Thursday, April 8, 2010

Summer On A Plate

It has been more than a week since I've arrived back at Ithaca from my amazing 7-day voyage around the Caribbean! Our little sojourn on board the ship was nothing short of spectacular.

Sights were breathtaking...

Sunsets were divinely romantic...

The ship was outstandingly charming...

...And needless to say, the food was a personification of pure joy.

Indulgence was definitely something people took for granted on board the ship. We relished in a plethora of decadent dinners, unending buffet spreads, on-board Vegas-style entertainment, and stunning off-shore explorations that left us gasping for more...

...And now, all we have left of the vacation are nothing but nostalgic remnants of sun-kissed memories, a folder's worth of still images (thanks to our trusty Canon Digital Ixus), and - why, of course - a mountain of calories to last us for... quite awhile.

La vie est belle, la vie est belle!

So back to school it is, but no one's complaining because the SUN IS OUT! Yes, the cherry blossoms blooming across the street from my bedroom window join me in ushering in the new season of sunshine and colors: "Hail, Spring Time!"

A bunch of friends and I had a tea party picnic by the Arts Quad last Friday. We made our own dips to go with crisp crackers - your choice of wheat or original - and a beautiful mixed salad of vanilla yogurt, crunchy granola and a medley of seasonal fruit. And what's a tea party without a moist, crumbly slice of summer pie? And so, I took the chance to whip up a lovely Peach, Yogurt & Almond Cake. The top came of toastier than I would have liked it to be, but that was because my housemates and I left the cake baking while we went out jogging. But no one's picking on sour grapes here: We agreed that it would give the cake a pleasant toasty-vanilla flavor. (Tsk, the glass is always half full.)
Everyone was in good spirits - and we ought to be anyway since it was the weekend and the weather was to-die-for. The tea party picnic was a blissful combination of flavorful dips and crackers, sweet cake, joyful laughter, lighthearted conversations and...
...Cranium. I am far from proud to admit a new discovery: Most of us definitely need more coaching in our artistic and creative departments. Nope, we couldn't mould the solar system using purple dough. Nope, neither could we hum to the tune of MJ's Thriller. And nope, we couldn't act like a hamster wheel (?!).

But what we could do, we did best.
We ate.
Left to Right, Clockwise: Sautéed Baby Bella Mushrooms; a slice of Peach Yogurt & Almond Cake; Vine-Ripened Tomatoes with Fresh Basil & Balsamic Vinegar; and a dollop of Spicy Avocado.
This is what I'll call Summer On A Plate.
No doubt about that.

P.S. - And who says that cakes can't be sun-kissed too?


Peach on FoodistaPeach

3 comments:

Simply Life said...

Looks like a great trip with delicious food!

Unknown said...

Wonderful photos! One of my favorite parts of a cruise is the food.

Alisa said...

I followed you from the foodie blog roll and I really enjoyed reading your blog! Your photos are wonderful and your sweet treats as well!Your site is really wonderful,I'd love to guide our readers to your site if you won't mind.Just add your choice of foodista widget to the end of this post and it's all set, Thanks!

Post a Comment