The sun has finally come out from behind the clouds, the birds are chirping in the trees, and it seems that all things green have come out over night! With the cold winds and snow of winter behind us, summer is right around the corner. The warmer days mean people are coming out from indoors and spending time in the sunshine. Summer is also a prime time for vacationing and traveling. Many people love to escape to the tropical coast and unwind. This is a great time to put together a summer getaway celebration! Bring people together for your very own tropical escape and to kick summer off with a splash!
The first thing you are going to want to start with is setting the mood of the party. Depending on where
you are located, you could be a good distance from the closest beach. Don’t worry though! Simply set up the luau sunset backdrop for a quick and easy summer sunset on a beach .Once the sunset backdrop is in place, layer the beach backdrop in to create the illusion of a large beach. Next use the tropical flower and bamboo walkway border to give the effect of sitting right on the warm beach sand. The combination of these backdrops and borders are perfect for creating an overall theme to your room and using as a photo opportunity. To take the theme of your luau at sunset to the next level, add in the palm tree props and the luau sunset props to your backdrop.
Next get your table tops set and ready for some guests to lounge at all night long. Start by using the luau tablecover as your base. This matches perfectly with the tropical flower and bamboo walkways boarder that was used previously. Down the middle of your table top use the printed luau table runner to add some embellishment. To keep the room from looking overly uniformed, alternate tables with the luau tablecover and the palm leaf tablecover. Down the middle of the palm leafe tablecover, sprinkle some parti-color silk ‘N petals to give a pop of color and to break up the solid color of green. Give each place seating a coconut cup to add to the tropical style and bring the ocean that much closer to where you are!
For your food station use the hibiscus plates, cups, and napkins to serve up delectable treats and finger food. Set the inflatable palm tree cooler at the end of the food line for guests to easily pick and choose from the drink selection. For food, try opting for delectable finger treats. Something that can easily be indulged in without much mess. A fan favorite is always scrumptious sliders and coconut cupcakes!
What you will need for the Hawaiian Burger Sliders:
- 1 can of unsweetened crushed pineapple
- 1 green onion, freshly chopped
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt-free seasoning blend
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ½ pound uncooked chorizo or bulk spice pork sausage
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- Hawaiian sweet rolls split
- Lettuce leaves cut in half
- Sliced tomato
How to make:
Your first step is to drain your pineapple keeping ½ cup of juice to the side. In a large bowl, mix together the pineapple, green onions, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning. Next add the turkey and chorizo. Mix these two items lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 12 ½ inch thick patties.
Once the patties are made, place them on a broiler pan and broil for 4 to 5 minutes on each side of until a thermometer reads 165°.
While the burgers are broiling mix together ketchup and reserved pineapple juice. Serve the burgers on rolls with lettuce, tomato, and ketchup mixture. Place the hibiscus picks through the top of the bun to help hold the sliders together and give them a pop of festivities! This recipe makes 12 servings. Courtesy of: (Taste of Home, 2013) https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/mini-hawaiian-burgers
What you will need for the Coconut Cupcakes:
- 10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, very soft
- 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut milk, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract)
- 1 cup shredded, sweetened, coconut, divided
- 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) confectioners' sugar
How to make:
Heat oven to 350°F and position rack to the middle of the oven. Fill a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners of your choice. Whisk together the butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until light and creamy. Then Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until they are all combined. Whisk in 2/3 cups of coconut milk, vanilla, and ½ of coconut.
After this is all completed add in the flour and baking powder to the bowl and whisk until combined. Spoon batter into the muffin pan and bake until just set. Baking should take 18 to 20 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then transfer to wire 
rack to cool completely before icing.
Icing- Stir confectioners’ sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons of the coconut milk in a bowl until smooth. Adjust with more sugar or milk to achieve a thick glaze consistency. If you desire, you can add a drop of vanilla or coconut flavoring. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, spoon the glaze over the cupcakes and sprinkling with coconut shavings. Dress your cupcakes up for the event with the Pineapple cupcake wrappers! Courtesy of: (Ruperti, 2018) https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/04/easy-coconut-cupcakes.html
Even with some yummy treats to eat and some great décor that takes you away, a party is never truly complete without some one of a kind party favors to send your guests on their way home with. Favors are a great way to get people to remember the time they had while at your party. As the guests walk through your entrance for the night, top your party off by greeting them with a warm Hawaiian welcome and give them a Silk ‘N Petals Lei to wear. Have the assorted color artificial grass hula skirts on hand for when someone gets the urge to get up and dance!