Pineapple Inspired!

Too fun, and a great way to kick off the summer! Enjoy our collection of Pineapple Inspired Coastal Entertaining ideas to make your National Pina' Colada Day especially festive.

1. Personalized Pineapple Slate Serving Board Great gift idea! Comes with chalk to add additional messages to fit the occasion, in addition to the Free Customization.

2.  Pineapple Slate Coasters - Coastal inspired and ready for "beachy" drinks, the set of four Personalized Pineapple Slate Coasters are perfect for entertaining.  Plus they can be personalized for free!

3. Pineapple Tall Cooler Glasses  Perfect for mixing up something frothy and tropical yummy!

4.  Pineapple Stemless Tumblers - Personalized  Fabulous idea for the perfect housewarming gift!  Just add your own message -

5.  Pineapple Wine Glasses - No need to only serve wine in these deep etched glass beauties!

6. And don't forget the Tiki Bar Art!

And now for a recipe to whip up quickly for your friends when they stop by and enjoy your beach this summer....

This looks like a super easy, and refreshing recipe to try from Coastal Living! 

The Pink-A-Colada from Julia Rutling 

Ingredients for 8 1/2 Cups

• 3 Cups Cranberry Cocktail
• 2 Cups Coconut Water
• 1 1/2 Cups Pineapple Juice
• 2 Cups Coconut Rum

Combine ingredients and stir in cocktail pitcher. Serve over ice in fun cocktail glasses and garnish with pineapple slices and tropical flowers.

Psst... We have really cool Palm Tree cocktail pitchers that would pair wonderfully with a Pina' Colada Holiday!

 Have a great Monday!

Entertaining on the Coast - New Weekly Feature!

 Happy Thursday -  I am sorry to see summer disappear so quickly, especially since we really didn't get to enjoy a very warm one here in the Bay Area - coldest summer on record.  Not complaining, we did have lots of bright blue skies, and NO rain.  Also lots of fog, a lingering gray marine layer nearly every day, accompanied by temperatures 10-15 degrees cooler than normal. (I still wore my shorts everyday!)

Tom and I treasure our Friday nights on our little deck.  Wonderful time to unwind  from  busy weeks,  trying our local gourmet cheese, fresh crusty bread or an appetizer recipe that I've discovered somewhere, usually from a Facebook, Twitter or blogging buddy!  We share a nice bottle of wine, or a new cocktail concoction that we've whipped up  in the blender - Tom is partial to his "dry" martini's, but he can be persuaded to try something new too!

Since we are enjoying fresh, ripe mangoes and lots strawberries here in the Bay Area, I think this is what I am going to toss into the blender for our Friday night date - what do you think?  Looks pretty scrumptious - 

(photo and recipe courtesy of my friend Rum Shop Ryan -  

check out his blog - "A Tropical Lifestyle, the Coconut Connection Blog" )

Mango Tango Cocktail Recipe

Mango Daiquiri (makes 2)

3 ounces rum

1 1/2 cups mangoes, cubed

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 ounce triple sec

4 teaspoons sugar

2 cups ice cubes

- Blend in a blender until smooth. Pour 1/4 of drink mixture into a glass.

Strawberry Daiquiri (makes 2)

1 ounce light rum

1 ounce strawberry schnapps

1 ounce fresh lime juice

dash grenadine

dash orange juice

2 cups ice cubes

- Blend in a blender until smooth. Pour 1/4 of drink mixture on top of Mango Daquiri mixture.

I will let you know how they turn out  - if you have a favorite recipe, send it to me, and I will share.   Will be publishing a new Friday night date treat every Thursday!

I saved a few of these fun swirling fish wine glasses just for me, will see how they work for our mango - strawberry cocktails blend!

Friday Night Dates with a View of the Bay...

Tonight we will celebrate our first official Friday night in our new apartment overlooking the central part of the Bay. What a treat to be able to sit out on our deck in March, enjoying the early spring warm weather and the lights of the San Mateo Bridge.   Tom will be grilling steaks, and roasting yummy red potatoes. Maybe I will try to figure out how to roast artichokes, or better yet,I already bought some wonderful asparagus earlier this week.

Thought I would try a new cocktail creation to celebrate!  Might even have to go unpack some inventory boxes to find some fabulous new glasses to pour it into.

Tropics

Who knows.. this drink might turn our evening at home into a tropical fantasy - it certainly is romantic!

1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice

1 1/2 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 oz. real grenadine

1 1/2 oz. dark rum

1/2 cup crushed ice

Fat lime wedge

Measure juices, grenadine, banana, rum, and ice into a blender (where the heck is the blender??)  Blend until pureed. (Texture will be thick, but not frozen) Pour into a large old-fashioned glass, then squeeze lime wedge over drink and drop into the glass! Serve with 2 straws.

Pina Colada
So simple - dessert in a glass!

1 1/2 oz. coconut cream
3 tbsp crushed pineapple
1 1/2 oz. light rum
1 cup crushed ice
1/2 lime

Measure coconut cream, pineapple, rum and ice into the blender, blend until slushy.  Pour and scrape intoa chilled old-fashioned glass, large tumbler, or highball glass an squeeze lime over drink.  Serve with a straw - and a spear of pineapple, wouldn't this be fun served with drink umbrellas?  Now where did I put those??

If all else fails though, we do have a wonderful bottle of  "The Oracle" a VERY nice 2006 red wine blend  from the Miner Family winery in Napa. Gorgeous when  poured into those etched fish wine glasses...hmmm

Cheers to you and your Friday Night Date!