HOLIDAYS
HOLIDAYS
Kiss the winter blues goodbye and taste the islands with an Island Bliss Winter Getaway Theme Party.
Islands are meant to bring all the best that comes with food, family, friends and sunshine. Laugh, chat and limbo the night away - you're on island time now.
Islands are meant to bring all the best that comes with food, family, friends and sunshine. Laugh, chat and limbo the night away - you're on island time now.
Make things tropical with delicious conch fritters! Photo courtesy of Mouse, these fritters are certain to delight!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup conch (approx 1/2 lb, usually about 3 pieces of conch) *Can substitute with lump crab meat
- 1 yellow bell pepper (preferred (=approx 1 Cup )) or red bell pepper or green bell pepper (=approx 1
- 1 medium onion (= approx 1 Cup )
- 1 clove garlic (= approx 1 tbs )
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons key lime juice ((= 2 approx key limes) Use regular limes if needed)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Cup flour (regular NOT self-rising)
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- milk (on hand just in case)
- 1 Tbsp thyme
- 1 Tbsp parsley
- 1 Tbsp oregano
- 1 Tbsp celery seed
- 1 Tbsp habanero sauce
- 3/4 Tbsp salt (Not More! At least initially!)
- 1/2 Tbsp basil
- 1/4 Tbsp cumin powder
- 1/2 Tsp black pepper
Steps
- Pound conch with a rolling pin until it has flattened out (especially the thick and hard "foot"), then dice into small pieces.
- Mix in lime juice and tomato paste with conch in small bowl.
- In separate large bowl, dice pepper, onion and garlic. Mix in spices.
- Mix in conch mixture. Mix in flour, baking powder and eggs.
- The mixture should be fairly thick, if you take spoon of it and turn it upside down it should stick there for a few seconds.
- If too thin, add more flour. If too thick, add a little milk. You could also substitute a little beer for the milk if you like.
- Get a couple of plates with napkins or paper towels handy, as well as a tablespoon, a teaspoon, a fork, and a metal device for scooping stuff out of hot oil.
- Heat a pot of about 2 inches of cooking oil on medium heat. Stir after a few minutes.
- Oil should be ready after 7 or 8 minutes, don't heat too fast or oil and fritters will burn.
- Scoop up 1 tablespoon of fritter mixture, scrape it into oil with teaspoon.
- Let cook for about 2 minutes, then roll it over with fork (they float) and let cook on other side for about 2 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Scoop out with scooper and let drain on napkin plate. Let cool a bit and then taste. Carefully adjust seasonings in remainder of batter to taste. Repeat this procedure of making one fritter until you have the spices just right.
- The recipe may seem like a lot of spices, but they lose their strength when mixed with all that stuff and cooked.
- Makes 30 fritters. Serve with lemon or lime wedges, some more habenero sauce, and plenty of cold beverages.
Easy and tasty grilled mahi mahi fillets, great for serving with Mango Salsa.
Ingredients
- 4 (7 ounce ) mahi mahi fillets
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
Steps
- Grill Mahi Mahi on a hot grill, 5 min. each side and season with salt and cracked pepper.
- Place salsa atop mahi mahi steaks and serve.
A refreshing and sweet salsa, this goes with anything! As a chip dip or a garnish, mango salsa is the way to go.
Ingredients
- 2 cups mangoes, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 Cup sweet kernel corn
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 Cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 habanero pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon pepper
Steps
- Mix all ingerdients in salsa together, except mango.
- Cover and chill overnight.
- Add mango to salsa just before serving and mix well.
Very easy, very good, light Key lime taste that still makes you pucker. No fuss - takes 15 to 20 minutes to make.
Ingredients
- 1 (10-inch) prepared graham cracker pie crust
- 1 (14 Oz ) can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/2 Cup freshly squeezed key lime juice
- Whipped Cream
Steps
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Whisk sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks in medium bowl to blend. Add lime juice and whisk until blended. Pour filling into prepared pie
- Bake pie until filling is set, about 18 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool to room temperature.
- Cover and refrigerate pie overnight. Cut pie into wedges. Spoon huckleberry compote on top. Garnish with dollop of whipped cream.
Fair warning to those of you used to drinking wimpy frozen margaritas - this probably won't appeal to you. But if you're the kind of person who sips rather than shoots your finer tequilas, then you'll enjoy the complexity and intensity of this margarita.
Yes, it's got bite and it is extremely potent.
Yes, it's got bite and it is extremely potent.
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila
- 2 oz. Bols Triple Sec
- 2 oz. Rose's Lime Juice
- 2 Slices fresh lime
- coarse salt
- Ice
Steps
- Squeeze the juice from one lime over ice. Add tequila, triple sec and lime juice. Shake and pour over ice into salted glass. Squeeze juice from one more lime slice and toss the slice into the glass. Enjoy.
A delicious treat for all those who want to relax under the island sun.
Ingredients
- 1/2 oz. Light Rum
- 1/2 oz. Gold Rum
- 1/2 oz. Dark Rum
- 1/2 oz. Coconut Liqueur(Malibu is good)
Steps
- Fill a Collins glass with crushed ice.
- Combine the following in a shaker with ice.
- Mix well and strain into the glass.
- Fill 1/2 with orange juice & 1/2 with pineapple juice
- Top with a splash of grenadine
- Garnish with a Cherry & Pineapple Wedge, Paper Umbrella
The Goombay Smash, the specialty here, has been called "Abaco's answer
to atomic fission." Its recipe includes secret proportions of coconut
rum, "dirty" rum, apricot brandy, and pineapple juice.
Ingredients
- One part each:
- Pineapple Rum
- Coconut Rum
- Light Rum
- Dark Rum
- Four parts pineapple juice
- One part orange juice
- Juice of one lime
- Grenadine for color
- A few dashes of bitters
Steps
- Pour over ice and garnish with cherries and an orange slice. Enjoy!
A yummy punch that everyone can enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 can pineapple juice
- 1 Liter ginger ale
- Ice cubes
- 2 large cans fruit cocktail
Steps
- Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart pitcher. Stir. Serve chilled.
More Theme Party Ideas
Got My Party Shoes On!
Invite your friends to party with the best-looking invitations on the web! Plan Your Party with Celebrations today!
The key is to be as colorful as possible and remind your guests that they'll soon be escaping to a tropical paradise.
- Plan invitations with a tropical theme like small bottles of sunblock affixed with a colorful RSVP tag.
- You can also send out deflated beach balls with your party information written on it.
- Also check out Tiny Prints' great selection of summer party invitations for inspiration.
What music to play at your island themed birthday party.
- "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet
- "Sun Is Shining" by Bob Marley & The Wailers
- "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys
- "No Woman, No Cry" by Bob Marley
- "Day-O" by Harry Belafonte
- "Two Pina Coladas" by Garth Brooks
- "Two Tickets to Paradise" by Eddie Money
- "Cool Change" by The Little River Band
- "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes
Tropical Party Supplies
- Set the scene with palm tree decorations.
- Hang lanterns to give your party a soft glow.
- Pass out multi-colored sunglasses to guests.
The goal is to make your guests feel like they're in a tropical oasis! Create an environment that not only lets them forget the world, but makes them feel like they've gotten away from provincial life!
- Decorating for an island getaway party is fun and easy. Decorate your home with beach towels, and trendy flipflops.
- Bowls filled with seashells and tealights make festive centerpieces without breaking the bank. Opt for fresh flowers. Orchids, ferns, Birds-of-Paradise are perfect to transform any home into a tropical oasis. Attach some flowers to cups, shirt lapels or pinned in hair - easy, exotic elegance!
- Be creative and let your inner hippie go Day-O! Break out the flower print bell-bottoms and platforms. Daylight come and me wanna go party! Guests of all ages will love a few rounds of limbo. Wrap a pole (or swifter/broomstick) in some floral garland to give it an island feel, and challenge guests to see how low they can go.
- This party sizzles in the sun with colorful cocktail umbrellas to show-off your island libations!
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