Blender Adventures, Part 1

If you're going to make smoothies, you're going to need a blender. A few years ago, when mine died, I went hunting for the perfect blender. I thought, the more you spent the better. I bought a fairly expensive name brand, took it home, tried it, packed it up and took it back. I ended up at a restaurant supply and spent a lot on a Vitamix, justifying that I use it every day. You know what, it's great.

But my dear friends (and fellow health nuts) Bill and Gayle have found what I think is a better option. They bought a $15 Hamilton-Beach blender at Wal-mart, the small individual kind. They use it every day, even take it with them when they travel, and it's just started to wear out after 2 years. Hey, even if it only lasted 6 months, you'd be better off buying a new one every six months than spending a lot of money on one. Now, if you're using frozen fruit, it would be best to thaw it a little before trying to blend it in a less expensive blender. They put their frozen fruit out on a plate for about 10 minutes while they're doing other things to get it ready for the smoothie. Tomorrow I'll give you a good recipe for a frozen fruit smoothie.

Speaking of blenders, when our youngest son Barrett was stationed with the Army at Ft. Benning, he got the idea that he needed to make smoothies in the barracks. He questioned me about what kind of blender to buy. That was one of the rare times that he had too much time on his hands AND internet access, so pretty soon I got a copy of this e-mail he sent to family and friends.

Oh man, this is hilarious. I was talking to one of my friends and I was like "my mom was telling me about the expensive blender she got, it's like a restaurant blender...... you could stick a cat in that thing and have a nice smooth drink in about 5 seconds!" Then a little later I say "I honestly wonder what that would taste like... I'm sure you'd have to shave it first..." And that got me thinking, so I made this picture! I know, I'm VERY sick and deranged.... Deal with it!- Barrett (see picture below)

He's serving in Afghanistan now. We have 3 wonderful sons, each with a unique, twisted sense of humor. (Debi's Theory #26: You marry a smart-butt, you're going to have little baby smart-butts.) On the rare occasion when we're all together in one place, we can't stop laughing. *sigh*