Fruit Smoothie

Here's a light, easy breakfast for people on the run. I made this one up. It's easy to modify - substitute whatever fruit and juice you like best!

1 medium banana, peeled and frozen (Do this ahead of time so it's ready when you're ready. Peel the banana, wrap in plastic wrap, and put it in the freezer.)
1/2 pint strawberries, washed and hulled
orange juice
handful of raw sunflower seeds, shelled

Cut the banana into 1-inch pieces. Put the strawberries in the blender, then the bananas, then pour in a little orange juice to give it some liquid to keep things moving. Be sure to put the non-frozen fruit in before you put the frozen fruit in. If you put the frozen pieces in first, the blender sometimes just cuts a path through them, and nothing moves around in the blender jar. Once everything is getting liquidy, toss in the sunflower seeds while it's still moving. Add enough orange juice to make the consistency you like. Pour it in an insulated to-go cup, and you're ready to hit the road, breakfast in hand!

Lemon Drop Sipper

Ok, I know adult beverages are not really "cooking", but this is a recipe I modified and love. The original was from The Ultimate A-To-Z Bar Guide by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. This cocktail recipe book is highly recommended! It has zillions of recipes, advice on all the proper barware and glasses to use for each drink, toasts, and witty drinking quotes. I modified this recipe to be weaker, because I'm kind of lame with drinking hard liquor. Make it stronger if it suits you.

juice of one large lemon
1 T. sugar
1/4 c. vodka
2 ice cubes

Put the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake like mad to try to dissolve the sugar. Strain it out into a cocktail glass (think martini glass), leaving the ice behind. Yum!