Comments (29)

By Estela - Weekly Bite, January 11, 2011 6:44 am

Despite the freezing cold temps, I’ve been craving lots of smoothies.  There’s something clean and refreshing about a smoothie.  You wanna know something weird though… when I drink a smoothie for breakfast, I drink a cup of coffee too.

See, weird.  Anyone else do that? Or am I solo on this one?

Despite my weirdness, this smoothie is perfect.  It also makes for a great kiddie snack too!

Here’s everything you need:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup mango nectar

Throw everything in a blender and blend away  If you’re using all fresh fruit, add a handful of ice cubes to make it nice a slushy.

You can also change up the flavors of this smoothie by switching out different fruits or a different flavor nectar.

Someone else enjoyed the smoothie too….

This was clearly the highlight of her day

Comments (23)

By Estela - Weekly Bite, January 22, 2010 8:26 am

This picture says it all…

This picture defines one of my favorite things to do…

This picture says exactly what I’ll be doing this weekend…

Me + a fresh cup o joe + homemade biscotti = relaxation!

Wanna join me? You. Me. Coffee. Biscotti. Relaxation.

It’ll be fun! Are you in?

I have no idea where or how I got this recipe, but gosh dang it I’m so glad I have it.

Anise is a classic flavor for biscotti. It’s one of those flavors that you either love or hate.

It has sort of a black licorice flavor. Lucky for me, I just happen to love black licorice.

Its good. Its delicious. To me… Its perfect.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 2 teaspoons anise extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. I used a silpat and that worked great.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat until creamy. Add in brandy, anise, and vanilla extract. Beat until combined. Slowly add in flour mixture. Gently stir in almonds.

Form dough into large ball and cut in half. Form two 2×13 inch logs on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Let cool completely.

Reduce the oven temp to 300 degrees.

Slice the biscotti with a serrated knife at the diagonal about 1 inch thick.

Bake for 10 minutes, rotate once, then bake for another 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack and enjoy!

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Question of the Day?

What’s your favorite way to relax? For me, I take advantage of any form of quiet time to relax If it involves coffee & biscotti, that’s even better!