PB&J Milkshake

I am a snob.

A peanut butter and jelly snob, that is.

This was told to me by a friend a few years back as we were shopping for PB&J fixings.  He reached out for wheat bread, I wagged my finger and said, "No."  White bread was what was called for.

He grabbed some Jif, and I put it back.  Creamy Skippy, no questions asked.

He didn't even bother getting jelly, but let me peruse the shelf until I found Smucker's Seedless Strawberry Jam.  It's how I roll.

And then he told me I was a PB&J snob.  I just nodded and smiled.  Because I knew it to be true.

So when it was time to make Joy the Baker's peanut butter and jam milkshake and I read the ingredients that said 'natural peanut butter' I shook my head no.  Which might be odd, seeing as almost everything else I eat is under the 'natural' category.  Ok, so maybe I have given up the white bread.  And maybe I used soy ice cream and coconut milk in this shake instead of the dairy stuff.  But don't mess with my Skippy.  There are some things I don't think I will ever change.

Because I am a peanut butter snob like that...

This is actually two shakes in one.  The peanut butter shake (ice cream + milk + peanut butter + a teeny bit of vanilla extract) is layered with the jam shake (ice cream + milk + a bit of jam + fresh fruit blended in).  When they are brought together they make the perfect milk shake combo.

Sweet Tea -- A Taste of the South

I have a drink-love-affair with this here sweet tea.  You may think you know sweet tea, but you do not know Doug and Leigh's sweet tea.

Being a California girl myself, my "experience" with this went something like this: you order tea at the restaurant, you rip open six packets or so of sugar, you dump them in, stir, and then decide it still tastes too bitter.  And then you ask yourself, "Why on earth did I order tea?!"

And then I met Doug and Leigh.  They so graciously sponsored my every-other-week six hours back into American reality while I lived on Ebeye and they lived on the US Army base, three miles over.  Not only did they have fresh water showers (that were warm), a washer and dryer (that worked), and good home cooking (that included fresh vegetables and fruit), but they had their Alabama charm -- and part of that was sweet tea.

I don't think I have ordered a glass of icky California tea since.

So now, if I get the chance to go to that part of the country for whatever reason, I call them up and say, "Please, pretty please, have lots of tea waiting for me!"  And they always do...

Here's how they do it, in Leigh's own words:

Here's how I make it. I use two family sized Luzianne tea bags and steep them in boiling water for 30 minutes to a whole day...it really doesn't matter. I put 1 and 1/2 cups sugar in a gallon container and pour in the steeped water, then add to make a gallon.


Simple, and really REALLY sweet.  

Just the way I like it.

(Notice I made the brand large?  Well, that's because that is the secret, so I am told.  Liptons = no good (for this recipe).  Luzianne = EXCELLENT.)

Where the Heart Is... (Basil Orange Cooler)

Finally, after about two weeks, I have time to get into the kitchen.

Yes, my little blog has been neglected.  And as much as I want to feel bad about that, I don't. 

It is called living life.

Yup, you've got it!  I was a bridesmaid again, this time in Colorado.  Two out-of-state weddings in three weeks!  The plane is beginning to feel like my second home...

But it is a second home I am willing to live in when it brings me close to those I love.

However, my first home, MY HOME, is the place I love best.  It's got everything I need -- my stuff, my food, and most importantly, my man. 

Home is where the heart is. 

Fo' shizzle.

Now I have bags to unpack and a fridge to clean out and all that stuff that comes along with coming home, but I didn't mind taking a break to enjoy a little something fresh and delicious.  If you are like me, you can make without trekking to the grocery store...

A little bit of OJ, some basil and sugar, the juice of a lime or two... mix it up and add some water. 

Summer in a cup.

Go make yourself a glass and then do a cyber-cheers with me.

What are we cheering to, you ask?

To summer, to sunshine, to life...

...to all things beautiful.

Yes, I hear your glasses clinking, all the way over here.

BASIL ORANGE COOLER

Recipe from Everyday Food, June 2012

Ingredients

• 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 cups fresh orange juice
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• Ice

Directions

1. In a large container, combine basil and sugar. Mash with the back of a wooden spoon until basil is broken up. Add orange juice, lime juice, and 5 cups water; stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve over ice.

Cook's Note

Easy Entertaining
This drink can be refrigerated for up to 3 days -- add garnish and ice before serving. Try using canning jars in place of pitchers or glasses for a casual party.

COST: $3.80       Cost per glass (8): $0.48

Sweet Find: Coconut Water with Dark Chocolate

I think I have found the drink of all drinks:
Zico Pure Premium Coconut Water with Dark Chocolate.

(Whew -- that was quite a mouthful!)

//source//

Have you ever had coconut water?  I mean, the real stuff, like cut-the-top-off-of-the-coconut-and-stick-a-straw-into-it coconut water?  It tastes nothing like you would expect.  When I think of coconuts, I think of the stuff that comes in the candy bars.  Sweet.  But that is not what coconut water tastes like.  The first time I tried it I hated it.  Hated it.  But over time it grew on me and now I am a fan.  And my body is a fan, too.  Coconut water is so incredibly healthy, filled with all kinds of electrolytes your body needs.  But alas, I do not have any coconut trees in my neighborhood (sigh...) so I must stick to the packaged stuff.  Which is good, too.  But now I found something great...

Coconut water with dark chocolate!  YESSSS!  So maybe there is some sugar thrown in there.  Whatever.  I like sugar.  This stuff is amazing.  I am sure you can find it in many places, but of course I will promote my favorite:  it is a buck-99 at your local Trader Joe's.  Yup, less than the cost of chocolate milk in most places.  Sure is better for me than those Starbuck's-fraps-in-the-jars that I love (the taste of, if not the ingredients). 

//source//

I think I have found my happy drink.  Move over Ovaltine and Silk.

A Very Peary Christmas (Pear Smoothies)

For the past week I have been drinking a banana smoothie for breakfast everyday.  I found this great, easy recipe and tried it.  A total winner.  But this morning when I went to get my banana to throw in the blender I came to a big block in the road: there were no bananas left.  This wouldn't have been a problem but I already had all the other ingredients in the blender, ready to be whirred together.  So I looked at my fruit basket:  oranges, tangerines, limes, and a tomato.  Nothing that would go well with milk, peanut butter, oats, and honey.  Quite a problem.  Until I remembered that I had a special delivery yesterday: a box of pears.

Not only did I get a box of pears from family, I received this beautiful pear ornament from one of my students.  I don't think I have had more than three pears in my house -- not "at a time" but ever.  I have never really been a pear person, but between that pear h'orderve dish I made up yesterday (I am starting to drool just thinking about it...) and all these pears sitting on my table and hanging on the tree, I guess this was the Christmas that I was destined to become a pear person.  So, I grabbed a pear and dropped it in the blender. 

Want one?  It is simple.  Take two tablespoons of oats (like Quaker Oats) and blend them until they become a powder.  Add one cup milk, one pear (cut up), one and half tablespoons of peanut butter (I do half Skippy/half healthy junk), and a smidgen of honey.  Blend.  Enjoy.  And share with a friend because it makes two servings.

There we have it, another winning pear recipe.  I think I have to blame The Cheesecake Factory for my sudden love of pears.  Have you tried their pear/blue cheese/arugula flat bread?  Oh.My.Word.  To die for.  Last time we went I ordered two of them.  Yes, two of them.  That was it, nothing else.  I could only eat one, but I had a great lunch waiting for me the next day.  You will probably be seeing my attempt to recreate that sometime soon.  After all, I have a lot of pears to get through!

To you and yours, I hope you... well, see for yourself :)  (Yes, I am a corn-dog sometimes.)

COST: $1.30          COST PER SERVING (2): $0.65