Tropical Fruit Salad, A Mama’s Invention

This tropical fruit salad is so typical of my mama’s delectable kitchen inventions. This citrusy fruit dish gives a light lift to any meal. It is a long-standing family favorite that comes from the knack Mama has of concocting recipes off the top of her head. There are other made-up recipes, for instance, her delicious creamy seafood casseroles. They are so original they never quite come out the same. This makes getting her to recollect a recipe a challenge at times, but after a little prodding she always comes through. You may have a mama or grandma like this, or you may be one of these kitchen inventors yourself.

With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, I want to honor all mamas. 

This special day always softens my heart. It really started when I became a mom myself. I had no idea I could possess a love so strong until I had my first child. That experience has also taught me the worth of a mother and how much respect my own mama deserves. Where would we be without our mamas? One thing for sure is that we wouldn’t have these recipes to pass along.

The invention of this salad began the same way I think most family recipes begin. My grandma’s original fruit salad recipe was made by my mama many times. Each time there were minor adjustments made until it became her own tropical fruit salad tossed with a lemon, pineapple and orange sauce.

Using the microwave helps to add ease in preparing this recipe. Mixing the juices for the sauce with cornstarch and sugar in a bowl and cooking them on high until thickened is the first step. Then it is set aside to cool. Combining canned and fresh fruit in a large bowl with nuts is next. The final step is adding the cooled sauce to the fruit mixture then trying to restrain yourself from eating it before it has time to cool in the refrigerator.

I hope you enjoy this salad and even if you can’t spend time with your own mama this Mother’s Day, take the opportunity to bless some other mother’s heart. Just look around for the ones God puts in your path.

Tropical Fruit Salad, A Mama’s Invention

This salad is made with tropical fruit and a citrus sauce that adds a light lift to any meal or stands alone as a cool dessert.

• Author: Louisiana Woman
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 12 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

SALAD

2–15 ounce cans tropical fruit, drained

1–14.5 ounce can peach slices, drained

1–15.25 ounce can pineapple tidbits, drained and juice saved for sauce

1–11 ounce can mandarin oranges, drained

2 apples, cored and cut into bite-size pieces

2 bananas, sliced

1 cup pecans, rough chopped

SAUCE

1/2 cup orange juice, frozen concentrate

1/3 cup pineapple juice, from canned pineapple tidbits

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

For sauce, add all ingredients into a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high, stirring every minute or two until sauce is thickened. Set aside to cool. Add all of salad ingredients into a large bowl and toss with cooled sauce. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill. Serve and keep refrigerated.

Notes

I peel one of the apples so the salad is not quite as crisp (the unpeeled apple adds color) and I cut the peach slices in half. Place hot sauce in another bowl and put it in the freezer to cool faster.

Motherhood is more than a stage—it’s a lifelong calling from God. With it He gives us hearts that love deeply, hands that serve tirelessly, and vision to see His blossoming image in the precious ones
entrusted to our care.  Author Unknown