Tropical Flavor

No longer pregnant ... but ALWAYS barefoot in the kitchen!

     Our baby boy is 9 months old & growing!  He LOVES smoothies, which is something we learned not too long ago. I try to keep fresh fruits in the house (because there canned stuff just isn't the same), but I do think that canned fruit is better than none at all! Cans are easy to keep, store, transport, etc., so I understand why people have them. Makes total sense to me!

     What I have for you is a tropical smoothie recipe that you will love. It's easy, fairly quick, & if you're a fruit-lover, you probably have most of these ingredients on hand. Of course, since it's a smoothie, you'll need a blender. If you don't have one, see about borrowing one or take the ingredients to a friend's house to try this out. I'm pretty sure you'll be racing out to buy your own blender after trying this, though. The other tools you need are an ice cream scoop, a teaspoon, two cups, & two straws.

In the Blender, drop:

1 peeled whole banana          2 scoops crushed or diced pineapple         2 scoops cubed mango
2 scoops vanilla or peach ice cream      1 tbsp coconut flakes OR 1 tbsp coconut milk
2 tsp sugar       1 tsp vanilla          ice (crushed works best)

Here's what you do:

Blend until smooth. If the smoothie is runny, add a little more ice. I would recommend using a red Solo cup to measure your ice. Start with 1 cup of ice & blend. After that, add ice by HALF of that cup. This can make approximately 2 smoothies. Just make sure you keep an eye on the blender & add ice only when needed.

I really hope you enjoy!

Red Beans & Rice

  It's getting chillier outside & Ronny & I tend to eat late at night (when he comes in from work). He bought the meat on his way home & everything else I needed was already in the kitchen. This is an easy recipe to work with. It just takes a lot of time. Serve this with cornbread & milk, if desired.

Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients
  1 lb dry kidney beans
  2 c cured ham, chopped (or three large, thick slices)
  1 link Andouille sausage, thickly sliced
  2 T Cajun seasoning
  2 T salt
  1 T pepper
  1/2 sweet onion, chopped
  2 c rice
  4 c water
  water for boiling beans

Directions
  Pour beans into colander (strainer), rinse, then remove to stock pot. Add water until beans are covered by approximately one inch. Boil out three-quarters of water & add Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, & onion. Stir. Add water & continue boiling until half of water is gone. Stir. Add ham & sausage; continue boiling. Want more liquid? Just add water & stir til warm.

  In medium pot, pour water over rice. Bring to a boil. Cover & simmer until water has almost completely cooked out. Top with 2 T margarine. Serve with red beans.