Luau

These days the week seems to drag on, and on, and on. So, to liven up our Friday nights and to give us something to look forward to, my family and I decided that every Friday will be a theme day. We did this last week and went with a tropical beach theme. It was so much fun! We all got decked out in our island attire, had piña coladas for happy hour (virgin ones for the youngster), cooked an awesome island dinner, and then watched Lilo and Stitch while sprawled out on beach towels in the living room.

Piña Colada

I thought you and your families may enjoy playing along with us. I hope you don’t mind me mixing it up a bit. Recipes will of course be a big part of the festivities.

Each week you will find a themed graphic with some inspiration for attire, movies, and some other fun touches you can do to create a special vibe. I will also include links to some theme based recipes to plan a menu around.

If you do participate in any of the theme nights please be sure to post your pics and tag me on Instagram @DivaDiCucina and use the hashtag #DivasThemeNight. I would love to see how you and your family incorporate any of the themes and put your own twist on them. Please also share any other ideas you have or links to other tropical themed recipes you enjoy in the comments below.

I hope you have as much fun with this as my family and I!

Family Theme Night—Tropical Beach Party

FOOD IDEAS
Click on the name of the food item below to be directed to a page with that recipe. Please note some of these link to recipes shared by other awesome food bloggers which will redirect you to their sites.

Appetizers/Snacks
Mango Salsa
Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade
Easy Hawaiian Dip

Drinks
Blended Mango Margaritas
Summertime White Sangria
Piña Coladas
Rum Punch

Main Course
Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut
Shrimp Tacos
Homemade Fish Sticks and Tartar Sauce
Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
Caribbean Baked Chicken with Mango
Grilled Hawaiian Chicken

Side Dishes
Tropical Macadamia Nut Rice
Mango and Bok Choy Salad
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Tropical Fruit Salad

Dessert
Piña Colada Pie with Drunken Rum Sauce
Mini Key Lime Pies
Personal Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
Hawaiian Poke Cake

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken and Grilled Pineapple

How many times have you served a side of plain white rice with your favorite dishes? With how quick and easy this macadamia nut rice is you will be looking to spruce up your rice more often. This takes rice to a whole new level. It is sweet and salty and has a great balance of textures with the crunchy nuts mixed in. This is a great side dish if you are looking for food for a luau. I love to serve it with teriyaki chicken and grilled pineapple. Yummy in my tummy! This rice pairs nicely with my homemade halibut fish sticks, any grilled fish, or even grilled pork or shrimp with Caribbean seasonings. Try this out and give your taste buds a real tropical treat. Aloooooohaaaaa!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups jasmine rice, uncooked
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 c green onions, thinly sliced
2/3 cup roasted macadamia nuts, chopped
salt

STEPS

Cook rice according to package instructions.
While the rice is cooking, lightly toast your coconut in a skillet over medium heat until it turns a nice golden color. Set aside.
After the rice has sat covered per the package instructions, drizzle with olive oil and gently fluff with a fork.
Stir in toasted coconut, green onions, macadamia nuts, and season with salt.