So you know how sometimes really crappy weather makes you want to hunker down and hibernate just a little while? Well, it’s April and New England is getting a Nor’Easter (which actually doesn’t mean snow necessarily, just wind direction, but the precipitation is still supposed to be yucky). So the bad weather got me thinking of wanting to be in the tropics, which got me thinking of citrus fruits, so I dug through my bag of tricks and came up with a jar of Guava Jam. Never had a guava? Well, it tastes a lot like oranges and peaches mixed together. Add in some macadamia nuts and voila, tropical inspiration to get over the Spring Stormy blues.
Desserts
Ending my Easter baking this year with a little Cardamom Carrot Cake with Pecans and Zante Currants. I love cardamom — my favorite spice — and a nice, healthy carrot cake to balance out all the chocolate Easter Bunnies. I didn’t make the sugar-decorations just bought them; being lazy), but they are a cute addition, don’t you think?
I’m going to call these “adult” rice krispies squares…. yes, indeed, I did actually put bourbon in these, and while I don’t think that you could get drunk off them, they are definitely addictive and delicious. In case the “Easter Bunny” is having a bad day, these might make it just a little bit better. The “Peep-influences” Sprinkles just add to the equation.
I seem to be the queen of finding random ingredients, and this week is no different. Have you ever heard of Banana JAM? I had no idea that you could make jam out of bananas, but you can and it’s pretty darn good. I had to buy a jar when I saw it in the shops and decided to make these here Monkey Pie Bars — Banana Coconut Crumble Bars. Amazingly rich banana flavor and toasted coconut. Perfect “tropical” flavors to warm up this cold March morning.
















