Recipe for Tropical Fruit Sorbet

• 2 cups Bananas, mashed and frozen
• 2 cups Pineapple, diced and frozen
• 1 cup mango, diced and frozen
• 4 Tablespoons Lime Juice
• 10 Mint Leaves
• 4 Tablespoons Water (or more based on your processor)

Note: The pineapple and mango should total about 24 oz.

Minus the water, combine ingredients in food processor and puree. Add water gradually to help "cream" the fruit, but not to make it too runny. Originally, the fruit will just looked chopped. It will eventually smooth out. Pour sorbet into freezer-safe pan, cover and freeze. Let sit out 5-10 minutes before serving.

This recipe can be done in batches in a mini-processor, which is what I have. But a warning, it works the motor hard. My processor is still going, but it certainly got warm and a little smelly by the end of my preparation.

Recipe for Candle Salad

• 8 lettuce leaves (iceberg preferred)
• 4 bananas, halved
• 8 slices canned pineapple
• 8 marachino cherries
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheeese
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 8 toothpicks
• 8 flat plates

Place one lettuce leaf in the center of the plate. Put one slice of pineapple on top of the leaf. Trim the cut side of the banana so it balances in the hole of the pineapple. Put a toothpick in the top of the banana with about 1/4 of an inch sticking up. Attach the cherry on top of the banana with the toothpick.

Divide cheese and mayo and garnish the salad.

Recipe for Strawberry Banana Sorbet

• 3 quarts whole strawberries, frozen
• 1-1 1/2 bananas, frozen
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar (more or less to taste)
• 2 Tablespoons water
• Garnish: fresh mint leaves

In food processor, puree ingredients until smooth. (I use a smaller food processor and make the sorbet in batches, adding four strawberries, 3 slices banana, and a dash of sugar at a time. Each batch is slightly different. When it's all blended, I stir all the batches together.) Pour into freezer-safe bowl, cover and freeze. Garnish with fresh mint.

Varieties: Use orange juice instead of water. Blend the mint right into the sorbet. Substitute lemon juice for banana. Take out any frozen bag of mixed fruit and blend away!

Recipe for Berry Banana Smoothies

Serves 2

• One frozen banana
• 1/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 6 large frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

I defrost my strawberries for a minute in the microwave because the banana often adds enough thickness on its own. Blend the raspberries first because they're smaller. Add the strawberries for some liquid, then spinach, banana, yogurt, and juice. Lighten up on the liquids if the smoothie is getting too thin or add an extra banana. The raspberries are the strongest flavor so those are what you need least extra of. If spinach is necessary in your diet, too, you can get away with adding more "green tops" without tasting the bitterness.

As with all smoothies, it's easy to be creative and explore. No two are alike. For my mid-morning drinks, I used just strawberries (defrost again) and peaches with the juice and spinach. I eliminated the yogurt because at work it takes me a while to sip my drink.