Recipe File: Hawaiian Platter

This is a short one. Today is hubby's birthday, and it's been a long, long day. But now it's bedtime, the house is clean, the daughter's off with her cousins, and the world is spinning in greased grooves.

As promised: the first of the appetizer trays for me papa's birthday party. Today, it's the Hawaiian platter.

Ingredients

• 1 coconut (Need helping opening a coconut? Here's how.)
• 2 pineapples
• Large bunch of lychee fruit or rambutan
• 1 large mango
• 3 bananas

Instructions

1. Open coconut, reserving juice. Slice meat into strips.
2. Slice one pineapple, keeping rind in place. Core second pineapple using aforementioned pineapple corer.
3. Peel and seed the lychees/rambutan. Place seeded fruit in reserved coconut juice.
4. Slice part of cored pineapple into tidbits.
5. Stuff seeded fruit with pineapple tidbits. Return to coconut juice to retain moisture.
6. Slice mango (Easy peasy. Here's how.)
7. Slice bananas into 1-inch long pieces.
8. Pour bananas and stuffed fruit into cored pineapple shell.
9. Arrange remaining cut fruit on tray around pineapple bowl.

Voilà!

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Today's appetizer is prepared to the beautiful voice of Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole singing Over the Rainbow.