Here's a secret.
I don't like most fruit. It's very strange because I love vegetables. If you snuck a peek into my lunchbox, you're likely to see a couple plastic baggies full of cucumber wedges or carrot sticks. But you'd be hard-pressed to find an apple or an orange in my diet anywhere.
The exception is berries. I am not above pulling over on the side of back country path simply to snack on the roadside selection of berry bushes. I love them best when they're fresh and unsweetened. Juicy and tart. My mouth is watering onto the keyboard as we speak.
If I have to eat fruit, I prefer them in to two specific ways: cobblers and fruit salads. I'll eat pie and fruit preserves, but I absolutely devour dishes that combine several complementary fruits with a heaping helping of all less-healthy additions.
Ambrosia salad is one of my all-time favorite fruit dishes. The combination of pineapple, coconut, mandarin oranges and marshmallows is phenomenal, for lack of a more descriptive adjective. I may have to do some digging through the recipe books because I could definitely see the ambrosia flavor becoming a theme here.
This is an excellent side dish and great for a potluck or dish-to-pass-type gathering. It's also incredibly easy. Hmmm.. what else can I do with ambrosia? Any ideas?
Ambrosia Fruit Salad
1 cup drained mandarin oranges, diced
1 cup diced pineapple
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup sour cream
2-3 cups sweetened whipped topping (see "Raspberry Poke Cake" post for recipe)
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Depending on the thickness and consistency you prefer, start with 2 cups of whipped topping for a thicker mixture or use 3 cups to thin it out a little more.
Because of the ease of this recipe, you can edit the recipe to add more or less of each fruit depending on your tastes. You can also individualize the recipe by adding slices of apples, pears, almonds, pecans or whole cherries.
Listening to: Willie Nelson & Ray Charles - Seven Spanish Angels
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