This is the fifth and final post of “Stone Fruit” Week.

How cute are those cookie letters!?! I found them at Trader Joe’s and could not resist.

This is the perfect recipe to finish the week on. It is colorful, fruity, a little decadent, and so wonderfully summery!

I strolled through Trader Joe’s for inspiration. I had the fruit and prosciutto at home and knew those would be part of whatever dish I came up with. Then I spotted the burrata and the rest of it quickly fell into place.

Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and fresh cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it a luscious glorious creamy texture. The name “burrata” means “buttered” in Italian.

One component that is not essential, but really puts this salad over the top is Vanilla Bean Olive Oil from the Queen Creek Olive Mill. The Mill is having a summer special right now, buy 2 – get 1 free. I don’t know how long it lasts, so if you’re interested – act quickly. If not, high-quality fruity olive oil will work just fine for this recipe.

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You didn’t think I’d do a week of “Stone Fruit” recipes without making a pie, a crisp, or a crumble – did you?

Of course, you didn’t!

This is one of the easiest and tastiest desserts around … a stone fruit crumble. Enjoy!

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On this, the third day of “Stone Fruit” Week, we’ll use both fresh and dried cherries and apricots, along with plum, a peach, and a pear – tossed in for good measure.

I also threw in some of the delicious Trader Joe’s Golden Berry Blend; a wonderful mix of golden raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, and blueberries. If you don’t have the blend, use the same amount of golden raisins in its place.

This compote is the perfect complement to chicken and pork.

It also makes a tasty treat served at room temperature over Greek yogurt, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.

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Bonus Photo – The full moon setting this morning at 6 am – gorgeous!

Citrus, specifically lemon, is my favorite dessert to make for Easter. The thing is, my guys don’t love citrus as much as Marissa and I do. Since Marissa isn’t coming home for Easter this year (picture my eyes welling up at this moment), I’ve decided to cater to my husband and son and make something different.

As I was strolling leisurely through Costco earlier this week (picture the one in a million chance of that!) picking up a leg of lamb, spiral ham, and other Easter dinner necessities, I spotted this carton of 18 luscious plums.

Immediately, I thought “plum and raspberry” – so I picked up a package of raspberries too.  Since I’m not a natural baker, I searched the web and found this lovely cake on marthastewart.com. I hope my guys like it… and as for my sweet Marissa… I miss you! xoxo

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