Eat your way around the world
THE SCENE Ava's at a funny age. Literally. Everything is all giggles and "that's so funny, mama." It adds a breath of fresh air to my reality of taxes, tornadoes, and keeping the car clean. All equally impossible to deal with. This week Ava chuckled when she saw the silly straw in her Pineapple Papaya Coco Smoothie. And she loved the fact that there were oranges in our Micronesian Orange Coconut Cake. She laughed and laughed about that one. And, of course, I laughed … [Read more...]
In college I went by MacGyver. It had nothing to do with my ability to save lives (with little more than a shoestring and a balloon), and everything to do with feeding my four hungry roommates in the face of the greatest of obstacles (an empty refrigerator). I once made them lasagna without pasta or sauce. True story. Which brings me to this Micronesian marinade. There are four fantastic reasons to make it: 1. There is really no need to measure the ingredients. I have it on a local's … [Read more...]
It took Micronesia to get me excited about a smoothie. Don't get me wrong - I love smoothies. After a while, though, they all taste the same. Until now. This smoothie blushes, straight from the easy, breezy islands. Why? Because out of the soft, sweet flavor of papaya and pineapple comes the daring zip of fresh lime juice. Adding lime juice to a smoothie may sound strange, but Micronesians know - this is like adding a hint of key lime pie to your drink. A bit of soprano … [Read more...]
There are times when I want to be fancy, but not fussy. When I want a pretty cake, but I don't want to decorate it with elaborate roses. When I'd rather be swimming in the sea instead of doing my taxes. Ahem. These are the days when I want (need!) a little slice of heaven to serve along side my afternoon cup of tea. I never thought I'd find my answer in Micronesia. But I did. This orange infused cake comes all the way to us from a little Micronesian island called Kosrae and a … [Read more...]
This week we're enjoying a sampler-style menu based on Micronesia's beloved citrus fruit. Each of the recipes I selected for you is bursting with fresh squeezed lime and orange juices. And, given my family's reaction, I should warn you: they just might make you silly. Especially that crazy orange coconut cake. Speaking of crazy, have you heard the expression "cray cray"? I really amused myself reading the various definitions of this expression in the urban dictionary. I can't quite decide if … [Read more...]
Micronesia and her gaggle of islands amaze me. She is a dream - half a world away. There is not a lot of information to be found about her thousands of islands because many of them are, at best, sparsely settled. In an effort to delve deeper into the cuisine of this sprawling federation, I used one of my more recent tactics to educate myself on the cuisine: contacting a local. I love this technique. Emailing with someone halfway around the world makes me happy. While I've done it here … [Read more...]
