I am dying to have a tiki bar. It doesn’t fit into my house currently - so every once in a while I’ll pull up a few elements to make it seem “tiki-bar-ish.” But what I really want is the real deal. I want the gaudy tiki statues, the grass cloth walls, custom swizzle sticks and a record player blasting Jimmy Buffett. I want shelves crowded with a collection of tiki mugs. I want a terrible bar name inscribed on napkins and matchbooks. I want it to smell like coconuts and sunscreen.

Image borrowed from Kiel James Patrick’s Instagram account @kjp

I can’t wait until the day I can shake up a fruity cocktail from behind the bamboo bar. The counter will be slightly sticky because it’s been splashed on so many times that no amount of wiping will get it entirely un-sticky. But we won’t care. We’ll continue to shake drinks full of pineapple juice and coconut cream and continue to let them drip all over as we pull out the giant pieces of pineapple that hold little drops of the cocktail on the ends. I’ll make crab rangoon and coconut shrimp to serve instead of dinner because every meal is better when you’re sitting on top of a rattan stool.

We’ll listen to Jimmy Buffett on repeat and dance while wearing leis, floating dresses, and goofy shirts. I’ll light tiki torches lining the path leading to the bar. We’ll find a vintage tiki god to guard the entrance so there’s no bad ju-ju.

I’ve started collecting the mugs already - I’m knee deep in quirky glassware. I already have the perfect name. I just need a location. A place to pop on a rattan barstool and fill the top of a glass with slices of pineapple, tiny umbrellas, and wedges of lime.

Etsy Swizzle Sticks | Custom Tiki Mugs | Jimmy Buffett Vinyl | Pyrat Rum | Aloha T-Shirt | Rattan Tray | Pitcher | Nick Kuchar Print | Vintage Tiki Ashtray | Flamingo Punch Bowl

An amazing drink from the Soggy Dollar Bar. A hair of the dog cocktail from a swim up bar. Tr additionally made with Prusser’s Rum, one sip evokes sounds of a steel drum. Made with juice and coconut cream, it’s like a Pina colada without the sugar extreme. Shake one up and bottom’s up! It’s sunshine and sand, all in a cup.

prusser’s Painkiller

2 1/2 ounces run

4 ounces pineapple juice

2 ounces orange juice

1 ounce coconut cream

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake well over ice until combined. Strain into a glass filled with fresh ice and top with an umbrella, pineapple, lime wedges and anything else you can think of!

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Continuing the tropical theme this January…. the ultimate coconut sugar cookies. These with a little spike of lime zest make for a little ray of sunshine in the middle of this very grey, very rainy, very cloudy month. I brought them to my kids as they got out of school today - it was the end of finals week - any they were loved. Well, mostly - I got some “input” too. Kids are great!

You’re going to love these incredible sugar cookies even more than my teenagers did. I promise.

Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

2 cups flour

1 cup ground coconut

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lime zest

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Then add the eggs, vanilla, coconut extract, and lime zest. Beat until fluffy.

STEP 2

Add the flour, coconut, and baking soda. If you wish to mix them in a small bowl first, you may. I just mix them together in the bowl to make sure the soda is evenly distributed.

STEP 3

Scoop onto a lined baking sheet. Press each scoop down slightly and sprinkle the top with sanding sugar or turbinado sugar. Bake 12 minutes until just browned on the edges. Let cool before eating.

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I don’t know why, but January is always the time when I want tropical drinks, tropical foods, and I love to set up my tiki bar! How about you? Let’s start with some baked shrimp that are like your favorite tiki bar appetizer, only with baking instead of frying which makes it slightly (actually a lot) better for you. Same great flavor - same great coconut - just less oil.

And don’t forget the sauce, it’s totally mandatory.

Baked Coconut Shrimp

Serves 4

1 lb shrimp, raw and deveined

1 egg, beaten

1 clove garlic, grated

½ cup shredded coconut

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

salt and pepper

4 tbs melted butter

1 cup rice

2 tbs mayo

2 tbs honey

½ tsp sriracha

juice of 1 lemon (2 tbs)

1 bunch cilantro for serving

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

In a saucepan with a lid combine rice and water.  Bring to a boil.  As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to low and cook – covered – 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

STEP 2

Mix bread crumbs and coconut in a zip top bag

STEP 3

Beat egg in a large bowl with the grated clove of garlic.  Toss shrimp with the egg until well coated. Remove shrimp from the bowl using a slotted spoon so any extra egg stays behind in the bowl.  Add the shrimp to the coconut mixture.  Toss to coat.

STEP 4

Brush a baking sheet with 1-2 tbs melted butter.  Pour out shrimp on to the sheet.  Drizzle remaining butter on top of the shrimp.  Pop in the oven and bake 10-15 minutes until totally pink and crispy on top.

STEP 5

Whisk together mayonnaise, honey, sriracha, and lemon juice.  Serve shrimp over rice with sauce on the side.  Sprinkle cilantro over the top to serve!

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For Lunar New Year I’m pouring a drink that’s filled with history and delightfully pink! In public in Singapore in 1915, women could only drink fruit juice and tea. So a clever man names Ngiam Tong Boon created this drink that’s over the moon. Filled with cherry liquor and gin, it looks like fruit juice which made it a win. Ladies in Singapore could drink at the bar. Now it’s beloved near and far.

Singapore Sling

Makes 2 drinks

1 1/2 ounces gin

1 ounce benedictine

1/2 ounce cherry liquer

1 ounce lime juice

1/2 ounce grenadine

dash of bitters

2 ounces pineapple juice

4 ounces soda water

Stir together gin, benedictine, cherry liquor, lime juice, pineapple juice, grenadine and bitters. Pour into glasses filled with ice and top with club soda. Garnish with a lime and a cherry.

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The comment from last week’s cocktail fun? “Tell me about your bar full of rum!” So here’s the deal, I love a rum drink. But a good one is not as simple as you think. The best I’ve ever had is a BFRD. It’s three kinds of rum, pineapple juice and orgeat. A splash of orange liquor and a squeeze of lime, you’ll feel like you’re in Hawaii in no time. Aloha Friday and have a great weekend. I’ll see you back here next week my friend.

BFRD

Makes two drinks

one ounce white rum

one ounce gold rum

one once dark rum

half ounce orange liqour

half ounce orgeat

one ounce pineapple juice

lime wedge

cherry

In a cocktail shaker full of ice, combine all ingredients. Shake well and pour into a glass - everything! Even the ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and a cherry. Enjoy.

Who else is craving a vacation? Or just to travel somewhere outside of our neighborhood? We’ve booked a trip to Hawaii for as soon as school gets out, which can’t come fast enough but also seems like it’s coming at record speed. Maybe because the kids weren’t in school for so many months?

Regardless we’re ready to travel. We’re starting with a few recipes that let us dream about travel. Let’s all go to Hawaii this week.

Hawaiian Flank Steak  

with Spicy Pineapple Salsa

serves 4

STEP 1

Pour rice, coconut milk, and water into a pot on the stove.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer about 20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.

STEP 2

Rinse and pat dry flank steak.  In a small bowl, combine together half of the ginger, half of the garlic, coffee, and salt and pepper.  Rub mixture all over steak getting into the crevices on both sides. 

STEP 3

Preheat grill to high heat. Place steak on the grill and cook 6-8 minutes on each side until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees for medium doneness.  Remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes.  Slice thinly against the grain.  

STEP 4

In a bowl, mix together pineapple, avocado, mango, and onion.  Toss with remaining ingredients and let rest 10 minutes.

STEP 5

Combine together soy sauce, pineapple juice, and remaining ginger and garlic in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and continue cooking until reduced by half.  Pour glaze over sliced steak.  

Serve with pineapple salsa.

2 pounds flank steak

4 tbs grated ginger

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely ground coffee

1 can pineapple, reserve the juice & chop the pineapple

¼ cup soy sauce

1 avocadoes, sliced into cubes

1 mango, sliced into cubes

½ red onion, thinly sliced

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 jalapeno, seeds removed and thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 can coconut milk

1 ½ cups rice

 How to pull it off

1.     Rub the steak and set it aside.

2.     Make the pineapple salsa.  Let it rest

3.     Grill the steak.

4.     Let the steak rest while you make cocktails

5.     Slice the steak

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Every Friday night needs a good cocktail!  Pair this one with my Hawaiian Burger and you're in for a fabulous little dinner - it's a perfect menu for hosting a few friends and celebrating summer, spring break, or a wish to be somewhere warm.  

Pair the cocktail with my Hawaiian Burger for a perfect dinner!  Also, friends love this too.  So invite friends over.

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Sometimes all it takes to feel like you're on vacation is the right dinner.  That's where a Hawaiian Burger come in.  It's a vacation on a bun.  The combination of fresh pineapple + teriyaki sauce + a little spice is a perfect tribute to the Hawaiian islands.  

Also, because it's done in 20 minutes, you can kick back and relax with a little tropical cocktail to really sell the whole vacation thing.  

HAWAIIAN BURGER

serves 4

STEP 1

In a saucepan over low heat, cook together ¼ cup soy sauce, 1 cup reserved pineapple juice (drained from the can), 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 clove grated garlic, and 2 tbs brown sugar until bubbling.  In a small bowl whisk together 2 tbs corn starch and ¼ cup water – quickly whisk into the bubbling pan and cook one minute until thick.

STEP 2

In a bowl, combine ground beef, 1 tsp grated ginger, and ¼ cup teriyaki sauce that you just made.  Mix until well combined.  Form into patties. 

STEP 3

Chop pineapple slices and combine them in a bowl with jalapeno and red onion.  Set aside.

STEP 4

Cook hamburger patties in a grill pan on the stove or on the barbecue until a meat thermometer reads 135 degrees.  Butter the buns and grill them along side the burgers. 

STEP 5

Spread mayonnaise on one side of the buns and top with hamburger patty, pineapple salsa, lettuce, a slice of swiss cheese, and a spoonful of teriyaki sauce. 

1.5 lb ground beef

2 tsp ginger, grated

1 can pineapple slices

¼ cup soy sauce

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

1 egg, beaten

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

½ red onion, chopped

4 ounces swiss cheese, sliced

1 head romaine lettuce

2 tbs Mayonnaise

4 Hamburger Buns

I have found that if I put food on a kabob my kids will eat it.  So when I find flavors that I love, I put them on a stick so we don't have to argue about how many bites we have to eat before I lose my mind.

These Hawaiian Kabobs with pineapple and bell pepper and a delicious teriyaki sauce on top are the perfect "trip on a plate" dinner.  Make a mai tai, grab fake leis for the kids and do a little hula.  At my house, we'd also have to screen Forgetting Sarah Marshall after the kids were in bed.  That part's optional, but HIGHLY recommended.  

HAWAIIAN KABOB

serves 4

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix together soy, lime juice and zest, sesame oil, and pineapple juice from the can.

STEP 2

Combine cubes of pork with half of the pineapple sauce.  Let rest.

STEP 3

In a sauce pan, combine 3 cups water with rice.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover until cooked – about 20 minutes. 

STEP 4

Thread pork, bell pepper, pineapple, jalapeno rings, and onion on a skewer.  Place skewers on a lined baking sheet.  Bake 10 minutes until pork is cooked through.

STEP 5

Whisk cornstarch into remaining pineapple sauce and heat in microwave for three minutes at one minute intervals whisking between each minute. 

STEP 6

Serve skewers over rice and pour the thickened pineapple sauce on the skewers.

1.5 lb boneless pork chops, cubed

1 can pineapple chunks

1 jalapeno, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 onion, sliced

2 tbs soy sauce

1 lime zested & juiced

2 tbs sesame oil

½ cup pineapple juice, drained from the can

1 ½ cups rice

1 tbs cornstarch