Retro Ambrosia

Have a summer Tiki party coming up? No worries! Bring Ambrosia to the luau. I was looking for sides that would go well with ham dinners, and a recipes for Ambrosia popped up in searches. About.com had a great recipe in their Southern Food section. I also looked through some cook books and found one recipe for Ambrosia that I liked.

The recipe I'm sharing today is a combination of the two. If you are a sweet tooth, feel free to add mini marshmallows and ginger ale.

Retro Ambrosia 
recipe adapted from About.com and Better Homes & Gardens (1965)

1 can of Pineapple chunks in juice, drained, set juice aside
2 large Oranges
2-3 fully ripe, flecked-with-brown Bananas
1 1/2 cups of seedless red grapes, halved
1 cup of shredded sweetened Coconut
1/2 cup of unsalted & roasted Pecan pieces
1/2 cup of shredded sweetened Coconut for presentation topping
1/4 cup or more of Pecans for presentation topping
1/4 cup of Orange juice
Whole Maraschino cherries

• Peel and remove as much membrane as you can from oranges. Cut into 1-inch chunks.
• In large bowl, mix pineapple chunks, oranges, grapes, 1 cup of shredded coconut and 1/2 cup of pecans.
• Pour orange juice & pineapple juice over mixture. Mix well, cover bowl and chill.
• Before serving, peel and slice bananas and add to fruit mixture. Garnish with 1/2 cup shredded coconut and 1/4 cup pecans. Dot with maraschino cherries.