It’s beautiful outside today–blue skies, warm, and sunny–so I’m using this as an excuse to post one more summery recipe before the season ends and autumn officially begins next week. I just don’t know where the summer went–it always seems to go by so fast! But back to the recipe…I found it (and the photo shown above) at Meals.com. It looked so good I just had to try it! I have to admit though, that my cantaloupe-carving skills are not quite as good as the person who carved the cantaloupe for this photo! In addition to cantaloupe, this recipe also calls for strawberries and blueberries…if you are making this in winter months and have a hard time finding fresh berries, you can substitute other fruit you like–pineapple chunks, grapes, sliced kiwifruit, etc. I love fruit salad, so I enjoyed eating this…and it’s so pretty when it’s presented in a cantaloupe “basket!” It’s perfect for breakfast or brunch. This recipe makes 4 servings.

FRUIT-FILLED CANTALOUPE BASKETS

• 2 cantaloupes
• 2 cups halved strawberries (stems removed)
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• Optional sweeteners: 1 Tbsp. honey or sugar, or to taste; or 1/2 tsp. SPLENDA
• 1 bunch frisee or green leaf lettuce

Cut cantaloupes in half and remove seeds (if you’re talented at cutting the melon halves with fancy edges, you can do that…if you’re not, they still look nice just cut in half with plain edges :)). Scoop round balls of cantaloupe out of each half with a melon baller or small round spoon, leaving about 1/2 inch of cantaloupe on the inside of the melon. Combine cantaloupe balls, strawberries, and blueberries (or other fruit if you’re substituting any) in a large bowl. Mix the apple juice, lemon juice, and additional sweetener, if desired, in a small bowl, pour this mixture over the fruit mixture and toss lightly.

Line cantaloupe halves with frisee or green leaf lettuce and spoon fruit mixture into each cantaloupe half. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.