Fruit Platter

Ingredients
1 ripe golden pineapple
1 medium cantaloupe
1 small watermelon
1 honeydew melon
1 pint strawberries
Directions
Lop green top off pineapple and place on a cutting board. Slice covering off in strips from the top down. Remove hard pineapple core with a fruit corer or simply by slicing ripe part away from the core. Cut pineapple into wedges. Remove seeds from cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew and cut ripe part of melon into half moon shapes, or into spheres with a "melon baller," or into any shape you like. Arrange fruit on a platter and garnish with whole strawberries. Can be served with fruit dipping sauce such as yogurt or honey based dressing.

Creamy Fruit Salad

Ingredients
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup dark or spiced rum
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 quart container pineapple chunks
1 quart container honeydew melon chunks
1 quart container watermelon chunks
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Spread the coconut in a single layer on a baking pan. Toast coconut in oven until pale golden brown, watching carefully to avoid burning, about 8 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey, rum, and mint. In another large bowl, combine the fruit. Pour the yogurt mixture over the fruit and toss to combine. Allow to sit for 10 minutes so the fruit can absorb the flavors. Sprinkle the toasted coconut on top and serve.

Watermelon Dessert

Ingredients
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons grey salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 (5-pound) watermelon
Directions
In a large bowl, add all ingredients together except for watermelon.

Remove the rind from the watermelon and cut into 1/2-inch slices and remove seeds. Cut the watermelon into cutes and place in individual bowls.

Drizzle with the pineapple mixture and serve.

Mom's Banana Dessert

Ingredients
2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
15 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (recommended: Oreo), crushed
4 bananas, sliced
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Chocolate syrup
Directions
Whip the cream with the sugar until firm peaks form.

Fill a large glass bowl or small parfait glasses with half the cookies, banana slices, nuts and half the whipped cream. Drizzle chocolate syrup over the cream, then layer the remaining cookies, bananas, remaining whipped cream, a little more chocolate syrup, and then toasted nuts. Serve.

Amaretti Ice Cream Dessert

Ingredients
16 amaretti cookies, crumbled
4 shots amaretto or other almond liqueur
8 scoops French vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream, in canister
1/4 cup or 1 (2-ounce) package slivered almonds
Directions
Crumble 4 amaretti cookies into each of 4 dessert cups and douse them with almond liqueur. Top with ice cream, whipped cream and almonds.