Tropical Party

Over the weekend, we had a tropical theme barbeque at our house. I love to have a theme when we entertain. This one was a lot of fun! We served drinks and appetizers outside and set up the dinner buffet inside. I love to create tablescapes. It makes the buffet table more interesting with different levels and props. I use hatboxes under the tablecloths to add some height to my platters. I layer different fabrics and add flowers and for this party theme, I added seashells and clear flat marbles. We also hung colorful paper lanterns and lots of light outside unter the umbrellas.

I tried to stick to the theme with the menu as well without getting too exotic or spicy as most of the caribbean foods are. We made some Key Lime Pie martinis to start and they were sooo good! For appetizers, I made Pig on a Stick (pork tenderloin strips) with orange marmalade sauce, Margarita Shrimp Cocktail, Bacon wrapped Pineapple, and my mom made Chicken Morsels with Mustard dip, I also put out some banana chips and tropical dried fruit and nuts. For dinner we had Flank Steak marinated in a tropical teriyaki and Jamaican Jerk Chicken. I also served Jasmine Rice with Pineapple and Fresh Ginger, Sweet Potato Fries, a Fresh Bean salad and a tossed salad with cranberries and sunflower seeds. For dessert I made Baked Bananas and served fresh Mango slices. It was a little bit of sweet and a little bit of spicy. I got all of my recipes from a few different cookbooks and magazines and would be happy to send any out if you are interested. Just let me know! It's also fun to make little signs for the different dishes. This way everyone knows what they are!

And for one last touch that is really nice - we made party favor music cds for everyone to take home. Lots of fun reggae and other caribbean songs that we had played during the night.