Aloha O’e!  Aloooooha O’e!

WHO says you can’t have a tropical vacation in the mountains? I believe Lilo and Stitch would agree.

Do you ever have days where you just need a break? A break from the kids, from the world, from reality and life as you know it? Did you know you can do that with dinner? I admit. It’s a difficult concept to grasp…until you try it.

After two days of very long hours, tons of social interaction and smiling like beauty queen barbie on amphetamines until my cheeks hurt, traffic jams from hades, and more deadlines than the Federal Government, I seriously needed a break. Or bail money. I decided dinner would be cheaper. I thought of how great it would be sitting in a lounge chair, sipping a Mai Tai and doing my very best impersonation of a lizard in the sun.  My own little tropical paradise. Something like this.

Oooh. Ahhh. I know right?

As I envisioned this paradise, I created our dinner, blaring Hawaiian ukulele in my kitchen and donning my authentic grass skirt. It’s always nice to hear a “wow” from my sweet boy when dinner was served. Although I am still not sure if the wow was for the dinner or the grass skirt.

Hass will agree, I am certifiable nuts. But…I am dangerous in a kitchen! Welcome to my paradise y’all!

Thai Chili Shrimp & Pineapple Fried Rice

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked rice

1/2 fresh diced pineapple or 1 large can diced pineapple – 3 tbsp. juice reserved

1 pound shrimp

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 bell pepper – diced

1 onion – diced

2 eggs

1/2 cup peas

1 small grated carrot

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1 small can water chestnuts – optional*

2 tbsp. chopped cashews – optional*

3 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. sugar

Prepared Thai Chili Sauce or homemade

olive oil for coating pan

  

Directions:

Place all veggies and pineapple in a large frying pan or wok. Stir fry with olive oil until veggies are crisp tender and move to the side of the pan. Add another drizzle of oil to the pan and crack eggs. Fry eggs until done and mix into veggies. Add prepared rice to the mixture and toss until blended. In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, sugar, curry powder and chicken stock, and add to the veggie and rice mixture. Toss to coat. Stir fry until liquid is absorbed.

Put chili sauce in a bowl with shrimp and toss to coat. Place sauced shrimp on a skewer and bake at 375 until shrimp are pink in color. Do not overcook the shrimp. When they are pink, they are done. Yes, that quick. 🙂 Serve shrimp over rice and top with chopped cashews if desired.

He might have some hula in him. Whatcha think?

I like easy. Bon appetit ya’ll!