• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Great Eight Friends
  • Gr8 Food ∞
    • Appetizers
      • Dips and Spreads
    • Beverages
      • Adult Beverages
      • Non-Alcoholic Drinks
    • Bread
      • Quick Bread
      • Yeast Bread
    • Breakfast and Brunch
      • Egg Dishes
    • Desserts and Snacks
      • Cakes and Cupcakes
      • Candy and Confections
      • Cookies
      • Fruit
      • Pies and Tarts
      • Snacks
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • 130+ Main Courses
      • Beef
      • Fish
      • Lamb
      • Meatless
      • Pork
      • Poultry
    • Salads and Dressings
    • Sauces Salsas Marinades
    • Side Dishes
      • Pasta
      • Potatoes
      • Rice and Grains
      • Vegetables
    • Soup
  • Gr8 Friends ∞
    • Gr8 Dinners
    • Gr8 Holiday Ideas
    • Other Occasion Parties
  • Gr8 Fun ∞
    • Debbie's Craft Corner
    • Gr8 Trips
      • Field Trips
      • Vacations
    • Other Gr8 Stuff
      • Our Favorite Kitchen Tools
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Who We Are
    • GR8 Party Outlines
    • Become a Gr8 Friend!
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Become a Gr8 Friend!
  • Main Courses
  • Appetizers
  • Beverages
  • Bread
  • Breakfast and Brunch
  • Desserts and Snacks
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Salads and Dressings
  • Sauces Salsas Marinades
  • Side Dishes
  • Soup
  • Gr8 Friends
  • Gr8 Dinners
  • Gr8 Fun
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Shipwrecked Dinner on a Gr8 Island!

    July 11, 2020 by Anna 2 Comments

    Dinner for 8 friends can be easy, tasty and fun. This Shipwrecked Gr8 Dinner theme is a fun summer party. It's casual with tropical flavors, and everyone can contribute something!

    Dinner for 8 friends can be easy, tasty and fun. This Shipwrecked Gr8 Dinner theme is the perfect party and everyone can contribute something!

    After we downsized and moved into our village home about a mile from the beach, Vince only wanted to do Gr8 Dinners in the summertime and use the grill.

    Well, as you can imagine, hogging all the summer dates is not really fair! (Somehow we managed to get the summer date 5 years in a row...shhhh, don't tell the others!)

    The second year in we decided on a Shipwrecked theme. How perfect is that?!?!

    The Menu

    Dinner for 8 friends can be easy, tasty and fun. This Shipwrecked Gr8 Dinner theme is the perfect party and everyone can contribute something, like this Ahi Poke.

    Shipwrecked was such a fun theme because we got to use all "island-y" flavors with a lot of fish dishes.

    Appetizers

    For appetizers I made Kyle's Ahi Poke, some Herbed Scallops and also Sweet Potato Chips to dip into a favorite of mine, Mango Papaya Salsa (also delicious on grilled fish).

    Dinner for 8 friends can be easy, tasty and fun. This Shipwrecked Gr8 Dinner theme is the perfect party and everyone can contribute something!

    Main Course

    The entrée was grilled fresh fish, of course, plus we had Island Pulled Pork and Pineapple Sesame Slaw.

    The pork can be cooked the day before and the slaw can be put together early in the day, making these Gr8 choices for a dinner party.

    Dinner for 8 friends can be easy, tasty and fun. This Shipwrecked Gr8 Dinner theme is the perfect party and everyone can contribute something, like these Hawaiian Rolls.

    Jurga brought Pineapple Rice, yum! And Debbie, our "bread queen" brought her delicious version of Hawaiian Rolls.

    Dinner for 8 friends can be easy, tasty and fun. This Shipwrecked Gr8 Dinner theme is the perfect party and everyone can contribute something, like this Vanilla Panna Cotta.

    Sweet Dessert!

    Dessert is always a favorite and this one was the perfect light island ending for our Shipwrecked group of 8, Kyle's Vanilla Panna Cotta with Mango Compote. Look how refreshing and creamy that is!

    The Shipwrecked Invitation

    Dinner for 8 friends can be easy, tasty and fun. This Shipwrecked Gr8 Dinner theme is the perfect party and everyone can contribute something!

    Once the menu is chosen it's time to make the invitation and this was an easy one. Can you guess what it was?

    Yes! A message in a bottle!

    To remain authentic I hand wrote each invite in red pen (berry juice!) and slipped it into a inexpensive bottle to "wash up" on the shore of each front porch. (Remember, we only have to make 3; so while it was time consuming, it wasn't ALL consuming.)

    I think one of the reasons the Great 8 has stayed together for 20 years is because of the invitations.

    Receiving a beautiful offer to join someone in their home to break bread tells you that thought and love are part of the preparation.

    The invitation sets the tone for the event and gets the guest into the mood, whether it's a shipwreck, a tailgate party, a Renaissance Faire, or a Friendsgiving party.

    Dinner for 8 friends can be easy, tasty and fun. This Shipwrecked Gr8 Dinner theme is the perfect party and everyone can contribute something!
    (I "aged" the paper with steeped tea bags.)

    Invitations don't have to be elaborate (I know we kind of go over the top!), but they should convey the idea that a Gr8 time will be had by all!

    The Table

    After the menu and invitations are decided, the table setting and any decorations need to be prepared.

    Some themes are easier than others and a shipwreck theme may be the easiest of all. These beautiful miniature plants from the nursery were perfect as the main focus of the table.

    Dinner for 8 friends can be easy, tasty and fun. This Shipwrecked Gr8 Dinner theme is the perfect party and everyone can contribute something!

    And my casual collection of shells came in handy to bring it all together. A couple of candles, and voilà! a centerpiece is born. (Looking back I would now add some tropical flowers to the mix!)

    And the plants were the perfect gift to give my guests as they were leaving! The plates are these fabulous disposables made of bamboo. Or use regular plates, you're in charge!

    Dinner for 8 friends can be easy, tasty and fun. This Shipwrecked Gr8 Dinner theme is the perfect party and everyone can contribute something!

    Our guys wearing matching shirts, aren't they handsome? Vince found these tropical shirts and had "Great 8" embroidered on the pocket...(no, they don't normally dress alike!😂).

    Another evening of Gr8 Food, Gr8 Friends and Gr8 Fun!

    Gather your Gr8 Friends, have everyone bring some Gr8 Food, and we guarantee you will have Gr8 Fun! Let us know how YOUR Gr8 Dinners turn out in the comments below.

     

    « A Gr8 Independence Day Dinner!
    Windows to the Aegean — Greek Dinner Party »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anna

      July 11, 2020 at 7:59 am

      Hi Laura! It's such a fun and casual party theme! Thanks for checking it out and being a Gr8 Friend!

    2. Laura

      July 11, 2020 at 7:21 am

      Love this! Such a creative idea

    Be a Gr8 Friend and tell us what you think! Cancel reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Be a Gr8 Friend!

    Talk With Us!

    • Debbie on Layered Vegetable Pâté Recipe
    • Charles Ayash on Layered Vegetable Pâté Recipe
    • Kyle on Easy No Bake Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
    • Kyle on Warm Spinach Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
    • wonderfulcook.com on Warm Spinach Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
    my foodgawker gallery

    Need More Servings?

    Our recipes will do the calculation for you. Just hover over the number of servings then move the slider to the number desired. (Please be aware: this will not change pan or bowl sizes, so you may have to adjust for that.)

    It's Grilling Season!

    ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4

    Footer

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Our Party Outline

    As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright ©2022 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme