H … Hawaii

  Hawaii

It may not be a country, though some would like it to be, but our rescheduled H day in mid-summer at Beatrice’s was best suited for a more tropical cuisine.  She greeted everyone with “Aloha” and a Lei.  She and Chris, our grass-skirted host, had decorated the table with hibiscus and frangipani and everyone came in appropriate, colourful dress.

Chris provided refreshing Mint and Pineapple nibbles to welcome us.

Hawaiian Nibbles

 

 

 

 

 

We started with Julie’s Spam Musubi, a popular snack in Hawaii, made with marinated Spam and served like Sushi.  Apparently Hawaii loves Spam, consuming more of the meat than any other state in the USA.

Spam Musubi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline prepared Taro rolls to accompany many of the dishes. As Taro was not available at the time, she substituted Parsnip as suggested in the recipe and she used much less sugar than requested but they were still sweet and tasty.

Taro Rolls

 

 

 

 

 

Nadine prepared Hawaiian Brie with Pineapple and Nuts.This was accompanied by water crackers, though it also went well with the rolls.

Baked Camembert

 

 

 

 

 

Joan’s Hawaiian Barbecue-style Chicken Salad was next; a light but tasty dish.

Chicken Salad

 

 

 

 

 

Jeanne made Fried Rice with Spam, another example of how the Hawaiians make good use of the tinned meat.

Spam Fried Rice

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline’s Watermelon Salad with Rocket and Feta provided a refreshing variation.

Melon Feta Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris created a Pineapple and Banana tart.

Banana Pineapple Tart

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished with Wendy’s Hawaiian Wedding Cake, a dense cake based on crushed pineapple.

Hawaiian Wedding Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Wendy’s Hawaiian Wedding cake was from food.com but she used macadamias instead of cashews, lime juice instead of vanilla and self-raising flour.

Pauline’s Taro rolls were from Polynesian Cultural Centre.  Her Watermelon and Rocket Salad was from Gold River Orchards but she used only 1/4 cup of sugar and the salad was sweet enough for everyone’s taste.

Nadine’s Hawaiian Brie was from food.com

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

A Belated Brunch

With everyone recovered and being Blessed with Beautiful weather our “B” Brunch was held at Pauline’s.

Beetroot and Haloumi Salad

Joan, our newest recruit, brought along a Beetroot and Haloumi salad.

Di produced Bocconcini-stuffed Chicken balls served with Bacon and corn omelette fritters. For those with more spicy palate, this could have chili and herbs added to the mince.

Bocconcini-stuffed Chicken balls

Pauline experimented with Bacon, Basil and Brie quiche muffins served with Broccoli, Butter Beans and crispy Bacon salad – with Balsamic vinegar dressing, of course.  These are also tasty served cold. For a lighter version the cream could be replaced by light milk.

Bacon,Basil & Brie Quiche

 

 

 

 

 

Laura provided multiple courses; Bocconcini rolls, a white Bean dip with Pita chips and a Blueberry cheesecake.

Bocconcini Rolls and White Bean dip

 

 

Kathy modified a recipe from an old magazine by using fresh chili to produce Braised Broccoli with Brown Rice.

Braised Broccoli

Wendy’s desserts included Banana-Blueberry cupcakes (gluten-free) and Beetroot Icecream.  For variety, Wendy and Pauline served the icecream with a choice of Chili chocolate sauce or Clove and Chili chocolate sauce.

Blueberry cupcakes

 

 

Chris couldn’t attend but sent her recipe for Bacon, Bean–shoot, Broccoli and Bok Choy stir-fry.  See our Recipes page for all of our recipes.

Credits:

Beetroot and Haloumi Salad: Cheesematters

Bacon Omelette fritters: Taste.com.au

Bocconcini-stuffed chicken balls:  Yummly.com

Beetroot Icecream:  Triplemotion