By Brayden is one hundred and forty-five weeks old. Eden is three weeks old. The family-of-four made it to a small delayed-Fourth-of-July cookout at Aunt Linda’s Sunday afternoon (the actual Fourth of July had been the week of Eden’s birth and the family had postponed the gathering by two weeks). About fourteen at Aunt Linda’s deck and yard. Eden was in the car-seat-carrier in the shade of the deck umbrella for most of the afternoon. Brayden played with Hadley and the small Patton-cousin-set on the grass.
The vanilla yogurt ambrosia is the small fresh-fruit-and-yogurt salad-dessert — pineapple, mandarin oranges, banana, mini-marshmallows, shredded coconut, all folded into vanilla yogurt with a small splash of vanilla extract. The dish is the small lighter-than-cool-whip update to the traditional ambrosia recipe.
The technique question is the banana-and-pineapple-timing. The banana browns and the pineapple releases moisture if the salad is made too early. The fix is folding the banana and pineapple in within thirty minutes of serving. The other ingredients can be combined in advance.
Sunday I brought the ambrosia to Aunt Linda’s. Aunt Linda had the burgers and the dogs and the homemade beans. The small delayed-Fourth was a small successful first-family-of-four-outing.
Brayden has been the small enthusiastic-helper at the kitchen-counter on Sunday afternoons. He hands me ingredients. He stirs the small mixing bowl. He watches the small kitchen-process with the small intent-attention of the small kid-who-might-become-a-cook-someday. The small hereditary-pattern is in the small early-signs.
Eden has been the small attentive-baby-toddler. She watches her big-brother. She mimics the small ages-three-up-to-his behavior. The small younger-sibling shape is appearing in the small everyday-rhythm.
The catering-cookbook companion (the Pantry Rules companion) has continued to sell at its small steady pace. The two-cookbook online-store has become the small reliable-revenue-stream. The small third-cookbook is in the small mental-outline-stage but is not in active drafting.
Cody’s pop-up has continued to evolve. The small Tuesday-double-and-occasional-Wednesday rotation is now the small standard rhythm. The small annual revenue has crossed $100,000. Cody has been thinking about a small private-dining-room booking expansion using the small new expanded-space.
Vanilla Yogurt Ambrosia
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 10 min (plus 1 hr chill) | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 2 cups vanilla yogurt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained
- 1 (15 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
- 1 (10 oz) jar maraschino cherries, drained and halved
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the vanilla yogurt and sour cream until smooth and fully combined.
- Add the fruit. Fold in the pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, cherries, and green grapes. Stir gently so the fruit stays intact.
- Fold in the extras. Add the mini marshmallows and shredded coconut. If using pecans, fold those in now as well. Stir until everything is evenly coated with the dressing.
- Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. This lets the marshmallows soften slightly and the flavors come together.
- Serve. Give it a gentle stir before spooning into a serving dish. Garnish with a few extra cherries or a sprinkle of coconut if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 65mg