Mango Season!

You’d have to be living pretty far off the grid in SoFla not to notice that it’s Mango season. Everywhere I turn I see the wonderfully oblong fruits hanging from trees.  And best of all, since we’re one of few people in the neighborhood without a mango tree, everyone is giving their overflow to us!! (We even found a bag of mangos hanging on our door from a stranger…who ever said Miami-ans aren’t nice?!?).

Mangos are of course delicious on their own (my babysitter, who is from Colombia, introduced me to Mango with salt…life changing), but there are so many other fun things you can do with this tropical fruit! Some of my favorite recipes below.

An absolute must is a mango salsa.  You can eat this alone, with chips, on fish, basically any which way.  From the great site, “Oh my Veggies” is this mango-cucumber salsa (you can also add tomato, which I like).  I leave out the cilantro because I hate it…try mint if you’re the same.  Also a dash of olive oil is relish.

1 ripe mango, diced (about 1 cup)

  • 1/2 small English cucumber, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1/3 cup diced red onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
  • Juice from 1 lime
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  1. Stir together all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve with tortilla chips, tacos or burritos, or as a mix-in for cooked quinoa or millet.

This one from Gourmet is something I NEVER would have thought of – Mango Flambe! I tried it last night and it was SO easy and SO good.  If you’re having a dinner party this could really impress.

ingredients

  • 4 (1-pound) firm-ripe mangoes
  • 6 tablespoons turbinado sugar such as Sugar in the Raw
  • 1/3 cup dark rum

preparation

Preheat broiler.

Wash and dry mangoes. Remove 2 flat sides of each mango with a sharp knife, cutting lengthwise alongside pit and cutting as close to pit as possible so that mango flesh is in 2 large pieces (reserve remaining fruit for another use). Make a crosshatch pattern with a small sharp knife, cutting across fruit down to skin at 1/2-inch intervals and being careful not to pierce through. Grasp fruit at both ends and turn inside out to make flesh side convex.

Arrange fruit, skin side down, in a large shallow baking pan lined with foil and sprinkle evenly with 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar (total). Broil 5 inches from heat until fruit is golden brown (it will not brown evenly), about 5 minutes. Arrange fruit on a large platter.

Cook rum with remaining sugar in a small saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, then carefully ignite rum with a kitchen match and pour, still flaming, over warm mangoes. Serve immediately.

Next, From Damaris Philips of the Food Network- a mango, edimame, bok choy salad.  SIMPLE, Healthy, Delish.

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 cup shelled frozen edamame, thawed
1 cup bok choy, chiffonade, some greens reserved for garnish
1 green mango, peeled and julienned
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, honey, pepper flakes and lime juice until smooth. Slowly whisk in the sesame oil.

Add the edamame, bok choy and mango, and toss to coat with the dressing. Add the sesame seeds and toss again to combine. Serve garnished with the reserved bok choy greens.

And of course, it can’t be all about the food – go for a mango smoothie or if you’re feeling frisky, try this mango-rasberry Bellini from Camille Styles on Yummly, UM YES PLEASE (just add ice if you’re using your fresh mango). I even love her little glasses!

newPostLabel_Ingredients
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup frozen mango
1 tablespoon coconut sugar or other sweetener
1 large bottle of champagne
water
newPostLabel_Instructions
  1. Combine raspberries, mango, coconut sugar, 1/2 cup of water, and 1/2 cup of champagne in a blender and blend until smooth (add additional water if needed)
  2. Scoop 2 tablespoons of mango raspberry mixture into a champagne glass and mix with champagne (you can add more or less to your taste preference!)
  3. Serve immediately, with raspberries (frozen or fresh) to garnish.

Since there is such a surplus of mangos at one time and they are only ripe for about a month, one important piece of knowledge is how to FREEZE mangos so you can eat and use them later! You can’t just throw them in the fridge, FYI.  The ladies at Fabulessly Frugal explain it here.  A friend of mine also said she cuts them, smushes them up into a block and freezes. Later, they go into the freezer and chop off pieces from the block when they want like mini popsicles. YUM!

Father’s Day Gifts They’ll Actually Like

I don’t know about the rest of you but Father’s Day is the most challenging holiday EVER.  My husband always says, “just give me time”, but then I tell him to take an afternoon off and feel weird that we aren’t all together on Father’s Day.  Plus, that’s not a gift the kids can put one finger on and say “this is from me”…

So I rounded up some gifts that the kind of dads I know would ACTUALLY LIKE! No Bespoke dress shirts that they’ll never wear and zero collar stays; these gifts are actually good ones.

FOR FOODIES

As a former vegetarian and someone who doesn’t eat red meat, my husband’s favorite food – steak – doesn’t get to make many appearances.  So, when it does, it should be special.  These Laguiole steak knives from Trudeau are the real deal.  And they don’t break the bank. A renowned brand name since 1829, Laguiole is a village in France renowned for its artisanal hand-finished cutlery and corkscrews. Trudeau’s set of six Laguiole Steak Knives are hand-finished in exotic and genuine horn/wood handles with hand-stamped detailing. The serrated stainless steel blades are thick gauge, full tang blades. Includes 5 year warranty. $99 for the set.
Trudeau also has this nifty set of grill gloves -works for any hot service in the house (but much more manly than oven mits). Nice price point at $39.99.

 

 

FOR DRINKIES

Steve Abt, The co-founder of famed whiskey brand, Caskers, recommends some top whiskey tips depending on what your father is into.   Top selections, below.

 Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky

Steve says, “Has your dad traveled around the world and then some?  I’m jealous, and he is going to love this single malt.  Amrut Fusion is a marriage of whiskies made from peated Scottish barley and unpeated Indian barley making it an incredibly complex whisky.  And you can’t go wrong a single malt that scored an incredible 97 points in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, which named it the third best whisky in the world.

Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

Steve says, “If losing is not in your father’s vocabulary, then this is the bourbon for him.  Having won “Whiskey of the Year” five times over and scoring 97 points from Wine Enthusiast, this single barrel isn’t familiar with losing either.  Aged for nearly 10 years under the intense Kentucky sun, this bourbon has an aroma of spicy oak, cinnamon and clove that leads into notes of caramel, pecan, and roasted nuts.”

Stillfried Wien is an awesome store in Tribeca from entrepreneurs Anna and Michael Trubrig, a Viennese couple who share a lifelong passion for art and design.  These Wiener Stutzen Lobmeyr Optic beer tumblers, (for purchase on their website), are all-class.  Cuz when you’re drinking beer, you gotta keep it classy. Definitely on the higher-end at $105.

THE “FASHION” PLAY

Nothing hoity-toity here…

These Freewaters Charger sandals are like flip flops on steroids.   They have special arches that feel like a running shoe and provide the highest level of grip ($56).  Also they are made of Hydro Leather so they’re totally waterproof.  If you want to dress things up a notch (or force him to), I’m a fan of the Randy- still casual but nice looking and according to the website, the “Super Pillow Insole is mind blowing soft and supportive” ($58).

Best of all, every purchase of Freewaters footwear helps provide clean drinking water to those in need (so if you accidentally order a pair of women’s sandals as well, you’re only doing good for the world).

Chase54 is a clothing brand mostly for golfers (their shirts are really nice), but they have some stuff for non-golfers as well.  With features like comfortable DRYFUZE™ poly spandex, Moisture wicking materials and most importantly, a Rating of UPF 50+, this brand is perfect for the Florida man. And they’re all named after Hollywood actors.  My pick? Naturally, The Clooney – seen here ($74). 

 

 

A Little Bit of Everything

One of the most fun man gifts I’ve seen of late is the “Man Crate” – basically a box full of fun guy stuff.  The crate alone is super fun – it comes with a crow bar and you open it just like a box of treasure…very Indiana Jones. Oh and the kids played with that part for days.   I got this Legends of Baseball crate because my hubby loves baseball and pint glasses.  So…home run! (haha).  You can pick the team you want printed on your glasses which is really cool too.  The “Exotic Meats Jerky” box is pretty cool too. A crate full of jerky? You had my husband at beef.  The “Gone Fishin'” crate is perfect for SoFla!