A couple of weeks ago, I made a cake for a friend’s birthday. I was looking in particular for a recipe that had both coconut and banana in it, as I had made coconut banana cupcakes once and they had been her favorite. I really looked high and low for a good recipe, at one point I decided to just wing it, but Epicurious did not disappoint. I found the recipe, “Banana Cake with Coconut Frosting,” but added coconut flakes in the batter along with the banana.

The recipe called for coconut cream for the frosting, but I didn’t have any, so I just ended up using more coconut flakes! And I added raspberries, just as a personal touch. Plus, more fruit is never a bad thing. It was super soft and for the most part, was met with a good reception. It’s unfortunate that most people don’t have a liking for banana or coconut. Sad really. I don’t know how someone can not like tropical fruit flavors like this in dessert. It was the same when I worked at a chocolate store while I was going to school. There were certain people who absolutely loved the pineapple truffle or coconut cream, but there were certain people who were so turned off that they would literally make a face of disgust when I would offer them one of the aforementioned flavors as a sample. What is wrong with you people?!

In the immortal words of Gus Portokalos, from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” “They’re like toast! My daughter is engaged to a person with parents that are toast. No honey, no jam, just toast! Dry toast!”

Oh, Summer. You’ve almost come to an end. I’ve been dreaming of the days where I can wear scarves, boots, beautiful coats and cashmere ever since you began. I’ve been counting down until the moment where I can make gingerbread men, pumpkin pie and peppermint hot chocolate, until I can turn on the oven and relish in its warmth. Oh thank God you’re almost over. Do me a favor, tell Fall and Winter to bring me rain and windy days and maybe, hail and if I’m lucky, even snow.

It’s a lazy Sunday and you know what that means: baking! I decided to commemorate the end of Summer by baking a season appropriate treat, a mixed berry pie, more specifically, a citrus-scented mixed berry pie with an oatmeal lattice crust, courtesy of Epicurious via Bon Appétit magazine.

The recipe called for fresh fruit, but I only had a bag of frozen mixed berries from Trader Joe’s. I thawed and drained them for well over an hour and they almost looked fresh.

I made the crust myself as well. Making things from scratch for some reason, is just always more rewarding then buying store-made supples. It was a lot of hard work, but gratifying in the end. My favorite part of making pie crusts is slicing the lattices to put on top.

The last step was going over the lattice with a well-mixed egg and then sprinkling a bit of sugar on top. It was during this that I realized I hadn’t cross-hatched the pieces. Oh well.

Enjoy with a glass of cold milk or a cup of warm tea.