Marco Island is blessed with thousands of ripe native bananas right now, and people keep asking me what on earth to do with all of ‘em. Aside from eating one every morning for the potassium we need, here are some tips:

• Peel and freeze them in small pieces in a plastic bag, then use with orange juice, milk, yogurt, sweetener, frozen berries, anything that strikes your fancy to whirl in a blender and make a smoothie — no need for ice. It makes a refreshing breakfast.

• Use them for banana bread, of course, but make it your own tropical recipe by adding some rum, coconut, orange juice instead of milk and so forth.

Try this recipe for party desserts — certainly not original, but a modification of the old New Orleans Bananas Foster.

Bananas Marco

Allow a whole regular banana or perhaps 1½ of the small local ones per serving. Peel and slice lengthwise, then place in buttered individual ramekins.

Sprinkle each with a bit of lemon juice and cinnamon, then add two to three tablespoons of brown sugar. Add melted butter, about a tablespoon per dish, and half a jigger of well-flavored rum.

Top all with shredded or flaked coconut. Bake as directed below.

The beauty of this is that you can prepare these the day before and refrigerate them, then bring to room temperature and allow to bake for 10-15 minutes while dinner is served, at whatever temperature you were using anyway.

Serve warm, topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

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I attended a luncheon a few weeks ago where a friend served a wonderful English raspberry trifle.

Recipes for this and other versions are in most standard cookbooks, but here is a terrific and easy chocolate trifle which is worth clipping to file away with your favorite dessert recipes.

Chocolate clouds

2 small Heath or Score bars

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 box instant chocolate mousse or pudding mix

12-ounce container non-dairy whipped topping

Place candy in the freezer. Make cake from a mix according to package directions, using two round pans. Freeze one layer for future use. Break up the other layer and place chunks in bottom of a crystal serving bowl.

The next layer is made with prepared instant chocolate mousse or pudding from the market, and the top layer is thawed non-dairy dessert topping.

Now remove candy from freezer and crush bars with rolling pin, still in the wrappers. Open and sprinkle bits on top of the dessert. Chill thoroughly. It serves to 12.

• • •

I recently read a book set in 12th century England in which the author referred to red wine spiced with ginger and honey. Curious, I tried it with a small glass of Merlot, using a little honey and some chopped candied ginger root, all of which I heated in the microwave.

Hot from the oven it’s reminiscent of the mulled wine Britons love to serve at winter holidays. Cold, it reminded me a little of sangria. You might like to try it yourself.

• • •

First it was spinach, then peanut butter, followed by pet food. Now they’re speculating about melamine in the pork, chicken and fish we consume.

The scare over contaminants in our food chain is nothing new. Remember back in the ‘60s and ‘70’s when we all had to read the serial numbers on cans of mushrooms from the pantry to see if they were recalled? I have recounted more than once what I did about this: I bought 10-pound boxes of fresh mushrooms at the farmer’s market in Hartford and shared them with friends. We cleaned and sliced them and froze them in four-ounce plastic bags for use in cooking. I no longer buy in such quantities, but I still freeze the mushrooms.

Now we have recalls of peanut butter, spinach, pet food and cheese from Mexico. What’s next?

I am especially concerned about the problems with fresh produce. When dealing with this, there are several steps we can take to clean it.

• In Egypt and many other countries, cooks buy potassium permanganate and make a lovely purple solution in the sink for soaking produce. The chemical is no longer readily available in America, but if you have some, by all means use it.

• You might find Halizone tablets at sporting goods stores, used for purifying water to drink while camping out. A solution of these in water will kill some germs, but not amoeba.

• A vinegar-water solution is used to freshen leafy vegetables, and will also kill certain germs, though not all. Use one part vinegar per 10 parts of water, and rinse after soaking for five minutes.

• The Clorox company advises that a solution of one teaspoon bleach in two gallons of water may be used for the same purpose. Soak for two minutes, then rinse vegetables thoroughly in clear water.

The basic problem is that the FDA lacks personnel, funds and clout to enforce strict guidelines. Write to your congressman in Washington while you soak your vegetables.

• • •

The markets on our island offer a phenomenal array of items including some so-called health foods. If you can’t find what you want there, wander over to the Summer Day Market and Café at Town Center to see the changes which have taken place in the past few years.

For organic food lovers, there is a large separate section, and there are special frozen items to delight the heart of instant cooks. For the rest, there is a wide range of the things you would normally expect to find in such a store: soy products, unusual flours, various grains, nuts and dried fruits.

Think of the café for a healthy and refreshing lunch. They have a salad bar, soup of the day, many sandwiches, juices and tempting smoothies. It’s a new place to add to your list of luncheon stops.

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Marion Nicolay is a regular contributor to the Marco Eagle. Contact her via e-mail at marion387@earthlink.net.

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