Valentine's Luau Dinner

For Valentine's dinner I made my family a Hawaii themed party.  We listened to our music that have from our trip to Hawaii. That I think makes it feel the most Hawaiian.  I also had a few decorations and leis for everyone (just cheapie ones from the party store--how fun would it be to have real ones).  Here's what we had:

Dessert:
Vanilla bean cheesecake with mango puree

The mango puree was made in my Vitamix.  It's 3 cups of partially defrosted fruit (or fresh is fine), 3/4 cup sugar or to taste (I used about a half cup for this recipe) and 1 tsp lemon juice.  Blend on the hot soups program.  We have made this with frozen mixed berries one time and blueberries another time and it always makes a delicious sauce, which thickens up later in the fridge.

I made the cheesecake from scratch of course, using a recipe for New York Cheesecake.

The feast:  Lobster tail with butter, coconut shrimp, luau pork and rice (from Rumbi grill) and pina coladas.

I've only bought lobster tails a few times and I never remember how to make them, so I had to search the internet on how to deal with them.  I finally found a basic you tube video that explained how to lift the meat out of the shell and bake it on top of the shell.  It was really easy.


The shrimp was the most time consuming, but it was pretty easy.  I used this recipe.

My helper with the shrimp

My best salmon ever (Pecan Crusted)

"Mom this is your best job of salmon ever!"
That is what Nathan told me last night at dinner. This recipe is one of our favorites.

Large Filet Salmon

salt and pepper

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

2 Tbs. butter, melted

1 1/2 Tbs. honey

1/4 cup soft breadcrumbs

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans (or any nut--last night we used walnuts because that's what we had)

1 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley

lemon slices

Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper.  Place on greased baking sheet or dish.  I would suggest lining with tinfoil or parchment.  

Combine mustard, butter, and honey.  Pour over salmon.  Combine breadcrumbs, pecans, and parsley.  Spoon on top.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filet.  My filet was probably 1 and 1/3 pounds, and we had plenty of the sauce and bread crumb topping.  

The lemon juiced over it adds the perfect tang.  This salmon is rich and delicious.  

Serves about 4. 

(Recipe adapted from Southern Living Easy Weeknight Favorites)

We love salmon!

I try to serve salmon once a week.  I prefer wild salmon for health and taste, but most of the time we buy farmed as that is what is more readily available.  If it is very fresh, it is still so delicious!  I do salmon really simple, usually baked at 350 for 20-30 minutes depending on how thick it is.  I like to put Penzy's Northwoods seasoning on it, or just salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice.  I have other salmon recipes which I will try to share in the future but those are my go to ones.  My kids gobble it up!

This meal was perfect!! I love this potato recipe and I followed this recipe for coleslaw and it was delicious!

Ugh I can't figure out how to rotate this!!

Here's my version of the potato recipe

• 1 pound potatoes (I used Yukon gold)
• 2 pound sweet potatoes (or more)
• 1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, whole
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts (I didn't add this but it sounds good if I had them!)

Directions:

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 450ºF.

2. 2

   Peel and coarsely chop the potatoes and sweet potatoes. Combine potatoes, sweet potatoes, onion, butter, and olive oil in a large bowl and mix well.

3. 3

   Spoon mixture into a 15 × 10-inch roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt. Place on bottom rack of oven.

4. 4

   Roast mixture, stirring twice, for 25 minutes.  Add garlic half way through. 

5. 5

   Add hazelnuts to potato mixture and mix well. Roast, stirring twice, until potatoes are tender and lightly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes.
   
   
   I didn't follow the exact times; just roasted until some bits were brown and toasty and almost burnt, but not quite.  I used my big turkey roaster pan and it worked great.  

Puxtawany Phil

Nathan wanted to make this after seeing it in the family fun magazine. It's a bit past Groundhogs day but we are still talking about that strange tradition. I made homemade chocolate pudding. It was really thick and rich and I'd like to try something a little lighter in taste and texture so I will be on the lookout for another Chocolate pudding recipe, from scratch of course.

Post Script

I just ate some leftover pudding this morning.  I take it back about being too heavy. It was delicious!! I guess it all depends on the mood, but around 11 am is a perfect time for a few bites of rich pudding.  Still, I think I will try a few recipes to see if I might find a less dense and rich pudding just to change things up.  Here's the recipe I followed for very rich and chocolaty pudding:

2 1/2 cups milk

4 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

3 Tbs. cornstarch

4 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, (scant 1 cup)  (I used 1 cup of Kirklands semisweet chocolate chips)

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream, whipped for topping 

Pour all but 2 Tbs of the milk into a saucepan and warm gently over medium heat until small bubbles begin to appear at the pans edges.

Meanwhile, combined the egg yolks, sugar, flour, and cornstarch in a bowl.  Stir in the remaining 2 Tbs milk to form a paste.  Using a whisk, vigorously stir the hot milk into the egg mixture.  Then pour the mixture back into the pan.  Place over medium-low heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  When the mixture reaches a boil, continue whisking constantly for 1 full minute.

Remove from heat and add chocolates and vanilla extract.  Whisk until smooth. 

Pour into dishes and let cool.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Top with whipped cream before serving if desired.  Or make a fun pudding cup treat with your kids :)