Mango Blueberry Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette
June 15, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Dessert, Grow Your Own, Salads
In 2007 we bought two blueberry bushes, the low bush variety that produces small berries like our favorite wild blueberries from Maine. We almost lost them due to flooding both the first and second year, but somehow they managed to survive, though they haven’t produced berries yet. It takes a few years for blueberry bushes to begin producing, and when they do it’s often small amounts at first, but growing as the bush matures. Read more
Grilled Fish Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa
May 6, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Main Course, Mexican, Salsas & Dips, Seafood
I wish I could come home after picking up the kids from school and have time to cook a nice meal. I long for a calm, zen-like cooking experience each day, but instead I find myself chasing after my sons who prefer to run amok, trying to keep them from raiding the refrigerator and the pantry even though I fed them a snack as soon as we got home. We had to put locks on to keep the Three Amigos from eating us out of house and home. Yesterday’s meal was supposed to happen on Monday, but the events of the day and the constant distractions left me disorganized and frustrated at dinner time and I pulled out some leftover pasta sauce and boiled some spaghetti. Now there’s nothing wrong with that, and in fact spaghetti with tomato sauce and/or meatballs is Michael’s favorite meal, but I had a grilling recipe up my sleeve for Cinco de Mayo which I had to grudgingly postpone.
I thought I could start some of the prep for dinner on Tuesday morning, but Monday night we remembered Top Gun, our three-year-old, had a project due for school the next day and I needed to finish some prep work on that before we could do it in the morning. So Tuesday morning was spent cutting photos and pasting them memory-book style onto a piece of paper describing his favorite things, and then we wrote our story about Spike’s visit (Spike is the class mascot, a stuffed kangaroo) and pasted more pictures onto that story. Read more
SHF #33 – Frozen Mango Dessert
During the hot summer months, I avoid heating up the kitchen. I cook foods on the grill, assemble simple salads, and enjoy cold treats whenever possible. So I was happy to see the “Tropical Paradise” theme for this month’s Sugar High Friday event hosted by Mary of Alpineberry. Sugar High Friday is the invention of The Domestic Goddess Jennifer Hamilton, and every month foodies around the world make beautiful desserts based on the theme chosen by the host. The host then posts a round-up of all the entries so that all the participants can revel in their peers’ creations.
My contribution for this month is a frozen fruit dessert modeled after the yogurt smoothies that I make for my kids; however, I skipped the dairy and just used frozen fruits, coconut milk, and a bit of lime. Because the fruits are frozen when you puree them, the dessert has a nice, thick texture reminiscent of a frozen mousse. Read more
Mango-Lime Ice (Nieve de Mango con Limon)
I’ve never been to Mexico. There, I’ve said it. I’ve traveled in 24 countries on 5 continents, but Mexico is not one of them. I haven’t been to Canada, either, but that’s a different post.
For never having been to the country, I really enjoy the food. My favorite Mexican treat is paletas and for a few years I experimented with different recipes (before the blog) and our freezer was full of paletas in the summertime. So with the Cinco de Mayo celebration last weekend, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do paletas, but I’m not sure where my equipment is—it’s been MIA since the move—so I made a simple ice dessert this time.
The combination of mango and lime really works well, a nice balance of tart and sweet; very refreshing after a spicy meal or a hot afternoon outdoors. My boys love mango and they were constantly on me while making this. My two-year-old has such a cute way of opening his eyes wide and asking, “Mommy, taste? Please?” Read more
