Fruit Smoothie

I just love smoothies and have been making a lot of them here in Bali. All you need is a blender, some fresh fruit or vegetables, a few ice cubes and/or cold juice.  I personally prefer the naturally sweet, fruit smoothies, but have insisted on occassionally drinking the less sweet, vegetable varieties, all in the name of good health.

Here's a fruit smoothie recipe that I made not so long ago.  Of course, you don't have to use as many ingredients as I did - that's what happened to be on hand.  They're absolutely delicious with a couple of fruits only - and most any variation works well as far as I'm concerned. There's only one critical rule:  the fruit must be ripe, and therefore full of flavor!!  I know that goes without saying, but I felt compelled to say it anyway!

Recipe

1 baby banana
1 white peach
about 1/2 a cup of each:  watermelon, papaya, mango
1/2 cup of fruit juice (orange, or apple, or whatever you have; I used freshly squeezed orange)
5-10 ice cubes

Cut fruit into chunks & place in a blender with the juice.  Turn on and blend till smooth...you may need to stop & stir the pot a few times, or add a splash of water, to get it mixing well...Add as many ice cubes as you like - it does dilute the flavor a bit, but the trade off is that it produces a thicker, more refreshing drink.  Which I'm all into around here!

Optional additions:  Greek plain yoghurt & honey, tsp of wheatgerm, a few leaves of arugula, carrot juice instead of fruit juice...we could go on and on here...

Enjoy!

:/dma

Turkey Hangover Remedy - It's Called Bullseye

Today I woke up with a turkey hangover. And not from eating too much turkey which you might think, understandably. I mean from being around too much turkey! Yesterday there were three of us who each worked almost 17 hours to prepare not just one, but two Thanksgiving Day meals! It was totally crazy! I think I still have the smell of roasted Turkey still on me.

Here's what I needed this morning when I woke up: good old-fashioned comfort food (something to re-nourish every tired muscle in my body). And, more importantly than that....something really easy to make. Let me tell you, that's très important if you're the one who has been doing all the work for the Turkey Day meal. It's not really low-cal....so those of you who over-indulged and are now looking to detox, or go lite today....well, this post is not for you today! But, you might like it just the same some other time.

It's called a Bullseye. It's something I learned at a sleepover, many years ago, when I was a teenager living in London. I haven't made it for YEARS...and I have no idea what made me think of it this morning. Maybe it was the two lonely eggs left over from all the pumpkin & pecan pie making....and the pain de mie (white bread) that didn't get used in the yesterday's stuffing production. Whatever the reason, it sure hit the spot.

A bullseye is a piece of bread, butter and an egg. I think kids of all ages might enjoy making this one. The "recipe" is:

1. Make a hole in your slice of bread. (The bullseye has got to so somewhere, y'know!)

2. Butter your bread.

3. Heat your skillet. Add a drop of olive oil. Put your bread in the pan, butter side down. It should sound all nice & sizzly.


4. Crack your egg on top, making sure the yolk lands strategically in the hole! Season with salt & pepper. Cook till golden. Flip over for a couple of seconds, or more, depending on how well you like to cook your eggs. You'll likely break the yolk in the process, but who cares!



5. Eat & enjoy with a tall glass of orange juice....then, go back to bed & sleep it off, like any other hangover.