Breakfast smoothies

Blueberry-Pomegranate Smoothie

Sorry for the lack of updates -- things have gotten hectic as I have started a new internship in Washington D.C., settled into a new apartment as a tentative couch-surfer/resident, taken my LSATs, shopped for Christmas presents, and applied to graduate schools and "real" jobs all the while! December's a busy month for a lot of people, it seems, and I'll be glad once I'm finally through it.

Anyway, since this is a food blog:

I've obviously had limited time on my hands -- sometimes, so limited that I am struck with that unfortunate temptation to hit the snooze button, get 10 minutes more sleep, and skip breakfast. How dreadful of me! For as we know, Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day.

It's times like these that a breakfast smoothie comes in handy. As far as I can tell, there's really no downside to making these lovely little concoctions. They're healthy, giving you one each of your recommended fruit and dairy servings and, if properly constructed, Vitamin D, protein, antioxidents and all other sorts of goodies. They're not too sugary (and the sugars that are there are natural) but still taste great. They're cheap, provided you spring for the in-season and/or on-sale produce. And if you need to get out the door ten minutes ago, you can simply fill your nearest beverage container and take your breakfast with you!

Two of my favorite combinations after the jump:

Memere's Graham Cracker Cake: Easiest Crowd-Pleaser Ever

This recipe comes from my maternal grandmother. I don't remember seeing her cook much when I was younger, but I'm told she was quite impressive in the kitchen. I am one of a few family members who have become the "Keepers of the Recipes," and this one is one of my favorites. It's the easiest thing in the world, and everyone always flips over how delicious it is. We call it Memere's Graham Cracker Cake.

Ingredients

1-2 Boxes Traditional Graham Crackers (Depending on how big you want to make the cake)

1-2 Quarts Heavy Whipping Cream (Again, depending on how big you're making the cake)

White Sugar

Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Vanilla Extract

Directions

1 - Whip heavy whipping cream into ... well ... cream. Think Cool Whip consistency. But don't over whip it! I made the near-fatal mistake of whipping my cream into butter once. Not good.

2 - Add sugar, chocolate syrup, and a little vanilla extract to cream. Now, you've probably noticed that there are no measurements. That's because Memere didn't have any measurements. You have to do it to taste. I usually start with sugar until it tastes sweet enough to me, drop in a bit of vanilla, then keep adding chocolate sauce until it tastes ridiculously good.

3 - In a glass casserole dish (I use my trusty Pyrex), smooth down a layer of the chocolate cream. Then put down one layer of graham crackers. Cover the graham crackers with another layer of the chocolate cream (probably a little less than a quarter-inch thick; make sure all of the crackers are covered!) Then another single layer of crackers. Keep layering the crackers and the cream like this until the dish is full/the cream is gone.

4 - Put the cake in the fridge for at least an hour; the graham crackers will soak up all the yummy cream and it will be DELICIOUS. This is also good frozen, although it is a little trickier to bite into.

ENJOY!