Hawaiian Luau Party!!! Ideas???!
Hawaiian Luau Party!!! Ideas???
ok, i might be a little old to be throwing myself a party, but i had a really tough year and want to gather all the family and friends that helped me and are proud of me to celebrate. It will be mostly adults and I want a hawaiian luau theme. Any suggestions on decorations or food? Entertainment?
Answers:
How to Throw a Hawaiian Luau Party
If you are throwing a party, try going with a Hawaii theme and throw your own luau. A luau is basically a Hawaiian feast to celebrate special occasions like weddings, birthday parties, holidays, etc. Like a Texas barbeque, luaus are usually held outdoors, but if that's not feasible where you live, you can hold it indoors. The main thing is for everyone to enjoy the food, the company, and the atmosphere. Throwing a Hawaiian party can be easy and fun if you just follow a few simple steps. For products related to your luau, visit our Party Time section in our store. We recommend the book, "Entertaining Hawaiian Style" for recipes, ideas and planning your party.
Get the proper attire and attitude. This means fun Hawaiian shirts or dresses and a fun care-free attitude. Let your guests know ahead of time that the party will have a Hawaiian theme and encourage them to wear their favorite Hawaiian attire.
Put on your favorite Hawaiian CD to create a festive mood for your guests.
Get a bunch of silk flower leis for you and your guests. If you want, you can go with the more expensive real flower leis shipped from Hawaii. Real or fake, the leis add a touch of authenticity to your party.
Serve traditional Hawaiian luau food. This usually includes poi (if you can't get fresh poi in a bag, we have convenient poi powder,...just add water), kalua pig (see recipe below), lomi salmon (see recipe below), chicken long rice (see recipe below), and haupia. You can also have pineapple or other tropical fruits and chocolate covered or salted macadamia nuts since they are almost universally popular.
Make tropical drinks like Hawaiian iced tea, pineapple juice, pina coladas, daiquiris, and mai tais. We recommend the book, "101 Great Tropical Drinks" for ideas and recipes.
Set up the entrees on a single table buffet-style, decorated with flowers (real or fake) and other tropical touches.
Use paper or plastic plates and utensils. Some paper plates come with tropical designs on them for added flair.
If you throw your party outdoors, set up a few tiki torches with citronella to achieve proper luau lighting and to keep mosquitoes away.
We are in the process of putting together a luau section in our store to make it easier for you order the things you need in the quantities appropriate for your luau.
Free Hawaiian Luau Recipes
Kalua Pig (serves 6-8 people)
Ingredients:
Pork butt chunk - 4 to 6 lbs
Hawaiian salt - 2 to 3 tablespoons
Liquid smoke - 2 tablespoons (coming soon)
Aluminum Foil
Roasting Pan
Traditional kalua pig is cooked in an underground oven full of hot rocks. But since that is impractical for most of us, here's how you can make it in the comforts of you kitchen.
First, take the pork butt and score it all over. Then rub Hawaiian salt and liquid smoke on all sides. Place the seasoned butt onto a piece of aluminum foil and wrap it so that no steam can escape. Place it in a roasting pan and roast in an over preheated to
450°F degrees. Cook at this temperature for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to 400°F and cook for another 3-4 hours or until done. Shred the butt and add more Hawaiian salt if necessary.
Your home-made kalua pig should taste like the real thing! Enjoy!
Lomi Salmon (serves 8-10 people)
Ingredients:
Salted salmon - 1/2 to 3/4 lbs
Half a large onion
Green onion - 1 bunch
Tomatoes - 6 to 8 big ones
Lomi Salmon is a very popular Hawaiian dish commonly found on the menu at a luau. Some people like to eat it by itself while others like to mix it in their poi.
Dice the tomatoes, but do not strain them, and place them in a large mixing bowl. Dice the onions into very small pieces and mix them into tomatoes. Chop up the green onions and mix them into the tomatoes. Shred the salted salmon into very small pieces and mix them into the tomatoes. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Taste the lomi salmon. The longer you let it sit, the saltier it gets. If it tastes bland, add more salted salmon (or salt). Not all salted salmon are equally salty so experiment with the ratio of salted salmon, tomatoes, and onions to suite your taste buds. But remember that it is supposed to be salty, but not so salty that it is overpowering.
Chicken Long Rice (serves 12-15 people)
Ingredients:
Chicken Broth - 6 cups
Long Rice - 1 package (Oriental section of most markets)
Soy Sauce - 1/2 cup (to taste)
Sugar - 1/2 cup (to taste)
Chicken Strips - 1 1/2 cups
Onion - 1 chopped medium onion
Mushrooms - approx 7 sliced mushrooms
Garlic - 1 clove, minced
Water Chestnuts - 1/2 can
Chicken Long Rice is another staple found at almost all luaus and is fairly easy to make in large quantities.
First soak the long rice in water for 15-20 minutes until it is slightly soft, then cut into smaller pieces about 6-8 inches in length. Cook the chicken in oil along with the garlic, onions, soy sauce, and sugar. When done, chop or shred into short strips. Pour 6 cans of chicken broth into a pot and bring to a mellow boil. Dump the chicken, mushrooms, onions and water chestnuts into the broth. Add the long rice and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes. The long rice will absorb most of the liquid during this time. Add the green onions and keep warm until served. Experiment with the ingredient content and ratios to your taste.
Source(s):
http://www.alohafunwear.com/luau-party.s...
grass skirts and concanut bras.... i'm entertained.
also most rental places have margareta machines, you could rent like 3 or 4 and have several flavors. tiki tourches, layes...yada yada, with good friends and family it shouldn't take much to make it a good time,
Check out Oriental Trading Comapny online. They have tons of Luau stuff and it's pretty cheap.
Go to your local party store....Party City or somewhere that sells all kinds of party favors from napkins, cups, plates to decorations. They should have a section devoted to Luaus which will include leis, tiki lights that you can stream up, grass skirts, all kinds of things. Ask your guest to dress for a Luau! Provide the leis for them. Decorate using fresh fruits/coconuts.
Coat a pealed pineapple with brown sugar and grill. It is yummy. You can baste the pineapple with liqueur before you grill it. Make a punch using flavored rums and pineapple juice...add a splash of grenadine and a splash of sprite or 7up. It is very festive...serve with straws and umbrellas of course. Barbecue some ribs and grill some teriyaki chicken skewers with fresh fruit or veggies.
Make a coconut layer cake for dessert!
Fruit salads, one alcoholic one not if you so chose. The alcoholic one can be made with rum and you just soak the fruit in the rum over night.
Hawaiian shirt and grass skirts, how about playing Elvis music in the back ground. Limbo sticks are always a hit at parties like this.
Maybe you could have a pig roast as well, we did at one of the ones I attended.
There are a ton of web-site that sell hawaiian decorations and they are not high in price and then make fruity drinks with fruit in them an also little umbrellas they also sell like 30 hulla skirts ina bak for like 30 bugs and then buy the lays for people set out candles and snack foods and if it nice out and you are having during the day instead of chairs set out beach towels all over the fllor for places to sit and then have hawiian music and play some games we played pass the cocunut and we made it a drinking game and limbo and tons of stuff it was a ball my husband is a DJ so we had loud music and just allot fun hope this helps you. Have a Great Tine and be creative
Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers with Pina Colada Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup sweetened flake Coconut
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves , cut into 1-inch strips
1 egg , lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter or margarine , melted
***Pina Colada Dipping Sauce***
4 ounces Pina Colada Mix
3 ounces Sour Cream
3 ounces Crushed Pineapple (drained)
Directions:
Mix coconut, flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in medium bowl. Dip chicken strips into egg, then coat with coconut mixture. Place in a shallow baking pan. Drizzle with melted butter.
Bake at 400 F for 25 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through, turning once.
Pina Colada Dipping Sauce
Mix well and enjoy.
This recipe for Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers with Pina Colada Dipping Sauce serves/makes 12
Or you can make coconut shrimp, with the sauce.
For the entertainment, see if you can find Elvis's Presley's cd Blue Hawaii, or Don Ho's collection. You could go to your neighborhood party store, and get some grass skirts, and leis. As far as the food goes, are you able to be outdoors? A pig roast with a hawaiian theme would be awesome. Or you could grill some shish-kabobs with marinated chicken, or beef or lamb, or pork cubes, with onion, green pepper, mushrooms, pineapple. You could combine two or more of the meats on the kabobs...serve with a rice pilaf. Dessert could be something with pineapple or coconut in it.
This is a great side salad to serve with almost anything. It is so yummy!
COOL WHIP JELLO SALAD
1 sm lime jello
1 sm cool whip
1 sm can crushed pineapple (with juice)
1 sm container cottage cheese
1 cup chopped walnuts
mix all ingredients together, chill several hours
This is a recipe from the Philadelphia Cream Cheese book for a cheesecake. I made it once and it is excellent!
ALOHA CHEESECAKE
1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
1/4 cup margarine, melted
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2 8-oz. pkgs. Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
1 8 1/4-oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1 kiwi, peeled, sliced
Combine crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350, 10 minutes
Combine cream cheese, sugar, and milk. mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts, pour over crust. Bake 350, for 45 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing pan. Chill. Before serving, top with fruit.
For party favors, prizes, or for yourself, check out Breezy Beach Wear at http://www.breezybeachwear.com
Their silk flower hair clips are hand made and they have some of the best gifts with a beach/luau theme! Also check out Oriental Trading Co. for decor. Have fun!
they have a lot of supplies on this web site and its pretty cheap.