“Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss…but every once in a while, you find someone who’s iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.”
― Wendelin Van Draanen
The HomeGoods parking lot was packed on Saturday, so I sent my hero in to pick me out an apron. I was having an especially anxious day. I’m not sure why. Some folks tell me it’s because we turned the corner in a Mercury retrograde phase and that it throws everyone’s emotions out of whack. I don’t know about that, but I did wake up with vertigo one day last week and back in December of 2016…when Mercury was also in retrograde. Weird, right? Anywho, I’ve officially been bitten by the baking bug, so I figured an apron was in order. Then I went home and made a no-bake dessert. [grin]
They’re called Apricot Coconut Bars and they’re refined sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free. Finally a sweet treat I can eat! You just use a food processor to blend the apricots and coconut together, then press the apricot/coconut “mash” into a loaf pan and cut it into squares. Remove the bars and lightly dip each side in sweetener. I used something called . It looks and tastes just like sugar but doesn’t have any weird, unnatural ingredients like other sweeteners. (It’s supposed to be a great alternative for diabetics, too!) I chilled the bars in the fridge for about 30 minutes and voila! Done and ready to eat! They look a bit like chunks of cheese in my pics but, trust me, they are delicious little bars of sunshine-colored fruit. Mmmmmm!
And speaking of coconut…we decided to check out Whole Foods for the first time while we were out and about on Saturday and Steevenson insisted on purchasing a whole one. After excitedly enlisting the help of an employee who was stocking something in a different area, we were swiftly led to a bin full of the large, nut-like fruits. Steevenson grabbed the first one he could get his hands on and said, “Mama! We can chop it like this, HI-YA!, and then we can drink what’s inside!”
What’s that they say about enthusiasm? “Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss…but every once in a while, you find someone who’s iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.” They should also say that mama is a sucker for the stuff when it comes to her cutie kiddo. 😉
Once we had our groceries unpacked, we called on our neighbor Bobby Jon. He was a cast member on two seasons of Survivor and split open aloooooooot of coconuts during his time on the show. He pulled a rusty machete from the storage space beneath his house and promptly whacked that thing in two. Steevenson sucked a big swig of the juice up through a straw that featured a tiny, collapsible, yellow umbrella. He said he loved it, but I noticed he never did take another drink after he encouraged us all to “Try it!”
Bobby Jon used his pocket knife to cut off several pieces of the white coconut flesh. It tasted yummy to me, but Bobby Jon said the best stuff is inside the ones that are green. Interesting what you learn from your neighbors…especially if they were on Survivor- ha!
That reminds me, I was telling Kevin about the book this week. Have you read it?
It’s about a woman who was intentional about slowing down and so she could really connect with her community. She started by painting an ordinary picnic table turquoise and then placed it at the front edge of her yard. The stories that unfold are heartwarming and inspiring, and there are even yummy recipes in it, too. I really liked it!
Have a great weekend and we’ll talk again soon!
Layla
Thanks for sharing, sounds so yummy!
Sure thing, Jeannie! 😀
The Turquoise Table is a great book! I’ve been thinking about it alot recently, it’s very inspiring to start an intentional community in one’s own neighborhood.
We have too! We’d love to do something similar on our porch!
LOVE the video!!!
Which one was it, LouAnn? 😀
My brother, Cooper, was into coconuts and would get one every year for Christmas. He still does, occasionally, for old times sake. Love to y’all ❤
How funny, Aunt Chriss! 😀 They are a pretty unique and yummy fruit!
I love seeing and hearing about Steevenson’s exuberance for life and new discoveries! Thanks for the reminder about the book too. I live in CA, and the other day we were driving to church with a friend of my daughter’s who moved here from GA. She said she wants to live in the South again because it’s so hospitable and you do things with your neighbors all the time. This made me think about how I could be that kind of hospitable with my own neighbors and community. Maybe The Turquoise Table is where is will start for us.
Hi Layla,
Love the post and the Turquoise Table recommendation. Looks excellent!
Kind of a weird question, but have you heard anything about another book called (got to love it) The Jane Austen Diet?? Some of my Susan-Branch loving pals have been talking about it. It was just mentioned in Vogue, too. Very curious!
When I was little, my grandmother told me that when she was small, every year at Christmas, their special “holiday food” tradition was a green coconut cake. (In the early 1900s, coconut was a real treat because it was so expensive.) Anyway, for YEARS, I imagined a cake with green-dyed coconut at their Christmas table. It was only as a teenager that my grandmother realized I thought it was GREEN color coconut, and she had to tell me that no, “green” meant FRESH coconut! They bought a coconut and grated it for the cake. (DUH! Silly me! I still laugh about that!)
Your apricot coconut bars sound tasty! I’m glad you found a sweet treat that you can enjoy! You look sunny and happy in your cute polka dot apron! Love the story about Steevenson and the coconut. What a fun memory that will be!
In the post, where you mention the sweetener, there’s not a name of the sweetener. At least not that I can see reading from my computer. I’m always interested in other types of sweetener since I’m not a fan of Steevia. I’m interested in the sweetener you used.
Thanks!
Oh, just click through that link if you’d like to read all about it. 😀
My adblocker blocked the link from your post. That’s why I couldn’t see it.