RECIPE: Tangy & Sweet Fruit Dip

This is THE perfect dip for a large fruit platter. Being strawberry season and all ... it's the perfect time to post this.


Here's what I do for fruit dip... a cup of sour cream and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Whisk it into submission (aka "until all powdered sugar is dissolved") and give it a taste. If you like it sweeter add another 1/2 cup powdered sugar.



The sour cream makes it tangy. The powdered sugar sweetens it up... and it's just heavenly. It's like the perfect combination!



So, so, soooo good! You can also add a drop of vanilla extract or lemon zest, etc. Top it with a pinched off mint blossom... OR just dunk a strawberry in it and enjoy it as is...

This dip is also great served over blackberries or blueberries, to dip pineapple in, etc...




Sure there are healthier options than sour cream and powdered sugar... so have at it (like yogurt and honey)...

Get creative. Be your own chef. But promise me one thing: eat your fruit! It's good for you...




(Yes, I double dipped... don't judge me. It's my own kitchen and I rule here!)

(smile)







enjoy your time in the kitchen...

A tip from Lori...

On cutting a cantaloupe (or is it "cantalope" or "cantelope"???)... actually this is a Tuscan Melon. But it will work just fine for this exercise. (And, I prefer these to cantaloupes, any day.)



Make sure you wash your melon before cutting into it. It grew on the ground... and you don't know what could have crawled over it (or what the crawly thing had previously crawled ON or THROUGH or OVER). Just wash it, ok?!

Then cut it in half...



Remove the seeds.



If you have a green thumb, set a couple seeds aside to dry. Who knows, maybe you'll be growing some of your own?!

Now, follow me here... it's actually rather quick...







Now, why didn't my mom teach me to cut a melon like this?! (Sorry Mom - it's more of an "expression" than anything!)



And the next few steps are even easier. Follow me...





Depending on HOW ripe the melon is, this melon should be consumed within the next 3-4 days (IF it will even last that long).



A few more details on Tuscan Melons...

- They look slightly different from cantaloupes in that they boldly wear these green bands(representing the design on a basketball). These green bands darken from light to deep green as the melon ripens.

- Tuscan melons taste a bit sweeter and overall are a little different than cantaloupes. I would say the taste is a bit deeper.

- They are a great source of Vitamins A & C

And lastly... how to tell if a melon is ripe?

1) The heft test. Pick up the melon - it should be heavy. If it feels lighter than it looks like it should weigh... it's probably a very dry fruit and won't have much flavor.

2) Follow your nose. Smell the end opposite of where it was cut off the vine. If it smells even faintly of cantaloupe, then it's ripe (or near ripe - the smell will get stronger the more ripe it gets). If the melon doesn't smell like a melon then it's probably not going to taste like a melon either.

3) Does it give? Press into the end - it should give, just ever so slightly. And stay away from a melon that has lots of bumps or wilted looking skin. It will probably be over-ripe and you will regret it! (There is nothing in this world like an over-ripe cantaloupe. Ick!)


Now... which is your favorite? Cantaloupe or the Tuscan Melon?

enjoy your time in the kitchen...

pining for figs

Today, I wanted good figs...

I really wanted them to be the perfect figs.

They were "ok", just "alright"... but not what I was looking for exactly.

The inside of the figs are simply beautiful.



Bite right into them... and enjoy the mellow yet slight honey-like flavor.


If you don't know much about figs... read more here: About figs

Here's a challenge - next time you're at the market pick up a food item you're not sure about. Take it home, read up on it and do a taste test. Go ahead, be brave. Wait until you hear about my adventures in lychees.


Back to the figs: I remember once saying I didn't like figs. But in all reality I just didn't know enough to know what I was looking for. I didn't know at what stage of their ripening that they taste the best. It was just a matter of trying it and figuring it out. (Sidenote: Isn't that how life goes... we blindly judge something until we are open-minded enough to take the time to learn more about it and understand where it's coming from, the subject's strengths/weaknesses, how it's supposed to act, what it's capable of, etc.

Food imitating life... I love it!

enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Happy 4th!!!

This is my silly way of saying HAPPY 4th of JULY, folks!

(Go ahead, tell me how weird I am!)








enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Friday night in Clovis

Last friday I had the opportunity to check out another farmer's market: Old Town Clovis Farmers' Market

Our first stop (oh wait, after the tri-tip sandwiches - which I didn't get a picture of because my hands were drippy) was the corn! Oh - did we search out the corn...





And wow - this is some special corn! It's fire-roasted in the husks, then stripped and cleaned. Next, the corn starts to receive layer after layer of tasty-goodness: starting with butter, followed by mayonnaise, followed by parmesan cheese and lastly followed by cayenne pepper!

Exchange it for a few dollars and you're off to enjoy the rest of the farmers' market...

Let me introduce you to my friend Heather - she likes the corn! (And that's an understatement!)



Take a walk with us... see what we saw!























If you haven't had the chance yet... find a farmers' market near you! They are full of people-watching opportunities, great fresh produce and some really great times!


But don't take my word for it... check it out for yourself...



enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Introducing the Horned Melon...

The Horned melon is also known as the African horned cucumber or melon, jelly melon, hedged gourd, English tomato, melano, or kiwano, and is an annual vine in the cucumber and melon family.

It's Sunday and you know what that means... I had a bit more time to play in the kitchen.

But let me back up a little. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into my regular grocery store this morning (Albertsons) and there was a renovation project under way. Walls had been moved, linoleum tiles had been pulled up and now some temporary shelves were in place. And then.. and then I walked around the corner to the produce section (where I begin my Sunday journey), and ... it had a whole new feel. It was like walking right into a farmer's market downtown! (Minus the bad jewelry tent and cheesey pots and pans salesman, of course!)

I stood there for a minute, I looked around and then before I knew it I felt a smile coming on!

There in front of me were nicely arranged rows of apple varieties, oranges and tangerines (too many varieties to count)... the list goes on. Lining the wall on the left side of the store were new produce shelves. The new spray system was freshening things up a bit... and as I walked closer I saw piles of fresh herbs: bundled stacks of chives, mint, cilantro, basil, bay leaves (and more) welcomed me to their new home.

I saw 3 or 4 different types of broccoli... even in different colors! There on the wall, standing at attention, was regular and white asparagus, baby artichokes and regular artichokes, tarro root, fresh ginger, lemongrass sprouts... oh, the list goes on and on.


This was a step above my normal produce section! Boy have they been busy since last Sunday! And how blessed I felt in that moment...


In the middle of the produce section were round, elevated displays holding market baskets full of goodies: heirloom tomatoes, star fruit, 3 types of avocadoes, mangoes, passion fruit, coconut (and white coconut too!), kiwis, Bosc pears (and several other types)... and then I saw this strange, prickley-looking thing... the bright orange hue was inviting me to pick it up!


So, let's take another look at it...



And so I did... of course I did! I had never seen anything like it before! It was almost like a dream... am I becoming a little too melodramatic now?!


The spikes are a little prickley... but the outer flesh of this melon is a little tougher than a tomato. I could press on the skin and feel the "meat" inside the fruit was soft. It didn't smell on the outside.

I read the label on the market basket... "Horned Melon, product of New Zealand". And now, for the life of me, I can't remember what else the label said. Wow... but whatever it said, I was buying it and taking it home with me. I needed to know more about this intriguing melon!

Come with me on my journey...

The rest of the groceries were put away, the laundry started, the windows thrown open (it's such a beautiful day today - and by "beautiful" I mean "cold and blustery" and I'm in love), the classical music on... it's time to learn something new!

Here I go, ready or not... it was time to cut into the melon...

Immediately it made a mess...



The consistency of the "meat" inside is more like jello that hasn't quite set yet...



Next? I smelled it... but it didn't really smell like anything...



When I took a closer look at the inside of this melon I found a million tiny sacks, and inside were the seeds.



By squeezing the fruit, the sacks pop right out ... and careful, they really pop out!





Using the end of a spoon could help them out from hiding, if needed. Or cutting another slice could help too... scrape again with the spoon...





And voila...

Since the seeds are inside the sacks there's no point in trying to get rid of the seeds. They can be swallowed... in fact, this is so liquidy that there is no chewing involved. I swirled the jello-like substance around in my mouth ... and what was it like?

It tasted like a combination of kiwi and a mellow lime and cucumber... with a hint of banana. Not only did it LOOK like something I'd never seen before but it also had a whole new flavor profile... like something I'd never TASTED before...

It was kinda slimy, kinda gooey... and really YUMMY! And I've set aside the other half of it to take into work tomorrow... I just know that a certain friend of mine is going to love to try this...

Enjoy your adventures with new ingredients...

enjoy your time in the kitchen...