With summer coming to a close, the kids back in school, and the “ber” months quickly approaching, how about a fun, festive, and tropical summer dish?

You may have heard that Disneyland published a few of their most popular and sought after recipes while the parks are closed and we’re all staying home.

I was thrilled when I saw that my favorite Disney food item was included; the Dole Whip. When we go to Disneyland, I know the exact route to get to the Dole Whip stand and we make a beeline for it. The stand is right under the sign that leads into Adventureland; you go up Main Street, make your first left at the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statue and you are there.

Obviously, you can find the recipe for yourself but I had to taste test it for you. You’re welcome.

After not posting a new recipe for over a week – I think the best way to get back into the swing of it – is with a cocktail!

Yes, and not just any cocktail, but a bright refreshing summer-time cocktail. Something you can envision yourself enjoying poolside or with your toes buried on a sandy beach.

Now that’s the way to start a new week. Happy Monday!

[Read more →]

The last day of school is quickly approaching, in fact it’s Thursday around these parts! The kids are going to be home and will be looking for treats to cool them off. That’s what I’ve got for you today.

My dad has a good friend who did some much needed repair work around his house as a favor. This friend is taking his grand-kids to Disneyland in a couple of weeks and my dad wanted to get him a little something as a thank you. I picked up some Disneyland gift cards for him to enclose in the thank you card … and that reminded me that I had yet to post the recipe for this Disneyland all-time-favorite cool treat.

Dole Whip!

The Dole Whip is so popular that the lines to get one are often longer than the lines at some attractions. On average, 1.3 million Dole Whips are purchased per year at Disney Parks and Resorts. At Disneyland alone, 600,000 Dole Whips are sold each year.

If you are the first person in line when the stand opens and you order a Dole Whip, you receive a “First Dole Whip of the Day” button to wear with pride as you walk around the park. Everyone will be envious! Yeah, they’re that popular.

I’ve got a homemade version for you to make. You won’t get a button but…

No lines!
Instant delicious gratification!

Pineapple Whip

1 large fresh ripe pineapple
1 cup cold almond milk
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 ½ cups whipped cream, divided

Peel, core and cut the pineapple into cubes. Place in a freezer-safe container and freeze the pineapple cubes overnight. Combine the frozen pineapple, almond milk and agave nectar in a Vitamix blender or food processor.

Blend until completely smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and fold in 1 cup of the whipped cream.

[Read more →]

The menu for the second of my three-week series of cooking classes at Les Gourmettes was Pool Party. This Pineapple-Palm Tree Fruit Bowl was the centerpiece.

When we have an actual pool party at home, one of the best things about this presentation is that not only is it eye-catching, but it looks beautiful from all sides and can be enjoyed by those in the sunken kitchen or those chilling at the swim-up bar.

It is not difficult to create, the only hard thing is finding the right thing to “impale” the pineapples onto. Three pineapples stacked atop one another is precarious, so you need a sturdy pole. A broom hand or dowel, nailed into a round wooden base would work well.

I happen to have a three-tiered server that screws apart. I was able to remove the center and top tiers and use the bottom tier as the base for the fruit.

The first order of business is to hollow out the pineapples. To do so, cut off both ends of two pineapples and only the bottom of the third. This third pineapple will be the top.

Next, use a sharp knife to score and cut out the center cord of each pineapple.

Continue to dig and whittle away at the center core of each pineapple until you have hollowed it from one end through the other. It’s not hard to do, it just takes a little time and patience.

Slip one pineapple onto the pole. Since my pole was threaded, I placed a piece of plastic wrap over, so the pineapple flesh wouldn’t get caught up in the threads.

Slide on the second pineapple.

And finally the third, with its top still attached. Since I had a large bowl as my base, I filled it with watermelon rind to “fill it up” so I wouldn’t have to use so much fruit to make it look full and lush. If you’re using a flat wooden base, you will skip this step.

If you live in an area with palm trees, go out and cut off about a dozen small palm fronds. If not, these can be ordered through any florist. Use stick pins or florist pins to attach the fronts to the top of the pineapple.

[Read more →]

It was 10 weeks ago, today, that we returned home from our glorious trip to Hawaii. I can’t help thinking about just how beautiful … and delicious it was.

So much so, that the memory inspired this sandwich.

I used a purchased bag of coleslaw and zipped it up with the addition of red cabbage and cilantro. Then I made a quick dressing with mayo, sugar, pimento, and spices. Use your own favorite slaw recipe, or just purchase it ready-made from the deli.

[Read more →]

I made this pretty and festive punch to take to a Cinco de Mayo party last Sunday. Needless to say, it was a hit! So much so, that it ran out before the party was over. At that point, we were just pulling the pineapple rings out of the jar and eating them. I brought home the rest and poured light rum into the jar. I’ll now have the bonus of pineapple-infused rum… in a couple of weeks. Two for one – Gotta love that!

The recipe makes a huge batch – but it can easily be cut in half. I also doubled the simple syrup and plan to use it for mojitos over Mother’s Day weekend.

My excuse? Seriously, something has to be done with all the mint in my garden … before it chokes out everything else!

Plus, I saved the mint leaves used in the simple syrup. I’m trying my hand at sugaring the leaves … and making mint-flavored sugar at the same time. I’ll keep you posted on how that works out.

So much going on from just one punch recipe!

[Read more →]

About 10 years ago I was completely intimidated by, even the thought of, canning. It had never occurred in my house while growing up and the process of sterilizing the jars seemed like rocket science to me! Then something happened so that I could no longer avoid it. We had a peach tree in our yard and branches were breaking off the tree on a daily basis from the weight of so many ripe and juicy peaches. And guess what? I discovered that not only was canning no big deal or some painstaking process, it was actually fun!

This sauce is wonderful when eaten either savory or sweet. I use it as a glaze and accompaniment for baked ham during the holidays. When heating the sauce to glaze the ham, just stir in one finely minced jalapeno pepper to spice it up a bit.

It is unbelievably delicious and decadent when warmed and spooned over grilled bananas, along with a little warm caramel sauce!

Or use it at room temperature or cold spooned over ice cream or stirred into plain or vanilla Greek yogurt.

The darling little canning jars make a cute name “place card” or party gifts to hand out to your guests as they are leaving your home after a special dinner or holiday meal. Happy canning!

[Read more →]

For whatever reason, it seems that most kids really like pineapple on their pizza, so let’s give them what they want! An easy thin-crust pizza with fresh pineapple, barbeque sauce, mozzarella, and bits of bacon.

If you make pizza (or bake frozen pizza) often at home, it would be wise to invest in a pizza stone.  The stones are available at all kitchen stores and produce the best “restaurant quality” crisp, thin or thick crust pizza. Without a stone, just bake on a pizza pan or cookie sheet, sprinkled with a little cornmeal to prevent the pizza from sticking.

When using a stone be sure to preheat your oven, with the stone inside, at the highest temperature your oven can be set at for at 30 minutes. I made one with and another without the bacon, delicious both ways, so go vegetarian, if you choose. Buon appetito or (E ‘ai ka-kou, in Hawaiian)!

[Read more →]