Rafting at U.S. National Whitewater Park near Charlotte, NC

Oops! We Went Swimming Too (photo by Chris Sherman)


Mushroom and Swiss Burger at Cheeseburger in Paradise

We took a road trip to the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC today. It's the biggest manmade whitewater facility in the world.

This was a little different from the whitewater rafting we've been doing up in the moutains. For one thing, we didn't get dirty like usual. It's also a safer way to white water raft. Our guide estimated that the risk was reduced about 80%.

We did manage to take a spill. Some of us did anyway (-: I hung in there as you can see in the photo made by Chris Sherman. If you're wondering if I have legs of steel. Well, no. My foot was stuck. My kid grabbed my hand and pulled me back up after I'd gone completely under and then resurfaced still with the boat.

We thought about grilling after, but everyone was pretty tired and some of us old folks were a tad sore. We swung by Cheeseburger in Paradise (a Jimmy Buffett restaurant) in Huntersville, NC. They cook huge burgers to order. Very yummy.

Gradutaion Party - Barbecue Luau

My kid is graduating from high school which is a wonderful excuse for a party - like an excuse is needed. Yes! We must celebrate this monumental occasion.

The young grad is not big on crowds. Never has been. Probably never will be. He cried through his entire first birthday party. It was not joyous - not a bit. I've kept his parties small since then and relaxed.

At last count, I think we have 20 relatives coming in from out-of-state. There are eight of us here around town. Then, of course, the kid-o has a few close friends who are always invited to our parties.

Hum. We're looking more at a medium sized party than a small party.

A Cook Out - Of Course

Since I'm Grill Girl, a cook out certainly seems the logical choice. Most of our home parties are on the barbecue no matter what time of year.

My brother suggested a luau theme. He found some cool stuff in Ohio on sale so picked up a blow up flamingo and palm tree plus some plates, cups, and napkins. Sounds like a plan to me.

I got in touch with some of my internet party buddies to get some more ideas. The funniest one was a coconut bra. Teehee. My net buddies have not seen me in person. I am a 34G. Coconuts do not come that big. Nope. They sure don't. So - scratch that idea.

Some Cool Luau Ideas

My lady friends who write about cooking and entertaining and such did give me some super ideas.

We, of course, needs leis and grass skirts. Someone suggested flowered shirts and said to check Good Will where folks often drop off such impulse purchases after a trip to the Islands.

The little drink umbrellas to go in the cups will be festive. Most of the party folks aren't drinkers, but those are fun regardless of what's in the cups. Those are for sure on the list.

Hula hoops. Yes. Those are always a blast. I'll have to swing by Wal-Mart and pick up a few of those. I used to be good a hula-hooping. Today? Not sure. Guess we'll find out.

While I'm at Wal-Mart I'll get a couple of wading pools - either plastic or blow up. I know the big kids (the graduates) may not want to wade, but we have little kid relatives. The bigger kids can use the pools to fill up water guns and also some little squirt toys that they have at Oriental Trading Company. They have all sorts of cute things at Oriental Trading Company. The prices are low. And, they even have an entire luau section.

The Barbecue Luau Menu

I considered a pit cooked pig, but the group size is really too small to go whole hog (pun intended). Pork shoulders on the smoker would be an idea, but graduation weekend will be a whirlwind with so many relatives in. I'm taking my own advice and keeping it simple and flexible.

So, it's hot dogs plus grilled pineapple. Those all cook fast, and no one is stuck manning a grill for hours and hours. If we have extra folks come, then it's really easy to toss on some more burgers and hot dogs, so I feel comfortable with that.

We'll have some of the typical fixings like chips and probably potato salad, slaw and chili. One of my friend's mentioned goldfish crackers. Oh yes. That's a cute idea. Maybe served in fish bowls (clean new ones of course).

The grilled pineapple is super for dessert, and I think ice cream would also be good. Most everyone loves ice cream.

Other Luau Ideas I'm Thinking/Working On

Music - We are Jimmy Buffett fans, so I know we'll play some Buffett at the party.

Games - My kids don't like too much structure. We have a basketball goal and will have the wading pools. I may try to get some horseshoe pits made and ready. Volleyball might be fun. Would need to figure out what to do about poles for that.

Lights - I thought I might string some of the Christmas lights around the porch. Oh? Is that tacky? Teehee. That's OK. Some of the camper lights might be good. Need to check prices on those.

Any Ideas From My Fabulous Readers?

There are the plans - so far. Please feel free to add any ideas. This is my first kid to graduate. I want this cook out luau to be extra special.

And Finally . . .

Congratulations to all members of the class of 2008!

Buffett - Ultimate Tailgate Experience

We went to the Jimmy Buffett concert last night. Now, that is one heck of an outdoor party. Heck. You could just go for the tailgating and have a great time.

We made our Ultimate Burgers. If you ever try hand patting your ground beef with our secret marinade sauce (not so secret--if you click the Ultimate Burger link), then you'll know what you've been missing. Those little dried up puck burgers from the store will never taste the same again. Trust me. It's not hard to make your own burgers, and you'll really taste the difference.

It did seem fitting to go with burgers, since one of our favorite Buffett songs is "Cheeseburger and Paradise." OK. Everyone sing along. "I like mine with lettuce and tomato. Hines 57 and french fried potatoes. A big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer . . ."

French fries weren't really an option, so we made grilled hashed browns. Eli (that's the youngest) cleaned out the pan. Hash browns on the barbecue are one of his all-time favorites. Caleb is more of a meat guy. He put a hurting on the burgers as you can see.

We arrived three hours before the concert and were some of the late arrivals. Those Buffett fans make a day of it. If you've never been, then it's a real experience. Get those tickets early though. They go fast.

Great weekend for grilling - Burgers and beer

After a cold snap here in North Carolina, we've got a great weekend going. Naturally, I rummaged around in the freezor and pulled out some meat for grilling.

My oldest son wanted hamburgers, so that's what we cooked up last night. Generally I hand pat my burgers using the recipe I posted at Yes You Can Grill. Man, those are some killer burgers. I'm the official burger maker for our family gatherings. Some of the family men will buy the meat if I'll prepare it. I even had the same deal going in college. When the fellows wanted a good home cooked meal, they'd buy up the beans, and I'd cook.

This time, though, we had some burgers from Omaha Steak. They offer some good deals from time to time, so I've ordered from them several times. I'd give thumbs up on the meat and the service. The only note I'd make is that the portion sizes seem a tad small. Then again, we're from the south where food is always served super sized.

Tonight we're looking at making pork chops. My favorite way to do those on the grill is with barbecue sauce (put that on the last 5 minutes or so). That's another recipe I need to post up. Pork is a little trickier on the grill than beef, but it's delicious when you get it right.

We'll probably round out the weekend with steak. If you want to grill the perfect steak, then you've got to plan a bit ahead. The marination makes a huge difference. And, it's fine to use bottled Italian dressing.

In other news, we're getting tickets to see Jimmy Buffett. Yippee! If you've never been to a Buffett concert, then you're missing out. It's like one big family reunion--inluding all the very odd relatives. We always tailgate (as do most Parrot Heads). Hum, now to decide on what to cook when we hit the concert.