Cheers, to Valentine's Weekend!

Did you think the fun was over?? It's also a 3-day weekend, so for the sake of your significant others, I hope you didn't! Here are 5 M&PT cocktails that will keep the good times flowing all weekend long!

Prickly Pear Punch

When it comes to drinks on this blog, there are two things that I love to lean on: colorful fruits and bubbles. Putting them together? Well, that's a quick way to make me one very, very happy girl. The farmers market is usually my #1 source of inspiration for such libations (along with most of my recipes in general, let's be real). And, this time around, Prickly Pear Punch can be added to my long list of interesting concoctions.

The punch is a blend of lime, ginger ale, and homemade prickly pear syrup. I typically have an affinity for sparkling wine (and my favorite pink Mini Sofias would've matched perfectly with this fruit), but I also wanted to make something that the whole family could enjoy. Using ginger ale was the perfect non-alcoholic solution! The candy-like color of the prickly pears made a gorgeous syrup that guaranteed to draw some oohs-and-aahs from the kids, and its simple sweet flavor could satisfy the pickiest of palates!

Roasted Fig & Brown Butter Caramel Ice Cream

Around here, there's always that state of limbo as the season changes from Summer to Fall. Labor Day weekend has come and gone. All of the kids are back in school. Yet, it's still 90-100 degrees outside, not a single cloud in sight, and my car can still turn into an oven if left under the sun for a mere few minutes...We're all stuck, waiting around, "So, Summer's over...when's Autumn supposed to get here exactly?"

That's where this recipe comes in handy. For the "Fall" days (sarcastic air quotes, do 'em with me now) that are still too warm to enjoy things like pumpkin spice lattes while wrapped in your favorite scarf...You can have Roasted Fig & Brown Butter Caramel Ice Cream!

Mango Monday: Mango Paloma

Happy Mango Monday, everyone! I hope you're all reading this after enjoying one last Summer hurrah, a nice long weekend filled with sunny skies and ice cold drinks!

Before you head back to work and all other daily routines, though, how about having one more happy hour? As long as we've still got 90+ degree weather (which is definitely the case where I live), we can still enjoy a refreshing beverage or two. Have a Razz-Apple Champagne Slushie, or serve up a pitcher of Isla Sangria!  

Or, better yet, mix up this tropical take on the Paloma. This tequila cocktail has ginger ale, fresh lime, and sweet mango juice. It was made for easy-drinking, meant to be sipped while kicking back and relaxing. (Think sparkling margarita!) Summertime never has to end!

Peach & Koloa Rum Pies

It's hard to believe that Summer is winding down already. (After all, with the kind of heat we get here in California, the feel of summertime can extend all the way to October...) Yet, here we are halfway through August. Vacation is over, Jon is enjoying kindergarten, and Labor Day is right around the corner. Appropriate to blast Lana Del Ray's "Summertime Sadness" everywhere I go? I think so...

But before I completely give in to the blues, I'll be damned if I don't sneak in a few more fruit recipes! The days of the locally grown, picked-daily stuff are numbered, so I'll be trekking out to my neighborhood farmers markets and the fruit stands down the road while I still can. Today also happens to be National Rum Day, bringing some extra oomph to the phrase T.G.I.F! These Peach & Koloa Rum Pies are a tasty treat to keep the feel-good Summer going and a way to enjoy what's left of the season's bounty. Ripe peaches and tropical rum make a juicy filling inside a flaky buttermilk pie crust.

Mango Monday: Isla Sangria

You may or may not notice that it is actually Wednesday.

You may or may not pretend that it is Monday. (There's a good reason why I delayed Mango Monday this week, I promise.)

Time-traveling aside, today's recipe is perfect for any Summer afternoon. The combination of chilled wine, fresh fruit, and citrus is a classic one...I'm talking about sangria.

"Isla" is Tagalog (Filipino) for "island", and Isla Sangria is made with sweet mangoes and calamansi, two staples in a Filipino kitchen. This version offers a refreshing and tropical take on the beloved beverage. There's nothing like relaxing with a glass of wine, so find yourself a sunny spot to lounge in!

Blueberry Sherbet (& Sparkling Wine Floats!!!)

Remember what I said about how, at some point, we're all guilty of buying a ton more berries than we probably should have?

It happened to me again.

This morning, I was staring down at a whole flat of blueberries and wondering what I could turn them into. A recipe for Cherry Sherbet from The Pioneer Woman popped into my head almost immediately. (Hi, Ree Drummond, I could watch your show for hourssssss.) The sherbet recipe was perfect for using up the Summer's bounty of sweet cherries, but blueberries are also at their ripest and sweetest right now and can make an equally scrumptious dessert!

Relax: Pineapple-Cucumber Juice

It's official. I am now in love with my juicer.

In my house, we go through gallons of juice every week. We drink it more than soda, more than water, more than anything. Knowing this, and the fact that I practically live at farmers markets, my friends wondered why it even took me so long to invest in a juicer. They were surprised I wasn't pumping out my own custom flavors by now, daily. (Oh, but trust me, guys. I think I'm getting there...)

The only reason why I've been light-years behind this healthy trend is a very simple one...I'm a victim of my own laziness. It's just so much easier to buy juice. Throw some jugs of apple juice in the shopping cart, grab a couple of cartons of mango and orange...I'm good to go! It's only been recently that I've sampled raw juice blends, like the ones from Juice Shop in San Francisco or Pressed Juicery. Green stuff...the kale, the celery, the parsley...it scares me. (Irrational analysis of the day: Juices are supposed to be sweet and fruity! What do you mean there's a salad in my juice??) But, today, I made the first steps in conquering that fear.

I made green stuff.

Golden pineapple and sweet orange gave me something familiar to anchor my taste buds to, but the cucumber and ginger were entirely new. These fresh, organic ingredients all came together to make a healthy, delicious, and satisfying juice!

Nectarines, Plums, & Ice Cream! Oh my!

Yesterday, we had another beautiful, 75 degrees-and-clear-sunny-sky morning. I love to have fresh fruit in the morning, with just a cup of coffee. It's my favorite kind of breakfast when the weather is warm like this. With a half-empty fruit bowl, however, I decided to make my way to the farmers market and restock.

There was already a nice-sized crowd by 9 am, live music echoing throughout the lot, and the welcoming smell of freshly popped kettle corn filling the air. Once I resisted that toasty, buttery aroma though, I could finally catch a whiff of the strawberries and the peaches...the cherries and the nectarines...Mmm. Just what I was looking for...Baskets and crates were filled to the brim with gorgeous Summer fruit. I wanted to load up my car and take all of it home!

Cherry Berry Beer Bread

Last week, the lovely Jaymee Sire posted a recipe for Oatmeal Cherry Chocolate Banana Bread. There are only a few foods that make me instantly buckle and go weak in the knees, and one of them is freshly baked bread. Especially banana bread. My mom used to bake it all the time when I was younger. (Plus, we're all aware of my love for bananas by now, right?)

I rummaged through my kitchen to collect the ingredients for this latest E is for Eat creation, but I was saddened to realize...I was out of oatmeal and chocolate chips, and Jacquelyn ate the last of the bananas. Another time, O.C.C.B.B., another time. But now I couldn't let go of this craving for freshly baked bread. So you know what I did find?

Cherries, berries, and beer.

I thought back to my recipe for Pumpkinhead Bread. It's one of the easiest breads to make, and as long as you've got a bottle of beer, you're good to go. This recipe gets a Summer makeover with the addition of Blackberry Tart Ale, fresh berries, and sweet red cherries!

Homemade Hawaiian Shave Ice

My air conditioner broke down last weekend and won't be fixed until maybe Thursday, just as temperatures are projected to reach the 90's and 100's this week...Alright, life, I'll swing at your curveball...

I bought those nifty window fans, positioned every electric fan that I could find in the house, and made sure that my ice maker's "Quick Ice" feature was functioning properly...whatever it takes to keep my house from feeling like an over-sized dry sauna. And not just for myself, but the little ones as well. A hot, cranky 5-year-old and 3-year-old are no fun!

As I was thinking of different frosty treats to distract them with, Hawaiian shave ice was one of the first to pop in my head. I've had plenty of shave ice all across the islands, from Matsumoto's rich tradition in Oahu to the imaginative creations at Ono Ono in Kaua'i. Sweet, flavorful, and homemade syrups are poured over refreshing ice. Many of them are inspired by the seasonal fruits grown locally right on the island. I quickly gave in to this idea, while the summer's fruits are ripe for the picking and a refuge from the scorching heat is so desperately needed, to find a tasty oasis in shave ice!

Blueberry Macadamia Muffins

My calendar says that summer technically arrives on June 21st, but these heat waves and the strawberry stands up & down the road are telling me otherwise. It's warm enough to jump into a perfectly cold pool with reckless abandon, and for my life to be semi-overtaken by fruity, umbrella-worthy refreshments. It is summer.

And it's berry season.

I've been longing to venture out to the farmers markets and see the rows and rows of freshly-picked fruit all lined up in their little baskets. I became determined to make blueberry muffins as a simple, easy way of appeasing yet another one of my super-cravings.

Muffins also remind me of waking up at dawn before long road trips and sunrise hikes, a grab-and-go breakfast from Starbucks or (yes...) 7-Eleven. Muffins are the kind of thing that makes a 6 1/2 hour drive to Disneyland with two rambunctious boys...in a packed minivan...manageable. They make you feel like a multi-tasking queen, while you have a muffin in one hand and the steering wheel/map/stereo dial in the other...or yelling at your malfunctioning GPS with a mouthful of muffin, if you're that kind of road rager. Like me. (Please, eat and drive responsibly.) So, for all of you summer-road trip-hike-berry lovers out there, how about we skip the stop at Starbucks, go straight to putting on your ultimate cruising-down-the-highway playlist, and bake some Blueberry Macadamia Muffins? Bursts of sweet and tart blueberry, crunch from toasted macadamia nuts, and rich vanilla bean in every bite!

Cantaloupe Drink

I grew up on the military family housing for McLellan Air Force Base, when it was still an active base in the 90's. We lived in a cozy, single-story home that looked like pretty much every other house in the neighborhood. But we had a deck. A big wooden deck out front that everyone could sit on when the Sacramento Valley heat made staying indoors unbearable. It'd get way too stuffy, and fresh air was the only remedy.

On those Summer days, my mom would make Cantaloupe Drink. I had no idea, back then, what its real name was. My sister and I just always called it Cantaloupe Drink. A simple name for a simple concoction, really. It's merely fruit, water, and sugar, yet it's ridiculously refreshing. The shredded bits of melon in every sip? I love it. I always felt like such a "big girl" whenever I could help with breaking down the volleyball-sized melon. Mom would slice it in half, then my sister and I would race to see who could finish scooping out all of the seeds and the flesh first. By the time we were done, we were sticky from all of the sweet juice running down our hands.

My dad would come home, still in uniform, and we'd rush out the screen door to bring him a glass of Cantaloupe Drink on the deck. And, suddenly, an unbearably hot day just got a whole lot better.

Strawberry Kiwi Shortcakes with Vanilla Mascarpone

My love for fresh fruits has been well-documented on this blog. Give me a bowl of sliced mangoes, put some apple bananas in front of me, or better yet, treat me to a shopping spree at a farm stand....I do little happy flails. Fresh fruits just make me happy. (Fact: For my birthday this year, I had a fruit tart instead of a cake.)

There were just 3 kiwis leftover after making margaritas, and I knew that I wanted to make a dessert with them. I also had ultra-ripe strawberries sitting in my refrigerator...They needed some love, ASAP. Little Jacquelyn loves strawberries, and she absolutely devours them whenever I sprinkle on a little sugar. (She even licks the syrup left in the bowl. But, then again, who doesnt?!?) This gave me the idea to bring the two fruits together and pile them up on a sweet, buttery shortcake. These Strawberry Kiwi Shortcakes also get big dollops of vanilla & brown sugar infused mascarpone...all approved by a special little girl!

Hummingbird Cheesecakes

I bought apple bananas a week ago, and the few that I have leftover are now super ripe and starting to brown. While looking up cake and bread recipes to remedy my banana-surplus situation, I found out about Hummingbird Cake. I must confess: I had never even heard of this cake before, let alone tried it.


Hummingbird Cake apparently originated in the Caribbean, but flourished in the South. (A recipe in a 1978 issue of Southern Living Magazine gets most of the credit.) Pineapple, bananas, spices, and pecans are all packed into this tasty cake, which then gets covered in cream cheese frosting...similar to its layer-cake cousins Red Velvet and Carrot, but with a bit of a tropical flare! 

Now, when I hear the word "hummingbird", I immediately think of tiny, brightly colored birds gracefully flying from flower to flower and feeding on the blossoms' sweet nectar...Ahh, happy thoughts...So, when I first read the words "hummingbird cake", I had grand visions of a garden tea party and dainty finger foods. Seriously. This dessert just screamed at me, "SPRINGTIME!" With all of the Easter family gatherings coming up, it made perfect sense to fit it right into the dessert rotation. Here's how to make my twist on Hummingbird Cake: miniature Hummingbird Cheesecakes!

Coco-Mac Waffles with Banana-Jackfruit Rum Sauce

A lot of my recipes are inspired by Filipino and Hawaiian dishes (this is me being Captain Obvious...), and these Coco-Mac Waffles are no exception. I added toasted coconut and macadamia nuts to the waffle batter, and I used apple bananas (sound familiar?!) and fresh jackfruit from the farmers' market to make a buttery rum sauce.

Aside from the recipe, this post is also about my first encounter with breaking down a fresh jackfruit! And it was just a six-pound hunk of jackfruit...No big deal...

Here's how to put a fun, tropical twist on a classic breakfast item!