Luau Time!

Clay and I were asked recently to join a Gourmet Dinner Club with a few of our friends.  The way it works is there are 6 couples and each couple takes a turn hosting for that month's dinner.  The host gets to choose a theme and everyone else is assigned a course for the dinner.  Our good friends kicked off the event at their host with a Hawaiian theme luau.  Here are Clay and in our Hawaiian attire.

We had a great time with good company.

Check out the details this month's hosts put into the decor.

LOTS of delicious food was served.  Ready to feast your eyes on this mind blowing menu?

For appetizers we had herbed goat cheese balls with crostini.

I made some Spam masubi.  Not sure it went over well with everyone but I tell you it is truly authentic island fare!  Can't turn some Texans onto nori or spam so the combination might put some over the edge. ;)

There was a delicious crab poke. A refreshing blend of cucumbers, mangoes, imitation crab, and a light  drizzle of sesame oil.

The hostess made a giant roast pork and some delicious shrimp.  Sorry, I didn't grab photos of these dishes until after everyone had devoured them.

And check out this gorgeous spinach salad with mangoes and bananas along with coconut rice.  YUM!  One of my favorite for the night.

We rounded out the meal with this bread pudding I made from a giant loaf of Hawaiian bread.

In case you are interested in the recipe here it is.  Definitely not low-cal!  Don't worry I was good and had two bites, that's it. ;)  Just for tastes.

King's Hawaiian White Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS:

1 (16 ounce) loaf King’s Hawaiian®

Original Hawaiian Sweet Round Bread,

cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/4 cups white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 cups milk

2 eggs, beaten

3 egg yolks, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups toasted pecans, chopped

1 (12 ounce) jar caramel sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the bread into cubes the night before and leave out to become slightly stale. 2. In a medium saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat. Meanwhile, place the white chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. When the cream comes to a simmer, remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour over the chips, whisking until the chips melt. Whisk the sugar into the mixture, add the milk, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla. 3. Add the bread to the bowl, gently stirring to coat the cubes. Set the mixture aside to allow the bread to soak, tossing periodically (about 30-40 minutes or so). 4. Toss the pecans into the soaked bread mixture, then pour into a baking dish. (Individual dishes can be used for single servings). 5. Place in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Test the bread pudding to make sure the top is golden brown and the inside is cooked (not too dry though). 6. Remove from oven and serve with caramel sauce. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2012 Allrecipes.com

I'm really looking forward to more dinner club get togethers in the months to come and sharing them all with you!