Our extended family gets together (as many as can make the trip, that is!) each year at my Dad and step-mom’s to celebrate Easter together. There are a few things that are constants: the egg hunt including the gold glitter egg with the $5 bill inside, the Polish kielbasa and Easter cheese “ citic “platter, and the array of side dishes to accompany the ham my Dad bakes. This year’s buffet lineup included: Kassia’s gluten-free mac and cheese, Betsy’s coleslaw, Kelly’s apple&spinach salad, Brigit’s layered salad, scalloped potatoes, my broccoli craisin salad, a pickle&olive plate, applesauce, gluten free brioche, croissants, and ambrosia salad. It looked colorful and was so very delicious…made with love!

So, when it fell to me to prepare the ambrosia salad, I decided to do a remix and make it in my p.o.v.—healthy but oh-so-yummy! Here’s how:

• no canned fruit
• no Cool-whip
• no maraschino cherries

This recipe is full of fresh fruit.  Each time you prepare this dish, you could include a different combination of fruit ingredients!  This fruit salad doesn’t need much sugar added to the whipped cream component because of all the yummy sweetness of the fresh fruit.
Adjust the quantity of the ingredients based on the number of servings you are aiming for!  We had 30 hungry eaters (not including the babies) so I went BIG on the amounts.  Also, ‘some’ people don’t enjoy the shredded coconut component of this salad (crazy, right?)…so I’ve included it as an optional ingredient.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Whipped Cream:
1/2 quart heavy cream
2 teaspoons almond (or vanilla) extract
4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Fruit Salad:
1 pineapple
1 cantaloupe (or other melon)
1 pint blueberries
1 pint blackberries (or raspberries)
1 pound strawberries
3 or 4 apples (I used Granny Smith)
5 or 6 clementines
3-4 bananas
2 pounds grapes
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup broken pecan (or walnuts)
1 cup Greek yogurt, I used vanilla
whipped cream (recipe above)
1 cup + / – shredded coconut (optional)

Directions:

• Once the cream is whipped and sweetened, fold in the yogurt, blending together very well. Keep in the refrigerator ‘til ready to use.
• Prepare the fruit…wash and dry the berries and grapes; peel and core the pineapple; wash, core the apples; peel and section the tangerines; peel and scoop out the seeds in the melon.
• Cut and chop the prepared fruit remembering to keep all pieces bite-size! I always use a melon baller for any melon; the rounded shapes are so much more fun and interesting!  Prep the bananas last, sprinkling w/a little lemon juice or pineapple juice, to prevent browning.
• Place into a very large mixing bowl (or just use your largest stockpot).
• Scatter the mini-marshmallows and the nuts across the top.
• Pour the whipped cream mixture over top and fold together, gently but thoroughly. Done!

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen