I have eaten so. much. food.
I really have a problem with properly planning portions for just two people. When we decided to break in our new grill, I made up my mind: I wanted to grill ALL THE FOODS.
All of them.
Burgers, chicken, corn cobs and jalapeno poppers later—I’m stuffed to the brim.
…and I still have dessert left to eat 😁
This recipe has followed me around for years but I’ve only made it a handful of times. It’s a nice Italian spin on ambrosia, and from my research, a lot of people from UTAH (of all places) make it.
Acini de Pepe is a very tiny, orb-like pasta. It looks like ditalini pasta went through the shrinking machine on “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids”. This type of pasta soaks up liquids well, like risotto or couscous.The pasta fattens up and the carbs stick together to make a rich setting for a bountiful fruit salad.
Give this recipe a shot—trust me—at your next cookout or family get together.
You won’t be disappointed!
Frog Eye Salad
- 1 (16 oz) box acini de Pepe pasta
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 TBS. flour
- 2 tsp. Lemon juice
- 1 (20 oz.) can of pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 (20 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1.5 cups (10 oz) whipped cream
1. In small saucepan, combine sugar, yolks, flour and pineapple juice. Whisk over medium low heat until thickened—about 18-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
2. In the meantime, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Combine pasta with pineapple juice mixture. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours.
3. Add pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows and whipped cream to the pasta mix. Stir well. Serve chilled.
Flavor Profile: Sweet but not too sweet. Just the way I like my desserts—just a hint of sugar.
Skill Level: Novice. Pretty easy pasta/fruit salad (which one is it? Pasta salad or fruit salad???) to put together for even the most amateur home chefs.
Versatility: I’m not sure how you could go about changing this recipe, honestly. You could maybe add different citrus fruit if you truly wanted to.
End Score: Amazing. Just, amazing.
leencuisine.com 
Wow. I am not from Utah but vaguely remember something like this. This would be a great dessert. I hear you about the portions. I think it will be leftovers but…no!
I’ve made it twice now for cookouts—it’s really good since it’s so hot right now! And cooking for just two people is really difficult; half the time I take leftovers to work for my coworkers if I know we’re not going to eat everything. Works out well in the end 😀