The Summertree Café: May 2008

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Tropical Fruit Salad

Cracking coconuts is not as hard as I'd expected, but removing the crisp white meat was a challenge. It was well worth it, though, because my fruit salad was absolutely delicious. I put pieces of bananas, a handful of cherries and grapes, a kiwi, an orange & a couple of strawberries in it. I supremed the orange this morning, and that is what you see on the plate over top of two fresh mint leaves.

We've had mint in our garden for a very long time, but I never really paid it much attention. Now that I've begun to use it, I've come to love its strong, moist flavor, as well as its appearance as a garnish.

I have a good-sized bowl of coconut meat and about a cup of coconut water chilling in the fridge for later use. Does anyone have any ideas on how to use it? BTW: I recommend straining the coconut water before use. Mine had tiny chunks of coconut meat and flecks from the shell in it.

Friday, May 23, 2008

My First Post!

Hi! I'm Katie. Welcome to The Summertree Café! I started this blog to document my culinary explorations. I'm not exactly a vegetarian - I really would like go vegan, but I live with my meat-eating parents and my gluten- and dairy-sensitive sister, so it's not exactly convenient for me to alienate all animal-derived food products from my diet. My family has been health-conscious for a long time, and I love eating and cooking healthily myself. I enjoy trying new things and experimenting with alternative ingredients.

Though my plate today does not feature an original recipe, I will post some of my own recipes as soon as I make it to the grocery store. This cracked-wheat quickbread is from Low-Fat Livin g. My mom made it frequently years ago, when I was little and living in South Carolina. It's good with butter, honey, jelly or anything else you can think of. The texture is great, and it makes a fantastic snack or breakfast.

Now I know that you've seen more sumptous, attractive berries than those on my plate, but they'll suffice to satisfy my berry craving until the raspberry plants in the backyard bear their summer fruits and the Farmer's Market has their locally-grown berries out for sale. The grocery store berries taste good, but they still leave me dreaming of organic berries picked by hand, grown and eaten in the warmth of the sun. Our sweet fruits are not ephemeral; the crop last year provided us with plenty of red berries to savor and enjoy. I'll track the bushes's progress here. I can't wait!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Recipe Rally

I figured it was time to gather up my recipes, arrange them in a colorful bouquet, tie a bow around them and present them to you on a shining silver plater - because I love you. I really do. Thank you so much for your support, comments, and inspiring blogs. NOTE: An asterisk (*) denotes a raw recipe. Enjoy!

BEVERAGES

BREAKFAST

LUNCH/DINNER

DESSERTS