The Party Begins....

It is probably safe to say the party for Matt's 70th birthday celebration started with the crayfish party! Usually, everything is already planned by this time, but this year, we were a little late. For one, Matt wasn't too keen to party. After much prodding, I finally convinced him. Life must go on and milestones like the 70th must be celebrated.

So here we go..

We decided to have an ISLAND THEME this year. (woohoo!) Sort of a pre-party celebration for the NOVEMBER ISLAND PARTY in the Philippines. So this will be a San Diego version. The difference is that we will be featuring dishes from different islands. Not just the Philippines, but islands all over the world. Here is a sample menu we are working on..

1. OTA IKA -- raw fish dish from Tonga
2. OVEN KALUA PIG (OR PORK) -- I was told this was popular in luau parties. I'll probably make some MANGO CHILLI BBQ SAUCE to go with it.
3. CUBAN BEEF STEW -- a popular dish from Cuba. I wanted to have Teriyaki beef sticks but Matt wasn't too keen on having beef that could be tough. We might end up scrapping beef from the menu at all!
4. HONEY BBQ CHICKEN -- grilled chicken thighs (boneless) marinated in the typical Filipino bbq sauce commonly used on pork bbq but we'll do it with chicken.
5. GRILLED SQUID -- Matt's favorite! (And especially included for our grandson Nicholas!) Giant squids marinated in spicy chilli garlic sauce and grilled. We used to have this at the Makati Sports Club every Sunday for lunch.
6. CHICKEN KELAGUIN -- not really sure what this dish is but our friends Carlos and Rodney will be making this dish. They said it is a typical party dish in Guam.
7. FISH CURRY IN BANANA LEAVES -- another one of Matt's favorite from Thailand. We'll have tilapia or catfish in red curry sauce grilled in banana leaf packets.
   

Now for the side dishes:

1. RED RICE -- another favorite dish from Guam.
2. ISLAND SLAW -- my take on coleslaw but with different dressing.
3. YUCCA ROOT PUFFS -- found this on the internet and they look yummy. Made from yucca root or cassava (that's what we call it in the Philippines) mixed with cheese and peppers and then baked to puff!
4. SWEET POTATOS OR YAM -- to go with the kalua pork or with anything else..
   

For dessert, we'll have

1. Fresh tropical fruits cut up and sprinkled with shredded coconut.
2. Carlos is making COCONUT BREAD PUDDING WITH RUM SAUCE and
3. Rodney will make MANGO TAPIOCA.
   
   We'll also be serving calamansi soda, dalandan soda, and other alcoholic drinks.

So...any of you hungry yet? Let me know what you think of the menu. Send suggestions if you have any. I'll post photos when I start preparing them.