Pineapple Boat with Fluffy Fruit Dip -- Sweet and Bright for the Table That Was Full

March warm-up. Easter is coming. Three days of counseling at the middle school in East Point. The work was the work.

Daddy in his apartment in the back. I brought him his coffee and his medication this morning. He grumbled. The grumble was the love. Marcus, 21, studying for finals at Alabama.

Baked ham with pineapple glaze. Brown sugar. Easter or no Easter.

Jasmine, 18, home from Howard for the weekend. Isaiah, 18, called from Charlotte — coaching season starting.

Sunday dinner held. The table was full. The food was right.

I had a hard counseling case at school this week. A seventh-grade girl whose mama lost her job. We talked. I gave her my number. I told her she could call.

I drove to the Walmart on Camp Creek Saturday morning. The kind of grocery run that takes two hours because you run into three people you know. Sister Patrice caught me in the produce. We talked about her grandbaby for fifteen minutes.

The neighbors had a Friday cookout this week. I brought my mac and cheese. They have come to expect this. I have come to expect this. The block is the block.

Miss Ernestine called Tuesday. She's ninety-something and sharp as ever. She told me my potato salad still needs more mustard.

Pastor preached about the prodigal son again. He preaches about that boy at least three times a year. The text is the text but every preaching is different. I cried in the second service this time. Don't ask me why.

Derek and I had date night Friday. Same restaurant, same booth, same enchiladas for me and carne asada for him.

The blood pressure check was Wednesday. The numbers were borderline. The doctor wants me to walk more. I am walking more.

Sunday service at New Birth this morning. The choir sang. I sang soprano in the second alto row. Pastor preached about Naomi and Ruth. The congregation said amen. I said amen.

Wednesday Bible study at the church. We read through Proverbs. The women in my row argued about whether wisdom is built or born. I said both. They agreed, sort of.

I read for an hour Sunday night before bed. Some novel about a Black woman in 1960s Alabama. Mama would have liked it.

Saturday morning I had Set the Table at the Cascade Heights center. Twelve young women. We did baked chicken. One of them — Imani, sixteen — was so afraid of seasoning that she barely shook the salt. I stood next to her and put my hand over hers and said, baby, you cannot be afraid of food. We seasoned the chicken. The chicken came out right. She glowed.

Darnell sent a photo from Clarksville. The garden is producing. He grew tomatoes the size of softballs. I sent him back a photo of my sweet potato casserole. We are competitive about food now in our middle age.

I made a casserole for the church potluck. The pan came back empty. That is the only review I trust.

Thursday I made cornbread for a sister at church whose husband had surgery. I dropped it off at the hospital. She cried at the door. I told her, eat the cornbread, baby. The food is the saying.

Tuesday evening I sat at the kitchen table with my composition notebook and worked on the cookbook. From Brenda's Kitchen — that's the working title. I cannot write the introduction without crying yet.

Daddy sat in his chair after dinner watching the news. He fell asleep before the third quarter. Standard.

The kids were home for the weekend. The house was loud the way it should be.

That baked ham with pineapple glaze was already on the menu — brown sugar, Easter or no Easter — so when Jasmine came home from Howard and the table started filling up, I wanted something that carried that pineapple sweetness all the way through the meal. This Pineapple Boat with Fluffy Fruit Dip is the kind of thing that makes people stop and smile before they even taste it. It’s festive without being fussy, and on a Sunday when the choir sang and the house was loud the way it should be, that felt exactly right.

Pineapple Boat with Fluffy Fruit Dip

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 large fresh pineapple
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 cup green grapes
• 1 cup red grapes
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup fresh raspberries or blackberries
• 1 cup mandarin orange segments (canned, drained, or fresh)
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 7 oz marshmallow creme
• 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Instructions

1. Prepare the pineapple boat. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, slicing through the crown. Using a sharp knife, cut around the perimeter of each half, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Remove the pineapple flesh in chunks, cutting away the core. Set the hollowed pineapple halves aside as your serving bowls. Chop the usable pineapple flesh into bite-sized pieces and add to a large mixing bowl.
2. Prep the fruit. Add the strawberries, grapes, blueberries, raspberries, and mandarin orange segments to the bowl with the pineapple chunks. Gently toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Make the fluffy fruit dip. In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the marshmallow creme, vanilla extract, and orange juice. Beat again until fully combined and light. Fold in the whipped topping gently with a spatula until just incorporated. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.
4. Assemble the boat. Spoon the mixed fruit into the hollowed pineapple halves. Serve the fluffy dip in a small bowl alongside, or nestle a small cup of dip directly inside the pineapple boat for a built-in presentation.
5. Serve. Set the pineapple boats on a platter surrounded by any extra fruit. Provide toothpicks or small forks for dipping. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to bring to the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 95mg