Smooth-ie Operator

I have never been one to jump on the smoothie bandwagon.  I never quite saw the appeal of pureed fruit as a drink because, to me, it lacked flavor, body, substance, something....
And then I discovered, on a whim, that, duh!  I can make my own!
Armed with my blender and food processor, and a boatload of fresh fruit, I've discovered the art of making custom, portable breakfasts, built around whatever I need for the day--peanut butter for energy, bananas to ease a queasy stomach, strawberries just because....  I'm overjoyed with the endless possibilities.
I used milk as a base in my smoothies, but I felt that it lacked something.  We have been keeping half and half lately because we have been on a homemade ice cream kick lately, and I tried that instead of using milk--divine.  As far as sweeteners go, I far prefer agave nectar over honey or sugar or other options.
What do you like in your smoothies?

Wordless Wednesday, or, As I Like to Call It, the Bliss of an Early Morning Breeze, Sans Children

Strawberries Galore!

I know it's technically "Wordless Wednesday," but I have to share some recipes from our trip to the local farm to snag lots of yummy strawberries.  Two recipes are included.

First "recipe":   My semester is drawing to a close, so I went to my mother-in-law's house to finish my grading in peace. She went with me earlier today to the farm to get strawberries. While I was grading mountains of papers, she came in with three bowls--one with strawberries, one with sour cream, and the other with brown sugar. I was told to dip a strawberry in the sour cream, and then roll it in brown sugar. Why didn't I know this my whole life? Absolute heaven.
Second recipe: This is the freezer jam I made earlier today (pictured in my previous entry).

Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam (from Sure Jell Pectin)

2 cups crushed strawberries (buy 1 qt. fully ripe strawberries)

4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

3/4 cup water

1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

step 1 RINSE 5 (1-cup) plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly. Stem and crush strawberries thoroughly, 1 cup at a time. Measure exactly 2 cups prepared fruit into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.

step 2 MIX water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 min. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 min. or until sugar is almost dissolved. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

step 3 FILL all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or in freezer up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Wordless Wednesday

Homemade Rice Cereal for Little Ones

Thanks to the wonder of my little Ninja chopper and my large Ninja Kitchen System, I virtually have no excuse NOT to make homemade baby food, at least some of the time.  I do buy jarred baby food a lot, thanks to a local grocer who sells it at 25 cents a jar, but homemade is still so much healthier for baby.  I had all of these goals with Goob to make his baby food, but simply didn't do it, partially due to laziness, and partially due to the fact that he had a lot of digestive issues which limited what we *could* feed him.
However, Bean loves to eat, and eats well, so I have the opportunity to enjoy feeding her and watching her experience new foods.
Rice cereal is one of those classic baby food staples, and we have many, many boxes of Gerber rice cereal in our food storage.  That being said, we also keep a fair amount of rice in our storage as well, and I'm eager to try the following recipe, which I found in a 1978 edition of Feed Me, I'm Yours, by Vicki Lansky.

Homemade Hot Rice Cereal

Grind several cups of raw brown rice to a fine powder in a blender.  Store in a tightly covered container.
1/2 cup of the rice powder (as made above)
2 cups of milk
dash of salt
In a small saucepan, bring milk and salt just to the boiling point.  Add the rice powder and stir constantly.  Lower heat, cover pan, and simmer for 8-10 minutes.  Serve with additions like fruits and veggies, if you want to.

NOTE: While brown rice is preferable because white rice loses nutritional value during processing, white rice is still usable.  I'd probably just add a fruit or veggie to it to add some nutrients.

You Reap What You Sow

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the concept of karma.
I was watching a rerun of Wifeswap this afternoon (don't judge me), and the episode featured a Rastafarian dad who had very little money in his bank account, but kept saying he was putting his savings away in a "karma bank," and that it would be Karma/God (or "Jah," as he referred to a higher power) who would provide, instead of an actual monetary savings account. 
While this man was, throughout most of the episode, one wild Froot Loop, the notion of building up good deeds, kindness, charity, selflessness, and so forth, in a sort of "karma bank" intrigued me, and isn't too far removed from what most people believe in, whether it be in religious form or simple human decency.
I'm a big believer in the idea of karma.  For me, it's a very simple concept--you treat others as you want to be treated, and in general, they will reciprocate.  It's not entirely perfect because others have free will/agency, but as a rule, it's very true. 
Today, the hubby and I had the opportunity to take the Goob to McDonald's for a one on one dinner (yeah, I know, we've been eating out...I so failed at my challenge), and we observed two very noisy teenaged girls, who seemed hellbent on making fun of everyone and everything.  Whether it be the workers, or people who went in and out, nothing was out of bounds.  A very mentally disabled young man came in to enjoy some milkshakes with his grandmother, and I assumed that these girls would have the common sense and decency to spare him their taunts, but he received the worst of them.  They mocked his walk, his voice, his grandmother, his shyness--you name it.  I watched in horror as his face burned in shame, as his grandmother blushed in embarrassment and sadness for her loved one.  She tried to gently scold the girls when they left, and they simply laughed in her face.
I looked at Goob, and I thought to myself that, foibles and all as a parent, that I instill this basic notion of simple kindness and common sense into him.  I was also embarrassed that I didn't speak up, instead choosing to watch in pity and disgust. 
I know it sounds awful, but as they say, karma is a real you-know-what, and I hope that sooner rather than later, these girls will be clobbered by the karma train.  I firmly believe that we reap what we sow, and, as my aunt said to me, karma has a way of providing a "punishment" or "reality check" far better than we ever can.  How sad that we sit there instead of doing something about these situations.  How I wish I had told those girls a thing or two.  But, I sat there.  Did sitting there add anything worthwhile to my "karma bank?"

Suddenly, I'm No Longer Hungry...

Goob and I were sharing a bowl of Turkey Hill's Salty Caramel ice cream. We were attempting to take turns, but he was more than anxious waiting for his turn to come. As I was getting ready to take a bite, he coughed, and as every little kid does, he didn't cover his mouth, and all the spittle landed into the ice cream. Inevitably, it became his ice cream.
Well played, son.
Well played.