Tardy for the party!

Did you get my Kim Zolciak reference? We had a luau at our house weeks ago and I have been meaning to post pictures. I wanted to throw something to get everyone together from my husbands band once they got home from tour.  It was summer and I love a theme so I went all out with a Luau!

I mailed out invitations...

Come on in!

Sign hanging by the front door.

I wanted flowers all over the house to give it a tropical feel.

I changed out one of the frames to show a family picture in our Hawaiian clothes on a trip we took a long time ago!

I don't think you can see in these pictures but in the bottom of the clear vases I put sea shells and each vase had an umbrella in it for decoration.

All of the flowers came from my MIL's garden.  A great way to cut cost on a party!

The decorations were my favorite part.  The Hawaiian shirt napkins started the whole luau idea a year ago.  These silverware packages are great- they were left over from a wedding shower for Andy and me and they had bamboo silverware inside.

I got these great plates from Target at the beginning of the summer. I wanted something that was perfect for the theme and could be used over and over again. 

The table where the food was served.  I guess I got a little wrapped up in the party and forgot to take pictures of all the food!

The screened in porch was also decorated!

We had ukuleles and hula hoops!

The mantle really made the house look luau ready... I found some tiki men, a pineapple, and added some fresh flowers.  

I made the banner on my Cricut and made the wreath as well.

The wreath was super easy- styrofoam wreath form and tons of paper umbrellas in various sizes.

Blake helped me with the whole party- I could not have done it without her!

I made Poncho a luau scarf so he fit in!

I bought this shirt a long time ago and he obviously grew out of it. I had to come up with something else.

He was not happy with how tight it was, or that it was on him at all.

I cut off the top of the shirt to get the biggest piece of fabric and then sewed it into a scarf!

Daniel playing the bowling pineapples with a coconut.

Hula hoop contest!

We also had a limbo game going but I can't find those pictures.

Since I forgot to take pictures of all the food I will just have to leave you with the menu...

LUAU MENU:

BBQ pulled pork

Pineapple teriyaki chicken meatballs

Fruit salad

Pasta salad with pine nuts, basil, green onion, parmesan cheese, and olive oil

Sweet potato fries

Corn on the cob

Dessert was light and refreshing.  We had fruit sorbets in the real fruit shell.

The drink of the night had its own special name: HULA KULA YUM YUM.

Yum, yum is what they were.  It was muddled watermelon with sweet tea vodka, a splash of lemonade, and mint for garnish.

It was a great night with great people!

Pizza Party in Palm Beach

I feel like all I have been doing for the past two weeks is eat, read, enjoy the sun, and shop.  I am not complaining at all- I am loving my vacation. My husband flew down a few days ago and we spent time together eating nice dinners, laying at the pool, and hanging with our great friends Blake and Ben.

Andy and me after dinner at Rocco's Tacos

Tonight Blake and I decided to cook at the condo and make pizzettes- small pizzas if you will.

We decided to make a tomato basil pizza and recreate a blue cheese pear pizza we had at Cheesecake Factory.

While we were preparing the pizza ingredients we made brie for an appetizer.  I usually add brown sugar and maple syrup on the top but since we are at the beach we don't have our usual ingredients. There is raspberry jam underneath the puff pastry.  Blake and I devoured that brie- definitely a favorite appetizer of mine.

We started with caramelizing onions- I had never done this before. It was so easy!

I added a little sugar to bring out the natural caramel in the onions.

Next we melted 1 tbls butter in a very hot skillet.

We started with bosc pears.

Peeled them and then cut them in quarters.

They were put in the butter and cooked for 3-4 minutes on each side.

They took about 15 minutes total and were delicious.  We cooked more than we needed and we are thinking about putting them on vanilla ice cream for dessert, mmm....I can think of so many new things to use roasted pears in now.  

In the midst of the pizza palooza we made some homemade croutons with italian seasoning to add to our caesar salads.

Ingredients for the tomato basil pizza

We used the Publix dough and let it cook on 400 for 8 minutes with olive oil before adding the toppings.

Once it had cooked for 8 minutes we let it cool and then added the yummy toppings.

The pizza on the left started with blue cheese.

The pizza on the right started with minced garlic and a little vodka tomato sauce.

Next comes the fun part!  The pizza on the left has the blue cheese, caramelized onions, roasted pears, and prosciutto. 

The pizza on the right has sliced tomatoes and fresh slices of mozzarella.

Once the pizzas cooked for another 15-25 minutes we added the arugula on the left pizza and fresh basil on the right pizza.

Both pizzas were delicious but the roasted pear and blue cheese won the vote from both of us! 

Let me know if you try this pizza!  You can also add candied pecans instead of prosciutto.  

Traditions!

I love the 4th of July. However, I do not love the massive crowds and parking ordeals. Last year my best friend and I started spending the week of the 4th in Palm Beach. We cook a lovely meal at home and then watch all of the fireworks from the deck with a glass of wine and some patriotic music. Stress free!
This year we decided to make roasted cauliflower with garlic & onion, crash hot potatoes, southern green beans with bacon, and triple berry cobbler. Here are some pictures from our cooking experience...

We roasted cauliflower with onion and garlic.

Cooked bacon and garlic for a bit before added in the green beans.

For the first time I bought red, white, and blue potatoes.  

They boiled until they were fork tender.

We smashed them and brushed them with olive oil and assorted herbs and baked on 350 for 25 minutes.

My full plate!  Everything was delicious. 

While we were eating we baked this triple berry cobbler.

I had made this before, super fast, easy, and delicious.

I hope everyone had a lovely 4th of July!