Got fruit?

You may have remebered about a week ago that I was up to my ears in apricots. I froze some for future jam and apricot crisps.

Well, today, there was more fruit to be reckoned with. Actually, a ton of fruit. Making lunch was a little challenging with no available counter space!

I braved the heat to pick the Satsuma plums and Elberta peaches.

And, the Golden Dorsett apples, too. There were even a few ripe tomatoes to be picked.

To be honest, it was a bit overwhelming! I knew I needed to utilize my freezer or a lot of fruit would be going to waste.

I sat down with my trusty apple corer/peeler/slicer and got to work on the apples. I filled bags with 2 apples each for my Apple Pancake recipe. I made the filling for 4 pie plates of Apple Streusel. I even set aside a few more bags to make my friend Kari's wonderful recipe for Apple Cake.

Moving on to the plums and peaches, I made some plum crisp filling and some peach/plum crisp filling. All I need to do now is defrost the bags, pour into a pie plate, top with my oat/brown sugar crisp topping, and bake it off. The taste of peaches and plums will be so welcome once they are out of season.

I have the best Fruit Crisp recipe! I have featured it before, but for those of you who may have missed it, I am republishing it. It uses very little sugar and you can use any stone fruit (peaches, plums, apricots or any combination) and it comes out wonderful every time. Just remember that crisps take a good 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to cool and set before serving. Don't try to serve them earlier than that or you will find yourself with fruit soup.

My happy freezer. Do you want to come for dessert? I know what I'll serve!

Fruit Crisp

Filling:
8 cups peach (peeled) or plum slices (skins on, OK)
2 Tbsp. flour
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup oats
1 cup brown sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all filling ingredients and pour into a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Combine all topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over fruit.

Bake for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Notes:
~May halve recipe and bake in a 1 ½ qt. dish.

WDW - Peanut-Ginger Chicken with Fruit Salsa

WDW returns today with this longtime favorite summer barbecued chicken recipe. When the stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums) are at their peak, I always think to make this. I got the recipe from Better Homes & Gardens magazine a very long time ago, and make it several times each summer. The chicken is so tasty and the fruit salsa just screams "summer!" This is a great one to serve when you have company.

The interesting marinade gives the chicken it's unique flavor and is a great tenderizer. One ingredient that might be unfamiliar is the chili sauce. This is a product similar to ketchup and in fact Heinz makes it. Leftovers keep as well as ketchup, which is good, because I know you'll want to make this recipe again and again. I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this, but use any chicken pieces you prefer. The chicken tastes best when you can marinate it overnight, but I often just get it going the morning I plan to cook it.

Enjoy your summer and this wonderful dish!

Peanut-Ginger Chicken with Fruit Salsa

5-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
½ cup hot water
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup chili sauce (it’s made by Heinz)
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. ground ginger

Mix and marinate overnight. Grill chicken over medium heat.

Fruit Salsa
1 cup chopped fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums)
1 cup chopped seeded and peeled cucumber
2 Tbsp. thinly sliced green onion or chives
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients together and chill 1-2 hours in advance. Serve chicken topped with fruit salsa.

The Worker Bee Cafe in Carpinteria

We've been camping in Carpinteria late summer now for about 6 or 7 years. It's one of our favorite camping spots and favorite little beach towns as well. Sometimes we bike into town in the morning for some coffee or a little breakfast. Once we found a place that looked interesting, and it turned out that they served their eggs with veggie bacon and roasted broccoli. Let's just say that wasn't my hubby's thing. Last summer though, we discovered a kitschy little place for breakfast in town that is just great. It's called the Worker Bee Cafe, and the decor is, well, you guessed it - everything relating to bees and honey. Stuff everywhere! The place is so cluttered with decorations that it's actually sort of charming, and I just fell in love with it the minute we first went in. It is owned by an unlikely older couple named Oscar and Jamie - he's the sole cook and she's out front. Oscar's quite a character and visits with everyone while he cooks (be sure to visit him at the window to the kitchen), and Jamie is soft spoken and matter of fact, and you can easily see that waitressing is like second nature to her as she swings by and refills your coffee often. And, let me tell you, Oscar knows what he's doing in that kitchen- he's a one-man show back there fixing up awesome breakfast fare like home fries, hashed browns, buttermilk biscuits, and all the rest. I just love cute little breakfast places that just know how to do basic breakfast stuff right and keep the coffee coming. You feel like you're in a old-style diner where locals hang out, mixed with your grandma's living room.

This 4th of July, Rich and I drove up to join our kids and some friends who were on a camping trip in San Simeon (we hotel'ed it this time - Rich got back from Juniors camp on Saturday afternoon). We decided to stop in Carpinteria for breakfast at the Worker Bee Cafe, and it was delightful. Here are two pics of what I could see from my seat at the counter:

It's cluttered but immaculate!

We sat down and at the same time as the coffee was offered, I wasted no time in ordering up one of their amazing cinnamon rolls. They get them from a bakery in Ventura called "Siblings" and they are to die for. They come warm with - get this - a side of whipped butter. Oh mama. Cinnamon rolls are SO my weakness and this one didn't disappoint. Just look at it:

I really should have stopped after the cinnamon roll and coffee, but instead I moved on to perfectly cooked over-easy eggs and hashed browns, and a fresh buttermilk biscuit. It was all so delicious and after eating about half of it I was stuffed. After that, I vowed not to eat the rest of the day! If you ever find yourself in the area, you really should stop in and have breakfast at the Worker Bee. It such a great experience, I would drive to Carpinteria just for this.

Oscar's wonderful homemade biscuits.

The Worker Bee

973 Linden Avenue, Carpinteria

What did I do with all those apricots?

So, remember the bucket of apricots I picked the other day? Since then, I've picked two more buckets! And, now the Santa Rosa plums are coming and I picked a bucket of those. So I was sitting there with probably 25 pounds of fruit and feeling like I needed to do something with it. However, before summer I made a vow to myself NOT to do any canning this summer, as I wanted to eliminate any time-stealers in my summer (I also took a summer Facebook break!). Normally, the fruit is ripe and the pressure is on to drop everything and put up the jam, which takes two consecutive days. I was relieved not to have that pressure right after returning from Resolved. I would just give the fruit away, I thought. Well, I've been doing that, but I still am up to my ears in it.

Well, with such large quantities of apricots still on my hands, I finally gave in. Last night, when nobody was home, I did a smart thing: I prepared and froze my fruit in Ziploc freezer bags for future jam. I portioned it out so that each bag is one batch of jam. I added the lemon juice from the recipe and mixed it in. Now, the fruit is all ready when I want to make some jam. Since the labor intensive (and messy) part of making the jam is done, I can now do the canning when it fits into my schedule.

A word on preparing the fruit. I prepared it by boiling it whole (in batches) for 1 minute in a large pot of water. Then, I shocked the fruit in ice water for 1 minute to stop the cooking, peeled and pitted it, and mashed it up. I know that many recipes call for leaving the skin on, but this method really does yield much more flavorful jam. I do this when I make my plum and peach jam as well.

Freezer bags of fruit ready to become jam.

Here are two of my favorite recipes for apricot jam, from Linda Amendt's wonderful canning book Blue Ribbon Preserves. Both are amazing recipes. Santa Rosa plums really are superior for the apricot-plum recipe. I had an interrupted love-affair with Santa Rosa plums beginning when I was a child. I used to sit on the shady grass in my grandparents' backyard and eat all the fallen plums right of the ground from a big old tree (yuk, I know). I never forgot the taste - so amazing - and I remember the juice would drip all over my clothes as I ate. I never knew what they were called, or ate anything like them again until I was an adult in my 30's. Then, I tasted a Santa Rosa plum from my friend Lori's tree and knew instantly that was what Grandpa had. The love affair had resumed! I planted one of my own about 8 years ago, and it is so wonderful. I have seen them at Farmer's Markets during the summer - do try them if you haven't, or better yet, plant one. (note: be sure to plant a Satsuma plum tree nearby for pollenation.)

Do scroll all the way down this post, as I have a wonderful apricot recipe at the end!

Apricot Jam
makes about 6 half-pint jars

4 cups pitted, peeled and crushed ripe apricots
6 Tbsp. lemon juice
6 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 (3 oz) pouch liquid pectin (I use Certo)

In a 8-qt. pan, combine the apricots and lemon juice. Stir in about half of the sugar. Cover and let stand 1 hour.

Remove the cover and stir in the remaining sugar. Over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the apricot mixture to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring gently. Remove the pan from the heat and skim off the foam.

Return the pan to the heat and bring to a boil again. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and skim off the foam again.

Stir in the butter. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the entire contents of the pectin pouch. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and skim off any foam. Allow the jam to cool 5 minutes.

Ladle the hot jam into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe the jar rims with a clean, damp cloth. Cover with hot lids and apply screw rings. Process half-pint jars in a 200F water bath for 10 minutes, pint jars for 15 minutes.

***

Apricot-Plum Jam
makes about 8 half-pint jars

2 1/2 cups pitted, peeled, and crushed ripe apricots
1 1/2 cups pitted, peeled and crushed ripe Santa Rosa plums or other plums
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
7 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 (3 oz) pouch liquid pectin (I use Certo)

In a 8-qt. pan, combine the apricots, plums and lemon juice. Stir in the sugar. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

Remove the cover. Over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring gently. Remove the pan from the heat and skim off the foam.

Return the pan to the heat and bring to a boil again. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and skim off the foam again.

Stir in the butter. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the entire contents of the pectin pouch. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Skim off any foam. Let jam cool 5 minutes.

Ladle the jam into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe the jar rims with a clean, damp cloth. Cover with hot lids and apply screw rings. Process half-pint jars in a 200F water bath for 10 minutes, pint jars for 15 minutes.

And lastly, after preparing all my fruit, and freezing four batches of future jam, I still had some apricots left, so I prepared this apricot crisp. I have never baked with my apricots before. It was simply divine....and I was rewarded for the "fruit" of my labors! Not a bite remained after four of us ate it, and I pretty much licked the casserole dish clean when all left the kitchen. Enjoy.

Apricot Crisp

1 3/4 lbs. ripe apricots, pitted and cut into quarters

1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

In a large bowl, combine and stir together apricots, sugar, cornstarch, salt and vanilla. Pour into greased 8" baking dish or equivalent.

Rinse the bowl. In it, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and butter. Sprinkle over fruit.

Bake at 350F degrees for 40 - 45 minutes or until bubbly. Cool 15-20 minutes before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

May double recipe and bake in a 9x13 pan.

Apricots!

I just picked my apricot tree - aren't these beautiful? My Blenheim tree is loaded with hundreds of big, perfect apricots this year. They are so sweet and actually juicy! They are nothing like the apricots found in stores, which are utterly flavorless.

Thanking God for this beautiful bounty! I love that He is displaying His splendor right in my own yard.

WDW - Meatloaf Sandwiches

Not just one photo, but two - there you go Guties. (Andrew was disappointed that I didn't show a picture of the Key lime bars last week.)

Though it's summer, our family was in the mood for meatloaf this week. Meatloaf is normally a cold-weather comfort food, and can be on the heavy side. My meatloaf recipe is a great all-year-round recipe because it is actually quite light. It's super-moist and chock full of veggies and sourdough bread crumbs, made with a mixture of pork and beef.

When I make meatloaf, I generally serve it the traditional way with chunky mashed potatoes and peas. Have you ever mixed your peas and mashed potatoes? Yum. But what my family likes most about meatloaf is having it in a grilled sandwich.

And since this recipe makes a lot, I always plan meatloaf sandwiches with the leftovers. I take some good sliced sourdough bread, spread it with soft butter and press parmesan cheese (the stuff in the green can works perfect) onto the butter. I put the bread butter side down on a medium hot skillet or griddle. Then, I put some warm meatloaf on next (not too thick of a slice). Finally, I top the meatloaf with caramelized onions and some good cheese slices- either some sharp cheddar or pepper Jack for a little spice. Top with another parmesan encrusted slice of sourdough and cook on both sides until golden brown and you start to see cheese oozing out the sides. Now, grab some honey mustard or good dijon for dipping. This is one awesome sandwich. There is so much going on in each bite, but yet it's like a harmonious symphony working together beautifully- parmesan/sourdough crust, melted cheese, flavorful meatloaf- and the caramelized onions are a must. You just keep saying "mmm" as you eat it!

Here's the meatloaf recipe which I got from my good friend Dee Dee many years ago. I had tried many meatloaf recipes before, but they were always so dry and heavy and just seemed like a loaf of hamburger meat. When I tasted Dee Dee's I thought it was amazing. I use my mini chopper to chop all the ingredients, and toss them into my KitchenAid as I go. Don't overmix - just whirl the mixer until the ingredients are just combined. Enjoy!

Dee Dee's Meatloaf

10 slices sourdough bread (each slice should be equivalent to a regular slice of sandwich bread)
5 ribs celery
6 carrots
2 small brown onions
3 cloves garlic
2 ½ lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. ground pork

1 cup barbecue sauce
1 ½ cups ketchup
4 eggs
A few good dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Finely chop in food processor: bread, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic.

In a stand mixer, combine the chopped items along with the remaining ingredients. Mix on low speed just until combined. Divide mixture evenly between three 9 x 5 loaf pans. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until done. Let cool in pan 15 minutes before slicing.

Note: this freezes well uncooked. In order not to tie up your loaf pans, line them with foil, press the meatloaf in, then pop out the loaf. Wrap entirely in foil and freeze. To cook, place the shaped loaf, without the foil, inside the loaf pan.

Note: I usually halve the recipe, using 1 lb. each of beef and pork, and bake it in two loaf pans.

WDW- Key Lime Bars

OK, this is the last week of sweet treats, I promise. I tried to move along, but I just had to share this one last bar cookie recipe with you.

Because, these Key Lime bars are some seriously tasty little numbers. I promise you, they will really make you say WOW. They really are sensational. If you like lemon bars, you will FLIP over these. They are like lemon bars with ooomph - creamier and the lime flavor is out of this world.

Key limes are little gems. They are smaller and less green than regular limes. They are called Key limes because, well, they were mainly grown in the Florida Keys and made famous by their use in Florida Key Lime pie. They are now actually grown in Mexico and California. They are much more aromatic and tart than regular limes. I found my Key limes at Vallarta market (I think it was $2 for a big bag), but you could substitute regular limes if you are not fortunate enough to obtain Key limes.

This recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk. When I went to make them, I realized the recipe only made an 8 x 8 pan, but the note said you can double it and make it in a 9 x 13 pan. I decided to double the recipe but then realized that I didn't have a second can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk. I went online and found a recipe to make your own from scratch, and I may never buy the Eagle Brand again. It was so easy, more economical, and I'm sure, much better for you than the canned stuff. The recipe follows the cookie recipe.

Sorry, no picture. And I'm not going to type much more, as I am feeling some Carpal Tunnel in my right hand (too much typing lately). Just make these soon, OK?

Key Lime Bars

Crust
5 ounces animal crackers
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
Pinch salt
4 Tbsp. melted butter

Filling
2 ounces cream cheese, room temp.
1 Tbsp. grated lime rind
Pinch salt
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
½ cup fresh lime juice (about 20 key limes or 4 regular limes)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Line an 8” square baking pan with two pieces of foil. Spray liberally with Pam spray.

For the crust:
Pulse the animal crackers in a food processor until evenly fine. Add brown sugar and salt, process to combine. Drizzle the butter over the crumbs and pulse until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs evenly and firmly in the bottom of prepared pan. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until deep golden brown.

For the filling:
In stand mixer, beat cream cheese, zest and salt until creamy. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until well incorporated. Beat in egg yolk. Add lime juice and beat until incorporated.

Pour filling over baked crust and spread evenly.. Bake until set and the edges begin to pull away from the sides, about 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack about 1 – 1 ½ hours. Carefully cut into bars and keep refrigerated.

Note: May double recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 pan.

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 c. instant non-fat powdered milk
1/2 c. boiling water
2/3 c. sugar
3 tbsp. butter

Place all ingredients in blender container. Process at high speed until smooth. Use in any recipe calling for the commercially sold sweetened condensed milk. This recipe makes the equivalent of one can of Eagle Brand.

WDW - Raspberry-Oat Bars

I needed to make some finger desserts for our homeschool group's promotion, and just wanted to try something new. I found this delicious recipe in my new cookbook, More Best Recipes (from the editors of Cook's Illustrated - my fave cooking magazine). I love making bar cookies, as they are so easy to make and they bake all in one batch. You can cut them into pretty little squares (or big squares) or even nice triangles. They are the perfect little desserts to serve at tea. I love raspberry anything, so these sounded great. I used frozen raspberries (I picked them out of my 3-berry frozen blend!), and the result was great.

Here's a great tip for whenever you are making bar cookies. Line the baking pan with foil. I get two pieces, and lay them perpendicular in the pan. That way the whole bottom of the pan is covered. I press down to make sure the foil is not loose anywhere. Then, I spray liberally with Pam spray. When the cookies are cooled after baking, you simply lift the foil up and out, and onto a cutting board. The foil serves two purposes: it provides for easy to cut bars, and NO clean up with the pan! I like that second one a lot.

Raspberry-Oat Bars

2 ½ cups flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. salt
16 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons butter, cut into ½ inch pieces and softened
½ cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup raspberry preserves (Smucker’s Red Raspberry is best)
¾ cup fresh or frozen raspberries (thawed)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with two pieces of foil (perpendicular to each other – foil should extend past the pan on all sides). Spray with non-stick spray.

In a standing mixer, mix flour, granulated sugar, and salt at low speed until combined. With the machine on low, add 16 tablespoons of the butter, one piece at a time, until mixture resembles damp sand. Measure 1 ¼ cups of the flour mixture into a medium bowl and set aside. Press the remaining mixture into an even layer to form the bottom crust in prepared pan. Bake until the edges begin to brown, about 14-18 minutes.

While the crust is baking, add the oats, nuts, and brown sugar to the reserved flour mixture; toss to combine. Work in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter until well incorporated (hands work best). Set aside.

Combine the preserves, raspberries, and lemon juice in a small bowl; mash with a fork until combined but some berry pieces remain. Spread the raspberry filling evenly over hot crust; sprinkle streusel topping over the filling (do not press down). Return the pan to the oven and bake until the topping is deep golden brown and bubbly, 22-25 minutes. Cool to room temperature, 1-2 hours. Lift the bars out of the pan, using the foil. Cut the bars into 24 squares and serve.

dimanche matin avec Riche - Rockin' French Toast!

So, most of you know by now that I tend to be a little health conscious. OK, maybe a lot health conscious.

For a moment though, I just want you to forget everything I've ever said about organic vegetables and brown rice.

Because sometimes, you really just need white bread, sugar, butter, and cinnamon in your life.

Rich made this for us last Sunday. We were sitting outside reading on Saturday afternoon, and I was going through my recent Bon Appetit magazine. I saw this recipe, promptly tore it out, handed it to Rich, and declared, "I want this for breakfast tomorrow!"

So, nice husband that he is, he made it the next morning. I pulled a half -loaf of Challah bread that my sister had made out of the freezer and he got to work.

And it was pretty much the most rockin' French Toast I've ever tasted. It was like a fresh, hot, soft, buttery cinnamon roll.

I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that it was white bread, sugar, butter and cinnamon.

Ahem.

Anyways, if you want to temporarily abandon those good habits and rock your family's world, make this sometime. If you aren't fortunate enough to have a homemade Challah (Jewish egg bread), you can pick one up at TJ's or WF. A regular soft French loaf would work well too, but the egg bread makes it really special.

Caramelized French Toast
Bon Appetit

Serves 4

7 Tbsp. butter, softened
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk (we don't buy whole milk, so we used 1/2 half and half and 1/2 1% milk)
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
8 slices (cut 1" thick) Challah or French Bread

Mix butter and brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk milk, eggs, vanilla, and spices.

Melt 2 Tbsp. of the brown sugar/butter mixture on a large non-stick skillet or griddle. Dip bread slices one at a time in egg mixture to coat. Add slices to skillet and cook until bottoms are deep brown, about 3-4 minutes. Spread remaining brown sugar/butter mixture over bread slices in skillet. Turn slices over. Cook until bottoms are deep brown, 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

WDW- Hawaiian Inspiration

Last Saturday, Rich and I set aside the afternoon to enjoy the backyard together. Lunch time rolled around and the warm weather made me feel like having a refreshing salad. It's been hard to get the wonderful foods of Hawaii off my mind and palate, so I decided to try and make something island-inspired for lunch. I went to the fridge and looked around for ingredients - I found a cabbage that needed to be used, a red bell pepper, a pineapple, and some leftover chicken breast. I decided to make sort of an Hawaiian cabbage salad. I chopped everything fine and I added a few other things like chives from the garden, toasted sesame seeds, and a few chopped macadamia nuts. I remembered the wasabi vinagrette we had in Hawaii and set out to make it.... I emulsified a little honey mustard with mostly olive oil, adding a little sesame oil, and some rice vinegar. It needed a bit more sweetness so I added a squirt of honey and I seasoned it with a little salt, pepper, and a touch of wasabi powder... it worked! I tossed it all together, and to give it a little wow factor, I made mini pineapple and strawberry kebabs to garnish the bowl (I break wooden skewers in half to make them mini). I have been buying Costa Rican pineapples at the store lately, and they are every bit as good as the ones we had in Hawaii. If you happen to find one, treat your family - they're delicious!

I love coconut anything! I make my baked goods and granola with coconut oil, and use unsweetened shredded coconut in granola and anything I can. When I go to Whole Foods, I often pick up a container of freshly cut coconut (in the produce refrigerated section) and munch on it while I shop. Our recent obsession (a couple WDW's back), Brazilian Salmon Stew, utilizes coconut milk, which is a beautiful product. Here are a couple more wonderful things to do with coconut milk that I tried last week. I like to buy the real stuff and Whole Foods has it organic even, for about $2 a can. You can get the "light" kind at Trader Joe's, but the full-fat stuff is where it's at. The main health benefit of coconut is in its fat, so don't get the kind that has removed all that goodness and flavor.

Coconut Rice

Easy! Just substitute 1 can of coconut milk and about 3/4 can water to 1 cup rice. I used white basmati rice for this one. (I usually make brown rice, but for this recipe, white works the best). Treat the coconut milk like you would liquid in the rice, and prepare as usual. The result was fluffy, flavorful and rich tasting rice- my family flipped over this!

(virgin)Pina Coladas

Every day in Hawaii we treated ourselves to one of these at the pool. Try these at home and sip outside on a warm day- your kids will love them. If you have a good blender these are a snap. Just use equal parts coconut milk and pineapple juice (we bought the Dole refrigerated kind). Sweeten to taste with a little powdered sugar (about 2 good tablespoons for a couple cups of liquid), and throw in a small lemon slice (rind and all) if you have one. Blend that all together and add ice (crushed works best) to desired consistency (we like ours thick and slushy). These are so delicious and refreshing, and actually healthy too! Enjoy!