Immersion Blender & Strawberry Love

Last night, Spinning Ninny and I had a cooking adventure involving my chioggia beets from the farmer's market. I neglected to bring my camera to her house, so I'll let you read about our dinner debauchery at her post, but I did take a few photos of the cute and striped beets at my house when I roasted them.


As we consumed some berries for dessert, I explained to her how I can't help but buy a quart of strawberries every time I go to the market, and that I'm overloaded with berries. We started exploring some strawberry cooking options, quickly disregarding a great deal of them (I'm so over balsamic vinegar and strawberries, and Lord knows I'm not about to put strawberries alongside my pork or chicken) and finding maybe a winner or two for a future project (strawberry dumplings, anyone?).

But this morning, I've realized that all my worries about how to use these berries are gone, thanks to my immersion blender. As I have a few stray blackberries in the fridge along with the standard heaps of strawberries, I decided this morning was the right time to make a smoothie. I sliced up my berries, pulled out the yogurt, and walked towards the pantry to pull out the old stand-up blender, which inevitably would end up soaking in the sink for a few hours and then take up space in the dishwasher, all for one lonesome smoothie...

But wait! Now I have a magical immersion blender, which comes with its own blending beaker! (Yes, that is what the plastic jar/tub that comes with the blender is called. Amazing.) I can blend things, like smoothies, in a quiet and quick fashion, and be left with only the end of the little blender stick to rinse off and lay in the drying rack! No soaking! No washing! No loud annoying blending sounds to wake up my roommate and disturb the nearby birds!

Just a simple combo of a handful of blackberries, eight or nine strawberries, a scoop or two of yogurt, and a swizzle of honey. Best berry breakfast ever.


Also, in funny strawberry moments of the morning, I opened my new quart of Stonyfield yogurt to find a "melt-in-your-mouth strawberry muffin" recipe on the inside label. Clearly a project just calling out to be made.