Blues Brothers Dinner

Here is a dinner we did for Blues Brothers!  It was a good time and Olivia sure loved to dance to it.  This was a pretty bizarre dinner but it was fun. 

For dinner we had Jake's Four Whole Fried Chickens and a Coke, Elwood's Dry Toasted White Bread, "You got my cheese whiz boy?" with crackers, and Orange Whip. 

Jake's Four Whole Fried Chickens and a Coke

We went to KFC and got a snack pack of chicken- please note, we didn't actually eat four whole chickens. 

Elwood's Dry Toasted White Bread

"You got my cheese whiz boy?" with Crackers

Orange Whip

I used this recipe here.

Ingredients:

1 can of Mandarin Oranges, drained

1 package (3.4oz) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 cup Cool Whip

Mix ingredients together gently and refrigerate before serving.  

Leprechaun's Christmas Gold Dinner

Because Olivia's birthday is on St. Patrick's Day, we did a celebration a few days early!  We did a dinner for the only Irish movie we had that we didn't have to rent, Leprechaun's Christmas Gold.  It's a silly claymation movie that is in our Rudolph The Reindeer Christmas set.  It's pretty weird but still a fun excuse to celebrate the holiday!

For dinner we had  Reuben Pinwheels, Potato and Bacon Soup, Rainbow Fruit, Shamrock Shake, Leprechaun's Christmas Gold, and Irish Shortbread.

Reuben Pinwheels

I took crescent rolls and spread the all the dough out.  I brushed the dough with thousand island dressing.  I added deli Corned Beef, sauerkraut, and grated Swiss cheese.  I rolled it up and sliced into pieces.  I baked them for about 10 minutes.  

Potato and Bacon Soup

I bought this soup from the grocery store.  

Rainbow Fruit

Shamrock Shake

I found the recipe here! 

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons of Milk

1 teaspoon of Peppermint Extract

2 cups of Vanilla Ice Cream

7 Thin Mint Cookies

Green Food Coloring

Combine ingredients and enjoy.

Leprechaun's Christmas Gold

Irish Shortbread

This came in my Try The World box. 

Here is our little Irish celebration gear!

Moana Dinner (Olivia's 2nd Birthday Party)

Olivia turned two!  To celebrate we had a Moana themed party!  She did have a meltdown and was unable to put on her Moana dress but she pulled herself together and had a great time with so many loved ones around!  Now, as I'm sure you can imagine, we have more Moana stuff than anyone ever thought possible! 

For her party, we had Pua's Pork Sliders, Hei Hei's BBQ Chicken Skewers, Island Fruit, Te Ka Salsa and Chips, Shiny Popcorn, "Consider The Coconuts" Tropical Drink, Maui Beer: (Big Swell IPA, Pineapple Mana Wheat, and Coconut Kiwa Porter), Te Fiti Cookies, and a Moana Cake!

Pua's Pork Sliders

I found this recipe here.

Ingredients:

4lb Pork Shoulder

1 Tablespoon of Liquid Smoke (I didn't know this was a thing but it is and it's amazing!)

1 Tablespoon of Pink Himalayan Salt

Cook on low for eight hours.  Serve with BBQ sauce and Hawaiian buns.

Hei Hei's BBQ Chicken Skewers

I found this recipe here. 

Ingredients:

2 large green peppers, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 cups of cubed pineapples

1 large red onion, cut into bite sized pieces

1/3 cup of ketchup

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1/3 cup of soy sauce

1/4 cup of pineapple juice

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

2 Tablespoons of rice vinegar 

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon of fresh ginger

1 teaspoon of  sesame oil

2lbs of chicken, cubed

Skewers

Directions:

1. Soak skewers in water for an hour before grilling.

2. Mix together ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil in a bowl.

3. Add cubed chicken and cover with aluminum foil and set aside for an hour.

4. Make skewers with chicken, pineapples, green peppers, and red onions.  

5. Grill until chicken is fully cooked.  

Island Fruit

I used oranges, bananas, and kiwi. 

Te Ka Salsa and Chips

Shiny Popcorn

I bought White Cheddar Old Dutch popcorn and added edible gold stars to make it shiny!

"Consider The Coconuts" Tropical Drink

I found the recipe here. 

Ingredients: 

15oz of cream of coconut

46oz of pineapple juice

1 liter of club soda (cold)

1 quart of vanilla ice cream

Combine cream of coconut and pineapple juice with a whisk, once fully combined add club soda and ice cream.  Serve cold.  

Maui Beer: (Big Swell IPA, Pineapple Mana Wheat, and Coconut Kiwa Porter)

Te Fiti Cookies

I used my sugar cookie recipe from Toy Story 2.

Using green food coloring, I made two different shade of dough and rolled out the lighter color on top of the darker color.  I rolled them up and sliced them.  Then I baked them for seven minutes. 

Moana Cake! 

Here are some fun (mostly non-meltdown) photos!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

Here is Olivia's First Birthday Party which was themed after the book, "Olivia."

The AristoCats Dinner

We did a dinner for the The AristoCats!  It was our first time watching it with Olivia and I think she liked it!  We had a great time trying some classic French dishes.

For dinner we had Parisian Crepes with Cream Cheese Mousse and Fig Jam, Madame Bonfamillie's Croque Madame, Roquefort's Cheese Platter, Creme de la Creme a la Edgar, and Uncle Waldo's Drunken Grey Goose Cranberry Lemon Cake.

Parisian Crepes with Cream Cheese Mousse and Fig Jam

I purchased pre-made crepes which made the dinner a LOT easier!  

I served up crepes with cream cheese mousse and fig jam.

Cream Cheese Mousse Ingredients:

1.5 cup of Heavy cream

4oz of cream cheese

3/4 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of sour cream

1 teaspoon

Combine in a bowl and chill until you serve! 

Madame Bonfamillie's Croque Madame

I found the recipe here.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of butter, divided

4 slices of sourdough bread

4 slices of deli ham

2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

1 cup of grated Gruyere cheese

2 eggs

1 tablespoon of flour

1/8 teaspoon of salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup of Gruyere cheese

Directions (makes two sandwiches): 

1. Cook eggs sunny side up.

2. Make Mornay sauce: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan.  Stir in flour for about a minutes, add milk, and whisk constantly.  Bring to a low boil for two minutes, add salt pepper, and nutmeg.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese. 

3. Put remaining butter on both sides of sourdough bread while heating up a skillet.

4. Assemble the sandwich: Sourdough bread, Dijon mustard, ham, Mornay sauce, Gruyere cheese, and another slice of bread.  Cook just like a grilled cheese.  When cheese gets nice and melted, remove from heat.

5. Top with an egg

Roquefort's Cheese Platter

Creme de la Creme a la Edgar

Ingredients:

3oz Heavy Cream

2oz Amaretto

1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Cinnamon

Uncle Waldo's Drunken Grey Goose Cranberry Lemon Cake

I found this recipe here. 

Ingredients:

Angel Food Cake

1 cup of lemon juice; divided

3/4 cup of vodka

6 cups of powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons honey

1/4 cup of sugar

Pinch of ground cloves

Pinch of ground all spice

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup of dried cranberries

1/4 cup of cranberry juice

Directions:

1. Combine 3/4 cup of lemon juice and powdered sugar. Whisk well and add in vodka.  Whisk again.

2. Pour over the entire Angel Food Cake and let soak in.

3. Combine 1/4 cup of lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons of honey, cloves, all spice, cinnamon stick, dried cranberries, and cranberry juice in a medium pot and heat until it's a boil.  

4.  Reduce heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes. 

5. Remove Cinnamon stick and pour on top.