Fruits n' Greens Smoothie

Ahhhhh.....Summer and smoothies.  They go hand in hand, don't they?  May through July, I was at my local juice bar on the daily, grabbing a powerpacked drink to go as I zipped from place to place.  But starting in August, I finally took a step back and asked myself, "Why are you buying your smoothies and juices when you can make them yourself?"

Valid question.

Oven-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds & Garlic: An Homage to Filipino Street Food

It's hard to believe that in less than a month, I will be traveling back to the Philippines.   [pinches self a little too hard]  During my visit last Fall, the first since 1987, I promised everyone that I would I never let that much time go by again before making it back.  Despite the passage of 25 years, and the myriad ways in which the country has expanded, and my aunts, uncles, and cousins have changed, it was remarkable how familiar everything felt.  Never mind that I was born in the States half a world away - I felt "at home" in the Philippines.  I felt like I belonged there.

Chilled Watermelon Soup

The first time I had what was referred to as a "watermelon gazpacho," my initial reaction was a mixture of confusion, doubt, and curiosity.  I had never had a gazpacho that did not call for tomatoes, and as someone who (1) does not mind, but does not prefer, sweet things, and (2) does not mind, but does not prefer, cold soups, I was prepared to find it "okay" or "interesting" at best, but nothing I would ever seek out again, let alone recreate in my kitchen.  

Wrong.

Lychee Coconut "Ice Cream"

Ice cream and I go waaaaay back.  When I was a husky toddler, I was obsessed with fudge ripple and orange sherbet (or as I would pronounce it, "shur-bay"), and I would make any excuse to upgrade a drink into a float or a milkshake.  As a teenager, the dance studio where I trained was next door to a Baskin Robbins, and I made a habit of finishing each day of classes with a frozen treat, especially my favorite, Daiquiri Ice.  And after completing my undergrad at University of Michigan, I was assistant manager at a Ben & Jerry's for a year, which was a real growing experience - for my waistband.