Ambrosia Fruit Salad

Birthday week. Thirty-five.

St. Patrick's Day Tuesday this year — my actual birthday. The parade is the weekend before and after. This year it is Saturday. I will go for one hour with the kids and Ma and Dad and Patrick's clan. I will leave when I am done. It is a parade, not a vow.

Tuesday — actual day — was a clinic day. Janelle put a sheet cake in the break room with my name spelled correctly for once. I had a piece. I took the rest home. The kids ate it before bed. Liam decorated my plate at dinner with a candle made out of a carrot stick. Nora made me a card with the four of us again, halo and all.

Group Tuesday — the night of my birthday. I had not told anyone in group it was my birthday. Bernadette knew because she keeps the list. She did not theme it. She let me have the chair. We did the share. I shared about turning thirty-five and about being in the room with people who knew the math. I did not cry. The room held.

Walking to the cars Henry handed me a small wrapped thing. He said happy birthday Kate. I said how did you know. He said Bernadette asked the room if anyone wanted to acknowledge it and I said yes. I said you did not have to. He said I know. He said open it later. I sat in the driveway. It was a small wooden bird, hand-carved, the size of an egg. There was a tag — a friend of Henry's makes them, from Maine, sells them at craft fairs. I held it for a minute. I put it on my windowsill above the sink. I texted Henry that it was beautiful and thank you. He wrote back happy birthday. We left it there. He is shy. He is also kind. I keep both true.

Wednesday Kettle. Fifteen quarts. Birthday week and the soup still goes.

Saturday parade. We did the firefighters' contingent — Dad in his retired uniform vest, Patrick in his current dress. Liam was proud. Nora was cold. We left at noon. I took the kids home for naps that they did not take.

Saturday pancakes Saturday morning before the parade. Burned the first.

Sunday family dinner at Ma's. Corned beef. The big one. I ate enough for two. I called Meghan at eleven. She sang me happy birthday into the phone. We laughed. We hung up. I sat at my kitchen window and looked at the wooden bird on the sill. It is small. It is enough.

Food of the week: corned beef. Ma's. Birthday-week edition.

Ma’s table on a Sunday is never just one thing — the corned beef gets the headline, but there’s always that bowl of ambrosia at the far end, cool and sweet, the thing the kids go for first and the thing I somehow still reach for even at thirty-five. It has been there every birthday dinner I can remember, and this year was no different. After a week that asked a lot — clinic days and group nights and a parade in the cold — sitting down to a table that looked exactly the way it always has felt like the right kind of ordinary. Here is the recipe, as close to Ma’s as I can get it.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min (plus 1 hr chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks, drained
1 can (15 oz) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (15 oz) fruit cocktail, drained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and halved
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Drain the fruit. Drain all canned fruit thoroughly in a colander and pat dry with paper towels so excess juice doesn’t water down the dressing.
Mix the dressing. In a large bowl, stir together the sour cream, thawed whipped topping, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.
Fold in the fruit. Add the pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, fruit cocktail, and maraschino cherries to the bowl. Gently fold everything together until evenly coated.
Add coconut and marshmallows. Fold in the shredded coconut and miniature marshmallows, distributing them evenly throughout.
Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving — the marshmallows will soften slightly and the flavors will come together. Overnight is even better.
Serve cold. Give the salad a gentle stir before bringing it to the table. Garnish with a few extra cherries or a sprinkle of coconut if you like.

Nutrition (per serving)

Ambrosia Fruit Salad — The Other Bowl at Ma’s Table