Friday Friend Recipe #124 --Fresh Fruit Dip

Come with me as I continue to countdown my Friday Friend Cookbook!

What is it, you may ask?

In a nutshell...
About 17 years ago, 50 of my closest friends and family, who had been on an e-mail forum with me, sent in recipes in different categories and we compiled a cookbook.
I decided to count those down!
Why?

Because  one night I was looking thru the cookbook and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog"
The Handyman--who thinks he knows me better than I know myself, said,  "you'll never EVER do that."
Well,  maybe I will!  Maybe I'll show him!

Which brings me to recipe #124 My Mom's Fresh Fruit Dip

FRESH FRUIT DIP

Beverly Hambelton

Kennewick, WA

3 T lemon juice

2 C. cream of coconut mix

(not coconut milk, but cream of coconut, you can find it in the liquor section of the grocery store)

8oz Cool Whip

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding

Mix all together and refrigerate. This is good with all fresh fruits!

This really is good! 

This is my mom's 20th time in the Friday Friend Cookbook Countdown!

As I've said before, it's getting harder and harder to think of stories about people--even tho she was my mom!

Let me see what I can come up with.....

My Mother: Naughty and Nice!

I came from a split household. 

Divided right down the middle.

My dad was  a reader--my mom was not.

Once I asked them if their parents were readers--if they had books around the home when they were growing up.

My mom said: There were always books around my house.  My parents read all the time especially as they got older. The only book I ever read of my parents was "God's Little Acre" because it was naughty!!!

They read anything they could put their hands on.

I always remember my mother saying that, so a couple of years ago, I found that book at the Boise Library Sale and I picked it up. I've never read it, but HOLY COW, look at that cover!  It really was naughty!!

 My dad answered:

My parents both read quite a bit, but usually paperbacks or mysteries from the library.  We had no reading room or library--just the bathroom (my dad thought he was so funny)

I don't remember any specific books.

My dad was a lifelong reader and my mom learned to put up with it, eventually even learning to like to read a bit herself.

Here they are on their honeymoon.... 

And again, 15 or so years later.

My mom talks about sneaking 'God's Little Acre', from her folks, but little did she know, I was sneaking books from their night stand too...

Valley of the Dolls

Coffee, Tea or Me!

There was some naughty stuff going on in those books too!  But the cover was mild compared to God's Little Acre.

For some reason a year later, I asked them another book question --

What is your favorite book? What one book have you read over?

My mom said:

Think about that question!  This is your mother! (sigh) I suppose the book that I have read over and over is "God's Little Acre" back when I was in school.  It was considered a 'naughty' book and I suppose that is why I read it!

Anyway, I should say that my favorite book is the Bible, but I have only read it clear thru once, and some of it was....confusing.

I have read all of Erma Bombeck's book and liked them, but as you know, I'm not much of a reader.

My dad answered:

Boy, how do I answer the question, 'what is your favorite book?'

I have read Hawaii many times and I really like James Michener's books. I like 'The Shining' by Stephen King.  I guess I don't know if I really have a favorite  (we should always say The Bible, and although I don't read it much, it is probably my favorite)

I own my books and rarely go to the library and when I read a good book, I tell people about it.

Books like movies though, everyone has different likes and dislikes.

They both mentioned the Bible as a favorite.

I find that nice, but funny that my mom could go from

God's Little Acre to the Bible in one sentence. 

And then Erma Bombeck---because---Erma, you know.

That was my mom--very multi-layered.

Naughty and Nice!

And she was very comfortable with that.

*****************

I ended up with a bunch of family bible's.

My dad's.

My grandma's

and

some ancestor named Louisa who got the red one in 1830 when she was born or 1847 when she got married.  (the copyright date is 1811)

Then it made it's way to my great-grandmother, Mrs. OD Shaver.

I did not end up with my mom's bible---my brother has that one.  He probably has others too.  When my parents passed away we uncovered many many in  the basement.  Old family bibles and one cannot get rid of them.  I mean, how?

Anyway, that's my story!

Recipe #124

out of 298