Nothing says summertime like copious sunburns, drinking outside and picnics. You could be “that girl” and bring coleslaw, hot dog buns or worse…the dreaded bag of chips, to your next backyard bash, or you could wow the hell out of your friends and bring the best damn fruit salad they’ve ever had.

Now don’t get ahead of yourself. Fruit salad is not for the faint of heart. It can be time-consuming and expensive if you don’t plan it out just right. Here are a few tips for making this healthy, fun summer treat.

1. Use fresh fruit. This should go without saying but I’m saying it anyway. Frozen fruit is for smoothies, margaritas and ice packs..not salad.

2. Search for bargains. To make a good salad you could be buying 8-10 types of fresh fruit. The price tag can get pretty high if you don’t shop around. Try to buy at least half of your fruit on sale. This isn’t tough to do in the summer with so much fresh stuff in season. Because you’ll be cutting and chopping you can also take “scratch and dent” fruit (the stuff with small bruises). Read More »

This past weekend I made hummingbird cake, and I still start to drool whenever I think about it. Oops… I better get a cloth for my keyboard.

Anyway, the cake disappeared almost immediately, and for once my final product actually came out looking exactly the same as the snazzy cookbook picture (yes!).

It’s a lot healthier than most other cakes out there, and it has a pleasant fruity and nutty flavor that I hadn’t tasted before. Basically, it was awesome. Want to make it? Read on.

Here’s what you’ll need to assemble:

• 2 bananas
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of crushed pineapple (I used fresh-cut pineapple, which I threw in the food processor for a few seconds, but canned is OK as well) Read More »

So, apparently ‘fruit salad’ on the east coast is literally just a bunch of chopped up fresh fruit, cohabitating in one bowl, possible even in a watermelon carved into a bowl shape. Sounds good to me, I love fresh fruit. I just hate buying it because if I don’t eat it all, I hate the guilt that goes along with it (not to mention the smell of fruit that’s gone bad…).

So a slightly less-healthy version of the fruit salad follows, because a) its ingredients are all canned or pre-packaged (which means you do not have to rinse or chop a damn thing) and b) it’s not THAT bad for you, and is a great summery treat. And also, this is what I grew up with, and why I am always confused when fruit salad does not come with marshmallows…

So here goes:

1 small can mandarin orange slices, drained
1 small can of pineapple chunks, drained
1 can chunky fruit cocktail (I hate the word chunk too, please go with it), drained
1 small jar maraschino cherries, drained
1 cup sour cream (again, I use low fat/no fat but please go with your gut)
½ bag shredded coconut
¾ bag of mini-marshmallows Read More »

I hereby announce to all ye partying people that BBQ season is upon us!

I grew up in a family that used just about any occasion to throw stuff on a grill and stand over it with tongs, and therefore, I’m completely licensed in the art of barbecology.

Some people can write math equations a mile along, some people can paint amazing pictures of a stormy sea, but yours truly…she can BBQ like nobody’s business.

I’ve been asked to share my knowledge of open-flamed gluttony with you.

JALAPENO, STUFFED WITH SHRIMP AND CHEESE, WRAPPED IN BACON.

The name might be long, but it’s tastefully accurate. These little treats impress the masses and leave you pondering whether pigs and shrimp were soulmates in past lives. Split jalapenos in half, smooth in cream or cheddar cheese. Plop a little shrimpy in there and wrap that sh*t in bacon. Booyah. Read More »

Even though I totally admire them, I could never be a vegan. At least not now. Not while most of my diet consists of string cheese and other such cheap, processed things.

But I have friends who are vegans. Friends who are vegans and great cooks. So one night, these great-cooking-vegan friends of mine made this tart. And it was freaking fabulous. And so I want to share it with you.

Here’s what you need:

INGREDIANTS:

Crust:
* 2 1/4 cups raw slivered almonds
* 3/4 cup of pitted medjool dates
* 1/4 teaspoon salt Read More »