Chiquita Banana Parties with Friends

Between correcting finals for one of my online classes and getting ready for the trip that begins tomorrow (oops, I guess that's later today), I haven't really had time to think, let alone blog.  And as if we weren't busy enough, I had not one but two Saturday parties to attend - one at 1:00 and one in the evening - and the time between the two was spent putting together the fruit salad I took to the second party.  At the end of the evening just a few lonely cubes of papaya were left in the bottom of my largest salad bowl, so apparently I wasn't the only one who thought it turned out well.  Here's what I put in it:

Tropical Fresh Fruit Salad

1 pineapple
1 papaya
1 mango
1 orange
2 bananas
2 kiwi fruit
1/2 cup roasted unsalted macadamia nuts
2 Tbl finely chopped candied ginger
2 Tbl Triple Sec

Thinly slice the bananas and kiwis and cube the rest of the fruit.  Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

(I made a big batch because it was a fairly large party.  When I make this for just Barry and me, I cut the amounts in half, leave out the orange and kiwi, and sometimes substitute coconut and/or pecans for the macadamia nuts.  You can also use canned pineapple if you don't feel like tackling a fresh one.)


"A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?" ~Albert Einstein