Papaya Salsa Oriental

East meets South of the Border with this salsa. Kumquats are considered good luck by the Chinese. So add a little luck to an appetizer.

Ingredients
1 cup Caribbean Red papaya diced into tiny cubes
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
1/4 cup shallots chopped fine
1/2 cup kumquats chopped into tiny cubes with skins on*
1/4 cup fresh mint chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions
Combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until chilled about 30 minutes.
Makes 3 cups
*you can substitute mandarin oranges

Nutritional tips on tropical fruits and vegetables

World history thru rum cocktails

I'm a sucker for books that look at history from a less than professorial viewpoint. Here's one for the books. 'And a bottle of Rum, a history of the new world in ten cocktails' by Wayne Curtis is topping my new read list.

I mention it here because of his compassion of using ingredients that are true to how and where rum is distilled.

"Because rums created in one place on one island are developed in a certain way, they are well-suited to be blended with a wide variety of fruits, particularly those from the same area in which it was distilled."

The most famous of rums, Bacardi is distilled in the Caribbean so it could easily be paired with tropical fruits from the area.

On this cold day in Florida, I share with you an example of a drink recipe from his book. Normally this drink is not known for its tropical overtones, the rum toddy.

Rum Toddy

• 1-1/2 oz rum
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 whole cloves
• 3 thin kumquat slices
• pinch of cinnamon
• boiling water

Put rum, sugar, cloves and kumquat slices in a mug, top with boiling water. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.