# Need help with Luau food!



## Angie (Feb 27, 2008)

Here in Iowa, we've been hit with storm after storm after storm this winter.  So, Friday, we are having a Luau at work.  I need some recipes for luau type food!  

One lady is bringing a pina colada cake, and our IT guy is bringing Lay's potato chips!


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## LadyCook61 (Feb 27, 2008)

Fill pineapple boats (slice fresh pineapple in half and cut out the inside of the fruit) with tuna or chicken salad. Even salads purchased from the deli counter look extra-special when presented this way. If you are making your own, be creative and add mandarin oranges, grapes, and slivered almonds or walnuts for a truly tropical experience.

I don't know if you have access to a refrigerator at work , andl also how much work and expense you want to put into this.


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## LadyCook61 (Feb 27, 2008)

Using a fresh pineapple, slice a thin piece off the bottom so that the pineapple stands level on a plate. Skewer various pieces of bite-sized fruit (watermelon chunks or balls, grapes, pineapple pieces, strawberries, etc.) on wooden shish-ka-bob sticks or long toothpicks. Stick evenly spaced skewers into the pineapple


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## jkath (Feb 27, 2008)

Don't forget the pork! 
You may want to bring a nice ham, glazed in pineapple, or pork (or poultry) meatballs, with a pineapple/teriyaki glaze, which you can keep warm in a crockpot.

Or perhaps Pineapple pie (the thread's still pretty fresh around here)


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## GrillingFool (Feb 27, 2008)

Delicious Hawaiian style recipes to create an authentic Hawaiian luau ANYWHERE!


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## GotGarlic (Feb 27, 2008)

This recipe sounds really good: Huli Huli Chicken (scroll down)

This site has a lot of ideas for throwing a luau. Don't forget the leis!  HTH.


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## GotGarlic (Feb 27, 2008)

Ah, GrillingFool, you beat me to it!


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## Fisher's Mom (Feb 27, 2008)

This thread is great. Now I want to have a luau really bad. Does anyone here at DC have family luaus?


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## plumies (Feb 27, 2008)

Chicken Long Rice has become a popular dish at luaus now. There's probably as many versions of this dish as families that make them. Here are a couple to give you an idea. BTW, long rice is cellophane noodles.

More Traditional:
CHICKEN LONG RICE

Sam Choy's Version:
Chicken Long Rice - ma'ona

Other things that are good for a potluck: fried rice, teriyaki chicken/beef, Hawaiian macaroni salad, and kalua pig. Also, don't forget the steamed white rice if you're serving tery chicken/beef. If any of these interest you, let me know and I'll send you my recipes.

I like to grill up some Hawaiian kalbi short ribs but for a potluck, it may be hard to heat them up. I came up with a great marinade if you're interested but I do recommend that these be grilled rather than oven cooked.


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## plumies (Feb 27, 2008)

Fisher's Mom said:


> This thread is great. Now I want to have a luau really bad. Does anyone here at DC have family luaus?


 
We really don't have family luaus but I do cook a lot of Hawaiian style meals as part of our meal rotation.  I grew up in Hawaii so eating some of the dishes are just the norm.  I'm also lucky that San Diego has quite a bit of Hawaiian plate lunch eateries.  

I do throw game parties (Halo 3 specifically) that come as close to a luau as I can get.  Now if some of my friends and family are willing to bring Hawaiian style dishes, well, heck, let's have a real luau in my backyard!  I might even be tempted to dig an imu!


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## Fisher's Mom (Feb 27, 2008)

Wow, I love the idea of game parties, plumies. That's given me all sorts of ideas now. But I'm seriously thinking a luau is in my immediate future.


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## Caine (Feb 27, 2008)

Anything involving SPAM, which is readily available, even in Iowa.

Loco Moco, which is two hamburger patties on a bed of rice, covered with brown gravy and topped with 2 sunny-side- up eggs.







For dessert, try *Haupia* 


*Ingredients: *
 4 cups coconut milk*
2-1/2 cups water 
1-1/4 cups sugar 
1 cup cornstarch 


*Instructions: *
 Combine the coconut milk and water. Stir until smooth. Add the sugar and cornstarch. Cook over low heat until thickened and shiny. If the haupia is grainy, you need to keep cooking the mixture because the fat in the coconut milk has not yet melted. 

* You can make your own coconuit milk by mixing equal amounts of shredded coconut and water, simmer until foamy, then strain the mixture through cheesecloth, squeezing as much liquid out of the pulp as possible.


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## plumies (Feb 27, 2008)

Caine said:


> Anything involving SPAM, which is readily available, even in Iowa.


 
Great idea on the Spam! How about some simple Spam musubi? Most of the Spam musubi has the Nori (seaweed) wrapped on the outside but you can do something like this and just add the Nori on top before you serve it. This will prevent the nori from getting soggy and yucky.

You can make everything the night before. Slice the Spam about 1/2" thick slices. I would recommend pan frying the Spam just until the sides are getting brown. Then use a small round cookie cutter to get the rice and the Spam the same size. Fairly simple and cheap!






BTW, I love loco moco when it's done right. I make that every-so-often at home for lunch but prefer using my fried rice with Portugese sausage. I don't know how easy it would be to make loco moco for a pot luck, though.   It's not a standard flare at a luau.


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