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Sunday, February 17, 2013

Cherimoya Smoothie


When I go into couch mode for some supine sofa action, Rambo (our pink-nosed truffle-pig feline) becomes my hat, laying on my head as though it his job to make sure none of my body heat escapes through the top of my body. He isn't an intensely cuddly cat, so this burst of sweetness is fully embraced and never taken for granted.

One Saturday morning, a day rife for couching - all drizzly, grey, and cloudy- I went into couch mode and put Max into it right along with me.  With both of us pajama-clad, I popped in Monsters, Inc. for entertainment and got out the super-old, super-soft comforter for us to cuddle under.

I feel compelled to point out that it was a comforter - not one of these "throws".  I never quite know how to cuddle properly under a throw blanket.  One needs ample blanket to cover all of oneself, and possibly another person, and there should be some blanket to spare.  I don't mind sharing with the tot - but sharing with Seth is out of the question.  I actually retrieve another blanket for him to use during those rare times he does want a blanket, as sharing with him throws my blanket coverage way off balance, leaving me unable to move limbs, fingers and toes in fear of finding these parts out of the blanket zone.  So no sharing.

Rambo found his couch spot on my head. And the puff cat found herself a spot to nestle into.  I went into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate to round out this morning of movie and and couch.

Just as I was about to get the hot chocolate going, my dad called.  And by the end of the conversation, I had somehow been talked into leaving the cocoon of snuggly amazingness and found myself going out into the grey soup known as the outside and down the few blocks to the farmers market.  I'm still not sure how this all happened.  So, Max and I, still relatively pajama-clad (as I wanted an easy transition back to the couch), were on our way to get some fresh produce - namely, the elusive cherimoya, which I'm not able to find often.  This smoothie was the result of that unexpected excursion outside.  Max and I took these smoothies, instead of hot chocolate, back to the couch to pick up where we left off.  The felines followed suit.

Ingredients
2 cherimoya
2 kiwifruit
a sprinkling of mandarin zest
2/3 cup vanilla coconut milk
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
handful of strawberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of sugar, depending on the sweetness of your fruit

Instructions
The cherimoya need to have their tough skins removed, as well as their seeds.  The de-seeding will take some time, as they have lots of seeds dispersed throughout the fruit.  So this will take a bit of patience.  Just get them out, and it will all be worth it.  Once that is done, place everything in a bowl and blend together with an immersion blender. Or place in a blender and blend - whatever is easiest for you!