How completely adorable and at the same time, sophisticated, is this? It’s the picture perfect elegant appetizer.

A cute and savory Smoked Salmon Mini “Ice Cream” Cone.

It is eaten in a bite or two. It is a flavor explosion in your mouth, a combination of creamy, sweet, smoking … perfection!

Believe it or not, it is also a breeze to make. Really, it could not be more simple.

I purchased the mini ice cream cones on Amazon HERE. They came perfectly wrapped and not one was cracked or broken.

I made these for my last week of cooking classes at Les Gourmettes. We served them as they were made during the class, so there was no need for a beautiful table presentation.

In fact, I made a “cone holder” with a heavy-duty cardboard box, an ice pick and, a chopstick. I made the first hole with the ice pick then made it large enough to hold a cone, using the larger end of the chopstick.

You could do the same, even for a more presentable presentation. Just wrap the box in some colorful fabric or simple butcher paper. Or you can buy a holder HERE.

These would be perfect for any entertaining event… say a Christmas Open House, a cocktail party or, maybe even … a wedding.

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The last day of school is quickly approaching, in fact it’s Thursday around these parts! The kids are going to be home and will be looking for treats to cool them off. That’s what I’ve got for you today.

My dad has a good friend who did some much needed repair work around his house as a favor. This friend is taking his grand-kids to Disneyland in a couple of weeks and my dad wanted to get him a little something as a thank you. I picked up some Disneyland gift cards for him to enclose in the thank you card … and that reminded me that I had yet to post the recipe for this Disneyland all-time-favorite cool treat.

Dole Whip!

The Dole Whip is so popular that the lines to get one are often longer than the lines at some attractions. On average, 1.3 million Dole Whips are purchased per year at Disney Parks and Resorts. At Disneyland alone, 600,000 Dole Whips are sold each year.

If you are the first person in line when the stand opens and you order a Dole Whip, you receive a “First Dole Whip of the Day” button to wear with pride as you walk around the park. Everyone will be envious! Yeah, they’re that popular.

I’ve got a homemade version for you to make. You won’t get a button but…

No lines!
Instant delicious gratification!

Pineapple Whip

1 large fresh ripe pineapple
1 cup cold almond milk
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 ½ cups whipped cream, divided

Peel, core and cut the pineapple into cubes. Place in a freezer-safe container and freeze the pineapple cubes overnight. Combine the frozen pineapple, almond milk and agave nectar in a Vitamix blender or food processor.

Blend until completely smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and fold in 1 cup of the whipped cream.

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This week the funnies can really only be about one thing!

I promise, this will be the end of the engagement/wedding talk for a while!

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There was a little glitch with the ring for the proposal that occurred on Saturday.

Jeff had the ring custom-made and although it was promised to be completed and to arrive in time for the proposal, it did not.

Jeff insisted the jeweler overnight a “stand-in” ring and they did, but then it was held up by FedEx and stuck in Oakland on Saturday.

Poor guy! After all his careful and detailed planning, others dropped the ball. So while Marissa and I were on our “Amazing Race San Francisco,” Jeff was at Macy’s buying a second “returnable” stand-in ring.

As I mentioned yesterday, he even had the foresight to have one of our pit stops on the “Race” occur at a nail salon so we could each get a mani/pedi. Here is a photo of my sad old torn-up left hand intertwined with Marissa’s young smooth pretty left hand… her’s ring free for the last few fleeting hours.

The real ring finally arrived last night.

It is exactly what Marissa wished for. A delicate platinum ring with a sapphire center stone and 2 diamonds on each side.

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This past Saturday was a very big day for our family. Mentally, I had been a little MIA for the past week or so … getting ready, emotionally, for the weekend!

Our daughter, Marissa, got engaged! She is my firstborn … and a truly magnificent daughter!

This is Marissa and her handsome fiance’ Jeff.

And this is their engagement story … as seen and experienced firsthand by a proud, excited, and loving mom.

On Thursday, April 24, 2014, Jeff flew in from San Francisco to take us to dinner and ask for Marissa’s hand in marriage.

He was so sweet and said the most beautiful and wonderful things about our beloved daughter. After we said, “yes, of course,” Jeff explained his proposal plan and asked me to be a part of it. What an honor!

You see, Marissa and I have been fans of the television show, The Amazing Race, ever since its debut in 2001. We’ve always thought that we’d be the perfect duo to run the Race and that certainly we would be the winners and take home the $1 million prize money!

Jeff created an “Amazing Race San Francisco” for us to run… unopposed … so we’d be sure to win! He had 15 envelopes containing clues and challenges for us to complete.

We began at 9:00 Saturday morning and hit the ground running.

Jeff put so much time, thought, and effort into this endeavor – it truly blew me away! He even had the forethought to have me take a photo of Marissa at each “pit stop” holding the corresponding numbered envelope and then post it on Instagram and Facebook. Each post included the hashtag #amazingracesf, so that he could follow our progress as we traveled from one side of the city to the other – over a period of about seven hours.

It also became a great way of letting their unsuspecting family and friends know that something very cool was happening and that something even bigger was on the way!

And yes, you can still log on to Instagram or Facebook, put in #amazingracesf, and see the whole event as it unfolded.

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This was the “main course” for my Pool Party class at Les Gourmettes. It’s a bit chunky, a sorta soupy, kinda spicy, and really good!

Fire-Roasted Gazpacho

1 large onion, peeled and cut into 3 thick rounds
2 zucchini, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
1 each red, yellow, orange bell peppers
2/3 cup olive oil
3 thick slices fresh sourdough bread
4 garlic cloves; 1 of the cloves peeled and cut in half and the 3 remaining cloves peeled and minced
8 large tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
2 English cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 cup Sherry or red wine vinegar
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish
2 green onions, green tops only; thinly sliced on the bias
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 avocado, diced

Preheat the grill to high heat.

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Proverbs 31:28

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I’m off to San Francisco today to see my girl. I’ll leave you with a few funnies this Mother’s Day weekend.

This is about right… sad but true.

After this week, I’d call this accurate.

Finally … just for you moms, mommies and mothers….

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The menu for the second of my three-week series of cooking classes at Les Gourmettes was Pool Party. This Pineapple-Palm Tree Fruit Bowl was the centerpiece.

When we have an actual pool party at home, one of the best things about this presentation is that not only is it eye-catching, but it looks beautiful from all sides and can be enjoyed by those in the sunken kitchen or those chilling at the swim-up bar.

It is not difficult to create, the only hard thing is finding the right thing to “impale” the pineapples onto. Three pineapples stacked atop one another is precarious, so you need a sturdy pole. A broom hand or dowel, nailed into a round wooden base would work well.

I happen to have a three-tiered server that screws apart. I was able to remove the center and top tiers and use the bottom tier as the base for the fruit.

The first order of business is to hollow out the pineapples. To do so, cut off both ends of two pineapples and only the bottom of the third. This third pineapple will be the top.

Next, use a sharp knife to score and cut out the center cord of each pineapple.

Continue to dig and whittle away at the center core of each pineapple until you have hollowed it from one end through the other. It’s not hard to do, it just takes a little time and patience.

Slip one pineapple onto the pole. Since my pole was threaded, I placed a piece of plastic wrap over, so the pineapple flesh wouldn’t get caught up in the threads.

Slide on the second pineapple.

And finally the third, with its top still attached. Since I had a large bowl as my base, I filled it with watermelon rind to “fill it up” so I wouldn’t have to use so much fruit to make it look full and lush. If you’re using a flat wooden base, you will skip this step.

If you live in an area with palm trees, go out and cut off about a dozen small palm fronds. If not, these can be ordered through any florist. Use stick pins or florist pins to attach the fronts to the top of the pineapple.

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I’m running behind in every aspect of my life. As a result I’ve got a quick salad for you, just in case you’re in the same boat.

Broccoli Slaw with Creamy Citrus Dressing

Dressing
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Zest from 1 grapefruit
1 tablespoon grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon red pepper jelly
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Salad
1 package broccoli slaw
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dressing: Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, zest, grapefruit juice, jelly, mustard, and garlic together in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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