Recipes for a perfect night

Maja, Darla, Pam and I got together for our annual eat, drink and be merry get together at my place :) We did this last year and made some awesome food and caught up on the latest. We had such an awesome time we decided to do it again this year. We often get together, however we'll usually go out for food or we'll go for drinks, dancing or what not. It's really nice to have a low key evening where we stay home, listen to good music, try out new recipes and solve the worlds problems :)
Because I was so damned impressed with what we made, I've decided to post our menu.

MOMMA BEAR
(a drink created by me, in honour of our friend Heidi who started labor when we were grocery shopping and gave birth to a beautiful little girl some time when we were hung over the next day)

Fill glass 1/2 full with ice
Take two basil leaves and scrunch them to release the flavor
1/6th of a lime squished and tossed in with basil and ice
2oz (or more, we honestly dum dee dummed* the amount of alcohol) of Sugar Cane Spirit**
Carbonated spring water to top up the drink (we made these in pint size glasses... well until we started making pitchers of it)

ROMAINE, GRILLED AVOCADO, AND SMOKY CORN SALAD WITH CHIPOTLE-CEASAR DRESSING
Serves 4 (main courses) or 6 (side dishes)

1/4 cup grated parmesan (I used dry)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced canned chipotle chilies in adobo (I just used canned chillies from Safeway...)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 ears of corn, shucked
2 firm, ripe avocados, halved and pitted but not peeled
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 head romaine (or fresh lettuce, which is what we used)

Preheat BBQ to super hot for grilling (gotta get those nice grill marks).
Add parmesan, olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chilies in a blender and blend until smooth. Or you can whisk it all but it's nice and creamy if it's done in the blender.
Rub vegetable oil on corn and avocados. Grind fresh salt and pepper on corn and avocados.
Grill avocados, cut side down, and corn, covered (if using a gas BBQ), turning corn occasionally, until golden brown (3 to 4 minutes - I found that the corn took maybe 5 or 6 minutes but the avocados didn't take as long).
Peel avocados and thinly slice. Cut corn kernels from cobs.
Toss romaine (lettuce) with dressing and serve topped with avocado and corn.

YUMMM CAJUN HALIBUT

6 Halibut filets cut to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness (1/2 pound to 1 pound per person. We didn't cut our fillets, we just them cooked them as they were, the cook time was just longer)
Cajun spice - recipe follows
2 tbsp butter
Mango Chutney - recipe follows

Heat the skillet on the stove over high hear until very hot. Cover the fish in Cajun spice.
When pan is hot, add butter then carefully add as many fillets as will fit in the skillet, leaving at least 1/2-inch between each.
Cook the fish for approximately 2 minutes on the first side, and then flip the fillets.
Sear the fish on the second side for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through. Repeat with remaining fish fillets, adding more butter as needed.
(What would work - I have yet to try this) is to make a paste with the butter and cajun spice and smear it all over the fish then BBQ it.... yummmmy!!)

Cajun spice
2 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons garlic powder or granulated garlic
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon ground tyme
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl, stirring until well mixed. Set aside for fish!

Mango Chutney
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 to 4 mangoes chopped (can substitute kiwi, peach or cantaloupe, however we used mango because they're in season)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 small lemon, zested
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
Dash ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Add all ingredients to a medium non-reactive saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Set aside and keep chutney warm until ready to serve.

GRILLED PINEAPPLE WITH BROWN SUGAR, COCONUT AND RUM

1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 pineapple peeled
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
2 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Accompaniment: Mediteranian or Greek Vanilla Yogurt... or ice cream if you're not leaving for Hawaii in less then a week

Toast coconut in a small heavy skillet over medium heat, stiffing frequently, until golden-brown, about 5 minutes.
Cut pineapple crosswise into 8 slices (about 3/4 inches thick) and core slices. Stir together remaining ingredients in a shallow glass baking dish and add pineapple in 1 layer, turning to coat evenly. Marinate, turning occasionally, 30 minutes.
Prepare a gas grill for grilling pineapple (if you've got your grill on to make the salad, just throw these on right afterwards, they're just as good cold and it'll save you having to turn on and off your BBQ).
Grill pineapple (reserve marinade), covered, turning once, until grill marks appear and pineapple is heated through, about 4 minutes. I brushed on some marinade before and after turning the pineapple so that it added extra flavor... it made a bit of a caramel over the pineapple and the smell of burnt sugar was amazing!!
Serve pineapple with marinade and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

That was our meal :) It was thoroughly delicious. Yes, we planned it so that it would revolve around grilling. It's summer time and girls BBQing is fun. It's not too often I get to play with the grill and I am looking forward to more creations.

If anyone tries any of these recipes, let me know how it goes! I'd love to hear about your experience or any feedback you may have.

*term used by my Dad when he means adding without measuring
**we used Cachaça from Brazil. We bought it at the liquor store on Cambie and 41st for under $30