“The flames of the luau bonfire burned brightly. Sparks flew into the sky and disappeared before they reached the stars above. Near the horizon, the moon was large and round and flawless as porcelain.” ~ Victoria Kahler, Capturing the Sunset

Not wanting to venture too far from a summer theme, I chose to host a Luau for August's BITE get-together. A number of years ago, Bruce's daughter Erin lived and taught on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.  We had the good fortune to visit her twice during those years.  Fresh and exotic foods, along with traditional American dishes were enjoyed both times.  I like to think we will make it back to Hawaii one day, perhaps to one of the other islands - it is a magical trip.  I tried to locate some of our pictures from those trips, but couldn't seem to lay my hands on them.  Below however are some photos of a quilt that I made using pictures from our last trip, many years ago. It hangs in our bedroom.

I had fun setting up our little luau scene, complete with a playlist of vintage luau music playing in the background.  I was doubly delighted that the weather permitted us to eat outside - it was the perfect evening for it.

The pillow cover was discovered in my mother-in-law's trunk.

I finally got to use the place mats that I got on Cape Cod last fall - the colorful fish were perfect for the occasion!

On to our meal! Tierney was our appetizer chef this go-round.  She chose to make Lomi Lomi Salmon, though she substituted smoked salmon for the raw salmon in the recipe. Delicious!!

Chris offered up our side-dishes of Kahuku Corn Smashed Potatoes and Tomato, Cucumber and Papaya Salad.  Chris did some of the potatoes using purple ones - so pretty, and the addition of corn was wonderful.

Responsible for our main dish, I prepared Hawaiian Chicken and/or Pork Kabobs. I admit to being frustrated with this - I don't know if I marinated them for too long, but both the pork and the chicken fell apart on the grill.  I ended up taking them off the grill - and off the kabobs and finishing things up on the stove top.  I then kept things warm in crock-pots.  The dishes tasted ok, but I would have preferred to have served the kabobs straight from the grill.  For our beverage. I was originally going to do Blue Hawaiians, but decided against it given number of ingredients needed.  Instead I opted for the pre-made Parrot Bay Blended Orange and Pineapple Drink. - kind of like a creamsicle with a kick!

For dessert, Ellen prepared Macadamia Coconut Cake. She said that this was a challenge for her because it required several steps and used equipment that she didn't use often.  The effort was well worth it - it was sweet deliciousness!

I am reminded yet again of just how lucky I am to have the wonderful women in my life that I do.

Cheers T.!

Aloha!