The concierge at our hotel needed to direct us to a reasonably fast dinner location. Paul said Italian pizza sounded good, and she made a reservation for us at Salute! on Madison Ave. and then directed us on the best way to get a cab to Carnegie Hall for a beautiful, but long performance of Handel's Messiah. (In case you never knew, the Hallelujah Chorus is not the end of the program, only of Part 2.)
I defrost my strawberries for a minute in the microwave because the banana often adds enough thickness on its own. Blend the raspberries first because they're smaller. Add the strawberries for some liquid, then spinach, banana, yogurt, and juice. Lighten up on the liquids if the smoothie is getting too thin or add an extra banana. The raspberries are the strongest flavor so those are what you need least extra of. If spinach is necessary in your diet, too, you can get away with adding more "green tops" without tasting the bitterness.
As with all smoothies, it's easy to be creative and explore. No two are alike. For my mid-morning drinks, I used just strawberries (defrost again) and peaches with the juice and spinach. I eliminated the yogurt because at work it takes me a while to sip my drink.
This cake was such a hit, people have been nagging me for the recipe. Therefore, I've skipped my desired schedule of posting and bumped this one up in the list.
My dilemma for this cake was the fact that it was for a bridal shower at which the guest of honor, the bride, is allergic to a certain aspect of dairy. The Duncan Hines Cake Mix fits into her diet. Also, there are some icings that are acceptable, but instead of taking my chances, I chose a dairy-free cake option.
Recipe for Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Glaze
For the cake, cook according to package directions and pour batter evenly into two 8- or 9-inch cake plans for baking. Once completely cool, put one cake on the serving platter. Spread 1/4 jar of creamy peanut butter onto cake (We only use natural with nothing but peanuts and salt.) with a miniature spatula. Top with the second cake. Cover tightly with saran wrap to refrigerate. I actually made the cake a night in advance and let it warm to room temp about 1 hour before serving.
Raspberry Glaze
8-10 oz. frozen raspberries, pulsed slightly in food processor
1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon corn starch
1/3-1/2 cup brown sugar
Pour berries into small saucepan over medium heat and stir until berries defrost. Mix sugar and corn starch in the measuring cup and pour over berries. Stir fairly consistently until the glaze thickens and is clearer in color. Cool glaze and remove to glass storage if not topping cake immediately. Pour glaze over cake just before serving.
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