Mango Lassi

Lately I have been feeling trapped, confined within the white walls of my apartment, as the wind outside howls and the cold, winter weather lays an oppressive hand over the land. Spring has been lost, mysteriously misplaced, forgotten by Mother Nature. Instead, there are cloudy skies, a dirty snow-covered landscape, and a thermometer registering temperatures below freezing. There is a long standing joke that the Midwest has two seasons—winter and road construction—but this year it rings true. Winter arrived in October and is refusing to leave seven months later, like a bothersome friend overstaying his or her welcome.

All I wish is to trade in my heavy winter coat for a light jacket.

It is hard for me to appreciate the subtleties of life, to find the magic in everyday moments, when the weather has put such a damper on my normally cheery disposition. I find myself in sour moods for no reason at all, occasionally perked up by a loved song or silly comment, but the lack of sunny vitamin D eventually pulls it back down. This feeling is electric, affecting the people around me. They talk about spring with an infectious enthusiasm and discuss mowing lawns with an unusual fondness, staring out the windows at the winterscape with a heavy sigh.

No one, it seems, is immune from a case of the mid-April winter blues.

My boyfriend has recently become infatuated with Indian cuisine, tackling Indian dishes with a large frying pan and little success. After tossing another half-finished dish into the trash, he set his sights on something simpler—a Mango Lassi. He had enjoyed several at the local Indian restaurant over the last month and we set out to create one together. Our joint effort was a smashing success, evidenced by the fact that he made five more over the course of the next few days.

In some ways, the simple blend of a few ingredients brought a brightness into the kitchen and sparked a light into my weary soul. It was a hint of the magic I have been searching for, the beginning of a journey into the rebirth of a new season.

Mango Lassi is a refreshing, cold beverage originating from India. Lassi is a yogurt-based drink blended with a bit of spice and ice which melts quickly to cool it down. Mango pulp (pureed mango) sweetens and flavors the drink while a sprinkle of cardamom adds warmth. A lassi has been described as a lighter, healthier version of a milkshake (or a smoothie without the blended ice). This mango lassi is lovely when dreaming of hot afternoons and cool drinks in the sun.

Click to read more ...

Dark Cherry Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt

Living alone has its perks. After crashing at home for the last eighteen months, I'm reveling in the glory of unmade beds, marathon television watching, and eating dinner on the living room floor. I can sit around in my pajamas all day long with no one to judge my choice of clothing. My mother, however, will tell you I did many of these things before I was living by myself and, as we all know, mothers are usually right.

Living alone also has its downsides. It can be lonely. The endless freedom can begin to feel oppressive when you find yourself with too much time on your hands. For the last six days I haven't eaten a proper meal because I haven't been able to see the sense in cooking just for myself. I do, however, keep baking, which poses a world of new problems on its own. For instance, am I really going to have to eat a dozen cupcakes all by myself?

Truthfully, I've never had to consciously bake for one. I've always had coworkers, friends, or parents to give away any cupcakes or cookies I couldn't eat by myself. It was a successful system and everyone enjoyed playing their parts—I would bake and they would eat. Now, however, I need to work on scaling back my recipes, like making six cupcakes instead of twenty-four (but even six cupcakes can still be too many to expect one poor soul to eat). Unfortunately, there are some recipes that simply cannot be scaled back, such as loaves of bread or layered cakes.

Baking for one truly hit home for me this past weekend. I set out to make a granola toffee that ended up failing spectacularly. Though it wasn't good enough to share with you, it was fine enough to devour as a midnight snack. Half of it disappeared before I had realized exactly what I'd done (and I had to throw the rest away or risk no longer fitting into my wardrobe).

Trust me, there is little sympathy to be found when complaining about having too many baked goods lying around the house.

Fruit-on-the-Bottom yogurt is not a novel or new idea, but it's a elegant one that has stood the test of time. While I don't typically buy this kind of yogurt in the store (I find it too sweet and not particularly filling), creating my own version using thick, Greek yogurt and fresh fruit makes this quick breakfast much more appealing. Until I master baking for one, this is a sweet treat I wouldn't mind having too much of in my refrigerator.

I used dark, sweet cherries, but any fruit could take its place at a moment's notice. Simply adjust the amount of sugar or honey to the sweetness of the fruit or berry.

Dark Cherry Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt makes for a quick breakfast or snack on the go. Dark, sweet cherries are cooked down into a thick sauce and layered into jars with honey sweetened, plain non-fat Greek yogurt. Whether you like to mix the fruit into the yogurt before stealing a spoonful or save the sweet cherries for the very end, this yogurt will satisfy any hunger pains that pop up during your day.

Click to read more ...

Grilled Apricots with Honey Greek Yogurt

Kids are funny little creatures (as I'm sure you know). As a camp counselor, I see the side of children when they are far away from their parents—a little bit more wild, a little bit more adventurous, and just a little bit more fearless. Diving boards, ticks, and snakes are no longer items of scary dreams, but play things. Kids wear ticks on tape as bracelets, enjoy a good belly flop, and swing snakes like whips above their heads (much to my dismay).

Given the chance, children are also very good at advertising.

On the bus, I often hear boisterous renditions of the many jingles from FreeCreditReport.Com. Even the tune from the Education Connection commercial has made an appearance or two. It's very strange to sit on a bus and have 20 children serenade me with a song I would normally run to mute on my television. Sweet serenade or not, I wish children had a remote.

That isn't too much to ask for, is it?

Because children are so susceptible to good advertising, even our traditional camp songs have become muddled with commercialism. The counselors tried to keep the songs pure, innocent, and bias free (we really did), but the voices of 70 children could not be swayed. We sing a song about Fried Ham. Amongst the cheese and bologna, there's a line about "onions, pickles, and pretzels" that the kids have changed to "Funyuns, pickles, and pretzels." Ordinarily I wouldn't mind this except that, because they think they are being "rebellious" by singing their version, they shout it at nearly three times the volume. My ears cry.

We also sing a healthy song all about staying fit and exercising. It ends with a sound off—"Sound off, eat right! Sound off, exercise! Subway, Eat Fresh!"

Did you catch that little ad in there? Kids are sneaky.

Note to those in marketing: The secret to success lies in small children. Come up with a catchy jingle and they will sing it so often their parents ears will bleed. It doesn't matter that they have no idea what a credit report is or won't be a consumer for another decade. Playing to the kids will turn you into a money-making machine.

After a long day of camp songs and commercialism, it's nice to just sit in the peace and quiet of my home, with the television turned off, and enjoy a simple, elegant snack. These Grilled Apricots with Honey Greek Yogurt fit the bill exactly.

The apricots are a snap to grill, spending little over a minute on the coals. The grill warms the flesh while keeping the fruit firm. With a dollop of Greek Yogurt and a drizzle of honey, ripe apricots turn into a little delicious dream. Perfect for breakfast and snacks, these grilled apricots are not only a healthy choice, but a special treat.

Click to read more ...