Perfectly matched fruits mingle marvelously in this trio of tropical flavours. My all-time favourite fruit salad, it first arrived on our table a decade ago in Vietnam, where mangoes, pineapples, and bananas are plentiful. There I would also add cubes of fresh guava, which is tough to find on the North American continent. Even with just the three fruits, you are in for a treat. … Continue reading Paradise Fruit Salad
When sweet cherries, creamy coconut billows, and sparkling soda come together, you can’t help but have a good time. It’s not hard to imagine yourself stepping up to an old-time soda fountain as you sip a nostalgic glass of Cherry Coconut Cream Soda. The blend of cherries and coconut cream, with a bit of frozen banana and almond extract, can stand on its own as … Continue reading Cherry Coconut Cream Sodas
Over the last decade I have experienced life in places with radically different weather and have had to learn to cope. I went from enjoying mild, snowless “winters” in subtropical Vietnam to frigid temperatures and heaps of snow Chicago, before moving on to Nebraska, and now further north to Canada. Last winter we wore snow boots every day from October to April up here, I … Continue reading Citrus Swirl Lemon Bars
A call for pear and plum pickers was met with eager glee from all the members of my family. Three energetic volunteers soon darted out the door to glean the surplus fruit from another yard a few blocks away. The local pears they brought back were small and took time to ripen, and once they did, I decided that a fruit tart was in order. … Continue reading Blueberry Pear Gingerbread Tarts
Ginger meringue kisses are something that can be appreciated in either of two formats–as a crispy cookie or as a fluffy pie topping. It all began as a quest to make meringue in lieu of whipped coconut cream. Making a refreshing tropical fruit pie was the impetus, and the last thing I wanted to do was put the whole pie back in the oven to … Continue reading Ginger Meringue Kisses Made Simple
Easy and delicious, these buttery cookies were all I could manage with a visitor arriving in a few hours. When there is so much to do and not enough time remaining, it is helpful to have some deliciously distracting treats–just in case I don’t get my house as clean as I would like. Created from simple pantry ingredients that I had on hand, the taste … Continue reading Almond-Kissed Butter Pecan Cookies
Swirls and Spice 