For spring break this year, we went to the Outer Banks in NC.  Yes, I am a sucker for the Netflix teen drama “Outer Banks” and just had to take the trip.  It took about 6 ½ hours to get to Kitty Hawk and since we weren’t staying a whole week, I booked a room at the Hilton Garden Inn.  Since it was our first time here, in the 60’s, and apparently still the “off season”, we kinda had the place to ourselves.  My overall impression was that it was a lot like Cherry Grove in Myrtle Beach- just a hundred miles of it lol. 

For our first adventure, we did the beginner hang gliding class with Kitty Hawk Kites at Jockey’s Ridge State Park on huge 60ft sand dunes.  This is the same place Wilbur & Orville Wright took the first flight, so it was cool to be in the birthplace of aviation.  When I was a kid, hang gliding images were everywhere, but I never thought I’d get the chance to try it myself, much less on a beach trip.  The kids got way more height than the adults, but it was still fun to soar through the air, even if it was just for 10-15 seconds.

This gave me a great idea for Mother’s Day!  This year we are going to create a Tropical Escape at home.  Begin by setting the table with a bright tablecloth & fresh colorful flowers.  Next, turn on some cool tunes- we’ll play a variety of Beach Boys, Bob Marley and our local legends Sugarshine.  For attire, have everyone dress in bright colors, floral prints and flip flops.  If you can get your hands on some flower leis- that would be great too.  For the menu, keep it simple so you enjoy the day.  Both the fried rice & cupcake recipes below can be made a day ahead.  If you want a party game- break out the broomstick and introduce the kids to limbo!  Sometimes all you need to shift your mind to a happy place is good music, good food and good company.  Happy Mother’s Day! 

Our second adventure took us north to Corolla Beach in search of the wild horses.  The “tour” was a $60 per person 3 hour ride in the back of what looked like an open air cattle truck with no guarantee of seeing a horse.  We opted to rent a 4 wheel drive Jeep from Enterprise instead for a DIY tour.  In Corolla, the road ends and you have to deflate your tires to 20 psi and you can drive on the beach.  In Myrtle Beach, you can do this on special occasions, but the tickets are always sold out.  Here, you can do it every day!  People park on the beach and tailgate oceanfront!  There was even a wealthy neighborhood of three story houses on sand roads.  This was incredible and I spent way too much time trying to figure out what those people did for a living.  We did finally stumble on the wild horses just grazing between these million dollar homes- they were beautiful (the horses and the homes!)  As we were leaving, we saw two men in wetsuits kiteboarding in the waves and cutting flips in the air- yes this was some incredible x-games stuff!

Our final adventure took us to three light houses, Bodie, Currituck and Hatteras.  While light houses were not on our agenda, we saw images of them everywhere so we decided to check them out.  The only one we could climb was Currituck, the other two were closed for the season or for repairs.  These were all incredible structures.  The view from the top of Currituck was amazing, but very scary since we were 12 stories up in the air on a tiny ledge.

We also ate at several restaurants (no wait since it was still off season) and my favorite was called Mama Kwan’s Tiki Bar & Grill.  Not only was the food delicious, but it felt like home because it reminded me of my favorite restaurant- Tropical Escape.  Do you remember that place?  It was in Rock Hill on South Anderson Blvd and had the best food, a relaxed atmosphere and live music!

Tropical Chicken & Pineapple Fried Rice by Melanie Knight (serves 4- 6)

Ever since my husband got a Blackstone, we have made a ton of fried rice dishes and each one is delicious.  I incorporated pineapple into this one to give it a tropical flair.  This recipe would also be good with beef tips or shrimp.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
• 2 chicken breasts – cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 sweet onion (medium sized) dices
• 1/2 cup pineapple chunks (save ¼ cup can juice)
• ½ cup green onion (for garnish)
• 2 tbl fish sauce- near soy sauce location in store (for chicken marinade)
• 1 tbl soy sauce (for chicken marinade)
• 1 tbl soy sauce (for onion & pineapple marinade)
• ¼ cup pineapple juice (from can-for chicken marinade)
• 4 tbl olive oil ( 2 tbl for chicken, 2 tlb for vegetables)
• Optional Condiments:  soy sauce & Yum Yum Sauce

Marinate the chicken in the fish sauce, soy sauce & pineapple juice, set aside while you chop the sweet onion & green onion.  On a griddle (of in an electric frying pan), heat 2 tbl of oil to medium high heat and cook the chicken until done- cook the marinade too as this will add flavor to the rice.  Next, heat the other 2 tlb of oil to med high heat and sautee the pineapple chunks and onion.  Cook until the onion is clear.  Next add in the rice and mix all together.  Its ok if the rice gets a little crunchy- that’s what makes it taste good!  Add the chopped green onions as garnish on top before you serve.  Enjoy!

Pina Colada Cupcakes by Melanie Knight (makes @20-24)

Growing up, my mom was known for her pineapple upside down cake.  She’d make a huge sheet cake and when she flipped it over, it would be topped with pineapple rings and cherries.  It was a colorful and delicious dessert.  These cupcakes remind me of her cake, but the addition of coconut takes you to a tropical paradise.  Seriously, if you make these, your whole house will smell like Spring Break 1988.  So kick back and play Kokomo by the Beach Boys as you save these tasty treats!

Ingredients- Cake

• 1 pkg Duncan Hines Pineapple Supreme Cake Mix
• 2 tsp coconut extract flavoring
• 1 tsp rum extract flavoring
• 1 cup water
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil

Cream butter with coconut and rum extract in an electric mixer.  Next, slowly add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.  If you use a decorative frosting tip (like the picture) you’ll need to make a double batch.  If you just frost the cupcakes with a butter knife- this will be enough to do 20-24 cupcakes.  Top each cupcake with a cherry.  You can also cut the cherries in half so that you have enough.

Ingredients- Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter- room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp coconut extract flavoring
• 1 tsp run extract flavoring
• 1 jar maraschino cherries for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream oil, eggs, water, cocnut & rum extract.  Slowly add in cake mix and mix for 2 mins.  Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liner cups.  Fill each one to 2/3 full.  If you do this perfectly, you’ll end up with 20 cupcakes- I always end up with 20 lol.  Bake 15-18 mins and set aside to cool.  If you are in a hurry, you can put them in the fridge to cool while you make the frosting.

For the frosting: