Heaven in a Glass

To start off the very first recipe post on my blog, I'd like to pose a little question: What's cheap but classy; sweet but sassy?



Wait for it....

MY MANGO LASSI

Mango Lassi

2/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
2/3 cup water
1 Tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
10 oz frozen mango chunks -- this is exact size of bag they sell at the dollar store. Coincidence? I think not.

Add everything (in order) to the Vitamix and blend on high for about 30 seconds. You'll need to use the tamper for pretty much the entire time.

(Psst! Word on the street is, you can also add rum to make this a more adult beverage.)

This recipe is foolproof, people. I've tried lots of variations, and this is my favorite by far. Try it and see what you think!

Things I love about this recipe? Well, for starters, you don't have to play mango roulette at the grocery store. Seriously, I get anxious wondering about whether my mango is gonna be unripe, rotten on the inside, or mostly pit. The frozen chunks are only a dollar, and you just have to dump them into the blender. So simple. You don't even have to get out a knife. Another thing I like about this recipe is that, since the mango chunks are frozen, you don't have to worry about adding ice cubes. The final product is at the perfect temperature and consistency. I know this type of recipe usually calls for yogurt, but this one doesn't, which makes it dairy-free. If you couldn't tell, I love this recipe!

Purple Stride 2012

I'm finally getting around to posting stuff from a few months ago! Feels good.

The littlest member of our team slept through the entire thing -- and looked adorable doing it.

Purple Stride is a fundraising event for pancreatic cancer research and awareness. My sister has chronic pancreatitis, so it's a cause that's close to our hearts. She goes all out for this thing! She absolutely ROCKED the purple wig, and she even provided me with a sweet hand tattoo. That's what I'm talkin' about.

I drove up to Seattle on one hour of sleep and two STRONG cups of coffee. I had played my first soccer match the night before, and I couldn't sleep because I was just too excited about playing a team sport. Lolz.

A nice view of the trail:

 What a great time! I was sad to take off my purple boa.

We took this picture before the walk started. We're smart like that.

Can't wait for next year!

Ummm, Okay

The other day, I got caught in a downpour. I had my trusty umbrella to protect me, so no big deal. I brought it inside to dry out a little and then went upstairs to take a shower. When I came back down, this is what I saw:

Ha! The kitty makes me laugh.

I'm not really sure what drew Linux to the umbrella. Maybe he thought it would protect him from something, or maybe he just loves things that are pink and cute. Either way, he is adorable.

R.I.P., Chef's Knife

A few months ago, I was craving a piña colada. I like to make them with fresh pineapple and young Thai coconut. Delicious!

Getting into a young Thai coconut is not the easiest task in the world. The last couple times I tried it, I had great success with an oh-so-elegant process that involved removing the white part and then hacking away at the hard brown part on the top until I eventually got into the coconut.

This time, though, it didn't work. Not only that, I managed to destroy my favorite chef's knife in the process.

I felt sick to my stomach when I saw the damage. This was the knife I got during culinary school. It served me so well, helping me prepare not only some of the finest meals I've ever served, but also the casual dinners that no one remembers. Tons of onions, carrots, and potatoes. Countless cloves of garlic. It was a real workhorse of a knife, and it felt good in my hand. It was an extension of my hand!

Sure, I have other knives. Some of them are even sharper than this one, but they're not quite right. They're either too big for my creepy doll fingers, don't have a good weight, or have some other flaw. I can tell you this much: no matter which knife becomes my official replacement, I will take much better care of it.

...

These days, I go a little more primal on my coconuts -- it works great. I remove the white part and 

then smash the top as hard as I can against a cement step we have outside. It's really fun, but sometimes I wonder what the neighbors think....

Totally worth the effort!

R.I.P., chef's knife. You will be missed.

Our New Timbers Jerseys

Thanks to a BOGO sale, we now own matching "away" jerseys. They have our nicknames on the back and everything! So happy. Now I feel like a real athletic supporter. (snicker)

Andy Williams and the Osmonds

I didn't grow up with Andy Williams, and that's a shame. Actually, I didn't even know about his Christmas specials until a few years ago. If you haven't seen them, do yourself a favor and check them out on YouTube. They are really well done. And they often feature...THE OSMOND BROTHERS. Now that's what I'm talkin' about.

This is my favorite number. It has Andy and his brothers singing with the Osmond brothers. It gets me totally pumped for the holidays! And Donny is just so cute. It gets really good from 1:47 to the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_XmxWUdIxQ

(Sorry, I know it's not quite in sync.)

Do you need more??? The following clip is just awesome in general, and it's not even from the Christmas special. It's so wholesome, I want to puke. But I LOVE IT! It never fails to make me smile. This was before Donny was old enough to join the act.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1TSLyEc1Iw

Kitty's Holiday Surprise

Someone's been a busy little elf! This morning we woke up to find one of our Christmas stockings in front of the bedroom door.

Maybe Linux is trying to send a message. Here are some possibilities:

• Happy holidays! You guys are the BEST!
• I couldn't find you a bird or a mouse. This fancy sock will have to do.
• Just a reminder, give me kitty presents or I will barf on your favorite things.

 

Impressive, considering he had to remove it from its hook on the wall and drag it from one end of the house to the other. How did he manage to free the stocking from the wall? Um, don't ask me. It must be a special cat secret!

Linux wishes you a happy holiday.