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!

"Market" Mary: Freshly Made Tomato Juice & Homemade Dill Pickles

It's 5 o'clock somewhere!

This Bloody Mary is a farmers market-inspired version of the beloved brunch beverage(/hangover cure). The ingredients are fresh and have that little kiss of Summer left in them, ideal for deck lounging, weekend brunching, and waking up early for Game Day!

I went a little tomato crazy during my last trip to the farmers market, actually buying a basket of heirloom cherry and grape tomatoes for the sole purpose of turning them into a Bloody Mary mix. My hope was that their natural, sweet flavor would make a tasty cocktail. While shopping, I also saw baskets and baskets of lemon cucumbers. I only found out about this variety a couple of months ago (while shopping for poke ingredients!), but I'm already in love with how crisp and refreshing they are. For this recipe, I turned them into a batch of dill pickles, a salty briny bite to go with my Market Mary!

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!

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!

Asian-Roasted Asparagus with Fried Eggs

I came up with this recipe after I bought my first asparagus of the season, during a trip to the farmers' market. They were the pencil-thin variety, and the bunches were standing so green and tall. I couldn't resist!

Just a few yards away, the Dragon Gourmet Mushrooms stand was already starting to sell out. I walked up and glanced at the king trumpets and beech mushrooms, but ultimately decided on a couple baskets of oysters.Their broad caps fan out and are so eye-catching.

It was a warm, sunny morning, and the market was bustling with eager shoppers. My recipe for Asian-Roasted Asparagus with Fried Eggs was inspired by this, another successful day at the farmers' market!

San Francisco: The Farmers' Market Lightning Round & A Bowl of Pappardelle

The other weekend, my mom made plans with my Auntie Mel to go into the city and shop around the farmers' market.

When I caught wind of this, obviously, I couldn't let her go without me. That would just be crazy.

It ended up being San Francisco: The Farmers' Market Lightning Round. I tagged along with my my parents, aunt, and uncle, and we hit not just one, but three markets that day! You can call me crazy, but I have no problem getting up at 6 on a Saturday morning for a farmers' market. And you know what? It was absolutely worth it. Gorgeous weather, gorgeous views, gorgeous produce, and a gorgeous bowl of pasta at the end of the day? Check, check, check, and check. Using all market-bought ingredients, I came up with an extremely simple and easy recipe for Romanesco & Pappardelle! It was a perfect way to end a day of walking around the city, shopping, and soaking up the sunshine.

Jaymee Sire's Miso Soup with Nameko Mushrooms (Guest Post)

The lovely Jaymee Sire was nice enough to give me an early birthday present: a guest post! I am so, so excited that she's sharing her latest recipe here on M&PT, and her miso soup happens to be inspired by fresh mushrooms from the farmers' market.

First of all, I love miso soup. My cousin Stacey (who you may remember from my Disneyland: Grown Ups post) is half-Japanese, and one of my favorite childhood memories is of her grandmother making miso soup from scratch whenever she came to visit. Secondly, I love cooking with different kinds of mushrooms. There used to be a time when I would limit myself to either button or portobello. Fortunately, those days are long gone. Mushrooms come in so many sizes, shapes, and flavors, and I'll take any chance I can get to learn about new, interesting ones. Thank you, Jaymee, for sharing this simple and delicous recipe for Miso Soup with Nameko Mushrooms! :)

Oahu: From Fruits to Fishes

Green and pink anthurium flowers peeking out from buckets of water. The sweet smell of strawberry papayas. Jars of homemade jam with handwritten labels.

I love strolling through the farmers' market to see what little treasures I can find, and doing this in an exciting, foreign locale never fails to be an eye-opener. I always tell friends that want to visit the Hawaiian islands, "Go to the local market!" Checking out the local markets is a unique and mostly inexpensive way to get to know the area. You can meet anyone, from the very farmers who harvest the crop to business owners selling their homemade goods, from the neighborhood residents to fellow travelers.

So, for the finale of my Oahu posts, I want to shine a light on a couple of marketplaces on the island. I've mentioned all of the "home"-cooking that my mom did for this trip, and now I can finally tell you about where we found our ingredients. We would've loved to go to Oahu's bigger farmers' markets, but our schedule just never matched up with the days that they were held. (For information on markets sponsored by the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, click here. For the county-run People's Open Markets, click here.) Nevertheless, we found a couple of places that are open all week long and are just as interesting to stroll through.

Lucky We Live Hawaii

There's a local saying: "Lucky we live Hawai'i!" It's an understanding of how special it is to be on the islands day in and day out...the breathtaking land, the climate, and what the combination of these two can produce. I'm talking about all of the amazing fresh fruits and vegetables! Kaua'i, in particular, is an ideal setting for farmers markets. And, if you didn't know, markets are one of favorite things in the whole world. This was my favorite part of my trip and why I saved discussing it for last! While you can find these gatherings all across Hawai'i, what makes the Garden Island stand out is the Kaua'i County Farm Bureau and its Kaua'i Grown program. My eyes were opened to an amazing world of family-owned farms and a mouth-watering parade of fresh produce.

Coconuts, Mangoes, and ...Chickens

After settling into our room, it was still mid-afternoon. Not ones to waste precious vacation hours, we all decided to drive out to and spend the rest of the day in Kapa'a. Kapa'a is just one of Kauai's many charming towns, with buildings painted in fun colors, quaint shops, art galleries, and unique eateries. While walking down Kuhio Highway, just fifty or so yards past the Java Kai Coffee shop and Mermaids Cafe, we stopped at a fresh fruit stand. This was my idea of PARADISE.

What do you do at a wet market?

You just take tons and tons of pictures, and look like a silly tourist. Duh.

Kidding.

If you ever go to an Asian country, and find yourself in the middle of an open air market...with the freshest, eye-catching ingredients at your fingertips...It's truly a one-of-a-kind experience.

I'm starting my series of posts about the Philippines with this market trip for a very simple reason. I traveled with my mom and 5 of her sisters, and we all stayed in my aunt Jessica's new house. There would be a total of 14 of us under one roof, so what was the first thing we had to do when we got there? Go grocery shopping. Stock up the kitchen. 14 adults x 3 meals a day (+ snacks)...That's a lot of food. However, grocery shopping is a little different out here. While they do have commercial supermarkets, these require a bit of a drive to get to the downtown area. The "palengke", or wet market, is the first choice for fresh vegetables, meats, and pantry needs. The "wet" part comes from the water needed to wash down the concrete floors and other surfaces, since a lot of raw meat, poultry, and seafood are sold here. These markets are a foodie's Disneyland. Let me take you through the wet market in Mangaldan, Pangasinan (my mom's family's hometown province!), and show you why :)