawai'i cookbook)

• Sweet and Sour Roasted Beet Mui (Cooking Real Hawai'i cookbook)

• Ulu Mac Salad

• Hawaiian Mac Salad

• Pimento Cheese Mac Salad

left: Hawaiian Mac Salad, middle: Kahlua Pork with slaw on a roll, right: Crunchy Kale and Cabbage Slaw

DESSERT

• Lilikoi (Passionfruit) Bars

• Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pie (inspired by Maui's Leoda’s Pie Shop)

• Guri Guri (fruity sherbet or if you have a shave ice machine, bring it and pick a tropical flavor!)

• Tropical Fruit Bread (Cooking Real Hawai'i cookbook)

• Chocolate Haupia (Coconut Pudding) Pie -this amazing pie, I'm still thinking about the shortbread crust made with macadamia nuts

Enjoy this music mix for your party — classic Hawaiian music with steel guitars, ukuleles and a sprinkle of Don Ho!

Hawaiian Dinner Party Playlist on Spotify

Let me know how your party goes in the comments section!