Ingredients:
• 3 large Maui onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp celery seed

Preparation:
• In a saucepan, mix the sugar, vinegar and water. Bring to a boil then remove from the stove and allow to cool. You are creating a marinade.
• Place finely chopped onions in a bowl and pour the marinade over the onions. Stir. Refrigerate this mixture overnight.
• Remove from the fridge and drain the liquid from the onions. Discard the liquid. Mix the onions, mayonnaise and celery seed to create your dip. Refrigerate until needed.
• Serve with your favorite crackers or chips.

Chicken Lu’au

Ingredients:
• 1 whole chicken cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• water as needed
• 1-2 lbs of taro leaves (or substitute with spinach leaves)
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• salt
• 1 cup of coconut milk

Preparation:
• Heat the oil in a large pot.
• Add the chicken pieces and brown lightly, turning frequently.
• Add enough water to cover the chicken. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Pour out the liquid.
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter or margarine in the pot and then add the drained chicken.
• Season with salt to taste and simmer. Add the taro leaves (or spinach), as well as 1 cup coconut milk to the chicken. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve.

Banana Bread – a traditional offering at a Luau

Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups mashed ripe bananas
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, pecans or walnuts – roughly chopped / crushed

Preparation:
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius / Gas Mark 4
• Grease and flour a loaf tin.
• In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
• In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• Blend all of the dry ingredients with creamed butter/sugar mixture.
• Add mashed bananas, eggs and nuts.
• Pour into the loaf tin.
• Bake for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean.

Hawaii Ponoī

Nānā i kou mōī,
Be loyal to your king,
Ka lani alii,
Your country’s liege and lord
Ke alii.
The chief.
Hawaii ponoī,
Hawaii’s own true sons,
Nānā i nā alii,
Look to your chiefs,
Nā pua muli kou,
The children after you,
Nā pōkii.
The young.
Hawaii ponoī,
Hawaii’s own true sons,
E ka lahui ē,
People of loyal heart,
O kou hana nui
The only duty lies
E ui ē.
List and abide.

Hui:
Chorus:
Makua lani ē,
Father above us all,
Kamehameha ē,
Kamehameha e,
Na kāua e pale,
Who guarded in the war,
Me ka ihe.
With his spear.

A few inflatable palm trees, parrots and hula girl cut outs should be enough to set the scene. Covering your living room in sand to recreate a Hawaiian beach is not recommended, particularly if you live in rented accommodation, or with your parents.

Put some Hawaiian steel guitar melodies on the stereo, and throw some fruit in the blender to make a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic tropical cocktails and you’re well on your way to a very happy Hawaiian New Year. Perhaps even consider organising some Hawaiian themed party games, such as limbo or hula dancing, or whack the piñata.

Greet your guests at the door with some home-made flower leis to make them feel at home in your very own tropical paradise, and perhaps encourage them beforehand to bring their own Hawaiian themed food contributions. Traditional Hawaiian buffet fare includes rice, grilled or barbecued meat, jerked beef, spam sushi, fish and coconut based desserts.

For Hawaiian fancy dress costumes, its shorts and Hawaiian shirts for the guys, and grass skirts or long flowing dresses for the gals.
Pomaika’i! Hau’ oli Makahiki Hou! Good luck, and Happy New Year!

Grass skirts are perhaps the first thing many people think of when considering women’s Hawaiian fancy dress costumes, and these are often combined with a coconut or shell bra for a truly tropical motif. However, as modesty or the weather dictates, a long flowing Hawaiian dress is also a very attractive way of pulling off the island look.

These Hawaiian costumes can be enhanced further by adding a few accessories. Flower leis, worn around the neck, are a traditional symbol of friendship and hospitality, and look great with most Hawaiian ensembles. A long dark haired wig and fake tan can also go a long way towards your transformation into a bona fide Hawaiian beauty.  Flowers worn tied into the hair or artificial flower hair clips can also add a little extra zing to your fancy dress costume.

1. Depending on your resources and skill, you can use either wood, papier mache or another material to form the basis of your totem.

2. Once you’ve decided on a material to use in the construction of your Hawaiian statue, it’s a good idea to take a look at some existing designs and pictures for inspiration. The simplest way to do this is to go to Google images and type in ‘Tiki totem’.

3. Draw your design first, and get a good idea of how you want the finished item to look, then mark out the details on whichever material you are using. Use your initial designs and these markings to cut, carve or mould your totem.

4. Once the statue is finished, use poster paints or something similar to make it colourful and attractive in preparation for your guests’ arrival.

In preparation, decorate your home with a blend of Hawaiian props, such as inflatable palm trees and Tiki totem poles, but give it a ghoulish Halloween twist. For example, you could have a cardboard cut-out Hawaiian Hula girl, but give her a witch’s hat and broom.

For drinks, serve tropical cocktails, but add food colouring where necessary to give them the appearance of blood or slime. For extra effect, give them names like Tiki Terror, or Island Zombie.

With the costumes you can get really creative in combining the two themes together to make a Halloween night to remember. Send out invitations to your guests with some ideas for inspiration. You might try creating a Hawaiian zombie with a flower lei around his neck and a blood-splattered Hawaiian shirt. Or perhaps an enchanting yet terrifying vampire wearing a beautiful Hawaiian dress and dead flowers in her hair.

For extra ambience and atmosphere it’s a good idea to create a soundtrack that fits with your Halloween theme. If you’re good with technology you could combine Halloween sounds and traditional Hawaiian steel guitar music on your computer, or if not, simply hook up two stereos- one playing island rhythms and the other Halloween sound effects.

Happy Hawaiian Halloween!

Costumes- Think grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts. Handing out flower leis to guests as they arrive is a traditional Hawaiian symbol of friendship.

Props- A few well placed props, such as inflatable palm trees, parrots and sharks will give your party that little something extra, and can double up as toys to keep any attending children occupied.

Drinks- Tropical cocktails, such as the ‘Blue Hawaiian’ and the ‘Banana Lover’, are perfect for getting your party going. For those guests who don’t drink alcohol, exotic fruit juices, such as pineapple or mango, will go down a treat.

Games- Hawaiian party games, such as limbo competitions or hula dancing can help to liven things up. You could also have a competition for the best, and the worst, Hawaiian costumes.

Music- Play some Hawaiian steel guitar music to get everyone into the Hawaiian mood, or alternatively throw on some Hawaiian era Elvis.

No shoes, no worries- Hawaiians almost always take their shoes off before entering a house, so why not encourage your gusts to kick off their shoes in true Hawaiian tradition.

Encourage guests to bring food- If you’re throwing a buffet type event, you could ask each guest to bring a dish of their own. Bringing a gift for the host in the form of food is common amongst pacific islanders so the more the merrier!

Blow on a conch- If you can get hold of a suitable conch shell then bring it along to the party. An ancient tradition known as the ‘blowing of the conch shell’ still continues today to mark special occasions.

Dance the Hula- Hula dancing is one of the classic forms of dance native to Hawaii, and tells a story accompanied by traditional Hawaiian music. Learn a few steps of it and try to teach it to your guests!

Leiis - At the start of the party hand out flower leiis to all party guests to add an extra Hawaiian feel to the event.

Beach - If you don’t live near to a beach, bring the beach to you. A homemade beach can be made quickly and easily by spreading a large plastic sheet over your lawn and covering it with sand. Add an extra large paddling pool for kitsch value.

A television is obviously a must, the larger the better, and you can hook this up in the garden using an extension cable. Consider setting up a small gazebo or marquee to shield the screen from the sun or any unpredictable rain.

Get your guests in the mood by setting up a few tropical decorations for your Hawaiian themed fancy dress party, such as inflatable palm trees and parrots. Throw in a beach ball to the mix, in case your guests fancy a kickabout during halftime.

If you want to serve food before or after the game, treat your friends to a Hawaiian style barbecue in the summer sun. Traditional Hawaiian culinary fare includes a meat or fish main course, a scoop of rice and a salad.

The fancy dress itself is of course integral to your Hawaiian themed world cup party. Send out invitations specifying garish Hawaiian shirts, shorts and grass skirts. As a finishing touch, greet your guests with flower garlands at the door.

No one can predict the final score of the world cup final, but you can ensure it sticks in your guests’ memory by throwing a Hawaiian themed party they’ll never forget.