In SeasonIf you want to literally make your life (or at least a few moments) a bowl of cherries, there couldn’t be a better time. Cherry season is coming upon us, and nothing says summertime quite like the red stain on your fingertips and lips from the naturally sweet dessert which has been consumed since prehistoric time. Add some Cool Whip for dipping.
from Local LemonsMy friend Jessica is a friend in deed. At my recent brunch party, she arrived with an incredibly delicious Lemon Meringue Pie made from scratch. She found the recipe online at Local Lemons via Tastespotting. As a huge merginue fanatic, and a lover of sugary crumble pie crust, there shouldn’t be a happier treat for me!
From Kitchen ParadeBroiled Grapefruit may be a simple recipe, but it’s one that adds a new spin on the grapefruit which I have been enjoying for months now and enjoy this new way to eat it.
from Cooking LightThis Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze is one of the highest rated and most popular recipes on the myrecipes website for a very good reason: it’s absolutely delicious. Plus, it gave me an excuse to use my (sadly) underutilized fancy mixer, which is always great.
The site indicates that you can sub apple juice for the rum, but come on teetotalers!
Click here for the rest of Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze
Dates were the fruit of choice for nobility in Medieval times. They could afford to have the exotic and naturally sweet fruit in ported from the Middle East, where the fruit has enjoyed considerable popularity for centuries.
We got the soft skinned, Medjool kind from Fresh Direct, where they recommend stuffing them with “with blue cheese or cream cheese for a knockout dessert.”
My Grandma first taught me the trick of freezing grapes (usually green) when I was a kid visiting her house on hot summer days in California. Now that we're (finally) experiencing our own hot summer days, and grapes are in season, there's no better time for this healthy sweet.
Ronnybrook Farms has thrilled me before with their spectacular milkshakes and tasty yogurt, so you can imagine my love for their seasonally flavored Blueberry Ice Cream.
We picked up this sweet refreshing treat from the local Farmer's Market (see this weeks what to do with a couple minutes) and you can too at several market locations and their Chelsea Market store.
** Since I began writing this, we have also tried their coconut flavor that features chocolate covered almonds and is equally mind blowingly delicious.
Cha Cha Chicken has become a common office phrase, embedded in our minds since a coworker first recommended the quirky sounding restaurant in Santa Monica. Our recent trip finally offered the opportunity to eat there and their rich spicy jerk sauce is phenomenal (count this as a bonus restaurant pick of the week).
It was the agua fresca, however, that really drove me wild. Available in mango-guava, watermelon, cantaloupe, lemonade, and tropical iced tea, I tried my friend's watermelon and downed two mango-guavas myself.
Made simply with fresh fruit juice, water and sugar, agua fresca is a traditional Mexican beverage made to accompany the spiciness of food. I'm totally on the look out for this miraculous refreshment here in the city.
I want to thank Martha and her chef roommate for introducing me to these beautiful orange sweet tasting little fruits. They have a tangy pineapple/strawberry taste with the size and texture of a small cherry tomato. I can't imagine these are very easy to find but if you happen upon some don't miss the opportunity to try them.